The rain had stopped.
The sky, still damp with tears, slowly brightened under the last light of day. The sun was setting on the horizon, brushing the treetops of a world that seemed to have forgotten even the meaning of silence.
And yet, everything was more beautiful now. Clearer. As if the world itself was holding its breath.
High above, on a steep mountain, a winged figure cut through the air.
Her ink-black wings beat the space with sovereign grace before folding as she landed on a rocky outcrop.
Her eyes, first glowing like embers, immediately turned emerald green. She watched.
Below, a vast forest stretched endlessly, untamed, dense, full of invisible whispers.
A light breeze rose and made her long white hair flutter.
She was a girl.
A tall, slender, almost spectral figure in her fitted black outfit. A calm yet imposing presence.
Without a word, she jumped.
The wind carried her fall until she touched the forest floor with feline grace. She stood up, scanned the horizon, then began to walk, inspecting the forest's corners like a silent hunter, alert.
Her steps led her to the entrance of a cave.
She stopped.
A shiver ran through her, sharp and clear.
> What was that…?
The cave, wide and gaping, seemed to swallow the very light.
Even when her eyes shone with a supernatural glow, she saw nothing. Absolutely nothing.
And it made no sense.
She, who could see through illusions, perceive soul flows and spirit movements, felt nothing here. As if the cave contained… only emptiness.
But her instinct screamed. There was something inside. A presence. Colossal. Intolerable.
She sighed, materialized a sword of black shards, and stepped forward.
- I know you're here. I saw you. Show yourself.
Silence.
- Don't make me come find you!
Still nothing.
Her voice echoed in the endless lair.
A doubt brushed her. Maybe she was wrong. Maybe there was truly nothing.
She vanished her sword and turned away.
- This is all so strange…
But the very moment she took a step, another shiver seized her.
Not a mere tremor: a tide. A storm. A fall into the void.
Her body froze. Her breath caught.
Fear.
She, a superior existence, detached from human feelings and emotions, felt fear.
The aura rising from the cave was not just powerful: it overflowed.
It was black, heavy, vast like an endless night.
In the girl's mind, this aura took shape: a titanic beast, stationed there, jaws open, staring at her like fragile prey.
Her hands trembled. She materialized her sword again, eyes fixed on the dark entrance.
> I've felt this before… This weight, this density… Father.
What kind of creature can emit such a heavy aura?
A primordial God?
I must stay on guard.
One step.
Just one.
Echoed in the shadow.
A silhouette slowly emerged.
Red eyes. A half-veiled face.
An empty, cold, unfathomable gaze.
It was her.
Mü Thanatos.
The girl instinctively stepped back. Then asked, intrigued but cautious:
- Who are you?
She sighed. Her voice was weary, almost absent.
- It no longer matters. For now.
Her gaze slid over her, analyzing.
- It's strange… You share some of my physical traits.
She blinked.
Looked at Mü Thanatos.
She spoke the truth. That pale skin, those eyes, that posture… There was something.
- We do have things in common. But you could at least tell me your name?
A brief silence. Then, without hesitation:
- My name is Mü Thanatos. And you?
She stopped trembling.
Her eyes shone.
And in a barely audible whisper, she answered, as if to herself:
- Mü Thanatos…?
The name passed the girl's lips with a gleam of wonder.
Like an ancient dream finally taking shape.
Her eyes lit up, no longer trembling. Her breath, though rapid, vibrated with feverish excitement.
- It's really you… I finally found you… I am Erasa!!!
Mü Thanatos stared without reacting. Her red, deep, empty gaze remained impassive.
- You know me? she asked coldly.
Erasa hesitated, then smiled, almost shyly.
- Not really… but… my father spoke of you. Though only half-words. He never wanted to say too much. He said you had disappeared… banished… He said you were…
- Who is your father?
Mü Thanatos's tone grew harder. Her gaze narrowed slightly, a dull tension rising.
Erasa looked at her sincerely.
- Lucifer.
A silence fell like a leaden shroud.
Mü Thanatos stepped back. Her gaze clouded imperceptibly.
- Lucifer? He is a fallen being too…
She lowered her eyes slightly, as if the name belonged to her without ever truly knowing it.
- It's impossible. Lucifer never had children…
- I am his daughter, insisted Erasa. And he told me about you. About a sister he lost. Mü Thanatos. Who was merged with other Gods. An existence forgotten in her true origins… but not by me.
Mü Thanatos remained frozen.
She recognized nothing in this girl: neither the scent of blood, nor the color of the soul, nor the memory of the name.
- Your aura… it's strange. Distorted. Almost… fractured. What exactly are you?
Erasa lowered her eyes for a moment, then answered calmly:
- I am a demon. The daughter of Lucifer and Lilith. And I was fused with an ancient dragon, Arlongue. By my mother. To survive what I was… and become what I am.
She raised her head, proud despite the intensity of the confession.
- But none of that matters as much as the fact I sought you. You. Not for war. Not for duty. Just because I wanted to.
Mü Thanatos looked away.
- I've never heard of you. Nor of this story. And even if it were true… you'd better leave. You don't know who I am.
- You are Mü Thanatos. My aunt. And that's enough for me.
Mü Thanatos clenched her fists.
- You don't understand. I was hunted for a crime even the gods refuse to name. Just approaching me… exposes you. You have no idea what that implies.
- So what?! replied Erasa. Just because I was created to obey doesn't mean I'll run away when told to leave. If I searched for Mü Thanatos, it's not to back down now that I have her before me. Even if the whole world turns its back on me for it.
The wind rose, lifting Erasa's white strands like a flame of determination.
The eyes of Arlongue opened briefly on her back, scarred on her shoulder blade like ancient embers. Mü Thanatos saw them.
- A fusion… with a dragon of that caliber… and you carry it like it's nothing?
- I carry it because I chose to stop running. Neither me. Nor my origins. Nor you.
Mü Thanatos closed her eyes.
She remained silent.
Then murmured, almost to herself:
- Lucifer…
Mü Thanatos frowned slightly, then her eyes became calmer, sharper.
- Now that I think about it… Erasa, that's the name of the demon who caused a scandal long ago, isn't it? The one who killed the god Galaad.
Silence.
Erasa blushed, scratching her neck awkwardly.
- It's just that… uh… actually…
Then she looked up, seeking Mü Thanatos's eyes with a certain candor.
- I'm sorry, but… he annoyed me. To be frank.
Mü gave a nearly amused breath, though tinged with gravity.
- You're pretty brave. Or reckless. Coming before me, an exiled goddess, with a god's blood on your hands… You know I could decide to kill you here and now?
Erasa didn't flinch. On the contrary, she threw herself into Mü Thanatos's arms, embracing her sincerely.
- Technically, I'm not just a demon, huh. I'm also a dragon now. And you're my aunt. You don't feel it yet, but you will. I've already been mistaken for you, many times. It's no coincidence.
At those words, Erasa's eyes turned glowing red. An ancient and divine gleam vibrated there, a light that even the night dared not erase.
Mü Thanatos felt something. A shiver climbed her neck.
She perceived, through that light, Erasa's deep roots. Her essence. Her genesis.
She saw how Lilith had mixed demon blood with Arlongue's.
But more still… she recognized that particular, almost forgotten spark:
the sacred fire of the Original Gods.
The same carried by Validus, Saiko, Carnaticum, and Mortuus.
Her own children.
- (She's not lying.) thought Mü Thanatos, her heart suddenly tightened.
She pushed Erasa away.
Surprised, Erasa looked at her, arms still raised.
- Why do that… my aunt?
Mü Thanatos rose into the air. Her gaze had grown distant, cold, evasive.
- Disappear. Go away. I don't want to see you anymore.
And without waiting for an answer, she sliced through the night sky, vanishing into the darkness.
Erasa stood there, frozen, in front of the cave.
The wind blew softly between the stones, as if to fill the silence left by the exile.
- She doesn't love me? She doesn't even want to try to understand me?
She lowered her head. Then clenched her fists. The flames of her determination burned again in her eyes.
- No. I refuse to give up!
She took off into the sky in turn, a trail of red light tracing her path in the night.
On the mountain, Mü Thanatos sat. Hair in the wind, eyes lost in the void.
The moon caressed her features, and the night seemed to listen silently.
A soft rustle behind her.
- You really are a cheeky one, you know? she said without turning around.
Erasa was there, standing. Her red eyes pierced the darkness.
Mü raised a hand. A gesture almost weary… or resigned.
- Come closer.
Erasa stepped forward gently, then sat on an old log, right beside her.
Silence. Then a fleeting smile stretched Mü Thanatos's lips.
- No one can be that insolent… except the daughter of Lucifer.
Erasa blinked, stunned.
- So… you believe me now?
Mü nodded slowly.
- No being can carry the light of the Originators without being of their blood. It's impossible.
Erasa almost jumped, embracing her again, this time with tears of joy in her eyes.
- I'm so happy!
- You came all this way just to find me? asked Mü.
- Yes! I heard rumors. I spoke to the trees. I questioned the birds, the wolves… I searched everywhere. I always hoped to see you at least once.
A fleeting spark flashed in Erasa's mind. A memory. A silhouette.
- By the way… Wamy. Where is he? What has become of him?
Silence returned. Heavier this time.
Mü Thanatos lowered her eyes.
- Erasa… Wamy is dead.
Erasa's eyes widened. Her breath caught.
- What…?
Mü Thanatos explained everything to Erasa. She remained calm, attentive, never averting her eyes.
After a silence, Erasa whispered:
- Wamy… It's partly because of him that I always wanted to meet you. He was an angel… really attached to you.
Mü Thanatos said nothing. She stared at the moon, as if her thoughts had lodged there.
- Did you send him to fight me? asked Erasa softly.
- No, replied Mü Thanatos. I sent him to calm you. But you must know, Erasa… My angels - whether Wamy or Mù Sunghiun - obey me, yes… but they fulfill my will in their own way. If he seemed violent that day, maybe it's because you refused to listen to me. But never, never have I ordered my angels to hurt anyone.
Erasa lowered her head, thoughtful.
- So… you have two angels at your service?
- Many more, in truth. A light sigh. But Mù Sunghiun and Wamy are the chief angels. Perhaps too close to me. One embodies light, the other darkness.
Erasa smiled.
- I've never seen Mù Sunghiun. Is she like Wamy?
A brief smile crossed Mü Thanatos's face.
- Mù Sunghiun is the angel of light, but she is cold, severe… barely smiles. Wamy, on the other hand, for a dark angel, was joyful, light, mocking. That's why I named him divine counselor.
- I see… murmured Erasa, then added with a smile:
- That's wonderful.
The moon shone high in the sky, bathing the scene in a soft, silvery glow.
A strange, deep bond was born between Mü Thanatos and Erasa.
They talked for a long time. Erasa told her adventures. Mü Thanatos listened, reacted, sometimes intrigued, sometimes amused. There were laughs, frustrations, but above all a silent harmony.
Though exiled, Mü Thanatos no longer felt alone.
Every day, Erasa came back to see her, to talk.
And from this closeness gradually blossomed… something more.