After the Battle

No dreams.

No screams.

No things.

No feelings.

I feel empty.

There was a vast white field on the window on the side once I woke up. The whole room that I'm currently in is colored in a purple hue. The light from the two suns are able to shine over here, and I can see a faint orange or yellow barrier from the distance.

The temperature was cold, yet I feel a more chilling sensation inside my chest.

I'm not sure where am I right now, but pushing myself to the limit, attempting to reach the white vortex level of power made me lethargic everyday. My head hurts all around, my eyes are sore, my whole body aches, and my soul...feels nothing.

Not in the sense that I don't have Origin anymore; I actually broke through the golden vortex and now the red vortex only shows up when I summon Origin, with a smaller white one on the middle, and the core...changed into purple. While the distant vortex looks entirely purple with a smaller one colored dark... which is most likely black within. It looked a bit sinister seeing a black vortex inside me.

Seems like there's still no end to the qualitative change I could still go through as I increase my power, but there's another thing that keeps popping on my mind that I couldn't focus on even going inside the white space.

Dad.

Kirllia.

It's an unknown number of days when I passed out from that last battle. I don't even know why I'm here.

My consciousness only keeps on fading in and out, and I couldn't be bothered to go inside the white space as my mind drifts off like a light switch.

The last thing I remember was I tried to make the strongest Arrow Drill I could possibly can in an attempt to break through that man in the golden armor, only to nudge him a few inches, as if someone only gave a push on his back.

After that... I completely blacked out.

I thought I went past my limit already, but I was of no help. Not even a single inch of help.

Kirllia... She's gone.

I shiver at the thought and felt blood rush towards the back of my head and almost felt like shouting, only to suppress myself for now. That man in the golden armor, if he's still alive... I don't know what I'll be like when the moment comes that we meet face to face.

Remembering that moment when she got pierced by that spear, her body falling, and her whole being disappearing... I can't stop myself from gritting my teeth and clenching my fists; my body shivering as time pass. I could feel the tip of my cheeks slightly becoming wet...so I try to wipe them as soon as they came out, with a bit of difficulty.

Aunt's probably fine, but I'm not sure what happened after all of that. We might have been separated at the time, too.

Dad... did their breakthrough went well? Seeing myself alive, I keep having that hope.

That hope that our journey didn't end bad.

With that, I once again went to sleep.

***

After countless days have passed, my body was starting to get better, and the most puzzling thing right now is that, how come I could survive without eating food? Without water?

I'm currently feeling a bit hungry right now of course, but it just passes after maybe an hour or so.

Then there's that yellow-orange barrier at the distance, and the white field only tells me that I'm still near the mountains, or maybe somewhere...near Labbi? It's a guess but I couldn't really tell where I am.

For the first time, I tried to stand and my legs feel wobbly, as if I don't own my own legs. The room was about half of the first house I had in this world, very small for me to walk a few steps towards the only door.

It didn't budge after a push, so I pulled the makeshift knob towards the inside.

There was only a vast field of white snow, and I could see another house that looked like an igloo, making me look at the interior of my room or whatever am I in.

Besides from being the walls colored in purple, I could slightly see a bit of small flicker of purple light as the same color, and I could only notice them when I closely looked at the walls. This material is probably not some kind of ordinary rock if I'm correct, and touching it feels warm to the touch...to block the cold temperature outside?

"How are you feeling?" A voice with familiarity greeted me as I closely observe the interior of the room, and I turned around and saw the Void Demoness, floating slowly downwards.

"I'm slightly better now." There was a bit of silence came before I continued, "Thank you."

"You shouldn't thank me," after saying that, she turned around and almost looked like she teleported in front of the other mini house before opening it.

It took quite a while, before I could see another person coming out of the side.

"Aunt!"

She probably couldn't hear me at this range, but she was soon enveloped by the Void Demoness' light barrier before quickly flying over here.

"Kaff...!" Aunt rushed and gave me a tight embrace... and I soon felt a bit of relief.

I didn't let go of her for a while, as I could feel my shoulder and back starting to get wet, with her whole body lightly shaking.

She took a long while than usual so I got confused, and saw the woman behind her glance over to the side with a grimace.

"What's wrong?"

"Kaff... K-Kaff..."

With Aunt's expression, I could somehow make out that there was a bit of happiness and relief but now that even the Void Demoness had this pained expression, I felt my chest start to hollow as if I was punched on the gut.

"Kid. I hate lying. I finished the breakthrough." The Void Demoness then glanced at me as she said that, but she clicked her tongue after that and removed her gaze as if she didn't want to look at my eyes.

If she made the breakthrough, then Dad should've been alright, isn't he?

Aunt started to supress her inaudible wail after those words, sending me a bad premonition. She slowly removed herself from me, and looked into my eyes. Her eyes were red on the sides, and there were still signs of tears starting to fall. Her mouth was slightly shivering as she try to speak, but whenever she tried to open her mouth, nothing comes out and she could only close it.

The woman behind once again clicked her tongue, and with that she spoke once more.

"Meltor... is dead."

What? Did I hear right?

"That's not a prank, right?" I repeatedly looked between Aunt and the woman behind her a few times before I felt my body lighter as if adrenaline rushed throughout my whole body.

"Is it, really? True?"

"Like I said... I hate lying. Your Dad. Dead."

With that, she clicked her tongue once more and bit her thumb as she crossed her arms in front of her. I could see her eyes even reflect a flash of weak light before a tear finally flowed down on her cheeks.

Why is she crying?

But more than that, is Dad really... dead?

My only father?

"You have a lot of secrets, I know. I also have mine."

That time from when he first discovered that I had Origin suddenly flashed back inside my mind.

"You think only I had a few problems with them? If you probably didn't have Kaff then..."

"Then what?"

That moment when he got provoked when Aunt was talking about Mom and he just suddenly let out that fierce aura...

That time when he tried to scribble something on the note with a poor handwriting saying 'Take care of Mom' before we all knew that he just left...

Those days where he would tell stories when I was a baby which I get to listen only halfway...

Then there was that smile he had as he always brought me with him whenever we went out the house.

Did he knew that he was going to pass away?

Before I knew it, I was already on my knees on the snowy ground, and tears kept flowing out from my eyes, making my vision blurry. My hands clench on the ground, tightening yet I couldn't feel the snow on my hands.

I couldn't be bothered to stop my crying.

I could only look at the woman in front of me, also wiping her own tears.

Aunt started to mourn and that's all what's needed before I, too broke out in a scream towards the skies.

***

The two suns were already setting down at the horizon, and I don't know how much time had passed until my voice became hoarse.

"Where's... his body?" I asked the Void Demoness with a bit of difficulty from my voice.

She only stood there from earlier until now, as if waiting for us.

"You mean his corpse. I locked him inside this for now."

She threw an extremely familiar small cube colored dark blue in the air, similarly looking as the Source Time Box I ate. It stopped and floated in midair after reaching a certain height, and I jumped a bit to take it. Seeing the small cube, Aunt also looked at it for a time before she took it from my hands and caressed the cube.

"Big bro..."

I glanced towards the Void Demoness before I asked.

"What happened?"

I know she hates lying, and seeing from her expression earlier, I bet she's not an enemy for now at least. From her actions and from the way she also preserved Dad's corpse, they must have somewhat of a history together...

"We were about just halfway done as soon as that eruption of light encompassed us together within the triangular barrier... El... Your dad, he... He chose to pour every ounce of his power on me, along with defending us from the beam of light. I tried to stop him but if I rejected him, then both of us would perish.

Slowly but surely, I could feel my body surge with power, but the gods' marks on his body started to repel each other once more, and tried to reject each other within himself... creating a backlash.

After using all his power until my aura finally reached the God-level, he wasn't able to even protect himself anymore and I..."

With that, she stopped talking and closed her eyes for a bit.

"You should rest for now---"

"WHAT REST!? CONTINUE!"

Somehow I couldn't stop myself but shout out aloud, even when my throat hurted already.

"That's it! He died protecting me! All of his powers, depleted. His body, exhausted. If he was on top condition and didn't have any of the marks, then... He could've lived.

I regret giving him Salire's mark!

I told him that there was a risk, but he still wanted to do it!

I don't even know why he agreed!

He even has a wife and a son waiting for him, and yet..."

Seeing her say a lot stunned me for a bit, I thought they were only very close, but not that close.

I walked towards the woman as she panted after all that she said, and beckoned to her. She was as taller than Aunt, seeing her up close.

She leaned towards me, but I still beckoned once more.

"What do you want?" She asked, before crouching down at my level... before giving her a pat to the head, then also gave her a hug.

I couldn't see her expression within the first few seconds, but I can hear light sobs start to sound beside my ear.

Even if everyone says that she's the Void Demoness, and is a demon, I don't care. For someone like her level of power, I bet she barely has friends.

Even someone like her needs a bit of sympathy when someone close to them just died, and I don't think we're directly enemies anyway. I'm not a Vates, nor am I someone who wanted to participate in that war anyway.

I don't even know why that war started anyway, it just killed...people that are loved.

Dad, if you had the will to protect this woman, then it must mean she's important to you too.

***

Letting go of her, I only realized that her hair was a mix of black and blue, her lips very red compared to her pale skin. Seeing a beauty up close like this, and crying at that... made even my heart skip a beat.

She also looks a bit like Kirllia, except for the curves here and there. There was also a faint scent of flowers from her, possibly from some sort of shampoo, or it might be that she offered some flowers in Dad's grave somewhere, I don't know.

Since we're all done mourning, I asked more questions, and she was willing to answer. Aunt was also interested, so she sat on the side. We went inside the mini house that I was in, and it turned out to actually be an ice-house they were talking about.

The purple layer was some kind of magical slab that warmed everything, but did not burn things. It was mostly used in Labbi where there was an eternal snow, and all demons bring it with them during going out...except that Aunt said it was expensive, and could rarely be seen sold at the Merchants Union.

I asked about the war, and she actually wanted to stop the war after she reached the God-level, if possible, even make peace with humans.

It's true that she killed a lot of humans and beasts already, but somehow had a change of heart after two hundred years of living in an unknown hatred passed on from their ancestors.

She even told us a story...which only made my Aunt gasp in shock.