Fragments of a Father's Memory
It was a memory of Leandri from a long, long time ago. A memory so ancient that it had grown hazy. A fragment of the past, pieced together by reaching deep into the crevices of time. It was a story that existed now only as a vestige of what once was.
Rian's childhood home. Back then, they did not live in a grand castle, but in a tiny, humble cabin. Their mother had passed away while giving birth to Licht, leaving their father to raise them alone in that secluded cabin. With more than one mother in the family, they were bound to become targets for many. They were the children of the Hero—born of the Saintess, the Mage, and the Archer. Having so many siblings naturally drew the eyes of the world. And so, their father hid Licht and Rian away.
Rian's biological mother, the mage Erhen, who was no longer of this world, had been incredibly gentle and kind. His father's other wife, the Saintess Sati, was somewhat cold and distant, but she never neglected her duties to them. Lilibet, the elven archer, was Rian and Licht's greatest friend.
Rian did not even know the names of his other siblings, much less what they looked like, save for Licht. The same went for the other children. Children, by nature, tend to cling to those they grow close to, never wanting to part. This was even truer for siblings. Caught in a difficult position, their father took responsibility the only way he could, rotating between each household every week. Once a month, all the families would gather. Of course, as young children, they were never allowed to see one another's faces.
“Whoa, Licht, do you see this?”
“I don't see anything.”
“What do you mean? This! Don't you see this blue butterfly right here?”
“...Brother, did you not enjoy your meal today? You're talking an awful lot of nonsense.”
“Urgh!”
But there really was a butterfly. A blue butterfly, its colors more vivid and brilliant than anything Rian had ever seen. The strange thing was that Licht couldn't see it. Rian chased after the blue butterfly as it fluttered around the rose garden, burning with curiosity to see where it would go. As a child, Rian was full of questions. He loved to seek out knowledge and strive to understand the unknown. The sight of this butterfly, unlike any creature he had ever encountered, was an irresistible temptation.
“B-Brother, where are you going?”
“Just stay right there! I'll catch it and show you!”
“...How strange,” Licht muttered, his voice too quiet for Rian to hear. He hadn't meant any harm, but Rian truly wasn't acting like himself. Licht had heard from their father, and had seen it with his own eyes: just yesterday, his older brother had been burning with a terrible fever. He had slept the entire day away, occasionally shedding tears in his sleep. Was that why? Licht honestly wondered if his brother had lost his mind.
Meanwhile, Rian ventured deeper into the dense forest. The canopy overhead filtered the brilliant sunlight, casting only faint, dappled beams onto the forest floor. A stray ray of light illuminated Rian's black hair. Hovering just above him was the blue butterfly.
“Gotcha!”
Rian leaped into the air and cupped his hands around the butterfly. Careful not to crush it, he gently parted his fingers to peer inside. It was beautiful. Strange, incomprehensible runes seemed to be written across its wings, and its mouth moved as if it were whispering something.
...A mouth? Rian had never seen a butterfly with a mouth like that. He froze. This was no butterfly. Suddenly, the creature's body began to unravel, dissolving into a gaping, monstrous maw. Blue mana erupted from the mouth, coalescing into a humanoid figure.
“...W-What are you?”
Rian stumbled backward. Usually, any strange phenomenon would have filled him with an eager passion to study and learn. But now, an inexplicable dread gripped his heart. He would soon understand the source of that terror.
Whoosh! Before Rian could even scream, the entity liquefied into a blue fluid and swallowed him whole. It began to drain him, pulling away his very essence. Rian thrashed wildly, but his hands found nothing to grasp. In truth, there was nothing in the empty air around him. He felt absolutely nothing, yet his eyes could clearly see the monster's blue shroud enveloping him. How much time passed? A massive dome of blue light blanketed the forest, and Rian collapsed, unconscious.
Leandri's face contorted with pure, unbridled rage. His anger was not directed at Rian, but at him—the bastard who dared to lay a hand on his son.
“...So that is how you want to play this?”
Rian's mana was gone. Ninety percent of it had been stripped away, leaving a mere tenth behind. Of his two children, Rian was the one who had inherited the most of Erhen's magical lineage. And that monster had stolen it.
“You watched from the shadows all this time, only to strike now. What are you plotting, Belzebub?” Leandri roared in fury. He slammed his fist onto his desk, kicked the wall, and let out a guttural scream. The monster had violated Erhen's child. It had stolen his own son's mana. Rian, whose dream was to become a mage, had been robbed of his future. Did the demon have any idea what it felt like for a young child to lose their dream? It was utter despair. It forced a child to taste a bitter emotion they should never have known at such a tender age.
“Are you angry because we slaughtered the primordial demons?” If not that... “Or were you simply bored?”
Leandri looked at the Holy Sword. Its blade had grown dull, having gone unused for ten long years. Nearby sat a framed photograph of himself with his three wives and a single flower. A warm, fond smile touched his lips for a brief moment. Then, a grim resolve took hold. The smile vanished, his expression hardening as he reached out and gripped the hilt of the Holy Sword.
He would not contact his remaining two wives. If he did, they would undoubtedly worry and insist on fighting by his side. He could not allow that. If their mothers were gone, who would look after the children? I am not three people. I have only one body. He couldn't protect all three households at once. No, perhaps he could have, but the judgmental eyes of the world were a heavy, terrifying burden.
He channeled his energy into the dull blade. Screeech— A sinister, black aura erupted, swirling violently around the metal. Even at a mere thirty percent output, Leandri's control over his mana was incredibly precise. As the dark flames subsided, he made his way to the bedroom where Rian and Licht lay sleeping. He cracked the door open slightly. They were fast asleep, breathing softly. A sudden pang of sorrow tightened his chest. The children looked so much like Erhen.
“...I'll be back soon, boys.” He whispered. “Sweet dreams.”
Leandri's sword qi shattered the magi. There was no explosion. Despite the collision of two diametrically opposed forces, Leandri's sword qi remained absolutely unyielding.
“Kahahahaha! The reward for my little surprise is sweet indeed!”
“...Die. Die. Die. Just die, Belzebub...!”
“Hatred is such a delicious flavor. Tell me, would you like to taste it even more deeply?”
With a single strike, great mountains crumbled; with a second, the very heavens split apart. Belzebub's mocking whispers tore at Leandri's heart, and a single deflected blow sent a jarring shockwave through his flesh. Yet, he did not stop swinging. From the earth to the sky, his strikes cleaved through the air, carving massive craters into the landscape. The sheer scale of their clash was enough to redraw the map of the region. Leandri didn't care. This was Pandemonium—the realm of demons. It wouldn't hurt if a little more of it was reduced to rubble.
“Tsk!” Belzebub hissed as spears of pure magi materialized between his wings.
Discharge
The demonic spears flew forward with terrifying velocity, piercing clean through Leandri's arm. It hurt. It hurt like hell. There was no way a wound like that wouldn't. Yet, he kept moving forward. He pushed ahead, driven by sheer willpower. To slaughter the bastard who had ruined his son's dream, he would endure anything.
His flesh tore, his armor shattered, and his boundless mana went completely wild. His heart pounded violently, and his Core resonated with the chaos, spinning even faster. In return, Belzebub's wings were shredded, and his limbs were hacked to pieces. Consumed by agony, the demon king let out a deafening shriek.
“Stop! Stop this! Why won't you just give up?!”
“...I will kill you. I will keep going...”
He pressed forward. He had always pressed forward. Just as he had done long ago, marching onward to slay the primordial demons who had ruthlessly slaughtered his family. Belzebub was beyond terrified; he was utterly paralyzed with horror. Leandri pictured his sons, Licht and Rian, who would be waking up right about now. He pictured his two wives, who were caring for his other children. And above all, he pictured the woman who had departed this world first, watching over him from the heavens.
“Not yet.” It wasn't over yet. He had to bring this endless, agonizing war to its final conclusion. He had to...
Sky Slash
Slash! Finally, the blade connected.
“Aaaaargh!”
“...Pant, pant...”
He hadn't managed to kill the demon. However, Belzebub was thrown back, grievously wounded. The demon king grimaced in agony; though the strike had missed his heart, his internal organs had suffered catastrophic damage. But Leandri was in no better shape.
“...Go back, Leandri. I am giving you a chance.”
“...I'll kill you.”
“Puhuhu. I would hate to throw away a magnificent toy like you so soon.”
“I'll... kill you...”
Acting as if he had no other choice, Belzebub snapped his fingers. A massive gate tore open in the fabric of space.
“You bastard... What are you—!”
“Come back when you've grown stronger, brat.”
Of course, it was a bluff. Belzebub had squeezed out every last drop of his remaining power, driven by a desperate fear of death, simply to banish Leandri from Pandemonium. It would take a long time for the Hero to recover. Yes, that would be enough. It would buy him more than enough time.
A month passed. Leandri's body was still covered in unhealed wounds. Sati and Lilibet were sick with worry, and they didn't hesitate to scold him for his recklessness. After enduring a solid month of their relentless nagging, Leandri could only offer a sheepish, apologetic smile.
Even so, he did not regret throwing himself into that battle. Stealing his son's dream, stripping away a young boy's hope—it was an unforgivable sin. To prey upon a child's innocence to rob them of their future... Belzebub was truly the most insidious of all demons.
“...When do you think you'll be able to move properly?”
“...I'm not sure. I don't really know.”
“How many times must I tell you not to overexert yourself?”
Sati sighed, handing him a warm cup of tea. Anyone else would have grown tired of repeating the same warnings, but Leandri had lived with her nagging for years. He was more than used to it. Sati pressed a gentle kiss to Leandri's forehead and stood up. It was almost time for the children to wake.
“We should head back now.”
“Already?”
“Yes. It's about time the children woke up.”
She offered a warm smile, her eyes full of deep affection for her beloved husband. Lilibet's expression mirrored her sentiment.
“Hehe, see you tomorrow!”
“Alright. Get home safely.”
“We will.”
Just as they were about to leave, Lilibet turned her head at the sound of approaching footsteps. It was Rian, shuffling into the room half-asleep. A fond smile spread across her face. Though he wasn't her biological son, he was the child of her dear friend and comrade, and another beloved son of her husband. Lilibet planted a soft kiss on his forehead and patted his back.
“Mmm... Mother?”
“Go back to sleep. I'll come play with you again later.”
“Yaaawn... Okay.”
He rubbed his eyes and yawned. He was so wonderfully carefree back then. He had no idea what was weighing on his father's mind. He didn't know that his father had pushed himself to the brink of death because of his lost mana, nor did he have any inkling of the tragedy that was about to unfold. Back then, Rian was truly innocent. Lilibet gave him a playful flick on the forehead.
“Ow!”
“Rian, where are your manners?”
“Ugh... Goodbye, Mother...”
“Good boy.”
She smiled warmly at Rian as he bowed politely. Not long after the two women stepped through the gate and vanished...
“...So, you've finally come.”
“Huh?”
“...Rian. Shall we play hide-and-seek?”
“Ugh, that's for babies.”
“Haha. Just humor your father this once.”
It was a lie.
“Well, if you insist.”
Reluctantly, Rian went to find a hiding spot nearby. He held his breath, suppressing his presence as he waited for his father to find him. Left alone, Leandri began to mutter quietly to himself. Crackle, crackle! A crimson aura flared to life. Forcing his broken body to move, Leandri gripped the Holy Sword once more.
“Took you long enough, you bastard.”
“...I nearly died trying to recover my strength, Leandri!”
“You should have just gone ahead and died then.”
Belzebub stared down at the weakened Leandri, scanning his battered frame. “Tsk. Humans truly are fragile creatures. Your recovery is pathetic.” A cruel, mocking sneer spread across the demon king's face.
“...Father?”
It was death. The very first time Rian had ever witnessed death. His father had been impaled by a demonic sword, and Belzebub stood over him, grinning with sadistic glee. The demon must have known Rian was hiding nearby. Yet, he chose to ignore him, walking away with a slow, satisfied stride.
From inside the cabin, Rian heard Licht beginning to stir. He threw his weight against the door, desperately holding it shut. His younger brother could not see this. Rian himself was already paralyzed with shock. His eyes locked onto the blood-stained Holy Sword, and beyond it, the lifeless body of his father, pooling in a crimson tide.
“...Ah... Aaaah...!”
“Bel...zebub...!”
“I'll kill you. I'll kill you... I'll kill you!”
The emotion that consumed him in that moment—the burning hatred he felt toward the Demon King—was a dark, consuming desire for vengeance. A wrath that no child should ever have to bear.