The Author's POV

'As much as you think I didn't, I've always been proud of what you've achieved… even when it looked like I didn't care.'

There was truth in the words he said to her. It may not have looked like it, but he had always been proud of what she had achieved.

He may not have shown it because of his circumstances, but he was proud. He had always been.

The feeling only grew stronger when he could feel himself again. He couldn't have been more pleased with her accomplishments, and the fact that she handled everything on her own made him even prouder.

He was glad she was doing well.

Well… for the most part.

He knew that he couldn't go back in time and undo the harm that his neglect had caused her.

When he thought about her past and how his actions had harmed her, he felt an overwhelming sense of guilt wash over him. She had been through a lot in her life.

Especially for someone her age. Growing up without a family… she must've truly been lonely.

He had never sought forgiveness or expected to receive it.

It stung, and now that he knew how to feel emotions again, his life was filled with nothing but pain.

Strangely enough, he didn't hate it.

Compared to the times when he felt nothing but numbness, this was much better.

He at least… felt something.

It hurt, but at the same time, he felt better than ever. His mind had never been clearer, and staring at the Prince before him, he had already made up his mind.

When he looked down, he could still see her looking up at him from below, and he found himself smiling.

'Yeah… this is how it should be.'

"Hm? Aren't you the human from before? You didn't run away?"

The Prince seemed rather surprised by his sudden appearance. Gervis too, but for another reason.

"You… what are you doing?"

The way Gervis looked at him changed, but Octavious paid him no mind and continued to gaze at Prince Adrian.

"I would like to make a contract with you."

The glare that Gervis was casting became even more intense, but the Prince stopped him from saying anything by waving his hand at him and smacking him toward the ground.

Bang—!

He then proceeded to look at Octavious.

"So you'd like to form a contract with me, huh?"

Prince Adrian studied Octavious from top to bottom. At first glance, he wasn't too bad. A tad bit worse than the dwarf, but overall, he wasn't too bad.

To have reached his rank while being a human was a testament to his talent and his gaze… he quite liked it.

Prince Andrian extended his hand, where a contract appeared.

"Very well, since you're interested in signing a contract, I won't stop you."

much thought. He was good

"Thank you."

nodded his head, staring at the

"D… don't you dare."

he paid

with demonic energy as soon as his hand touched it,

that he had not yet signed the contract, he was already able to sense the force that emanated from it. It was very powerful. More powerful than he could have ever

"Go on, sign it."

close to him, sounding like soft whispers and tempting him even

for a moment before putting it down and turning his attention

smiled softly at

Riiiiip!

the contract in half, completely freezing

and he

was when Octavious chose

wanted to sign the contract. I only said it because I wanted to get close enough

from the orb as they rotated like satellites around

"Wait… that power…"

Prince's expression changed drastically the moment the orb

It's exactly what you think it

Crack!

hand, the entire world became white, and golden runes flooded

How is

efforts were fruitless. The golden runes whirled around him at

"How da…mhm…mhhhh."

turned quiet from that point on. The

runes around his body

though the Prince was

"Huu."

his entire body began to shrink, and he

the prime of his life, he slowly turned into a frail and old man.

to Octavious as he weakly moved toward the Prince. He weakly placed his hand over the Prince's shoulder and

his gaze paused on a certain

He smiled at her.

is how it should

terrible father then, and a terrible father now. Perhaps he was never meant

perhaps he just wasn't ready

Still.

overlap with someone he used

'They… truly are alike…'

Melissa had never gotten to meet her. His vision warped with images of them as a happy family. As a family that they never were, and the thought ached

Cr… Crack!

by a loud cracking sound. When he looked up, he saw that the golden runes that had encircled the Prince were beginning to disintegrate, which meant that the

at Melissa once more,

"Goodbye."

'I love you.'

He didn't feel like

the sound of

BOOOOOOOOOOM—!

***

[Earth]

"Kill!"

kill all

the pocket spaces that remained over the broken pillars, the sky darkened,