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"No! No! This can't be! You can't die!"
"Impossible! How can this be!? This is a dream, right? Tell me it is! No! I don't believe it!"
"God! God! Our God is dead!"
"It's over! It's all over for us!"
Mournful wails and unwilling roars resounded on the demon's side. Their world started falling apart upon witnessing the death of their god at the hands of the enemy leader.
The battle was incredibly one-sided. From start to finish, the Demon God never had any advantages. The human leader was just too obscenely strong. He wields power that directly opposed their very existence. It was unfair, disgusting, and vile. Yet no matter how unwilling they were, they had to face the truth.
They lost this war. It's all over for them. Today marks the extinction of their kind, and nothing will change that.
On the other hand, humans were celebrating.
Some were hyped. Some clenched their fists and roared in relief and refreshment. Others cried due to their overwhelming emotions, and only a few managed to get themselves under control.
They won. They really won. The Sun Sage pulled through. He killed the Demon God and brought them true freedom from the demons that opressed them for hundreds of years.
This time, there's no next time. This isn't a temporary peace or false freedom. This one's real. After they killed all the remaining demons here, which they'd certainly do soon, Prime Earth and humans will no longer have to live in fear and pressure.
Cedric did something that their ancestors have been dreaming about since the dawn of the invasion. And he surely did a much better job than they could ever possibly hope.
Because, you see, Cedric could've easily waged this war alone. And he could've won all by himself. After all, he's way too strong, especially after his time in the Tower of Prodigies. He could've been the real hero of humanity; he could've had people singing praises about him for thousands of years to come; he could've even been the new god of humanity.
But instead of showing off his might and waging a war all by himself, he chose to include others in the battle. He knew that this isn't a battle he alone must fight. Sure, he could've done so, but this is everybody's fight.
He wasn't the only one affected by the invasion of demons. He wasn't the only one who lost his loved ones due to their oppression. He isn't the only one who suffered immensely because of their existence.
This isn't a personal vendetta. This was a fight, a war that all humans should be involved in.
So instead of ending it all by himself, he bid his time. He supplied knowledge, ideas, resources, and chances for others to prosper as well. He gave them the means to stand up for themselves, made them realize that there was hope, and taught them how to fight.
Thinking about that moment, he couldn't help but caress his eyes.
All of this—his successful turnover, his rehabilitation, his rise to fame and strength, all the way to him making huge changes to the world—all of it began the moment he inherited these eyes.
'I've worked hard.'
'This...this should be enough to prove that I'm worthy of these eyes, right? '
'I was lucky, sure. But I've worked hard to prove that I deserve this too.'
He already knew the answer to this. He already met the residual will of the gods before. That person assured him that he is indeed worthy and that, if anything, he was glad that it was Cedric who inherited his remains.
But Cedric still carried traces of doubt even then. He just couldn't rest easy until he actually proved something that makes him worthy of inheriting these eyes.
That changes now, though.
All of his self-doubt and uncertainty dissipated as he stood here. He did achieve something great. He worked hard for it. He proved something. And he is worthy of this lucky chance.
From now on, he will no longer doubt that.
As he blinks. He felt and saw something. He saw shadows of familiar faces surrounding him. It's his family.
They were standing next to him. His father was patting his back, his mother was ruffling his hair, and his siblings were hugging his thighs. All of them were smiling at him, seemingly comforting him and praising him for a job well done.
Cedric felt the corners of his eyes sting. He didn't want to blink because he knew that once he did, all of this would end. Lord knows how he missed them dearly, but he had to accept that he'd no longer see them again.
Even if it were possible to revive them, he wouldn't. He would rather have them enter the cycle of reincarnation instead of being selfish. His family ended rather prematurely, but all of his fond memories of them will stay forever and ever with him.
And that's enough for Cedric.
"Thank you."
Cedric took a deep breath and closed his eyes. As expected, the moment he did so, the ghosts disappeared. It didn't make him sad anymore, just melancholy.
A slight smile appeared on his face. Then, for the first time in a long while, Cedric lied down on the same rotten and dusty bed of his old room in this old prison.
He closed his eyes and slept peacefully.