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?

"No."

head and stared into the distance. Toward a spot

"Are you really fine?"

"…"

the answer to. Was she fine? She

She just felt… empty.

she didn't

and found everything hard to

"I… I don't know."

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

she could've had her eyesight

rich and was

just didn't

times when her blurred vision would stop her from feeling people's

no one around her at the moment apart from Ren, but even so,

want to see what was above her

***

'She's surprisingly calm.'

beside me. At least, that was what I was

too sure, but I didn't have

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

he made

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

no state to properly

had to do before coming here, and that took almost everything from

Swoosh—!

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

waste a second and arrived before

looks like I've arrived

and the moment I made contact with it,

briefly disappearing 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 the same

comprehend, the more I found myself

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 it

"You… who are you?"

and when I

that radiated from his body was also nothing

be talking to me when you're

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

keep my composure. In spite of

powerful force

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

anything I'd ever felt