The Author's POV

It all happened so quickly, but when she felt 'his' gaze fall on her for just a split second, time seemed to come to an abrupt halt, and so did her world.

His expression was the same as usual—a little aged. Perhaps a little different, but it wasn't so different from how it had always been.

Yet, for some reason, in that moment, it felt as though that simple gaze told her a thousand words.

He nodded at her and said something.

She couldn't quite make out what those words were.

That was because she knew exactly what he was going to do, and in that moment, her mind blanked.

Her usually brilliant mind blanked, and she dully stood on the ground, staring up toward the sky, which was soon enveloped by a brilliant white light that came directly from her father's body. It enveloped the sky in its entirety.

BOOOM—!

That was the last thing she saw before a terrifying explosion covered the sky, and she was hurled a great distance away from the scene.

BANG—!

She collided with a tree, and if it weren't for the protective shield that materialized around her just as she was about to make contact with the tree, she likely would have sustained significant injuries.

"Ugh."

With a groan, she forced herself to look up, and that was when she realized that the mist that had blanketed the sky previously had completely disappeared.

Her mind, which seemed stained with something moments prior, seemed to clear up.

But none of that concerned her at the moment. What she was concerned about was something else, and she hastily looked around in the sky for any signs of 'him'.

But no matter how hard she looked, she couldn't find him. In fact, she couldn't see anything, and her legs started to go numb.

That was until a hand pressed against her shoulder and a familiar voice reached her ear.

"…He's gone."

"W..what?"

When she turned her head, she caught sight of a hazy, almost transparent figure.

"Who are you?"

She thought he sounded familiar, but the way he looked… was that really who she thought he was?

"It's me."

His voice was hoarse, almost feeble, but when he turned his head and their eyes met, Melissa understood that it was really him.

did you get here?

"No."

head and stared into the distance. Toward a spot where she couldn't

"Are you really fine?"

"…"

didn't answer. It was a question she didn't know the answer to. Was she fine? She didn't feel very much. And that was

She just felt… empty.

she didn't

and found everything hard to

"I… I don't know."

her vision started to blur, and

she could've had her eyesight fixed

potion or surgery, she could've. She was rich and was

didn't

blurred vision would stop her from feeling people's gazes

her at the moment apart from Ren, but even so, she didn't want to keep

see what was

***

'She's surprisingly calm.'

mind when I stared at Melissa beside me. At least, that was what I was able to perceive from her on

she was truly calm, I wasn't too

writhing, and the pain that was permeating every part of me was making it difficult for me to

good that he made things easier for

at the area above me, I knew that things weren't over yet. Still, the

in no state to properly fight at

that I had to do before coming here, and that

Swoosh—!

area in the sky and looked around me. That was until my attention was eventually drawn to a

waste a second and arrived

I've arrived on

moment I made contact with it, I felt a soothing energy spread throughout my entire body from head to

disappearing and then reappearing, started to take shape again, and the excruciating pain that had

a couple of times already, and my comprehension

to comprehend, the more I found myself able to

the Pillar without destroying it from the outside.

"You… who are you?"

when I looked down, I saw that the blob had transformed

friendly, and the power that radiated from

be talking to

my hand against the demon's shoulder, and immediately he froze in place. Golden runes whirled all around the area where the Prince and I were

found myself struggling to keep my composure. In spite

my vision. A powerful force soon enveloped the area

my sight returned, I found myself standing in the

pain unlike anything I'd ever felt