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.

here? How did you get here? Were you here

"No."

and stared into the distance. Toward

"Are you really fine?"

"…"

know the answer to.

She just felt… empty.

didn't

just did, and found everything

"I… I don't know."

eventually able to mutter those words. Taking out her glasses, her vision started to blur,

all honesty, she could've had her eyesight fixed

could've. She was rich and was smart enough to

didn't want

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

apart from Ren, but even so, she

see

***

'She's surprisingly calm.'

thought crossed my mind when I stared at Melissa beside me. At least, that was what I was able to

calm, I wasn't too sure, but

part of

good that he made things easier for

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

was in no state to properly fight at

before coming here, and that took almost everything from me. But it was worth

Swoosh—!

of my vision, I appeared before a certain area in the sky and looked around me. That was until my attention was eventually drawn to a dark spot in the sky. It was writhing in the air, and the skeleton

second

I've arrived on

the blob, and the moment I made contact with it, I felt a

again, and the excruciating pain that had been pulsating through every part of

a scene that I had experienced a couple of times already, and my comprehension of the laws started to increase at

was able to comprehend, the more I

also thanks to that that I was able to get into the Pillar without destroying it from the outside. It still took a little toll on me, but

"You… who are you?"

and when

power that radiated from his body was also

really be talking to me when

demon's shoulder, and immediately he froze in place. Golden runes whirled all around the area where the Prince and I were standing and wrapped themselves tightly around

In spite of this, I cast my gaze off

A powerful

sure for how long things were like that, but when my sight returned, I found myself

a while for it to sink in, but pain unlike anything I'd ever felt before started to cover