“If we don’t learn it, we will immediately become monsters because we are heirs of the demon king’s blood. If you use blood magic, the demon king’s blood becomes more intense. There has never been a householder who could manage it….besides, you already learned the dark arts even though you didn’t want to learn it, right?”
“I never did.”
“Using it comes as natural as breathing. Anyway, be careful. No matter how strong you are, the only result left after using blood magic is to advance the future of becoming a Demon King.”
“But my stomach hurts.”
“If you use blood magic, that’s the way it is. It’s because you are young, so bear with it.”
“……”
But, nevertheless, there was no hesitation.
‘Better than using magic.’
At the same time as he thought so, Raven used the blood dripping down the palm of his hand without leaving a single drop behind.
One, two.
He drew a couple of magic circles in the air and fixed them with a drop of blood.
Find Evelyn.
Although the gathering ground was wide, it was still the Shadow Forest. For Raven, it was a playground he had been playing in since birth.
Finding her was quick.
“Evelyn.”
But even before his words could reach her, the presence of a monster was felt.
“Bell!”
Evelyn’s white face was full of drowsiness as she turned to the sound of his shout.
Stumble.
The child could not control her body and was about to fall. In an instant, magic circles bled out with a resounding noise.
An ominous ringing echoed in the vicinity, which gave chills to those even farther away, but before anyone else could come here, it would be all over.
The moment the blood magic circle turned golden, it was complete.
Raven saw a leaf-shaped hand of a monster extending towards Evelyn.
Taah!
Breaking the mist, Raven smashed the ground.
With a red magic circle shining in golden on each hand.
* * *
When rain falls it’s cold, but the water on my cheeks was a little warm.
I felt a flash of consciousness.
‘Did I fall asleep?’
Things were hazy and I was dazed, but I clearly remembered that something dangerous had struck me.
The fluttering leaves were different from the plants and trees I had always seen. It felt so eerie, that for a moment I thought I was going to die.
Countless thoughts flashed through my mind in that brief moment. The first thing that came to mind was my brother.
I may have been able to live with sincerity here because this was a world that child made.
But I couldn’t quite remember my brother’s face.
Dry hands, bloodless cheeks, and eyes that seemed to warn people he would leave at any moment because they were always looking far away.
“You know, sister.”
Even the things that child said were a little odd.
“Writing is a glimpse into the world. I’m obviously looking there, but I can’t see everything. So I write only what I see.”
A smile that was faint but firm.
“I really believe that the place of which I write of really exists.”
“I see.”
“There must be a lot of things I don’t know. What even my sister doesn’t know. It would be really interesting to see it in person, but I’m afraid it will be difficult for me.”
I remember, but somehow I couldn’t think of it vividly, and as I tried to trace the memory, I thought of him.
‘Raven.’
The first person I met when I came into this world.
A person who, after fighting a few times, I had built up several layers of shallow affection. But before I knew it, I really wanted the boy to be happy.
He was obviously a child, but strangely like a friend, being together was very comforting.
The memories with him were vivid. To the extent that I don’t want to miss out.
‘I didn’t know my ending would be so sad.’
Am I dead?
If not.
‘How long has it been?’
I let out my breath and blinked my eyes.
The trees that almost obscured the sky were included in the view that gradually became brighter and clearer.
It was raining, heralding the winter to come.
It’s said that the northern sky is always dreaming, so when it sheds tears, the scent of flowers permeates the air. The rain that falls in the cold spring is as cold as ice, but it retains the fragrance of flowers, so it’s often called the perfume of the sky.
“Can I collect it?” (Bell)
But if I gather it, it’s not rain anymore, just water.
A foreign thing was sandwiched between the landscapes that caught my eye.
White and pale cheeks. A nose that draws a tall and beautiful line and straight lips that look stubborn.
Bright eyes, shining like the moon.
Right. Even if they were golden, it resembles the moon more than the sun.
“I guess you’re quite comfortable.”
Even though he had such a dirty temper, the boy used to laugh a little on rare occasions. It was close to an unintentional laugh.
“Let’s wait until you come back to your senses. Bell.”
“Are you calling me?”
“What?”
“You called me Bell.”
I raised my hand to sweep through his dark hair.
“……..Do you like it?”
“Yes.”
I smiled softly as I answered, but I started to fall asleep again.
“Sleep a little more. When you wake up, it will all be over.”
Weird. Why is he so sweet?
I think I fell asleep thinking about that.
How long has it been?
For a moment, I felt my mind come back.
When I blankly turned my eyes, a magic circle shining in a bright golden light melted away three monsters.
Black ashes were flying everywhere.
A pale, tired Raven was sweating in a cold sweat as gold and black ashes rose like a haze.
I realized I was lying on the floor and leaning on Ray’s lap.
‘Oh my God.’
As I opened my eyes wide I heard a small voice.
“Are you awake?”
Raven was wiping the sweat from his forehead.
“Ray?”
“Yes.”
It seemed like he was roughly wiping his sweat, but he had a trembling hand.
As I blinked and looked up at him, I felt strange.
I was looking around because I sniffed a strange burning smell, but Ray’s hand firmly supported my face and prevented me from turning my head.
“Why?”
“If you’re up, let’s go.”
“……Yes.”
It wasn’t until I got up that I realized that Raven was in such bad shape that he couldn’t even get up.
“Ray! You…why are you like this! Huh?”
“Ha-ha.”
While being slapped with his refusing to say the bare minimum, Ray, who strangely smiled stood up with my help and I involuntarily looked up at the sky at the same time.
I hardened immediately.
A golden magic circle was becoming ashes in the air. It was just like the tales of heroes from ages forgotten.
The serene and majestic scene that would come out of a fantasy movie froze me still.
“It’s not bad that it happened like this.”
Then Raven said so.
I questioned his sudden remark, but he quietly raised the corners of his mouth not answering me.
He just said one thing right after we left the forest.
“I have no regrets.”
I didn’t ask anything, but I felt like I heard an answer. I have a feeling that something was wrong, but at the same time, nothing went wrong, and things started to flow somewhere…
I was caught up in an unknown feeling.
“Bell.”
“Yes?”
He said to me, who was still a little hazy.
“Come on. Sera and Jack are waiting.”
It was an uncharacteristically gentle tone of voice.
But why does it feels even colder than normal?
I got goosebumps because of his calm tone.
Only then did I grasp the overall situation and nodded with a frown.