A short silence filled the room after Lumos spoke those chilling words.
Lilian was the one to break it first.
"How can you say that when you told me there was no Saint who ever had a child?"
Her voice was steady, though her hands trembled slightly on her lap.
Lumos sighed, his gaze distant.
"I've been studying Saint powers for over thirty years,"
he said quietly.
"And along the way, I've made a lot of discoveries. Some of them… I honestly wish I had never known about."
Lilian's curiosity got the better of her, despite the uneasy feeling stirring in her chest.
"And what are those discoveries?"
Lumos paused before answering.
"A Saint is born from the will of the goddess Leticia. She grants them the highest power a human can possess. A Saint can wield all three classes. They are the symbol of light in this world, the chosen one to lead humanity, or so people say."
Lilian furrowed her brow.
"What does that have to do with their child being cursed?"
Instead of answering her directly, Lumos asked a different question.
"Do you know the real origin story of this world?"
"Of course I do,"
Lilian replied, a little irritated.
"Everyone in the church does. The goddess Leticia was born from pure light. She created this world, made humans, and blessed them with her power. That's what we've been taught since we could walk."
"Wrong,"
Lumos said flatly, shaking his head.
"What?"
Lilian's voice rose in disbelief.
"What are you saying? Are you telling me that everything we've been taught is a lie?"
Lumos didn't even flinch. He looked her straight in the eye and asked,
"What about demons? Anything you know about them?"
"They're evil creatures who appeared in this world and tried to destroy it. The first Saint defeated them, and they've been wiped out ever since."
"Partially correct,"
Lumos admitted, though he still looked dissatisfied.
"But not entirely true. Demons didn't just suddenly appear one day. They were created, just like humans."
Lilian blinked."Created? By who?"
"By the devil, Acharon."
"Acharon?" she repeated, confused. "Who is that?"
Lumos leaned closer, lowering his voice.
"If Leticia was born from pure light, then who do you think was born from the darkness? You know there's an old saying in the ancient text: In light, there is darkness, and in darkness, there is light--."
"They can never survive without the other,"
Lilian added to Lumos's statement.
"You know about that?"
he asked, slightly surprised.
"Anyway, the one born from darkness was Acharon, the father of demons. And… our father as well."
Lilian stood up abruptly, her chair scraping against the floor."What nonsense are you spouting right now, Lumos? Is this supposed to be some kind of joke? Are you telling me that everything passed down to us for centuries is false? That the church has been lying to us? Where did you even get this idea?"
But Lumos didn't look amused. He only looked tired, like someone who had been carrying this secret for far too long."I've spent my entire life studying magic,"
he said.
"And the deeper I went, the more I wanted to understand where our magic comes from. When I traced it back far enough, I found records. Old ones. Names and legends buried under piles of rewritten history. The name of Acharon was there, long before someone forced to bury it."
"buried by who?"
"The most powerful force on this continent,"
Lumos answered grimly.
"The Church of Goddess Leticia."
Lilian sat down again, her knees feeling weak.
"Then why did you mention him as our father?"
"You still don't get it? Leticia is our creator, as well as Acharon. Humans came from the two of them. And demons too."
Lilian fell silent. She didn't even have the energy to be shocked anymore. It felt like too many secrets were being thrown at her all at once.
Lumos might be annoying, speaks informally, and act like a happy-go-lucky fool most of the time, but no one knew magic and its history better than he did. And he had no reason to lie.
"So why would the church--"
"Oh dear me, look at the time. It's past your lecture hours,"
Lumos interrupted, cutting into Lilian's thoughts. He could guess what she was about to say.
"Come along now, young lady!"
He pushed her out of the lecture room.
"Wait a second!"
Before closing the door, Lumos summoned a book out of thin air and handed it to Lilian.
"Here, this might help you,"
he said.
"I sincerely hope… maybe you can save him,"
Lumos added, his tone heavy, as though he was quietly yearning for something like a miracle could happen.
And with that, the door shut.