LURENO, a ruined district.
A blade piercing her chest, blood flowing… and above all, a smile. Then:
"Master Maxuel."
Maybe she knew, or maybe she sensed it, but Shadow suddenly dove into a darkness portal before heading toward Maxuel. Ella tried her best to follow, but stopping her was simply impossible. Even Arthur, watching the scene, remained completely confused. But the most confused of all was Maxuel.
By pure reflex, Arthur pulls out the sword and steps back. Shadow staggers but stays standing. Nerves on edge, Maxuel shouts:
"Shadow! Explain this! I told you over and over: don't take risks!"
As he says it, Maxuel trembles, surprised at himself.
Shadow turns toward him slowly, then advances step by step. The debris at her feet make her stumble, but she steadies herself each time, still wearing the same smile.
"Are you serious? How do you remember that when you forget everything else so quickly?"
She finally reaches Maxuel and collapses into his arms, saying:
"It's okay. I'll help you get out of this."
Hearing this, Arthur—who was stunned and simply observing—shouts:
"Ella!"
Ella jumps and thinks:
(I forgot—compassion isn't allowed.)
She charges her staff with magic, rushing toward the two using a levitation spell.
But as she approaches, a shadow barrier materializes and repels her. She's thrown into the air, manages to stabilize herself, and stops, thinking:
(It's stronger than me. I don't know why, but I can't interrupt them.)
Still holding Maxuel, Shadow says:
"Even if you don't understand, I'll get you out. Think of it as repayment."
Confused, Maxuel suddenly disappears into Shadow's shadow and reappears far away on a rooftop, completely lost.
"What's happening to me?"
Shadow slowly turns, her smile gentle yet almost eerie, her eyes meeting Arthur's, who is still shaken.
---
Shadow's Flashback
(Master Maxuel was a noble— a young boy often affected by memory lapses, which still haunt him today. Since childhood, I had been hired as his servant, having been a young enslaved girl sold illegally. I was expected to work like an object. But strangely, he never treated me like one. He always cared for me and comforted me when I cried. He had already crafted his precious staff, which he loved training with.
Even the day when, at 16, I suffered violence from knights, Maxuel killed them all in a burst of anger. When his parents scolded him instead of listening, that same 11-year-old boy ended up killing his entire family. He stood proudly, but he was crying from pain. The only thing he said to me was: "Let's leave this place."
After that, he became amnesiac, forgetting almost everything—even my name. Yet he still cared for me. And when I had the child born from that trauma, we left the baby in an orphanage and became mercenaries, since I had already awakened my magic. To this day, he forgets things constantly…but honestly, I don't care.)
---
In front of her, Arthur can see her lips moving and hear a faint sound:
"Moment of Shadow."
Ella's senses immediately go on alert, and she creates a telepathic link with everyone.
Ella: "Arthur, Lady Iris, Furious—we must leave immediately and evacuate everyone as far as possible."
Furious: "What?!!!"
Iris: "Why?"
Ella: "This district will be wiped out in a few seconds!"
A massive shadow appears beneath Shadow, and she begins to levitate, saying:
"I regret nothing."
Far away, Maxuel stands confused. Then a flood of memories overwhelms him. He reaches his hand toward Shadow and murmurs:
"So that's it… Shadow… no—my own shadow."
He clenches his teeth, lowers his hand, turns away, and says:
"I respect your decision."
He walks away, heart breaking.
Shadow senses it:
"I'll miss you too."
Arthur is stunned, but turns and rushes to retrieve Silone to bring him to safety. As he arrives, Silone is already regaining consciousness.
Silone: "What's going on, Arthur?"
Arthur: "You're already standing?"
Silone: "Well, you healed me."
Arthur: "…Okay, we need to get out and gather as many people as possible!"
Silone: "Why?"
Arthur: "Too long to explain."
Ella contacts them:
"Everything is about to explode. A Shadow Master is about to release all her magic and destroy everything. I'm circling around her right now—the situation is critical."
Silone: "Understood. I'll hurry."
He retrieves his sword, sheaths it, and says:
"Let's go!"
The two vanish, leaving trails of lightning and darkness.
Elsewhere, Iris is running down a street with her staff.
(This is why I hate these priestess outfits—they'll be the death of me.)
Furious suddenly appears and lifts her:
"Need a lift?"
Iris: "Gladly!"
He leaps from roof to roof.
Dark smoke rises from Shadow's shadow and spreads through the area. Ella tries to approach but is repelled again.
(Not like this.)
She flies around and casts magic circles everywhere.
Arthur and Silone continue rescuing stragglers. Ella tells everyone:
"If you're done, get ready to shield yourselves. I'm going to try something."
Hovering at a distance, she raises her staff:
"Light is the symbol of purification. May its grace fill me."
The giant shadow vanishes, and Shadow releases waves of dark smoke.
Shadow: (It's time, Master Maxuel.)
Far away, Maxuel walks without looking back.
Ella: "Let it be with me and protect me."
Shadow: (Take care of yourself.)
Maxuel keeps walking as beams of light shoot into the sky from Ella's circles.
Shadow: (Farewell!)
Ella: "Intermediate Six-Star Spell: Great Wall of Light!"
Maxuel takes another step.
(Goodbye, Shadow.)
Shadow detonates, releasing a wave of darkness that obliterates everything in its path.
The beams converge into a luminous dome. When the shockwave hits it, the dome bends. Ella grips her staff tightly.
(I won't give in.)
Blood trickles from her mouth. The dome strains but redirects the explosion upward, sparing everyone. The shockwave launches Ella into a wall near the survivors. She collapses unconscious as Arthur, Silone, Iris, Furious, and Lora's division watch.
Lora thinks:
(It's finally over. Everything could have turned catastrophic without this girl. She's a real monster.)
END OF CHAPTER
NEXT CHAPTER: Level Test