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

"No."

the distance. Toward

"Are you really fine?"

"…"

to.

She just felt… empty.

she didn't

and found everything hard to

"I… I don't know."

glasses, her vision started to blur, and she found herself

she could've had her eyesight fixed

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

didn't want

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

her at the moment apart from Ren,

Didn't want to see what was

***

'She's surprisingly calm.'

stared at Melissa beside me. At least, that was

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

entire body was writhing, and the pain that was permeating every part of

made

above me, I knew that things

was in no state

do before coming here, and that took almost everything from me.

Swoosh—!

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 of a figure was gradually beginning to

a second and arrived before

I've

contact with it, I felt a soothing energy spread

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

times already, and my

more I was able to comprehend, the more I found myself

thanks to that that I was able to get into the Pillar without destroying it from the outside. It still took a little

"You… who are you?"

I was enjoying the warm sensation, I heard a certain voice, and when I looked down, I saw that the blob

friendly, and the power that radiated from his body was also nothing to scoff at.

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 standing and wrapped themselves tightly around his

to keep my composure. In spite of this, I cast my gaze off into the horizon and nodded

our way and enveloped the entirety of my vision. A powerful

my sight returned, I found myself standing in the middle of the air with two

sink in, but pain unlike anything I'd ever felt before started