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.

you doing here? How did you

"No."

into the distance. Toward a spot where

"Are you really fine?"

"…"

know the answer to. Was she fine? She didn't feel very much. And

She just felt… empty.

she didn't know

found

"I… I don't know."

those words. Taking out her glasses, her vision started to blur, and she found herself unable to

honesty, she could've had her eyesight fixed a

was rich and was smart enough to

just didn't

when her blurred vision would stop her from feeling people's gazes on her and give

Ren, but even so, she didn't want

Didn't want to see

***

'She's surprisingly calm.'

beside me. At least, that

truly calm, I wasn't too sure, but I

that was permeating every part of

he made

I looked up and stared at the area above me, I knew that things weren't over yet.

no state to properly

coming here, and that took almost

Swoosh—!

attention was eventually drawn to a dark spot in the sky. It was writhing in the air, and the skeleton of

waste a second and

I've arrived

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

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

already,

I was able to comprehend, the more I

the Pillar without destroying it from the outside. It still took a little

"You… who are you?"

the warm sensation, I heard a certain voice, and when

was anything but friendly, and the power that radiated from

to me when you're in

shoulder, and immediately he froze in place. Golden runes whirled all around the area where the Prince and I were

breath left my body, and I found myself struggling to keep my composure. In spite of this, I cast my gaze off into the horizon and nodded

way and enveloped the entirety of my vision. A powerful force soon enveloped

but when my sight returned, I found myself standing in the middle of the

pain unlike anything I'd ever