CH 10

note : this is from mir POV, sorry for any errors! also i made this too dramatic lol, sorry. ( I cried when reading this chapter serously)

There is nothing more terrifying in the world than embracing the pure darkness.

The foul odor emanating from a distance was so repulsive that it made my nose sting, and even bringing it near my face felt nauseating.

Still, I had to do it.

As a child, I used to cover myself with a blanket whenever I heard the sound of thunder because it scared me every day.

Al II could do was wrestle with fear while anxiously waiting for my mother, never knowing when she would safely return.

“Uh… uh…mother…”

Every day, I would hold my breath and tremble in the corner of our safe haven, waiting for my mother to return from the fierce battles with the gods. When she finally did, her feet would be weary, and she would limp towards me.

” …Mother… Why do we have to fight the gods…? Why do you have to get hurt like this….?”

The endless cycle of battle, witnessing her mother grow more and more exhausted each day, twisted Mir’s heart with pain and sorrow.

Still, all I could do was hide, trying to stay out of harm’s way and not become a burden or hostage. It felt like a helpless and frustrating situation, but I had no other choice.

Sob

Every time I approach my mother with a sad expression and express my worries, she embraces me tightly, as if trying to comfort and reassure me

“It’s okay, baby, don’t worry, we can drive out the gods soon and peace will come again…”

Her gentle smile calms my heart, but… it is just a lie to reassure me.

hug…

But… deep down, I couldn’t deny that my worried heart found solace in the warmth of my mother’s embrace, even though I knew her words were meant to comfort me, even if it’s a lie.

“I love you, my precious daughter…I need to go now, even if it’s uncomfortable… please hold on a little longer, okay baby? …Everything will be okay…”

When I received those comforting words from my mother and embraced her, a sense of calm washed over me, allowing me to drift off into a peaceful sleep with a renewed sense of hope.

“Yes.. I understand, mother..please be safe….”

As I began to drift off, memories of my father, who passed away long ago, come rushing back to me.

His face becomes blurry in my memory, and the image of his loving arms that used to hold me tightly starts to fade away.

I can’t remember because I was too young… but I definitely remember this moment.

The image of my father, pierced by spears and on the brink of death, but still managing to smile at me, is deeply ingrained in my memory.

The powerless smile and the trickle of red blood from the corners of his mouth became etched in my mind like a traumatic memory.

I can remember what expression he made at the end… but why can’t I remember his face…

I pondered that question, searching for an answer, but in the end, I drifted off to sleep.

…

…

Then… one day, everything came crashing down.

“Haakh!… Ukh…! Heoukh…! Haahk..!!”

I was running through the forest, where it was once my home.., everyone safe haven…, but…now reduced to ashes and charred remains..

My wings were already damaged and I couldn’t fly.

I prayed that my body would hold on, relying solely on my stamina as I ran frantically.

The gods obtained information about the dragon’s nest and …my existence.

They devised a sinister plan…. to exterminate the entire dragon race,… eradicating every last one of us…even for the little one like me..

During the absence of my mother, who was away for battle, they planned to assassinate me by launching a raid on the deserted sanctuary.

“That’s her!!”

“Don’t miss!”

bang!! bang!!-

BANG!!!!

The thunderous sound reverberated through the air by the spell they cast to attack me, causing my heart to tremble with fear. As they keep sending the spells, the more my skin became covered in painful burns.

“Ugkh… huh?!”

As I ran endlessly, at some point I was pushed to the edge of a cliff.

“It’s a dead end for her!! Haha!!, I won’t miss it this time!”

BANG!!!

The thunder spell struck me with a powerful impact, causing a surge of electrifying pain throughout my body. The force of the spell jolted me, leaving me reeling from the shock and agony of the impact.

“AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!”

With my teeth clenched, I desperately tried to hold on as my vision rapidly faded. An indescribable pain began to sear through my brain, causing intense agony that overwhelmed my senses.

Each moment felt like an eternity as I fought to endure the excruciating torment.

“Ah …aa…”

swish

Overwhelmed by the immense pain and the severity of my injuries, my body gave way. Unable to maintain control or focus on my physical form, I stumbled and tumbled down the cliff, descending into the depths below.

“What should we do? Should we follow down below?”

“Just leave that ‘thing’. She’s as good as dead after being struck by our thunder magic.”

“Don’t waste time, let’s go to the next area.”

But fate had other plans for me, and miraculously, I survived.

“Aaaggghhh! Ughhkkk!! Haakh! Aah! Hhkh.. haah..haah… uuuuhhhhh…”

Sob sob

But fate had something different in store for me. Instead of a healing fountain, an ordinary river, or a hard, bare stone, I found myself landing on a somewhat soft, moss-covered ground. It cushioned my fall, sparing me from certain death.

“uuu.. sob.. sob.. hic…It hurts so much… Mother…it hurts…”

I called out desperately for my mother, the one I had always depended on, but my voice only echoed back to me from the rocky walls.

There was no response, no comforting presence to alleviate my pain.

I was all alone, wounded, with only the echoes of my own cries reverberating in the desolate surroundings.

Sob sob

However, my body was irreparably damaged, beyond the point of recovery.

Every breath I took was a struggle, and my existence felt like nothing more than a flickering ember, on the verge of being extinguished.

Though I clung to life, it was a fragile thread that could be severed at any moment.

It’s cold… mother… I’m scraed…I don’t want to die… uuuu.. sob sob

As I teetered on the edge of death, a peculiar ‘thing’ caught my fading gaze in the periphery of my vision.

sssk… sskk…

A black mass that gradually gained influence over a certain corpse.

“ugh..Is that… the corpse of a god..?”

An evil aura coming from afar… Pure darkness that even the gods loathe with their entire being, was taking over the corpse

At the same time, an idea flew in through my mind

“If…I eat that ‘thing’…”

I had that insane idea… I’m fully aware that once it’s done, there’s no going back… but..

Ssskk skk sssk

Summoning the last shreds of strength, I drag myself towards the ‘thing,’ each agonizing movement searing my cells and eroding my sanity.

“ugh…”

I only picked it up, but my brain instinctively rejects the eerie sensation that creeps through my fingertips.

Just the thought of putting it in my mouth makes my stomach churn, and my sanity desperately warns me that it’s insane to swallow it.

Still… if I could absorb this power…

Blergh!

Gulps-

I forced that ‘bulb of darkness’ down my throat, and an instantaneous wave of amplified nausea made it feel like I would vomit everything inside me at any moment.

“huhk!! Ugh…”

I could hardly feel my stomach as I looked up at the sky, where suddenly all I could see from my eyes was darkness.

“Uh..? uh… aaa… AAAAHHHH!!!! AAAGHHHHHH!!!!!!”

And the intense pain that comes-

My mind was twisted by the overwhelming pain, both from within and without. I thrashed about in a state of madness, unable to bear the agony, repeatedly slamming my head against the floor.

THUD! THUD! THUD!

It hurts-

It hurts, it hurts, it hurts, It hurts, it hurts, it hurts

It hurts, it hurts, it hurts, It hurts, it hurts, it hurts It hurts, it hurts, it hurts, It hurts, it hurts, it hurts-

….

…

..

Only those thoughts filled my head.

The pain was an indescribable torment that made me long for death, its unyielding grip suppressing my every thought as I endured an endless cycle of meaningless suffering.

I wondered how long I struggled….

At some point, I didn’t feel anything anymore.

“uh..?”

Rather, I feel lighter than before, I feel strange, and I touch my body…

All my wounds were healed.

My body, which had been damaged to the extent that it was impossible to recover, had been completely restored.

And the enormous power that seemed to overflow-

I felt like I could win against anything in the world.

“This is… the power of darkness…”

It was an overwhelming power, so incredible that I couldn’t even begin to fathom it. It surpassed the strength of my mother, who I had always admired as the strongest and most formidable.

At the same time, the black desire that welled up within me whispered-.

More

I have to eat more.

Then I can end this long war…. Mother won’t have to get hurt anymore… I can get revenge for Father…

Through endless self-rationalization, I found myself succumbing to the allure of darkness.

The boundaries between right and wrong became increasingly blurred as I convinced myself that embracing the darkness was necessary to protect myself, my beloved ones and to fulfill my desires.

◆◆◆

“Baby!! Mir!!! Where are you?!”

When I returned to the sanctuary, which had barely survived and was on the verge of becoming ruins, I found my mother desperately searching for me, calling out my name with worry and fear in her voice.

A destroyed home and a lost daughter… she must be worried.

“Mother! I’m here!”

I raise my voice and call my mother.

If mother know about my newfound strength, surely she will be happy.

What expression would she make? Would she be proud of me?

“Mir?! Where have you been! I’ve been looking for you!-“

As if to shatter such a happy imagination, my mother found me and smiled, but her expression quickly contorted into one of shock and horror.

“…Baby… that power….!”

Soon, a contorted face of astonishment appears on her face.

“Mother?”

Her reaction was so unexpected that I was taken aback.

Contrary to me, who is in a state of confusion, my mother approached me with a grim and sad expression on her face…

Slap!

My heart was broken with the bitter heat I felt on my cheeks.

“.. huh?… mo…ther?”

I was unable to face reality and remained in a state of confusion, but my mother’s screams persisted, as if trying to snap me out of my daze.

“Where the hell did that power come from, Mir?! It’s dangerous to absorb pure darkness! It’s a power that even the gods didn’t dare to touch because they will lost their sanity!!!”

To be honest, it didn’t hurt…. After eating the darkness, the pain became dull after a while.

However, the fact that I was scolded by mother hurts me.

“I… I…”

“…..I don’t want to talk to you…my baby Mir is not like this ….”

Flap flap

She looked at me with contemptuous eyes, as if disappointed, and then flew away.

I could chase her with my current strength, but I couldn’t move.

I was too shocked after seeing that expression on mother face.

My mother had already flown away, leaving me behind.

I stared up at the sky for a while..

..

.

bang!!!

A familiar sound of thunder makes my head pound.

“That…”

With that sound, I flapped its wings and flew towards the source.

I don’t know where my mother has gone, but I am determined to chase after the faint traces she left behind. Pushing the limits of what I can do, I take flight, determined to find her.

“Mother!!”

But when I found my mother, everything was already too late.

“Ah…Mir…?”

I found my mother lying on the ground, her body growing colder with burns covering her entire body.

And the gods who had caused such harm to my mother looked at me with expressions of surprise.

“That little girl… isn’t she that dragon earlier?”

“I’m sure, but her aura.., that’s…!”

“It’s the pure darknessl!!”

The beings who had struck me with lightning earlier, forcing me into an irreversible choice, now revealed their hostility towards me.

“Baby… run away… …”

Mother squeezed out her voice and speak weakly to me-.

“AAHHHHHHH..!!”

Seeing my mother’s lifeless state, a surge of something welled up inside me..

It felt like an otherworldly force, distinct from darkness, surging through me and bolstering my strength with a relentless intensity.

“AHH!!!”

ROAAARRR!!

Already consumed by an overwhelming rage and driven to madness, I unleashed a piercing scream and unleashed a torrent of roaring fury towards the three gods.

BAM!!!

…

..

..

When I regained consciousness, the scene around me was bathed in blood. The lifeless bodies of the three divine beings lay scattered on the ground, torn to shreds.

I, too, suffered from fatal wounds, but it was healed within a short time.

“Haahh… haah… huh…?”

By the time I was able to come to my senses, everything was already over.

“M-mother!!”

I gently caressed my mother’s cheek as she lay on the floor, her life slowly fading away.

Despite the mess around us, there was a glimmer of happiness in her eyes

“I’m sorry….  that I spoke harsh words… Are these the results…. of a mother who neglected… her daughter…?”

“No! No! no…!, mother… d-don’t talk too much…just relax!..please.. ugh… sob”

Wiping my blurred vision from tears, I hugged mother.

hug

A pleasant aroma filled my nostrils, reminiscent of the scent I always cherished in my mother’s embrace.

Even in this dire moment, I could feel her comforting presence, as if she were still embracing me, providing a sense of warmth and safety.

“My precious daughter… the powers of darkness… is too difficult to control…. they can be dangerous for you…”

“No.. no… mother.. mother… don’t worry..it’s okay…stay with me…”

That’s what I said, but my mother and I knew that it was already irreversible…

“Connect with-… A strong and kind man.., a kind…and strong person… who can help you…”

With those words, the strength holding my hand begins to loosen.

“No! no! no! no! no- no!!! Please! Please!!… Don’t leave me!! It’s all my fault, my fault!- I didn’t want the darkness!!…mother… If it wasn’t for it.., it would be like usual…no…don’t go…please.. ugh.. sob sob”

My voice trailed off into a choked sob as I clung to mother’s body

Sob! Sob!

Recalling their former peaceful life that cannot be repeated again, I hug mother tighter tighter.

“Ah… I love you…, my… precious..daughter…I’m… sorry…”

As the words faded, the light in her eyes vanished. She released my hand, and her head slumped down, lifeless.

thud

“M-mother…?! no.. no… it’s a lie…! No!! No! no- no! no!!!!”

…

..

.

I cried for a while.

When my tears finally subsided, I realized that my mother’s body had already turned cold, and the lifeless bodies of the gods lay scattered around us then-

“…huh…?”

Darkness began to surge from their body,

revealing the truth that even gods decayed and even left behind bulbs of pure darkness.

It shattered the illusion of their righteousness and showed the world’s hidden reality.

Like rotting food and growing mold, the gods too met their end, leaving behind a legacy of darkness.

After burying my mother’s body and reexamining the corpses, the darkness multiplied even more prominently, staining the surrounding area with a deep black hue.

“The power of darkness…”

Then, I picked up the dark clumps.

Just once… eating a small amount of darkness provides me with power to kill three gods with ease.

But what if I eat a huge amount…? What if I continue to eat darkness infinitely by killing Gods and other lives?

By the time I was thinking about that, I was already shoving the darkness into my mouth.

It still smells disgusting, but I force it away thinking about my mother, who died horribly.

“ah….”

At the same time, I felt that my reason was fading, as my mother said, this power is dangerous…. I was drunk with it, and I felt like I would one day forget who I was.

“Connect with-… A strong and kind man.., a kind…and strong person… who can help you…”

I close my eyes, remembering my mother’s last will.

Will there be a man who can control this level of power?

After all, I’m not sure that kind of person will show up before I lose myself.

With that thought in mind, I’ve been wandering for eons.

I struggle to gain strength by eating darkness to live, and at some point the gods stopped attacking me.

But instead, they sent mortals to kill me.

Such abominable beings…. They are so afraid that they pass the work on to beings much weaker than themselves…

History is written by the victors, and in their portrayal, the war that ended during our time of frantic wandering painted us as wicked beings.

I was angry…but…they are not dangerous to me anymore

…

..

.

My body is getting more and more exhausted… As I ate more darkness to fight, I slowly reached the limit of my mind.

Madness continued to eat me, it won’t stop until someone appeared help me, as mother said.

So I keep searching.

But again, I can’t find such person.

All gods hate me… mortals fear me too, and there is no one strong enough to hold back this power…

After all, there is no such thing in this world… someone who can calm me down and restrain my power…

A man who does not appear even after several thousand years… Even if I was waiting for an existence that may not exist in the first place-

I keep searching.

But then, one day-

A man caught my eye.

An ordinary-looking human man belonging to the expedition that was trying to subdue me…

When everyone was wasting time with frivolous attacks, only he gave me the pain I had forgotten.

He didn’t want his allies to get hurt, so the man who deliberately hid his power, waited patiently and seized the opportunity to attack me in one chance-

I found him, mother.

Those words ran through my mind.

A person strong enough to subdue me at once… someone who is strong and kind-

finally showed up

His name is Harold.

After that, I transformed into a human form and stood before him. As we spent time together, my heart fluttered with excitement, yet at the same time, when I’m near him, the darkness inside me began to calm down.

I knew right away that this was the person I was looking for.

The person that mother wanted me to find.

I tried to tempt him into becoming my black knight, but he refused…because he serve a goddess that I hate more than anything else…

So, I tried to break his pledge with that goddess, but I failed…. Still, I didn’t give up and tried to get him.

After a while, I then found him again…

He was walking with a strange man.

Then he entered a certain temple and vanished without a trace. But when I use detection magic to search for him-