Shadows of the Creator (5)
“Huh….”
As consciousness flickered back, I opened my eyes in the darkness. I had no idea where I was or why I was here. I tried to dredge up memories, but only a hollow silence rang in my ears. Nothing came to mind. It felt like sinking into a deep mire, my very existence uncertain.
“……”
I narrowed my eyes and scanned my surroundings. My senses hadn’t fully returned, as if I were trapped in a dream. But the musty stench permeating the air, like faint mold, clawed into my lungs, stirring disgust.
Whoosh—
Suddenly, pale purple flames erupted in the corner of the room. The flickering light illuminated the space, and the sight before me stole my breath.
This was an ancient ruin, long abandoned. Crumbling walls, shattered pillars, and grotesque statues lined the walls. In the dim glow, their eerie forms seemed to dance mockingly.
And a strangely familiar sensation… but a place I should never be.
“No…?!!”
A chill raced up my spine. I realized where this was. Too familiar, yet utterly alien—the place of my birth, and the place where I must die. A forbidden site that defied any divine will.
“No way……”
I suppressed the certainty rising in my mind. I hoped it wasn’t true. But ignoring it changed nothing. Swallowing my fear, I slowly turned my head.
And there—
“Lucy~”
A familiar voice greeted me, one I desperately didn’t want to hear. A woman lounged on a throne amid thick shadows, smiling down at me.
“You… you…!!”
Rage surged from deep within my chest. She looked eerily like me. Yet she was an existence I could never forgive—the one I had to eradicate, no matter what.
“So happy to see me?”
She leaned casually on the armrest, gazing at me. Her eyes were abyssal black, her lips curled in a sneer.
“I half-expected it, but you came again this year~”
Her voice was elegant yet languid, as if she saw through everything. That composure fueled my fury.
“What’s your game?!”
I gritted my teeth and shouted. But she just smiled, wagging a finger.
“Whoa, calm down~ I’m just welcoming an old presence after so long.”
Her unsettling laugh echoed through the space. I clenched my fists. Every mocking inflection grated on my nerves.
“Scary. You want to kill me that badly?”
“Sh-shut up!”
I tried to sound strong, but my voice trembled. The mana radiating from her was suffocating, like iron bands around my body. A chill paralyzed me.
But I gritted my teeth and endured.
“This time, I’ll erase you from this world!”
“You say that every time? But the result’s always the same.”
She covered her mouth, laughing leisurely. That fake smile hid dark malice I knew all too well. Revulsion surged as I planted my feet firmly.
“This time’s different…! I prepared more than last year, and I’m way stronger!”
I steeled my resolve desperately, shouting at her.
“So I won’t let you have your way—”
“Enough.”
———!
Everything froze. Her voice was cold and unyielding.
“……?!”
Like frostbite, that single word made me swallow involuntarily. The room felt colder, an icy aura freezing the air. I scowled and clenched my jaw, but her overwhelming presence crushed me.
“Seems you’ve gotten cockier while we were apart.”
Her tone was soft, laced with chill menace. Her mocking gaze bored down. A frigid shiver numbed my body.
“Guess I need to school you before we chat.”
As she snapped her fingers, the air quivered sharply. An invisible grip seized the space.
“Guh?!”
Dread hit; I tried to move, but too late. A bizarre sensation crept from my toes. Looking down, shadowy black tendrils spiraled up like living snakes, coiling around my wrists and ankles.
Cold, repulsive texture. The formless energy slithered over my skin, goosebumps erupting everywhere.
“What is this…?!”
I thrashed instinctively, but the grip tightened. Limbs bound like a puppet, strength ebbed.
“Let go!”
I twisted desperately, but the thoughtforms burrowed deeper. Darkness writhed like a predator devouring me. Cold invaded my spine, as if infiltrating my core. Breath caught.
She watched with a sinister smile.
“Hehe, hope you enjoy~?”
She waved lightly, yanking the tendrils tighter like a leash. Breath failed. Heart raced, head spun.
“No, please…! Not this…!!”
I cried desperately, but she just looked amused.
“Tucking tail already? Poor thing.”
Pride shattered. Despair overwhelmed. Irresistible power crushed me. No resistance, no escape.
“N-no! Stop!!”
No strength or hope left. Surrender was inevitable.
But then—
“…Huh?”
Sun-bright light flooded the world. Like thunder, an explosive radiance. Blinding flash—the tendrils binding me blurred and faded.
And—
“What?”
Her smug face twisted for the first time. That was my last memory.
Lucy. The game’s final heroine, a captivating senior oozing mature charm. But she harbored an unforeseen secret.
In truth, Lucy wasn’t human. She was a Spirit.
Spirits were exceedingly rare. Near-immortal lifespans eclipsed even elves, with wisdom and mana beyond human ken. Born when gods shaped the world in their image, Spirits were divine fragments—children, yet pawns to be sacrificed at will.
But as the gods’ era ended, transcendent beings vanished or perished. Their bound creations gained freedom, birthing independent Spirits.
“I’m back.”
Returning to the cabin, chaos greeted me.
“M-Master!”
Eily rushed over in panic, everyone eyeing me anxiously. No need to ask—the culprit was in view.
“Ah, ah…”
Senior Lucy. Limp on the seat’s edge, staring blankly. Vacant eyes, parched pale lips—like an empty shell.
“No reaction to shaking or calling… like a husk.”
Melina said, voice tense, fingers trembling faintly.
I drew a deep breath. Familiar scene.
Yeah, I remember. This is Lucy-senpai’s first event.
Only one reason for her state: mental fusion with this episode’s final boss, ‘her creator.’ Trapped in a nightmare.
Originally, only one could save her—Varis, with hero qualities.
“Where’s Varis?”
“He checked your condition, then went for help.”
Elisha replied calmly, but her clenched fists betrayed anxiety.
Haa. I rubbed my temple, pondering. Canon: Varis wakes her, his hero power pulling her from illusion.
But he’s absent. Another derailed plot… Not surprising anymore.
“Lucy-senpai, you okay? Wake up.”
I shook her, hopeful despite futility. Past memory surfaced. Melina’s demon god—Varis’s role, yet I slew it.
Maybe this time too? I gripped her shoulders firmly.
“No change…?”
Elisha’s voice grew uneasy, eyes fixed on Lucy’s blank face.
Silence. No twitch.
Only Varis can do it?
“Wait, I’ll get Varis.”
But then.
“—Guh?!!”
Like yanked from an abyss, Lucy-senpai convulsed. Icy aura shattered; her eyes regained life amid spasms.
Gasping breaths, faint tremors from her fingers. Her gaze locked on me.
“A-Arnold…?”
Her voice still shook, but the emotion within was clear: confusion, relief, and more.
She scanned around quickly, then fixed on me. Her expression held inexplicable depth—like finding something desperately sought in ruins.