Beyond the Eternity

Luxuzia arrived at the scene and only saw destruction.

The entire area had been scorched beyond recognition, as if it had suffered from a bombing.

No, the appropriate wording would be as if the wrath of a god had been unleashed upon the passage.

This was the aftermath of a reality-warping technique known as Magic.

Flame Stake.

A manifestation of object visualization fused with the Fire element.

Under normal circumstances, such a low-sequence spell wouldn't wield this level of destructive output. However, within her natural territory, every attack she unleashed could be amplified by the house if she wished.

The house itself was a giant magical construct, flawlessly bound to the sisters' authority, allowing them to manipulate it at will.

Through this authority, even a low-sequence spell could be amplified to rival mid or high-sequence mysteries. However, the effectiveness depended on the wielding sister's rank within the Seven Flames hierarchy.

Superbia, as the Eldest Flame, commanded the highest authority. In contrast, Luxuzia, the Youngest Flame, wielded the least influence.

Despite this, Luxuzia had no difficulty harnessing the house's power to enhance her own magic output and track the enemy position.

"Is she finally died?"

Luxuzia squinted, scanning the burned area for any trace of the girl.

She found nothing.

At this point, she wondered if there was even anything left to find.

Most likely, the girl she had been hunting had been reduced to ash by the scorching flames. That seemed to be the only plausible explanation.

There was no way the fragile body of that little girl could survive flames exceeding 3000°C. If she had, which Luxuzia found highly unlikely, then she wouldn't be human. Honestly, apart from her strange, incomprehensible ability, the girl had shown no signs of being capable of surviving such an ordeal.

Moreover, escape was impossible. All routes had been sealed, and the only exit was blocked by the flames. If she intended to escape, she would have had to defeat the fire itself. But that was simply an outcome that hadn't occurred.

Was it safe to assume the intruder was dead for good?

Even as she entertained that thought, Luxuzia couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.

"What was that massive mana fluctuation I sensed? Was it just my imagination? Could that girl... have used magic? No... That shouldn't be possible, right?"

Irritated, Luxuzia scratched the back of her head, tangling her fingers through her hair.

Based on her knowledge, magic wasn't something so easily wielded. Surely, it had just been her imagination. But the complete absence of the girl's mana signature made her feel uneasy. Perhaps the intruder had escaped the flames by using an unknown effects.

The word "teleportation" flickered through her thoughts, but she dismissed it quickly. The house's barriers were designed to prevent any form of teleportation in or out.

What would be the point of such defenses if anyone could come and go as they pleased?

"Could that Black Spirit be responsible?"

The idea clicked into place, making everything suddenly make sense.

"Did it save her at the last second? Considering it can move freely through the house and hide within its mechanisms, it's not that far-fetched."

She clicked her tongue.

"Tch. What a nuisance. Maybe I should have dealt with that Spirit first."

With a resigned sigh, she added, "Oh well. Looks like this game of hide and seek is about to get a lot more troublesome."

†

†

"Hah—!"

Miyuki gasped roughly as she regained consciousness. The unfamiliar sensation of a soft bed beneath her registered immediately.

This wasn't her room.

The ceiling above was strange, completely unrecognizable.

How did I get here? Miyuki wondered, scanning the unfamiliar room.

It appeared to be an ordinary room.

But that very ordinariness felt out of place.

Since the descent of the Stories onto Earth, such normalcy had become foreign like stepping into a country where the language and customs were unfamiliar.

That was exactly how she felt now.

"Ack...!"

As she pushed herself up from the comfortable bed, a sharp pain flared through her right arm. The memory of Luxuria, the Flame of Lust, using magic to forcefully dislocate it suddenly resurfaced. It was the same sadistic hunter that she had barely escaped from.

Perhaps losing consciousness midway had blurred the details, leaving her unable to recall exactly how she escaped. Still, she refused to believe her survival was the result of mere chance or a miracle.

Clutching it in agony, Miyuki's eyes widened in sudden realization.

"This is..."

She clenched her fist repeatedly. The right arm that should have been dislocated had somehow healed.

While she could move her hand, any attempt to fully use her arm triggered intense pain.

Perhaps it hadn't fully healed after all.

Just as Miyuki began to question the strange phenomenon, an unsettling sensation crept over her. She felt something was staring at her.

Turning sharply, she saw something "black" sitting besides her, staring at her face.

A shadow.

That face... If asked to describe it, she would say there were no distinguishing features at all.

Darker than black, devoid of form or identity, it resembled a formless shadow given shape.

But then there were its eyes.

Two empty eye sockets glowing with a white light, like wisps of ghostly flame flickering in the dark.

Apart from that, it had no mouth or distinct features. Like a ghost, its true form was obscured. And like an evil spirit, it exuded a visible, eerie blackness that couldn't be ignored.

Yet, there was no malice in its gaze.

Only sadness.

As she looked at it, Miyuki felt neither fear nor anxiety. For that shadow was a companion she had traveled with. At least, until it abandoned her and ran away.

"...."

The two continued to stare at each other in silence. Perhaps due to the awkwardness of the moment, neither of them spoke, trapped in an unspoken stillness.

It felt as if they were having a silent staring contest.

Finally, Miyuki blinked and broke the silence.

"Hey, are you the one who fixed my arm?"

The shadow nodded.

"Then you're the one who brought me into this room?"

The shadow nodded again, its answer clear: 'Yes.'

"In that case, thank you very much."

The shadow didn't respond. It seemed to retreat back into its quiet self.

Miyuki understood why. She decided to ask the important question.

"Why did you abandon me back there? Did you know I almost died?"

[Are... you... angry?]

A familiar voice echoed inside her mind. It was the little shadow's way of communicating.

Miyuki didn't panic, already used to the strange connection.

She scratched her cheek and said, "I won't say I'm angry."

[...Liar...]

"Ah, well. I'm a little upset. I mean, anyone would be upset in this situation, right? You didn't explain anything and just ran off on your own."

As she spoke, her voice grew louder.

Unbeknownst to her, there was still some lingering resentment over being abandoned.

The little shadow seemed to sense this and responded with a sorrowful voice.

[...I'm... sorry...]

Miyuki sighed.

"You still haven't answered my question. Why did you run away? Were you scared?"

[...Yes...]

"What exactly were you scared of?"

[...Death...]

"You're scared of dying?"

The little shadow nodded.

As their conversation continued, Miyuki began to understand more and more about the strange entity.

"In that case, I won't say I don't understand where you're coming from. But what you felt was normal. I don't think there's any normal, sane person in this world who would want to die."

[...You... don't... understand...]

Miyuki frowned. "What do you mean?"

[...Death is... terrible...]

"I know that already. Didn't you hear what I said before? Wait..."

She suddenly realized something.

The little shadow's body began to tremble uncontrollably, as if a haunting memory had surfaced.

Miyuki's expression softened.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Have you experienced death before?"

[...Yes...]

The shadow trembled, wrapping its arms around itself like it was trying to hide from something cold and painful.

[...I wasn't always like this... I used to live like you... but something terrible happened...]

Its voice shook, filled with sadness.

[...I became like this...]

Miyuki struggled to find the right words. She wanted to say, "I'm sorry," but realized it would sound empty. In the end, she chose silence.

[I was scared... The pain... such terrible pain

... It hurt so much....I wanted to cry out, I wanted to scream, but no sound came... In the end, I drowned in my own silent tears, despair... and misery until my heart finally stopped...]

Curiosity got the better of her.

"How exactly did you die?"

The words slipped out before she could stop herself.

Gasping, Miyuki immediately covered her mouth, realizing her mistake. In her hometown of Japan, asking a spirit about its death was considered a taboo believed to bring misfortune.

She braced herself for a backlash, expecting anger or even an attack. But the little shadow remained still, seated in quiet contemplation.

There was no malice, no bloodlust.

Only sorrow.

The question seemed to deepen the sadness radiating from the spirit, as if reopening a wound that had never fully healed.

The little shadow remained silent for a while before it finally spoke again.

[...I was... killed... with a... gun...]

Miyuki lowered her hand. "Who shot you? An intruder?"

[... No...]

The shadow shook its head.

[... I was killed... because I was a mute...]

"..."

[... S-Since I could not speak... There was no need to hide their malice... Even if I was stabbed or shot.... I would not scream... So nobody would.... hear my voice...] Continue reading on empire

"..."

[...Thus... I was an unsightly existence... that could... do nothing but grovel and die in silence...]

"You... were treated that cruelly just because you couldn't speak?"

[...Yes... To them, I was worthless... An easy target...]

The shadow's trembling grew fainter, but its sadness lingered.

Its pain was etched deep, a wound that no words or time could fully heal. Even sharing its story brought no release, only the reminder of a past that could never be undone.

In the end, for those who had already fallen, salvation seemed forever out of reach.

"~! ~!!"

Miyuki gritted her back teeth, and clenched her fists.

"Nobody deserved that. Tch. What kind of misfortune is this?"

Even her anger felt hollow. What could she possibly do for someone who had already suffered so much?

She could rail against the injustice, denounce the cruelty of the world, but no amount of righteous fury could bring back what was lost. Her words, no matter how heartfelt they were, could not change the past.

Even Miyuki understood that bitter truth.

'Huh? Wait... the shadow said it was a mute, right?'

Miyuki suddenly recalled something about a mute child from the Valoment family.

A girl who would be around her age, or perhaps younger.

Someone everyone had forgotten and left behind.

A person who could only despair in silence until the bitter end.

Miyuki strained to remember the name of that girl, but no matter how hard she tried, it felt as though an invisible wall was blocking the truth from her mind.

Who was it?

"Huh? What is that?"

Miyuki noticed something and shifted her gaze.

There was a photograph on a nearby stand. But it wasn't a typical family portrait. The adults were nowhere to be seen.

Only children were in the picture.

Adrian, Iris, George... and an unknown girl.

She looked to be about two years younger than Miyuki, with such strikingly beautiful eyes. Her bright and genuine smile exuded a fleeting moment of true happiness.

It wasn't a lonely smile, but one full of life, as if she had known joy, even if just for an instant.

Misfortune and despair was nowhere to be seen on that smile.

Even so, something, something particular about that girl turned the gears inside Miyuki's head.

"Wait..."

A realization clicked in her mind. She turned toward the little shadow with wide eyes, as if she had finally uncovered a long-hidden truth.

Why had it taken her so long to remember? The question echoed in her thoughts.

She had even said it herself:

The shadow had the appearance a young child, perhaps around her age, or even younger.

It had no mouth, so it could not speak. Instead, it communicated in a different way.

And from the way it spoke, it sounded like a child, too.

"You..."

Miyuki's voice faltered as the truth came to light.

"Are you... Viola?"