Light (5)
[Leave, stranger.]
Originally, she was a villain beyond redemption.
An extra brimming with inferiority towards others, tormenting the protagonist with a twisted heart.
A role no one liked.
[I can't accept it.]
[Why do they all cheer for that commoner...?]
[I'm superior. With no foundation whatsoever, what right does she have to smile so confidently?]
The girl's obsession led her down the wrong path.
She envied the protagonist, who possessed brilliant talent, and her resentment-fueled jealousy soon blossomed into a single flower of ugliness.
Perhaps it was tears shed for what she couldn't have.
[I don't like it.]
Before she knew it, the girl hated the protagonist.
She scorned, ignored, and distorted.
Sometimes even driving her directly, she tried to erase her place in the academy.
It was a typical story of an unlikeable villainess, so to speak.
A stumbling block, or an obstacle.
Considering the vicious acts Emilia committed in the original story, nipping it in the bud was also an option.
I could have her exit early to prevent her from meddling with the protagonist.
I had the power to do so.
A troublesome extra like her could be dealt with anytime I wanted.
But the reason I didn't was simple.
'Because she hasn't done anything wrong yet.'
I know the future.
But even so, is it right to punish someone for a crime they haven't committed yet?
A fundamental question made me hesitate.
Maybe she could change.
Of course, I didn't have high expectations.
I knew how unfairly a predetermined fate could unfold.
I was merely watching.
'You never know.'
A phrase that always leaves a sliver of possibility.
No matter how dark a villain may be, they all have at least one belief they want to protect as they live in this world.
I was no different.
'I want to see a future that never was.'
Couldn't it be reversed if it wasn't too late?
Even with knowledge of the original story, I hoped it wasn't all that defined this world.
I wanted all the children to live their own stories.
Opportunities, agonies, choices... Crossing paths with each other amidst countless experiences.
"Lady."
This time, my faith was rewarded.
"...."
"Do you need help?"
Blue eyes trembling blankly.
I wanted to know a little more about the girl's new story that was about to unfold.
"I think I can help you."
So I extended my hand.
To my remarkable and endearing extra.
To the vain girl he could no longer call a villainess, the snake smiled kindly.
Blessing the softly blooming petals.
***
<Screech!!!>
Fragments of tentacles floating in the air.
Behind the screams piercing my eardrums, I see the monster writhing in pain and retreating.
It was a scene that shifted in an instant.
"...."
The villainess stood there blankly.
It was a dire situation with blood and flesh splattering everywhere, but her frozen body showed no intention of moving.
Every scene unfolds slowly.
As if the world's time has stopped.
Surreal.
The scenery reflected in her vision resembled a dream.
As she stared with a vacant gaze, someone stood at the point where all questions converged.
It was a golden snake.
"Hehe."
A sinister chuckle tickles her ears.
A blonde boy resting his chin on her delicate shoulder. His unique sweet scent brushes against the tip of her nose.
The villainess's breath hitches.
"Oh dear... Was my appearance too sudden?"
The snake drawls leisurely.
Despite having a monster right in front of him, he shows no fear whatsoever.
Instead, the corners of his lips are curved upwards as if he's enjoying himself.
Watching him, a question escapes her lips involuntarily.
"...How?"
The girl murmurs blankly.
Her voice, devoid of its usual sharpness, carries only a dreamlike quality.
She asks inwardly.
How is he alive?
She clearly saw him crushed beneath the monster, but now he was perfectly fine without a scratch.
It was a difficult situation to comprehend, but...
The boy only whispered a reply instead of an explanation.
"It's a secret."
A voice full of playfulness.
Yet, there's a unique ominousness that cannot be hidden by such childish pretense.
"Lady?"
A faintly flickering murderous intent.
Darkness engulfing the entire laboratory.
Eyes that silence the atmosphere.
It wasn't his usual frivolous demeanor. She could tell just by the aura he exuded.
It was an overwhelming strength.
"You don't have to be so nervous."
"..."
Emilia held her breath as much as possible.
There were no more questions. Only unilateral obedience.
An overwhelming sense of deprivation washes over her as she faces this unreachable power for the first time.
She gives up on understanding.
The girl froze in place.
As she remained motionless, the boy leaning against her body showed a sly reaction.
A small whisper reaches her ears.
"Lady."
"..."
"You said it to me back then, didn't you? That you wanted to live."
"..."
Was he referring to what happened right before the execution?
The day she begged pathetically on her knees.
-Please, Young Master.
-I want to live.
-Sob, ugh... Because I want to live.
The boy smiles mischievously.
Their faces are close, almost touching. His breath grazing her earlobe is particularly dizzying.
A faint tremor stains her heart.
A mesmerizing light flickers in his white pupils.
"Just like then... wouldn't you like to make a deal again?"
The snake flicks its tongue.
The boy makes his proposal amidst the darkness that surges like a black tide.
"I will help you continue your story."
Life.
"If you take my hand... you can overcome that monster and survive this hell."
The snake's offer is incredibly sweet.
Just moments ago, she was facing death, but now he's offering her the hope she had given up on.
The girl is given a second chance, beyond regret.
"However, I would like you to live for me."
The price to pay is none other than the girl herself.
"It's enough if you stay by my side... so that I can watch your story unfold."
The boy said.
She didn't know exactly what it meant, but Emilia couldn't help but nod her head as if she were possessed.
To survive. That was the only thing filling her mind.
"This is a new deal."
The snake smiles faintly.
Their foreheads touch.
The warmth transmitted from his soft skin clouds her reason.
As she stands there, lost in thought for a while, a forgotten cry suddenly reaches her ears.
<Screeeeeech!!!>
A scream filled with excitement.
Ahead of them is the monster, convulsing.
It seems to have recovered from its injuries, as it charges towards them, swinging its tentacles in all directions.
Yet, the boy remained calm.
"Don't panic."
The snake embraces the girl from behind.
He encloses her delicate frame in his arms and then takes each of her wrists in his hands.
"As long as I'm here... you won't be pushed back, Lady."
Slide-.
The boy lifts Emilia's arms.
As if manipulating a puppet.
The girl seems momentarily flustered but soon entrusts herself to his gentle touch.
The cold tip of the spear points towards the monster.
"Just for a brief moment."
Immediately after.
Shadows gather stealthily.
The jet-black darkness, intertwining and colliding with itself, soon transforms into a massive current and surges forward.
Consequently, the ice begins to turn black as well.
"I will show you a new world."
The spearhead is coated in black.
Darkness gathers at her delicate fingertips. It blossoms into a midnight frost flower.
Emilia feels a shiver run down her spine.
"It's a temporary power."
A kind of omnipotence.
Even amidst the coldness that chills her heart, the spear shines with a noble light, sharp and unwavering.
Emilia, who had been lost in thought, regains her composure.
Her arms move on their own.
As if she knows exactly what to do.
<Roar, Groaaaaar!!>
The monster approaches within striking distance.
Hundreds of tentacles rain down from above, but the girl simply stares silently.
Of course, her fear hasn't completely vanished.
The terror she felt from that monster still lingers.
'Can I do it?'
Her blue eyes waver.
However, a voice whispers in her ear, as if it's the most natural thing in the world.
"You can do it."
There's not a shred of doubt in his simple encouragement.
How long has it been since she's received such pure trust? It was a time so distant, she couldn't even remember – her childhood.
A surge of satisfaction fills her heart.
The girl widens her eyes.
She unleashes her energy.
A strange sensation rushes to her palms. She swings the spear forward with all her might.
The next moment.
Slash-!
A beautiful afterimage trails behind.
A sharp cutting sound echoes along the thin trajectory.
"..."
It happens in slow motion.
A straight line is drawn across the entire laboratory, and immediately after, the monster's body is split in half.
A single strike that cleanly slices through its form.
<Ugh! Screeeech... !>
The monster collapses without even uttering a complete scream.
Black, rotten blood soaks the floor, and the eyeballs that were densely attached to its skin lose their light.
A grotesque pile of tentacles sprawls out.
The girl stares at the scene in disbelief.
"Gasp, gasp... !"
As she catches her breath, a voice comes from right behind her.
"Didn't I tell you? You can do it."
She wanted to turn her head and look at the boy, but suddenly, her body loses strength.
Emilia stumbles a few times before collapsing to her knees.
Exhaustion washes over her as the extreme tension subsides.
Her consciousness flickers precariously, as if it's about to fade away.
"Oops."
The snake catches the falling girl.
Perhaps it's because of his unusually warm embrace.
Emilia finds comfort in the boy's vivid body heat.
"Well done, Lady."
His sweet scent wafts into her nose.
Like soothing a sleepy child, the snake slowly pats the girl's back.
Her mind gradually becomes clouded with haziness.
"Get some rest. I'll take care of the rest."
His palm covers her eyes.
Her vision plunges into complete darkness. The last thing she remembers as her consciousness drifts away is...
"Good night."
A gentle whisper, tinged with affection.
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