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.

How did you get here? Were you here

"No."

stared into the

"Are you really fine?"

"…"

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

She just felt… empty.

she didn't know

found everything hard to

"I… I don't know."

words. Taking out her glasses, her vision started to blur, and she

she could've had her eyesight fixed a long time

it a potion or surgery, she could've. She was rich and was smart enough to produce a potion

just didn't

blurred vision would stop her from feeling people's

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

Didn't want to see what

***

'She's surprisingly calm.'

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

truly calm, I wasn't too sure, but I didn't have time

part of me was making it difficult

made things easier

things weren't over yet. Still, the situation was very

since I was in no state

was something that I had to do before coming here, and that took almost everything from me. But it

Swoosh—!

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 of a figure was gradually beginning to take

waste a second and arrived before

like I've arrived

with it, I felt

and then reappearing, started to take shape again, and the excruciating pain that had been pulsating through every part of me started to

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

to comprehend, the more I found myself able to use

into the Pillar without destroying it from the outside. It still took

"You… who are you?"

certain voice, and when

and the power that radiated from his body was also nothing to scoff

really be talking to me when you're in

of my hand against the demon's shoulder, and immediately he froze in place. Golden runes

body, and I found myself struggling to keep my composure. In spite of this, I cast

powerful force soon enveloped the area that the demon and I

found myself standing in the middle of the air with two black orbs levitating in front

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