The Cursed Princess's Nightmare Prison
Deep in the underground prison of [Dark Lord] Rijette, countless illusions stood between Min-su and the girl.
"The princess who bears the golden light has been born!"
"Bless the descendant of the great hero!"
It began with the girl's birth. She was born amid the blessings of all, her life shining brilliantly as the nobility of the highest bloodline. Until the moment she awakened to the power of [Darkness] inherent within her.
"What unholy darkness is that! A monstrosity!"
"For such a monstrosity to be the princess... What will become of this nation?"
The moment she revealed [Darkness] before everyone awaiting her golden power's awakening, the gazes turned cold. Her subjects turned their backs, and the emperor and empress sealed her away in a forbidden prison from which no one had ever returned.
"This is..."
Min-su realized the visions he was seeing were [Dark Lord]'s past—the memories she endured before becoming a constellation of the Tower, now taking form.
Abandoned at the age when she should have received her parents' love. Even as a child, the girl knew the truth. What cruelty was this?
Yet she endured steadfastly in her prison. How agonizing it must have been. How lonely.
Min-su watched as she fiddled with strands of [Darkness], shaping them into dolls.
The knights of [Darkness] were not the grand army of a great constellation.
"Chingu!"
Her only companion, her sole friend—born from the girl's loneliness, a tragic byproduct.
From that tender age into adulthood. Min-su couldn't fathom the pain she had suffered.
As he witnessed her misfortunes, he found himself rooting for the girl. When she broke the prison seal and stepped outside, he cheered without realizing it.
But the world beyond brought torments no less severe.
A fallen empire. The palace where she was raised lay in ruins.
"...This filthy... calamity... curses you..."
The only familiar face she found, her mother, spat curses denying her very existence.
"It's all because of that monstrosity! If it hadn't been born, the calamity never would have come!"
To the empire's survivors, the girl was the witch who caused the disaster, the devil's child. She was unwelcome everywhere.
Yet she never yielded, saving those in suffering. Even when they spat insults instead of thanks, she performed good deeds. That was the path she chose as [Dark Lord].
Despite losing everything due to [Darkness]'s power, she never rejected or denied it. It was her strength, her identity.
Her companion, her friend. On the day the world ended and she became a constellation of the Tower, it became her divinity and authority.
But after enduring all that misfortune, something finally broke her: the death of her one and only first apostle.
Heroic as that apostle's death was, it struck her differently.
"Because of my power?"
She began to believe her own power, [Darkness], had killed her apostle.
"...What nonsense is that? Why would it turn out like this?"
[Darkness] had no hand in her apostle's death. No one could blame it.
Yet the starlight of [Darkness] was stained red.
"Because of me... Because of me, misfortune came to the empire. Because of me, calamity struck. Because of me, the empire fell."
The wounds in her heart, once bearable, tore open.
"It's your fault!"
"If only you didn't exist!"
The curses she'd heard echoed endlessly in her mind.
Negative illusions piled up like a thick wall between Min-su and the girl.
"...So that's how it was."
A goddess, yet one who had never truly felt another's warmth. To her, that apostle must have been her only friend beyond [Darkness]. Losing that friend shattered her mind.
"But it's strange."
The [Dark Lord] at their first summoning wasn't this broken. Sure, her messy shut-in loner state wasn't exactly normal, but it wasn't this severe.
Especially after seeing the memorial for Idaine the player—she seemed lighter, unburdened. Granting him honorary apostle status, sharing her authority, teaching him to wield [Darkness]... For her to suddenly regress like this was too odd.
Sinister voices materialized as those who had cursed her. They charged at Min-su to keep him from her.
"...So what?"
She'd locked herself in this deep prison for such a ridiculous reason? Fearing he'd die because of her?
"What utter nonsense."
The prison's abundant [Darkness] gathered to Min-su. Even though it was her [Darkness], it obeyed his will faithfully—as if eager to save its true master from the wicked voices.
[Dark Legion]
Whoooong!
As Min-su pointed downward and thrust his hand forward, knights forged of [Darkness] rose to their feet.
"Go."
The knights cleaved through the curse entities. Endless foes spawned, but the knights silently cut them down, advancing toward their master.
They threw themselves to block the knights, but the armored figures pressed on.
Min-su walked amid his knights. The girl's chamber, once distant, now loomed right before him.
Bam!
He flung open the heavily barred door to her room.
"Here?"
He knelt before the girl.
"I've come to get you, Goddess."
"Uung... Wh... who?"
Her large eyes widened.
"Your apostle, Goddess. Forgot? You appointed me yourself."
"My apostle..."
Did the word resonate so deeply? She repeated it over and over.
"Then... my knight?"
"...Yeah."
Min-su extended his hand.
"Let's go. I'll make your favorite ramen. Special beef in it today."
Slurp!
"Ramen...!"
As the girl unconsciously licked her lips and reached for his hand—
Rumble!
A fierce quake hit, and the dozens of cursing voices merged into one.
"Really going out?"
"If you do, your apostle dies because of you?"
"...!"
A devilish whisper. The girl's body shrank back.
"Disaster's child Rijette. Who do you think you are to leave? If you have any remorse for those you killed, stay inside."
"I..."
Her head drooped slowly.
"Guess I can't go out after a—"
Grab!
"Who's dying? I'm not dying."
"Huh?"
The warmth in her hand. She turned wide eyes to Min-su.
"No one's died because of you, Goddess. You've only saved the dying. You're the hero who saves people, the [Dark Lord], right?"
"...Min-su."
"Hear these voices?"
He raised his hand, and voices flowed from the surrounding [Darkness].
"Thank you, Constellation."
—A relieved middle-aged man's voice.
"Thank you for saving Korea!"
—A child's bright, clear voice.
"I won't forget."
—A young woman's voice.
"People thanking you, Goddess—and the player Idaine, your former apostle."
Dozens, hundreds of grateful voices blended together.
"We saw it together, right? You never harm anyone. You're a hero. A hero who saves people... Everyone's waiting for you. So let's go."
"Eeeeek! What are you, always interfering!"
The cursing voice swelled violently. A nightmare titan loomed.
An overwhelming terror swung at the girl and Min-su.
Min-su wielded [Darkness] to block it.
'...Huh? Wait. This is strong?'
Skill proficiency? Or overuse getting here? He was pushed back.
As the titan's hand broke through to crush him—
Bam!
"Wh-what?!"
Surging [Darkness] blasted the titan away.
"...Thanks. You snapped me out of it."
"Goddess!"
No longer a child, [Dark Lord] Rijette had returned to her true form, grasping his hand.
"Right. It wasn't me. I'm not disaster's child. I'm the hero of [Darkness], [Dark Lord] Rijette!"
Whoooong! Whoooong! Whoooong!
Vast [Darkness] swirled around the constellation and apostle, hands clasped, bellies touching.
"So you'll keep your promise?"
"Huh?"
"Never to leave my side forever."
Huh? Did I promise that?
She giggled at his flustered face.
"Min-su, my lovely apostle. Let's do that thing."
"That?"
"What I showed you yesterday."
"...Ah."
A raging storm in the [Darkness] ballroom. Like dancing to music, the pair turned their joined hands toward the titan.
"Now it's over! Dare defy me? I'll erase you both!"
Divinity poured from the titan, enough to shatter the mental space.
But fear held no sway over them.
They had faith in each other.
"Ready?"
"Yeah."
[Darkness Lightning]
The world inverted.
"...Huh?"
A familiar ceiling. Min-su sat up in his bedroom bed.
"What was that? Just a dream?"
What dream felt this real?
As he scratched his head, something squirmed under his blanket.
"...?"
With sleep-fogged eyes, he lifted the covers.
There lay
"Snooo... Zzz..."
"????"
A naked goddess, curled up asleep.