[Amelie]
Rising to my feet once more, I made my way to the outside of the castle. What happens here is no longer my business.
I only wanted to find my sister, and I ended up with a corpse in my arms.
I am sorry, Lady Liselotte. But I must leave the rest to you. The hunters are on their way, now that the smoke from the city has managed to dissipate.
There is no sign of dawn yet.
[Liselotte]
-I imagine you must be satisfied, you got Amelie to kill her sister.
That's what I blurt out into the air, on the top of the east tower of the castle, as I adjust my clothes back into place.
-Rules are still the rules, huh. I'm sorry you had to see me in such an unseemly manner.
I push myself up to stand in the window frame. While in the distance I hear the hooves of horses running at full speed.
The Cross family should take care of this as they are the fittest, but I suppose I still have some time before they arrive on the scene.
-It's a pity, Belphegor. Unfortunately for you, nothing can escape death. Not even you. -. I say it last, and then, I drop out of the window.
All that's left of Belphegor is a huge pile of dust and pieces of ground meat that couldn't withstand the pressure of the vacuum in his body.
It would have been much simpler to just use the Lich Archetype, but in reality, I wanted her to suffer in pain after what she did to the Cross sisters.
Finally, it's time for us to meet again. Vivian.
Once on the ground, I found Amelie carrying Olivia's body in her arms. Neither said anything to the other, and we only looked at each other very briefly.
I continued on my way, until I reached the throne room. Place where my expected meeting finally took place.
Not knowing that this was to be the birthplace of a Monster.
[Vivian]
The one who walked through the doors into the throne room was none other than my partner in immortality. My most faithful ally. And my sworn enemy.
Though I had won our previous contest, I knew that nothing this time would be as easy as last time.
-I... -. My voice was immediately interrupted.
For without a single hesitation, Liselotte Sitri launched the first attack, a beam of light that cut my left arm all at once from the shoulder.
-... ttie...
I hadn't even finished calling her name by the time she fired.
Precise. And straight to the point.
-Save the false emotion. Before I kill you, give me back my rights over the Supernatural Rift.
Liselotte Sitri speaks with a strong tinge of violence in her words. Words as cold as death itself.
She unhesitatingly walks to my place, having magically picked up the arm she tore from me.
-This is my last sign of sympathy for you, Vivian. I should have killed you when I had the chance a thousand years ago instead of letting Maxwell get you.
-...
I have no words to answer her. It was inevitable that she would meet Maxwell if I let him absorb magical energy from the Supernatural Rift.
I guess by that time the Receptacle had been resurrected enough to be cursed with the "Roots of Yggsdrasil".
-Aren't you going to say something to me? Not even an apology? -. Liselotte insists.
For my part, I could only hold my severed arm and wait for it to stick again in complete silence.
I haven't the slightest idea what she wants to hear. I haven't really thought much about everything I've done since our fight in the rain.
How many innocent lives were lost? I don't know.
How many have suffered in all this? I don't know either.
What will be the consequence of all these actions? Liselotte will decide.
This is... like a soliloquy.
No one will listen to me even if I express my true emotions.
I have reached a point that is beyond forgiveness. I went too far. And I must pay for making so many people suffer over the centuries.
I didn't even come close to reaching Lucifer....
There is nothing. No one is going to help me.
It's all over.
I'm done.
[Liselotte]
Vivian closes her eyes in silence, and drops to her knees on the floor.
She has accepted what is about to happen. She knows there is no turning back after all that has happened.
Once again, I get to see the end of an era. The end of someone who created a brutal impact on the history of this world.
She could have been a candidate for the throne and died a peaceful death like everyone in her family, but she chose to throw away any chance of redemption by joining the love of her life.
It is sad, indeed. Vivian Ifgraine has finally reached peace, after so many years.
She is like a black rose, in the moonlight coming through the stained glass windows. Silent. Longing to finally be cut.
I reach out my hand towards her, more precisely, towards the 「Hollow Death」.
The weight of countless grieving souls of all those primordial beings who died from the insatiable hunger of the first entity... is something I can accept.
The sword does not reject me. For it recognises me as a derivative of one of them.
I raise the sword above my head, to end this once and for all. It doesn't matter now, I will regain control over the Supernatural Rift.
-Requiescat in pace, Ifgraine. -. I murmur.
And then, I lower the sword, dropping the full weight of a race on Vivian Ifgraine.
[Elise]
-Tell me, Frill.
-I hear you.
This is the brief chat I had with Frill after Sae-chan has disappeared in a swarm of butterflies.
We make eye contact briefly. Though I didn't really know how to direct my curiosity-filled question.
Although... more than curiosity, I wanted to know some way to take care of everything without anyone getting hurt.
It seems odd to be asking this of a goddess... especially one who just sent my younger sister to her eternal rest.
However, we said we weren't going to have any hard feelings.
So, I ask:
-How do I make Enigma stop? She can kill me effortlessly, so... I want to ask you, how?
It's a logical question. I couldn't stand up to her before, and it's not going to change that even if I go back now.
No matter how much I think about it, all roads lead to my absolute death against her. There's no way I can stand in front of her and stop her.
So what would stop her?
To which Frill replied...
-Turn around, Elise Redhart. Show her that you are much more than a Receptacle. Anything's fine as long as you win her heart.
-Win her heart...? No, wait. She hates my guts. She hates my guts. -. I reply, sceptical of what I've just heard.
Frill, however, maintains his stance.
-She doesn't really hate you, Saika. She hates being involved in our game and not being able to object. I'm sure you could have been someone else and she still would have killed you.
-But that just means she's going to kill me if I can't make myself different from a vessel for Elise.
-That might happen. But if the odds go in your favour, she'll come to her senses and let you drink her blood to see if you're fit to be her teacher.
-And if I'm not?
-Don't worry. This time it's final. I won't let you die for anything in the world, I don't care how many of my precious pieces I have to sacrifice. You are the priority.
...
It was only a brief memory. Just before I opened my eyes again.
[Anybody]
(She has been "Born".)
(Greeted by a gentle embrace.)
(Fate is in your hands, Ulykkens Arving.)
Small murmurs echo in the darkness. Horrifying darkness that devours all traces of mental sanity.
Shining in the midst of such darkness, a glowing crimson illuminates, coming from the deep gaze of a new existence.
Daughter of God, and of the Beasts.
The Void is her new home, a home she will embrace for the rest of her palpable existence.
Breath returns to her lungs, and brightness to her pale face. She awakens, in the arms of a woman at her service.
The icy stalactite that covered her chest melted as her warmth returned. And then, a mechanical voice penetrated all her vague thoughts.
「Your 'Impurity' level has been cleared.」
「The "Path of Calamity" has evolved into "Path of Unique Being".」
「Your species has changed from "Superior Vampire" to "Ruler of the Night".」
「Misfortune has been removed from your path.」
「May the grace of Kýena be on your side.」
Before she finished regaining consciousness, she had a premonition that immediately triggered all her instincts.
(Wield the sword...)
She mutters one of the many voices endlessly repeating in her head, to which she decides to move immediately, not allowing herself to rest.
A few moments after the 「Hollow Death」 pierced through the Black Rose, she went through the room at a great speed, one that she had not experienced before.
And without thinking, she passed through the only two people in this room besides her and her sleeping servant.
A claymore style blade now rested in the golden-haired girl's hands. A jet black sword, it seemed to be consuming every particle of light around her.
With a lily-like hilt, this new blade made Vivian Ifgraine's figure disappear from Dagda's grasp.
「The Binding has been completed.」
「You are granted the ownership rights to the "Vampire Sword, Enigma.」
The mechanical voice is there again. But this voice is different from the one she had heard in the past so many times.
As if not only she has changed, but also the [System] that governs the cruel rules of this world.
「You have acquired "Rulership", a skill that will allow you to command large groups.」
「Your stats are similar to those of the "Vampire Sword, Enigma.」
「The conditions have been fulfilled, you have unlocked one of your hidden skills: Ars Goetia, a skill that grants you partial mastery of the power of the Void.」
The words do not stop. The emergence of a new "Primeval Existence" has exalted the entire [System], who no longer knows how to interact with the blonde-haired girl.
The sudden impulse, all it achieved was that the girl's blonde hair was cut to a little less than half its original length.
The girl's breath hitched, for what she had accomplished in a matter of seconds was a magnanimous achievement.
At the same time, however, such actions would not be met with the wrath of the Emerald Enforcer.
-Elise... Can you explain to me... what just happened?
The cold voice of the Lich, as a black miasma begins to emerge around them both, echoes in Elise's ears.
And as the shock reached Liselotte Sitri, so did the Black Rose she now held in her hands.
(Elise...! Why did you do this?! I am the one who must take your place as the monster that I am! You still have salvation!)
Enigma hits Elise's head with her screams, as they are communicating telepathically.
(Tell her...)
(You can do it, Elise.)
(She can't hurt you. Take advantage of it.)
Still breathing heavily, Elise... replies:
-I... don't want... hah... you to kill her.... Liselotte...
Elise falls to her knees, leaning on Enigma to keep from stumbling completely.
-She is a traitor, Elise. She abused my trust. She has no right for you to defend her, and you know it. She's already killed you once. Nothing says she won't do it again.
Liselotte's words strike Elise's mind, as does all the reproach Enigma is heaping on her for having her in his hands.
Elise grits her teeth, and manages to get these words off her chest:
-She is "mine" now. I will subdue her sooner or later.
-I broke her will, Elise! Let me finish my revenge! The sacrifice of all who died tonight must be rewarded!
-... I'm sorry... I... I don't want you to be angry with me...
-Of course I'm angry! You said Olivia Cross was a precious friend to you, didn't you! -Perfect, so now let Enigma explain how she died!
At that moment, Elise's train of thought was abruptly interrupted.
Elise turns around very, very, slowly. Not being able to assimilate what she just heard in Liselotte Sitri's voice.
The Claymore sword then mutters.
(One of my minions brought about the death of Olivia Cross. Olivia's younger sister did it).
Thus completing the avalanche of grief that Elise had wanted to hold back. She couldn't believe it.
Olivia Cross? Dead? What the hell does that mean?
Are we talking about the same Olivia Cross who took Elise down with her right hand alone? The woman who was a devastating foe during the confrontation against Orphelia's doppleganger?
Even with her bare hands, that woman was far more capable of taking down any entity without any trouble at all. The only glimpse Elise saw in Olivia's eyes that signified weakness was when they were subdued by the orcs.
That is why it is impossible for her to believe.
Olivia Cross is the most powerful human being today. Even having reached the highest level that can be reached by humans.
That white-haired woman was more of a monster than the dragons themselves.
And yet...
That woman's life, vanished.
From one moment to the next, she simply died.
And this is where Elise wonders... How much of her death is Elise's fault?
If Olivia's younger sister killed her there is only one reason, her status as a "Half Vampire" was discovered and she didn't have a chance to explain herself in the slightest.
That's what sounds logical in Elise's mind... no, in Saika's mind...
Saika knows that there would be no explanation other than that. And so, now, she can't help but feel guilty.
Guilty for the death of her precious friend.
Guilty of letting a person important to her die.
Guilty of... allowing one sister to kill the other.
They didn't deserve that fate at all. Not in the slightest. And yet it was what they had to live with.
And it's all because, plain and simple, Saika saved her life.
Was it the right thing to do? For her, yes.
Could it have been done differently? No, it couldn't. Olivia had been decapitated back then.
... Saeko would have wanted it?
...
Saika is unable to answer that question. Since she has no idea how her younger sister would have acted in her place.
And, although the news is... shocking...
Aside from feeling just a little bit of guilt, Saika...
-If Olivia died here, it was by her own choice... and for nothing more than that... Olivia was tired of it all, and simply decided it was time to put an end to it.
-How could it be her decision to die at the hands of her younger sister! Do you even know how heartbreaking it is for Amelie to have to carry her sister's corpse?!
-... I...
-That damn selfish bastard Enigma, you must let her die! The noblest soul Gamma has known in centuries died because of her! Someone must pay for it!
-...
In Saika's head, Vivian's voice echoes as well.
(She's right, Elise. You shouldn't make enemies with Liselotte just for defending me. It's been a short time, but I'm fine with you letting me die, My Lady.)
Vivian's words... only made Saika sink deeper and deeper.
It is a fact.
Saika told her younger sister, and she's not backing down no matter how much Liselotte wants to get in the way.
She was completely serious when she said she would get her hands dirty.
-Listen to my words, Liselotte.
Saika... no, Elise Redhart, stands up straight and looks straight into Liselotte Sitri's eyes. Emerald gaze that looks as empty as death itself.
A gaze that even the Gods of Death themselves fear.
However, Elise maintains her stance, waving the black miasma with Enigma, she does not stop staring at Liselotte, who seems ready to kill her.
Determined then, Elise utters in an eloquent tone:
-My name is Elise Redhart II, and from this 'Eternal Night' I stand before you as the 'Ruler of the Night'! Every creature that lives in darkness is beneath me and I will answer for each and every one of them! If you wish to kill any of my minions, you must step over my corpse!
Liselotte's expression changed from one of anger, to one of disbelief at what she had just heard.
The Lich's eyes transitioned through various emotions, doubt, surprise, a little disgust, and finally, relief.
Elise once again whips the wind back with Enigma, and holds it in both hands in front of her face, proclaiming:
-I beg you, Liselotte Sitri, help me to build a kingdom in which the monsters of the dungeon can live in peace, and I guarantee that no human will ever again die in vain under my rule!
And immediately, Liselotte's expression returned to disbelief:
-Huh? Are you out of your mind? There is no way the human kingdoms would allow that. Even the Demon Kingdom only let them exist because they don't want to start a war.
That's what Liselotte asks, leaving aside the threat of death imposed on Vivian.
What she says is true, but Elise remains with an expression full of determination.
-How do you plan to do that? You'll need to make too many connections, which even I, with a thousand years, don't have. And how will you deal with species that just don't get along? You can't guarantee that everything will be peaceful.
-That's why I need all of you... I am a novice in this world, but I am sure that if I have the support of you and many others, I can make it happen.
-Why? You have no reason to care about everyone in the dungeon. You barely know a few of them.
It's really true. Elise has no reason to care about all those individuals who inhabit Maxwell's Dungeon.
But... something happened after she drank Enigma's blood.
Far from being just a technical change in her abilities... something changed in Elise's mind.
There are voices in her head now. Voices that only she can hear. Voices that whisper to her. Voices that guided her.
Remnants of the Void. From the connection to the Supernatural Rift. Whispers that transcend reason. That transpired over Saika's thoughts.
And she saw it.
The past. No. The different pasts.
But at the same time, the future. All the possible futures that would unfold in her life.
The Supernatural Rift is a concept that transcends the logic of space-time, as it is an anomaly present at every point in Gamma's history.
And for Saika to understand all that surrounds her, she had to see, in very brief moments, all that is linked to her vampiric lineage in past, present and future.
She embraced the Void. And the Void embraced her back.
The only path that will not lead to Gamma's destruction is this one. And to follow it, she must be sure of every step she takes from now on.
-Trust me. The dungeon dwellers will no longer have to live in seclusion if you trust.
Elise lowers Enigma, and extends her hand towards Liselotte. The hand that holds the ring of ice that belongs to Orphelia.
Liselotte has already undoes the black miasma by this point, and walks a little towards Elise. Until she comes face to face with Elise.
The Lich, pulls Elise's hand away and then, in an outburst that the golden-haired girl herself did not expect, Liselotte joined his lips with hers.
The tension in the atmosphere quickly fell to pieces, along with Enigma falling to the ground making a screeching metallic sound.
Elise's ears immediately turned red, this was an attack she had not expected at all from Liselotte.
And for her own part, Liselotte is a tomato just because of the embarrassment she's getting from taking the initiative in this kiss.
It wasn't a deep kiss, or anything like that, they just pressed their lips together. But that was enough to make them both tremble from the irremediable embarrassment of being like this.
-It's okay, go... I'll settle everything here. We have a lot to talk about.
Says Liselotte, gently tapping Elise on the forehead with her fingernail. And walking beside her as if nothing had happened, even though she was as red as a tomato.
Elise, whose legs were shaking, fell to her knees in shock.
Enigma returned to her human form and looked forlornly at Elise in her state of shame.
-My Lady, stand up, the Cross hunters are already here, we must leave at once!
Enigma shakes Elise's shoulders, wanting to get a reaction out of her, but Elise's mind is a mess in its own way now.
To which Vivian stands up and grabs Elise with one hand. And quickly shoots up to pull out Orphelia who was still asleep even now.
Enigma's first job as Elise's subordinate is to drag her out of Ifgraine now.
A bright future lies ahead for them all from now on. Or so Elise hopes to achieve with her current and future decisions.
[Epilogue]
The 「Eternal Night」 has ended. And with it, dawn greeted all those who fought with their lives to survive such a horrible event.
However, it is not all smiles.
And although humanity has returned to peace, all those heroes who sacrificed themselves to make this possible must still be commemorated.
In an urn, rose petals are collected and offered by citizens to pay their respects to the members of the Cross family who died in battle.
Mikhail, Rominula, Reneé, Olivia. And many others who died at the hands of the vampires on that fateful night. Even a kingdom as boisterous as Ifgraine, and its visitors from Ahrsei, have taken a vow of silence for the fallen.
Humanity has lost many of its key contributors. Who knows where things will go now that the world order has fallen into the hands of others.
Amelie Cross has already had her naming ceremony as the new 「Heroine」. Which points to the future of the human race resting on the shoulders of a 16-year-old girl.
And, in the midst of all that silence, a girl with short golden hair lays a bouquet of lilies at the foot of Olivia Cross's coffin. Along with a grey cloak with Olivia's initials on one of the sleeves.
Undetectable. Unseen by anyone. No one heard her voice. No one noticed that this girl, as quickly as she arrived, also left, leaving only a trail of tears in her wake.
Far away, in one of the buildings. Vivian was watching the scene of the funeral rite with Orphelia at her side.
-I can't believe My Lady took the risk of going all that way. -. Orphelia mentions, with a slightly worried tone.
-She'll be fine. Even if she won't tell us anything, she digests mourning this way. Or at least I think so, my bond with her hasn't been that lasting. -. Enigma replies, unconcerned.
-It's been ages since we mourned the death of a loved one, eh... tell me, Enigma, do you want to toast the fallen too?
Orphelia reaches into her inventory and pulls out a very old bottle of wine. With a faded label, showing how long it has been stored there.
Vivian nods slightly, agreeing to Orphelia's invitation. To which Orphelia follows, pouring two glasses of the wine she cooled by touch alone.
They both sit next to each other, taking small sips. As they wait for Elise to return.
That's right. Elise has mastered the sun. And now her path is not only defined by the night, but also by the light of day.
And with this. The die has been cast.
Alea Iacta Est.
[news]I'll be on hiatus for a while to take a break from writing. See you guys in a while![/news]