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."

offered it without much thought. He was good

"Thank you."

staring at the contract in front of

"D… don't you dare."

side, he could hear Gervis's muffled words, but he paid no attention to them and

energy as soon as his hand touched it, engulfing him from head

the force that emanated from it. It was very powerful. More

"Go on, sign it."

Prince's words echoed close to him, sounding like

in front of him for a moment before putting it down and turning his

softly

Riiiiip!

with one swift movement, he tore the contract in half, completely freezing the

and he looked at

when Octavious chose

I wanted to sign the contract because I wanted to sign the contract. I only said it because I

his hand and revealed a white orb. Golden runes emanated from the orb as they rotated like satellites around

"Wait… that power…"

the moment

exactly what

Crack!

hand, the entire world

is this

up a fight as his own golden runes emerged from his body, his efforts were fruitless. The golden runes whirled around

"How da…mhm…mhhhh."

point on. The golden runes kept wrapping and circling around

runes around his body dimmed considerably with

that even though the Prince was trapped, his predicament would not last for

"Huu."

body began to shrink, and he had a

frail and

toward the Prince. He weakly placed his hand

when his gaze paused on a

He smiled at her.

how it

terrible father then, and a terrible father now. Perhaps

perhaps he just wasn't

Still.

overlap with someone he

'They… truly are alike…'

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 him even

Cr… Crack!

saw that the golden runes that had encircled

looked at Melissa once more, engraving her face into his mind before

"Goodbye."

'I love you.'

only able to utter the first word. He found himself unable to say the last three. He didn't feel like he had the right to say such words to her, and shortly after

before hearing the sound of his own

BOOOOOOOOOOM—!

***

[Earth]

"Kill!"

out and kill all

out from the pocket spaces that remained over the broken pillars, the sky darkened, and a sound like thunder rumbled through