He enveloped Ronin in a tight hug.
“You don’t know how long I have waited for this day to come.”
Ronin only made a sound between a scoff and a chuckle.
“I know. It was 6 years.”
Maellan nodded, and sighed. “And yet it felt like eternity.”
Ronin look at him from head to toe, and then asked. “What happened to you?”
Maellan only smiled, and said. “You know by now, don’t you, little brother? He communicates with me and told me you have met him.”
Ronin raised an eyebrow at this. “Espinella communicates with you?”
Maellan nodded. “Yes. Trying to stop me from healing people, saying that those I choose could not be trusted.”
“But you saw just now how they knocked got rid of all these people for you. They told me how much the Academy discriminated against you for being a Commoner.”
Ronin turned to Volken and Pavone. “That is true, but…..”
‘So did they. They were not any different before they learned about who I am.’ Ronin thought amusingly.
Volken called him a rat. Now he called him ‘Your Majesty’ with so much respect. Pavone said that he would talk to his father about such awful Commoner being in his school, and he sees Commners as useless and pathetic wastes of space. Now he serves him.
How the tables have turned indeed.
But Ronin knew that Maellan trusted them, otherwise, he wouldn’t have turned them to Daemons.
Which was the problem itself.
“How did you transform them? No, how did you meet them first, brother?” Ronin asked.
Maellan smiled, and spoke to someone invisible. “Show him.”
Ronin could hear a reply from someone who wasn’t here.
“All of it?”
That voice was Espinella’s, who can communicate with anyone who shared in the dark Gift of Fausforus.
And most strongly with the one who had the most of it, his incarnate himself. Ronin can see him besides hearing him, and see the things he wanted to share.
“Of course.” Maellan smiled.
Not even in a second, Ronin managed to obtain all of it after a sharp headache.
“Hah…. Mn.” He managed to keep himself standing despite the excruciating pain.
He saw how Maellan met Pavone in the streets, and how he had pierced his empty stomach slowly being ruined by hunger and malnutrition with his spear. Improving his Erasure skill to reach a whole city itself without physical interaction.
Next was Rabuka, who’s throat was pierced and made to fix and amplify her Cordial Surge.
And finally, Volken….
“You never used your weapon’s skill before.” Ronin noticed. “I have seen you fight with Cermin and Don, but you never activated your Rapier Lunis.”
Volken simply smiled. “There’s no need to, Your Majesty. I am strong enough with my own strength and swordsmanship alone.”
Ronin narrowed his eyes at this. Volken just gave him a fanged smile.
Maellan nodded. “I can attest to that, I have observed his skill well after I healed him. Though I do want to ask…”
“Who is this Don you speak of?”
Once Marigold’s ruined wings broke open…..
“Is everyone alright!? Are you girls hurt!?” Marigold asked them, placing her golden hands on Calla Lily’s and Edelweiss’ face.
Their ears bled a little but they were alright. Rabuka resisted the urge to yell at them again, as she wanted to deliver at even worse blow at her rival, Calla Lily.
“We’re fine.” Calla said. “We need to get out of here quickly.”
Edelweiss nodded. “There are Griffons outside used by investors and patrons earlier. We can get on them and ask for help.”
Don was in the middle of the two childhood friends. As he peeked out of the broken wing…
“Maellan? Is that really you?”
Maellan turned around, and his eyes widened. “You…. little sister…. Is that really you? I didn’t recognize you because of….. But you’re really a man now.”
His eyes brightened. “Don’t worry! I can turn you into a man permanently if you so pleased! Oh, Belladonna, I’m so happy to see you again!”
He went closer, but Marigold hugged him protectively. “Stay away, daemon!”
Don blinked and tears welled on his eyes. “I don’t understand what’s going on… How… You died and fell in the Abyss with Cholie! “
“We did, dear.”
Maellan spoke in that soft tone again.
Soon, a face appeared on top of his own face by his left cheek.
“We have missed you very much.” The face said. “Do you remember me? I’m your greatest friend Cholie, when you were young! Ah, you are still so beautiful even after all these years, even as a man. Looking like the perfect doll!”
Don was horrified and screamed at this. “AHHHHHH!!!! What….. What are you!? What happened to you!?”
Calla covered his eyes. “He’s not your brother anymore! Don’t look! We need to get out of here, now!”
“But Ronin—-“
Edelweiss took his hand too. “They are not hurting Ronin right now. He is like them, monsters! All we can do is run before they hurt us like everyone else!”
Don looked at the blood and the wreckage. People stuck on big piles of debris, some of them seeming to have lost their lives already within a few seconds.
And these evil villains who have caused it only smiled with glee…
Were Ronin and Maellan really capable of doing this? It can’t be!
They were his kindest brothers! This shouldn’t be possible…..
Marigold had still tried to fly and flap her wings. “Let’s get out of here! Come on, Don!”
He looked back, as Maellan mixed with Choli reached out to him.
“No! Come back! Belladonna!”
Yet soon they jumped the moment Calla blew a whistle, and summoned a Griffon to catch them! Flying out before the daemons can catch them!
Maellan felt very sad about this, and Cholie shed tears.
Ronin patted his shoulder. “We will get Don, eventually. Perhaps we can get him to our side.”
Maellan nodded, and Cholie shrunk back within him. “I know… I will try to get him from those girls.”
Volken was frowning at this, but didn’t say a word.
While Maellan was still looking longingly at the flying Griffon, Ronin turned to him. “You kept your hostility a secret until now, didn’t you?”
Volken simply shrugged. “I don’t know what you are talking about, Your Majesty.”
He eyed both him and Pavone. “I know the truth. You do know how heartbroken Maellan would be if he knew what you were planning, right?”
Pavone faked a smile. “I would never want Maellan’s heart to break. He matters very much to me.”
Ronin chuckled. “I see. Well then…..”
He went to approach Maellan, until Pavone spoke up.
“Cermin is still asleep, but he may wake up any second. And we might be the first ones to explain everything to him.” Pavone lifted the unconscious Cermin up. “He would be heartbroken if he learned the truth, won’t he, Dark Lord?”
Volken nodded. “Everything can be peaceful as we rise the banners of the new era. We must be in harmony as the first daemons under your liege.”
Ronin can see what they were doing. “I see. A truth for a truth. I keep quiet to Maellan and you keep quiet to Cermin, is that it? To maintain this ‘peace’.”
Pavone nodded. “After all, it would be regrettable if there were any….. Inconveniences before the Dark Age has begun. We must focus on assimilating Magecia first.”
(Before we assimilate each other.) He added in his mind.
It seemed that even if Ronin did manage to defeat Cermin, he will still have some pesky things to worry about like these two-faced daemons.
But it’s no big deal. He can easily get rid of them too.
“When will the Dark Age begin?” Ronin asked.
Rabuka went over. “You decide. Aren’t you the Dark Lord after all? It’s up to you to bring the Dark Age, not us.”
Ronin thought about.
How does one bring the Dark Age?
How does one change the peaceful turn of the universe, and bring back the times when people were often in fear of the dark….. And amplify it?
Such major change…
Meant a change in the Core of the world.
Light has reigned in the Core of Magecia for too long. It was time to corrupt it.
“I see. Well, my daemons…..” He grinned at them.
“You must be my herald as this darkness arrives. For now, I must sleep.”
They blink in confusion, as suddenly—-
Ronin collapsed on the floor out of his own will, falling unconscious immediately!
Maellan caught him. “What happened to Ronin—-“
But as soon as Ronin had fallen asleep….
The earth shook, and continued to do so again and again. Screams of terror all over the Celestus Realm could be heard.
And soon…..
Crack!
The already ruined exhibit started to crack from below, zigzagging lines increasing until it cuts through the building.
Cutting it in half.
Everything was being cut in half. Even the sky was being torn apart, as the blue sky was being ripped and replaced by the true dark sky underneath…..
The dark sky that looked below everyone like one eye.
When Ronin woke up on the Other Side, he found the Core as soon as he got there.
All it took was for him to realize that he decides the future now as the King. He decides the destiny of the world.
And once he found this Core protected by four stars which he crushed with his own hands…..
Ronin had opened a rift. In the middle of that rift was a circle, and that circle was glowing yellow like the sun…..
But it had darkness spreading around it, slowly corrupting it.
It looked like an eye that opened after being closed for so long. The rift in the sky reflected the shape of the Abyss below, and the Celestus Realm broke farther and farther apart.
As above, so below.
The Dark Age has begun.
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