Arthur shot up into the skies, his figure piercing through the wind as he closed his eyes, focusing all his energy on the only hope he had left—the Huntress.
She was the only one he could turn to for help since his grandparents' hands were tied.
The Coven of the Damned and its mbers were the only ones left who would dare to stand up to Derek.
His breathing steadied, his muscles tensed, and he reached outward with his senses, just as Asher had taught him.
He pushed his mana outward, spreading it farther and wider, extending his awareness across the entire planet within a matter of minutes.
The wind roared past him, the atmosphere trembling under the sheer weight of his presence.
But—
Nothing.
He couldn't sense anything.
Not even a trace of the Huntress's mana remained.
Arthur's heart sank as he exhaled sharply, his hands clenching into fists.
He had expected this outco since she must be in hiding, but that didn't make it any less disheartening.
With a dismayed look, he let himself descend back to the surface, his movents slow, heavy. He changed into normal clothes, dull and simple, as he walked down an empty, lifeless street, his hands tucked into his pockets, his eyes distant.
The sun was beginning to set.
Its fading light painted the sky in shades of crimson and gold, beautiful yet fleeting.
Like hope.
Arthur sighed deeply, looking up at the sky.
What was he supposed to do next?
How was he supposed to set things right?
His hands tightened inside his pockets, his shoulders tense as an overwhelming sense of guilt settled in his chest.
He didn't know how to do this alone.
But then—
A face flashed in his mind.
Asher. Hellbringer.
The one person who had actually taught him, guided him—even if he was cold and harsh at tis.
Even if he was a demon.
Arthur's brow furrowed. Asher had told him sothing once.
To be careful of what he believed and trusted. To never blindly follow anyone.
At the ti, Arthur thought Asher was just looking down on him. But now…
Did Asher know about Derek?
Why was he really here on Earth?
Why was he helping the common people, destroying evil guilds, and taking down those who abused their power?
Could a demon—a being Arthur was trained to believe was pure evil—truly be capable of good?
Arthur's heart twisted with conflict.
Everything he had known, everything he had trusted—it was falling apart.
And if Derek—a Hunter, a legendary leader, a father figure—was capable of such evil…
Then wasn't it also possible that a demon could be capable of good?
His thoughts drifted to Alia.
She was on the run now. A fugitive.
And yet, she had been working for Asher all this ti.
Emiko and Yui too.
Arthur clenched his jaw.
He knew Alia more than the rest.
She was valiant. Honorable. She had risked everything for what she believed was right.
If soone like her was siding with Asher…
Then there had to be a good reason.
And maybe—just maybe—he had been fighting the wrong war all along.
But before he could think any further—
He sensed sothing.
Arthur's eyes snapped open, his breath hitching as a faint, almost imperceptible trace of mana flickered in the distance.
His brows furrowed.
Familiar. But faint.
Without hesitation, he followed it.
His footsteps quickened, his heart pounding as he traced the energy signature through dark, narrow alleyways, past abandoned buildings, until he stopped at the entrance of a rundown, decaying structure.
Beggars were sleeping along the floor, their ragged breaths filling the silence.
Arthur walked past them carefully, his movents precise, his senses on high alert.
The deeper he went, the darker it beca—shadows creeping up the walls, consuming everything in their reach.
Then—
A sudden flash of red light.
"Hey!"
Arthur barely had ti to react before his body vanished.
A sharp pull. A rush of heat.
And then—
A dusty, rough ground t his back.
Arthur imdiately rolled to his feet, his muscles tensing as he prepared to fight.
But then—
His eyes widened.
He wasn't alone.
He was inside an old, worn-down cabin, the air thick with tension.
And standing before him—
Were four familiar figures.
Alia. Grace Eleanor—the Huntress. Yui. Remy.
All of them looking at him with anxious, hopeful eyes. Yui and Remy were hoping Grace and Alia's plan to bring him here won't backfire since they had no idea if he was still on Derek's side.
However, they were feeling hopeful since Grace had told them that Arthur had a pure heart and he would only follow and do the right thing.
Arthur's lips parted in shock, his voice coming out hoarse, disbelieving.
"Y-You all… You brought here?"
Alia took a step forward, her face filled with sothing he hadn't seen in a long ti.
Regret.
"Good to see you again, kiddo," she said, a small, tired smile on her lips. "I'm glad I didn't beat you to death that day."
Arthur blinked, still reeling from everything.
But then her smile faded, and she looked at him with a painful, raw honesty.
"I'm sorry. I went too far. We've lost too much. And I was angry that I couldn't do anything to the real perpetrators."
Arthur lowered his gaze, shaking his head.
"No… there's nothing for you to apologize for," he muttered, his voice thick with guilt. "I've committed worse sins. I… I don't know if I can ever undo what I've done. You guys knew the truth all this ti… and yet I was so blind and stupid to see it."
A soft hand rested on his shoulder.
He looked up to see Alia's eyes, filled with understanding.
"Now isn't the ti to drown in guilt, Arthur," she said firmly. "We all have things we regret… things that haunt us every single day. Wishing we could change them."
Arthur looked away, his hands trembling.
Grace stepped forward, her arms crossed, her expression unreadable.
"She's right," she said. "We could sit here and talk about our past all day… or we could do sothing to stop the real evil. The ones committing bigger sins."
Arthur swallowed, his heart racing.
Grace's gaze bore into his, strong, unwavering.
"What will it be, Arthur?"
A long, heavy silence followed.
Arthur clenched his fists.
Arthur clenched his fists, his voice filled with resolve as he said, "Of course we have to do sothing. And that starts with gathering as many allies as we can. What were you guys planning?"
Grace let out a tired sigh, rubbing the bridge of her nose before she spoke. "We've spent most of our resources bombing the Nexus Tower and buying ti for our master. In case you didn't know, he's the one who rallied all of us to take down Derek and everyone working for him. Without him, we wouldn't have co this far."
Arthur narrowed his eyes, his mind racing. "So it's really true..." he mumbled, the weight of everything pressing down on him.
But then a deeper question lingered in his thoughts, one he had been asking himself ever since his suspicions about Derek had been confird.
"But why… Why is he helping us humans?" Arthur asked, his gaze flickering between them. "Why would he do sothing that would only turn his own kind against him and affect him as well?"
At his question, the group exchanged glances, their expressions unreadable. Your journey continues on My Virtual Library Empire
Then, after a mont of hesitation, Alia finally spoke. "Sorry, we can't say the reason for now. It's sothing only he can decide to tell you."
Arthur frowned. "But—"
"What we can tell you," Alia continued, cutting him off gently, "is that he is our only chance against Derek. And… he's the one who is most motivated to see him fall."
Arthur studied their faces, trying to decipher any hint of deception, but there was none. He took a deep breath, then slowly nodded.
"Okay... I will believe you."
For now.
He still had too many unanswered questions, but there was no ti to dwell on them. They had more pressing matters to deal with.
"In the anti," Arthur said, his tone growing firm, "we should co up with a plan to rescue those Derek has held hostage—including Rachel, her mother, and..." His voice faltered slightly, "my mother."
At his words, Alia blinked in confusion. "Your mother?"
Arthur nodded, his expression serious, "My fat—I an, my grandfather told the truth. My real mother has always been Aira... who is also the Oracle."
A heavy silence fell over the room.
"What?" Grace mumbled, her normally composed expression cracking as disbelief filled her eyes.
Yui, Alia, and Remy all sucked in sharp breaths, their reactions mirroring Grace's.
Arthur understood why they were so shocked. It wasn't sothing he had fully processed yet either.
"I know..." Arthur said quietly, his fingers curling against his palm. "I still feel like my world is crumbling after learning the truth... including the fact that my father was—"
His jaw tightened, his voice trembling with pain as he uttered the na that had haunted him ever since he learned the truth.
"Cedric."
His breath hitched.
"And it was Derek who backstabbed him and killed him—by ganging up on him after he killed the Demon King."
His teeth clenched, his entire body rigid with anger and grief.
At his words, a strange silence filled the room.
Arthur looked up, and to his confusion, he found the others staring at him with wide, unreadable expressions.
"...It can't be..." Alia mumbled, exchanging glances with Grace and the others.
Arthur's brows furrowed. "What? What's wrong?"
They weren't just shocked. Their expressions were too conflicted, as if they were struggling with sothing much deeper.
Then Grace let out a long breath, her brown eyes settling on Arthur.
"Arthur…" she said carefully, her voice holding a weight that made his stomach twist. "Maybe you should know after all."
Arthur's heartbeat quickened. "Know what?"
Grace hesitated for just a second before saying sothing that shattered Arthur's entire world.
"That your father is alive but... as a demon who everyone knows as Hellbringer."
Arthur's breath stopped.
His entire body froze.
His eyes widened in utter disbelief, his heart thudding so hard he could hear it in his ears.
Reviews
All reviews (0)