Epilogue 2

Theodore recalled his battle against the sun god Ra. It lasted for many unknown weeks, perhaps years, with both of them pushing themselves to their utmost limit. None of them refused to go down even after they'd depleted their mana reserve using whatever spells were possible within the Lawless World.

Ra had gained the upper hand once due to Theodore's injuries, though after he'd bided his time until his natural healing factor fixed his bones and wounds. He rained down a barrage of spells on his opponent and ended the long battle with a swift strike of the Void Blade, completely severing his ties with the Divine World, and thus completing the execution.

The sun god would never be able to reincarnate or move on to a new vessel, his soul would wander around Duat until the Divine World issued out a formal punishment for the god's essence, in any case, Theodore would no longer cross paths with him anymore.

Afterward, memories that Ouroboros warned him about came flooding into his mind. Theodore even regretted asking for them to be returned once, but nonetheless, he pushed through and kept himself stable.

It was truly a fate worse than hell. Stuck in nothingness, unable to resist, unable to call for the ones he knew outside. He'd already promised that he would return, and yet he could no longer tell them that he couldn't.

What he felt at that moment wasn't the fear of death that was to come with the Lawless World's collapsed, but the feeling of regret and pain. He thought he wouldn't be able to see his loved ones ever again. His mother. His father. His best friend. All of them would live on knowing that he wouldn't come back, yet still silently hoping that he would return some day.

Theodore remembered that he tried to use his little brother to end his own life, but Ian resisted and fortunately managed to stop him. He recalled how much he cried out all the bottled emotions he'd been holding on to for several decades. Even though they were memories, he could still feel what his past self had back then, so vivid that it seemed like all of it had happened yesterday.

Thinking back on it, Theodore couldn't help but be reminded of what he'd accomplished. He was resurrected as a snake, grew to become the most powerful monster in the world, transcended mortality and killed several gods. All of it sounded like a dream to him, and yet they were all real, his unbelievable crackhead of a story.

It made him laugh, and then it made him wonder. Maybe this was how gods coped with the endless pain from immortality. Find something that they enjoy and not think about it too much. Theodore questioned whether he, who was human, would be able to do such a thing.

But what was the point of pondering so much about it?

He might as well spend his time with his friends, those who have limited lifespans unlike him. He needed to make up for the time he wasn't able to go to places Merlin wanted to drag him to. He needed to officially finish his education and get a job. "Maybe not that." He chuckled to himself as he watched the memories unfold before him. There wasn't anything much left by then, and he knew that it wouldn't be long until he woke up.

And just like that, the slide show of his missing memories came to an end. The jigsaws fit themselves into their respective spaces, and it was time that he returned to the waking world.

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Jolting up from his seat, Theodore's eyes adjusted to the lights around him. The smell of varnish wood and luxurious perfume entered his nose, and soon after something large tackled him from the side. It shouted nonsensical words in his ears, though his dazed mind couldn't realize their meanings. His eyes landed on a familiar figure, a woman, still wearing the same goth-like outfit ever since the day they had met.

"Theodore!" Asmodeus called out his name one more time, a sob of relief escaping through her lips. She buried her face in his chest, so he could not see the expression she currently held.

Theodore let out a huff, the corner of his lips tugged upwards into a smile. "I'm right here, stop crying already." Though hesitant, he wrapped one arm around her shoulder, tapping her back with his palm in an attempt to stop her weeping.

"Yeah, he only slept for a day." Merlin smiled, he stood with his arms crossed by the door. Finally, Theodore realized where he currently rested: the Pearl Palace within the Devildom.

His mother and father looked at him from the other side of the bed, all with eyes bright with joy. Lawrence held back his tears, wiping one away from his eye with a finger. Eugene stood next to Merlin, one arm akimbo with a slight blush on his face as he averted his gaze from Theodore and Asmodeus. Who would have thought a fierce werewolf would get embarrassed by such a show of affection?

"Asmodeus…That's enough, c'mon," Theodore tried to pull her off of him, though to no avail, his attempt only made her hold him tighter as she shook her head in disapproval. With not much of a choice, Theodore sighed and turned towards Apophis. He held up his free arm, showing her the golden chains that wrapped around it like a coiling snake. "What about these?"

"Uriel said they would come off the moment you pay off all your debt." Apophis sighed as well, though the smile remained on her lips. "They could have broken it for you but instead they decided it would be best to keep it on until you're free from the burden of what you owe."

"What? Are they scared that I would run away?"

"Perhaps," she shrugged. "Or they just want to mess with you. Either way, it won't stay on you forever. The Divine World will give you permission to use your powers when necessary, though."

Theodore let out a long exhale, groaning as he nudged himself against the headboard, dragging Asmodeus along with him. 'She really is persistent,' his smile did not falter. "Apart from my own issues…I guess it's over now." He turned to Merlin. "How's the human world?"

"Nothing much," Merlin glanced at Eugene. "I returned to my teaching career at Stella Academy, I hunt as a side hustle. And Eugene took up the mantle of a streamer."

"Ahem," Eugene cleared his throat, dramatically putting his fist in front of his mouth. "I'm earning quite a bit, actually. Killing monsters while filming yourself surprisingly gives you a lot of money."

"Monsters?" Theodore frowned, but Merlin quickly spoke up before he could.

"They still exist since…well, monsters have practically changed parts of Earth into their habitats, it would be difficult to get rid of them all in a short amount of time." Merlin's face did not express concern, instead, his eyes burned with a fierce determination. "We don't struggle as much now though, the gods' blessings stayed with us so we're doing well."

A sigh of relief escaped his lips, having heard that they're all doing well, all his worries dissipated. "That's good to hear, is there anything I can do for you?"

"What you need to do now," Apophis gave him a pat on the head, a smile lit up her expression. "Is get some much needed rest. You did well, and you at least deserve this much."

"That's why we will leave right away." Lawrence added, his feet already moving. He reached the door by the time Theodore looked at him, seeing a wide grin plastered across his face, an amused gleam shined from his eyes. "Sleep well, son."

"We'll head out too," Merlin grabbed Eugene by the shoulder, it gave the werewolf not much choice but to follow his movements, though he did not appear particularly displeased about it. "Come visit the academy once in a while, it's still up and running even until now."

"Make sure to check out my channel too!" It was all Eugene got to say before Merlin dragged him out the door.

Apophis gave her son one last smile. "If you need anything, feel free to drop by. My domain is always open for you, Theo." She closed the door behind him, and as the echoes of the click dissipated, an oddly comfortable silence befell him.

His gaze landed on Asmodeus, who peaked her eyes out to look at the empty room. "Are you not leaving?"

"No." Her answer came as swift as his question. Though before any of them could speak up, the door bursts open once again.

"BROTHER!" Ian dashed from the entrance to Theodore's side in less than a second. Was it because of a small boy's nimble body? Whatever the case, he found it quite impressive that Ian could move that fast.

"It's okay, Ian, I'm fine." He couldn't help but chuckle at the kid's overreaction, but he understood that he meant well, after all, if not for Ian, he might not be sitting there right now.

The boy's magenta eyes stared up at him, glints of tear shined within them. He spoke through his quivering lips. "Thank goodness…" A sigh followed as he turned to face Asmodeus, his gaze meeting with hers and his complexion flipped. "You. You should let Theo rest, so stop clinging onto him."

"Why should I listen to you, brat?" Asmodeus furrowed her brows, she tightened her embrace around Theodore. "I'm not leaving."

Ian remained composed, though his frustrations showed on his face. His eyebrows arched down even further, and he had to grit his teeth while answering. "Hmph. Just know I'm letting this slide because Brother likes you."

"Huh?" Theodore frowned, he spoke up the instant Ian let his words slip from his lips. It didn't look like it was intentional either, seeing as the boy looked just as surprised and he was. "I never said—"

"Well, you did." Ian cut him off, not even trying to hide his blunder. "But maybe your memories didn't return completely? Though that might be for the best."

"You like me?" Asmodeus' expression lit up as she stared up Theodore, her eyes sparkling like two most polished gemstones. He could feel the grip around his waist tightened while the demon squealed through her shaking smirk.

"Look—" Theodore unknowingly glanced at a flower vase adjacent to him, for once, he struggled to find his words. He felt his face burn up against his will. "If I can't remember something like that, then it probably never happened."

"Boo!" Ian stuck out his tongue and crossed his arms. "Well, whatever, since you're this active, I'm sure you'll be fine. I'll leave you two to…whatever you adults do these days."

"HEY!"

Theodore's shouting did not faze the young boy, Ian simply stuck his tongue out again and scurried out of the room, leaving the two demon kings alone.

Asmodeus still had a wide smile on her lips, she flopped down onto his chest and giggled to herself like a madman. "You like me~ You like me~"

For some reason, Theodore could not say a single word. His golden eyes narrowed down at her by the frowning of his brows. An unknown heat swirling on his cheeks as he sat there in silence while letting the woman snuggle with him to her heart's content.

'...Just this once.'

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"..."

"..."

Stella Academy, a prestigious school for awakened children. Located near the once frightening Delphi Forest, it became an important beacon of hope for those who had lost it all to the monsters.

After a considerable amount of peace returned to the world, Merlin Everhart got back to his teaching career as a Hunting Instructor. Recognized for his participation in the 'Battle of Manhattan', he received the fame and prizes he deserved.

"You're…that snake?" Eldora the golden eagle stared at Theodore in disbelief. She had been kept far, far away from the major battles since her owner feared that she could get caught up in the large-scale battle.

Theodore raised a mocking eyebrow, a minute smile appeared on his lips. "I can't transform right now because of the chains, but I can answer those questionnaires of yours again if you don't believe me."

"...No need, I'll believe you." Eldora shifted her legs on the lectern.

Whispers from six other people inside the classroom got into his ears. "Who is that?"

"I don't know…Why is he talking to Eldora?"

"Maybe he's got Animal Empathy like our teacher?"

"Or maybe he's just crazy…"

"Hey!" A blond young man got up from his seat and waved at him high above his head, a friendly smile lit up his sky-blue eyes. "Did you come to the wrong classroom? Or are you a new transfer student?"

"Me?" Theodore chuckled, seeing the boy, he recalled a certain memory from a long, long past. By then it became too blurry, but he could still remember that particular energetic teenager that came to get him when Merlin got into danger. "Well, maybe? You could say I'm just stopping by."

"Stopping by?" The blond tilted his head. "Can you do that here? I mean…this is sort of similar to college so I guess you can walk in and out of what classes you want to study?"

"That's not it…" The raven-haired boy that sat next to him let out a sigh while shaking his head. He had a stoic expression, his stern obsidian black gaze carried an unreadable emotion behind their shimmers. "You can't just wander around, there's a fixed schedule for each class, organized to match the students' needs. I'm sure you would have already been assigned a classroom and a schedule the moment you got accepted into the academy."

"Oh, is that so?" Theodore stopped himself from laughing, his smile growing wider instead. "Well, actually, I am in the right class."

"Huh? So you're a transfer?" The blond's eyes widened. "But why haven't we heard of anything? I mean, we all knew beforehand that Javier would be here, right?"

The raven-haired boy, Javier, nodded as he stared at Theodore with a suspicious gleam in his eyes. "Yes…But maybe this time we just weren't informed—"

"THEODORE!" Interrupting Javier's words, a loud bang resonated through the classroom. Everyone's attention landed on a particular figure who had slammed the sliding door open. Panting heavily in his spot, Merlin Everhart's frowns never faltered, his gaze fixated on his friend. "Why…What are you doing here?"

"Theodore?" Javier frowned as the class' ambience went cold with the whispers of the other students. The small number of students is equivalent to the classroom's size, making their mutterings louder than they should.

Theodore didn't pay attention to any of them and replied to Merlin. "Why can't I be here though? I want to know what my friend is teaching the future of our country."

"Well, that's—" Merlin sighed. "Okay, take a seat, I won't delay the lessons any further."

Each of the four semi-circle desks in the small room had at least two students occupying it, leaving the back row completely empty. Theodore chose the seat behind the blond boy and Javier, right by a large window to his left. "Just pretend I'm not here."

And just like that, Merlin began his teaching. He spoke about a griffin's body and how to hunt them efficiently. 'He still teaches hunting, it seems.' Theodore mused quietly to himself, though his attention fixated on the scenery outside the window. The bright blue sky dotted with sheets of white, reminding him of how long it had been since his eyes gazed upon the azure.

His memories, tainted with the images of death, blood, and darkness made everything appear fake; a dream he conjured up as an escape from the broken world outside his fantasy. It did not feel real to him, sitting inside a calm classroom listening to the sounds of chalk against the board.

But he shook the doubts from his mind. How can he still believe things to be fake after all this time? 'It's been a year…' A smile unknowingly graced his lips. His attention briefly returned to the front of the class. Merlin truly heeded his words and paid no attention to his best friend, answering his students' questions and listening to some of them joking around with a genuine smile.

'I—We fought for this.' He chuckled, head resting on one hand. '...It's nice and quiet.'