Chapter 88: Passage

After finishing my conversation with Bellona, I returned to my room to find Miel lying powerlessly on the bed.

“Miel…”

My heart ached.

She was suffering so much because of me, and there was nothing I could do.

“Just hold on a little longer. Bellona is pressuring them to finish the passage quickly…”

I carefully placed Miel on my palm.

She was so light and fragile.

I could feel her life force draining away rapidly.

“Anything I can do…”

A lump formed in my throat.

Since Miquella had sealed my divine power, I couldn’t use the Divine Radiance ability.

But my abilities as a flower still remained.

With all my strength, I sprinkled light green pollen over Miel.

The magical pollen clung to her wings and began to emit a faint light.

But the effect was minimal.

Without the blessing of divine power, the healing pollen was weak.

‘Stronger…’

I used my Polymorph ability to transform into my flower form.

As I became the Thanatos Crown, nectar began to flow from my petals.

Miel flew over with great effort and landed on my petal.

She began to slowly sip the nectar.

I could feel her wings trembling faintly.

‘Please, let this work…’

As she drank the nectar, it seemed like Miel’s wings regained a tiny bit of their light.

The tips of her wings, which had turned completely black, were now faintly changing to a navy blue.

But it was still a far cry from their original vibrant blue.

Time passed, and I returned to my human form.

I sat on the edge of the bed, watching Miel.

“Miquella… if only I had Miquella’s power, I could have healed Miel completely…”

Miel weakly fluttered her wings on my palm.

It was as if she was trying to say, ‘It’s okay.’

…

As I was spending time taking care of Miel, the door suddenly burst open.

“Lycoris! They said the passage is complete!”

Bellona appeared with an excited expression.

“Really? Already?”

“Yes! Abraxas has finally completed the passage. Let’s go right now!”

A spark of hope ignited within me.

Finally, I can return to the human world!

“Miel, did you hear that? We can finally go back!”

I quickly and gently laid Miel on a carefully folded handkerchief and placed her on my shoulder.

I tied Crimson Bind securely to my waist and draped the Night Veil cloak over my shoulders.

“Please, I hope he doesn’t recognize me…”

My heart pounded the entire way to the passage.

Could this cloak and my changed appearance deceive Abraxas’s eyes?

If I, the culprit who killed all his followers and ruined the ritual, showed up now asking to use the passage…

“Miel, will we be okay?”

Miel fluttered her wings weakly on my shoulder.

There was no time.

If I don’t get Miel to the human world soon…

“Ha, ha…”

When I followed Bellona and arrived at the passage, the sight almost took my breath away.

A colossal magic circle was drawn inside a massive cave, and on the cave walls, a crimson-black liquid flowed slowly, as if avoiding the circle.

The magic circle itself was carved deep into the floor, and violet light flowed through the grooves, blinking rhythmically like a pulsing heart.

A heavy pressure filled the air, making me feel short of breath.

Black sparks occasionally shot up from the center of the circle, momentarily forming strange characters in the air before vanishing.

Several evil gods were gathered around it; some were humanoid, while others had monstrous forms.

Yet, every single one of them wore a grim expression.

‘What’s going on…?’

‘Is the passage not working…?’

A man wore a robe made of deep darkness.

His neat black hair, sharp face, and reddish eyes tinged with gold were particularly striking.

But he too had a despairing look on his face.

It was like watching a sad scene from a movie.

Just then, the status window revealed his identity.

【Abraxas】 

‘No way…’

‘That god, who looks handsome enough to be a movie star, is Abraxas…?’

The personality of Abraxas that Bellona had described and his actual appearance were the complete opposite of what I had imagined.

‘Was Abraxas actually a ridiculously attractive alpha male…?’

I cautiously took a step forward.

As I approached, the evil gods fixed their gazes on me one by one.

I could feel suspicion and curiosity in their eyes.

“Who approaches?”

Abraxas’s voice echoed through the cave.

My heart leaped into my throat.

“It’s me, Bellona. And my dear apprentice, Lycoris, is with me.”

Abraxas’s eyes suddenly widened.

Something was strange.

His expression showed surprise…

And a flash of joy.

“Lycoris… is that the flower, Lycoris?”

It felt like my heart had stopped.

“Yes…?”

My voice trembled.

‘I was found out this quickly?’

“What? You two really know each other?”

Bellona asked in a surprised voice.

“Hahaha! Of course, we know each other very well. Could you give us a moment to talk alone?”

“Um… It’s fine, Lycoris. I have some things to discuss with the other evil gods anyway. I’ll be back in a bit.”

Bellona said, briefly squeezing my shoulder.

A hint of suspicion was in her voice, but she smiled as if to reassure me.

After Bellona left, the other evil gods also began to leave one by one.

Soon, only Abraxas and I remained.

Once we were alone, Abraxas rose from his seat and slowly approached me.

His black robe moved like a living shadow.

“To think we’d meet in a place like this, Lycoris. How did you come to the demon world? And as Bellona’s apprentice, no less.”

Abraxas’s voice was softer than I expected.

But his gaze was sharp.

It felt like he was seeing right through me.

“Well… it was… by chance.”

“By chance… How interesting. An apostle of Miquella, coming to the demon world by chance.”

I swallowed hard.

He even knew I was an apostle of Miquella.

“Don’t be alarmed. I also know you killed my followers. And that you ruined the ritual.”

Abraxas’s eyes glinted dangerously.

The darkness around him deepened.

Crimson Bind trembled violently at my waist.

I couldn’t tell if it was trying to protect me or reacting to Abraxas.

‘What do I do…?’

‘Am I going to die just like this…?’

‘Even if I’m an enemy, I’m still only six years old…’

‘The-the responsibility lies with the guardian!’

“I… I’m only six…”

“But that’s not why I cleared the room.”

His expression suddenly softened.

The surrounding darkness also vanished.

“You have no idea how fortunate I am that you’ve appeared now.”

“Huh…?”

“I will keep your secret. Both that you are Miquella’s apostle, and that you killed my followers.”

He came closer to me.

Up close, his reddish, gold-tinged eyes were even more vivid.

It was as if he was peering into my soul.

“Lycoris, there is actually something I must ask of you.”

***

“Ah~ This is so boring.”

I sighed, repeatedly tossing and catching a small energy sphere I had created with my fingers.

The surrounding landscape was miserable.

The once-green meadows and villages had now turned into a blackened land of death.

A black mist rose from the parched ground, and corpses shuffled around with stiff steps.

“Ugh… Did I make them too carelessly? Why are there so many defective ones?”

My eyes caught a ghoul dragging its own arm.

I waved my hand, sending a burst of black energy toward it.

Instantly, the ghoul’s arm reattached itself.

“Should I have just left it? I think humans are more scared of how the defective ones look.”

Hmm…

I spun the energy sphere on my finger again.

It had already been a week since I arrived here.

But Lyco still hadn’t come.

‘She’s taking a really long time…’

The rumors should have spread quickly. Prostia froze the north, and I turned the south into a land of the undead.

The entire continent must be trembling in fear, especially since this is the center, so the news would have spread in all directions.

‘Lyco, my dear, please hurry. Your master is waiting.’

I threw the black energy sphere high into the sky and caught it again.

This time, I made it bigger.

The sphere, once the size of my palm, was now as large as a person’s head.

I looked around.

The western forest was completely withered, and the eastern stream had turned into black mud.

To the north, I could see the ice land created by Prostia in the distance.

Nothing living could possibly exist there.

When Prostia gets serious like that, she freezes even souls.

“I’m so bored…”

I thought of Prostia for a moment.

What could she be doing in the north right now?

Perhaps she was strolling among ice sculptures, meditating quietly.

Or perhaps, unlike her usual self, she was missing Lyco and feeling sad.

‘Well, I wonder how much Lyco missed Prostia…’

I spun the black energy sphere on my fingertip, recalling the past three years.

It was truly a ridiculous affair.

To think we both got drunk on a single glass of Dwarven Golden Liquor and slept for three years.

Who would have known that the liquor I brought would make us sleep for three whole years?

I didn’t know that liquor was so strong.

No, actually, I did know.

Dwarven Golden Liquor was infamous.

But I truly didn’t think we would stay drunk for that long.

I had forgotten. Prostia ended up sleeping for three years because of my mistake.

I can’t even imagine how angry she must be.

How guilty she must feel about us leaving Lyco alone for so long…

“It’s okay… We’ll be able to see Lyco again soon.”

I expanded the energy sphere even more.

It was now as tall as I was.

The black light spread out, and the dust floating in the air turned into undead flies.

Thousands of tiny flies swarmed around me.

“Ugh… gross… I shouldn’t have made them. What on earth does Lyco even like about these bugs?”

Just then, I heard the sound of horse hooves in the distance.

I turned my head to see a group in knights’ armor approaching.

There seemed to be about ten of them.

Their armor was engraved with a shining crest, and the figure in the center held a holy sword, looking like one of those so-called ‘Heroes.’

“Oh dear, is it a Hero this time…?”