WINGS…?

Nikolai was impressed while watching Neoma's

"children

" work together.

First, Paige Avery fell asleep beside his daughter on the bed. The mage entered Neoma's consciousness to help her.

And now, Greko was doing something amazing.

The young boy closed his eyes earlier and clasped his hands together as if he was praying. Now he grew silver fairy wings. They looked like butterfly wings. Moreover, the aura coming out of those wings was similar to the aura that Mona would emit when she was summoning her Spirit Guardians.

He's half-fairy, so that makes him one of the children of Nature.

"Master, our little princess's

"children

" are useful.

"

He turned to see two of his Soul Beasts in their human form.

The tall and bulky man wearing a black robe was the Black Tortoise. On the other hand, the

"child

" wearing suspenders was the black serpent called 'Center,' and Center was sitting on the Black Tortoise's shoulder.

The two had opposite appearances, but they still had one thing in common: pink hair. The strands of their hair was more on the red shade though.

Those were the unique hair colors of the male Rosehearts.

"Yeah, they're competent,

" Nikolai said as a response to what North, the Black Tortoise, said about Neoma's

"children

" earlier.

"Unlike us.

"

The Black Tortoise, the healer among his Soul Beasts, flinched as if he was guilty.

"Master, don't be like that,

" Center, who was acting like a child just because he looked like one, said playfully.

"We can't do anything to help Princess Neoma because she absorbs your Moonglow every time we touch her.

"

That was true.

He summoned the Black Tortoise earlier to check on Neoma's condition.

But his daughter absorbed his Moonglow with no sign of getting better. He wouldn't have minded that had the situation been different. Right now, he couldn't afford to lose consciousness while his heir was unconscious, too.

"Lewis Crevan,

" he said to the fox boy who was standing beside Neoma's bed while being so stiff.

"Don't tell Neoma what you just heard.

"

"I don't care,

" Lewis, who was looking at Neoma with glowing golden orbs and clenched hands, said coldly.

"I don't care even if His Majesty dies. It's not something I would like Princess Neoma to worry about, so I won't bother to bring it up to her.

"

He didn't comment since he was already used to Lewis's attitude. Neoma spoiled him too much.

But his Soul Beasts looked obviously pissed.

Center laughed, but even if he did, his laughter sounded sinister and not happy.

"Master, I'm not your official Soul Beast since I'm just a black serpent who can't live without North,

" he said while cracking his knuckles.

"Killing a disrespectful baby fox wouldn't tarnish your name and your official Soul Beasts, so please allow me to do the honor.

"

North, the Black Tortoise who was supposed to be a pacifist, nodded his head eagerly.

"Leave him alone,

" he said to his Soul Beasts dismissively.

"He's Neoma's favorite person.

"

Lewis's obviously liked what he heard because he turned to him with a less gloomy aura.

"Your Majesty, I will keep it a secret from Princess Neoma.

"

See? So simple-minded. A child is still a child, after all.

"But Your Majesty, keeping this a secret from Princess Neoma will only make her upset. I suggest coming clean to her soon.

"

Hah.

He couldn't believe he was being scolded by his daughter's

"son.

"

"I will tell Neoma about it soon,

" he said nonchalantly.

"For now, shut your mouth.

"

Lewis just nodded, then he focused on Neoma again.

"Master, that young lady,

" the Black Tortoise said while pointing his hands politely to Paige Avery, who was unconscious beside Neoma on the bed.

"She's a Light Mage.

"

"A Light Mage?

" Nikolai tilted his head to one side.

"Is it the same as Mona's Light Spirit Guardian in the past?

"

"Lady Roseheart's Light Spirit Guardian is more powerful, Master,

" Center said cheerfully.

"But a Light Mage is also a poor match for Darkness attribute users, so if she stays by our little princess's side, it will benefit Princess Neoma.

"

***

PAIGE AVERY slowly clapped her hands while watching Lukas, the bad Dark Elf, gather the shadows around them and turn them into shadows.

Now she understood why that roach created this kind of dimension.

Tall buildings create gigantic shadows.

"When did the Dark Elves learn how to manipulate shadows, just like the Quinzels?

" Paige Avery, her body now engulfed in white light while she was still suspended in the air, said.

"The Quinzels aren't the only people who could manipulate shadows. But the technique you're using at the moment is their signature move.

"

First, Lukas tried to create the Shadow Veil which the Quinzels were famous for. But since it was just an imitation, she easily destroyed the Shadow Veil by creating a blinding light wave.

Now, the bad elf was using his own shadow to attack her.

"That's cute,

" she said while avoiding the shadow that couldn't keep up with her. After all, she was moving at light speed. When she got bored with avoiding the attacks aimed at her, she summoned her proper weapon. It seems like Lukas is almost done creating a Shadow Beast, too.

Yes, she waited for the Dark Elf to collect enough shadows for his last attack. She was a mage raised to only fight interesting battles. Thus, she waited for Lukas to be prepared.

She opened her right hand and summoned her other weapon. The cane that she used earlier was her weapon of choice when creating spells. But when it was time to use her Light attribute, she would use her other weapon.

And that weapon was a parasol– a frilly white parasol. The end top, tips, crook handle, and shaft were all gold. Of course, a parasol that could contain her Light power couldn't be an ordinary parasol.

This is a Divine Item.

Yes, she was using a Divine Item as a weapon. Come to think of it, she got in trouble for

"stealing

" that item when she was a teenager.

"You are that child.

"

She smiled before she stabbed the sharp tip of the parasol on Lukas's shadow's forehead. All she needed as inject a small amount of her Light magic through the tip before the shadow completely combust.

"You're the child who stole from the East Continent's Pope sixty plus years ago,

" Lukas said while laughing.

"I heard you stole the Divine Items gifted by the Sun Goddess to the people serving her. But a young mage from the West Continent stormed in and stole all the Divine Items.

"

"Was that what happened?

" she said with a bright smile.

"It's been so long that I don't remember the details anymore.

"

Lukas laughed, a huge Shadow Beast that didn't have a form now complete behind him.

"Liar,

" he said to her.

"Lady Avery, should we make a deal? I'll give up this space if you tell me where you hid the other Divine Items that you stole.

" He jabbed a finger at the Shadow Beast behind him.

"If this beast goes on a rampage, it will severely injure Princess Neoma's soul. Do you want something bad to happen to your

"new master?

"

"

It was her turn to laugh.

"Lord Lukas, the one who may offer a deal is the one who has the upper-hand,

" she said while smiling

"sweetly.

"

"I should be the one setting the deal, and you should be the one negotiating– not the other way around.

"

He smirked, but he obviously looked pissed.

"You think you have the upper hand?

"

"I don't

"think

" I have the upper hand– I just do.

"

She opened her umbrella and as soon as she did, it started

"snowing.

"

Of course, it wasn't real snow. The white balls of light falling from the sky were from her Light power. And soon, the Light fragments worked their magic.

Screech.

She saw Lukas flinch when the Shadow Beast behind him screeched so loudly it made the ground tremble. But that was all the Shadow Beast could do. After hundreds of balls of white light hit it, the beast melted.

It was the same for the tall buildings around them. They all melted, and the only things that remained were the colorful gems that she scattered in the area earlier.

Lukas glared at her.

"You–

"

"You can't use your true power because you know I'm a Light Mage, right?

" she asked, cutting him off while closing the parasol. The

"snow

" stopped as soon as she did that.

"You look shocked when I said I'm an Avery, which means you know I'm your natural nemesis. But you know what? An ordinary Darkness attribute user wouldn't fear the Averys. After all, Darkness is also a part of Nature.

"

He flinched as if he knew where her words were headed to.

"Dark Elves weren't called Dark Elves just because they have Darkness attribute,

" she said, then she placed the shaft of her parasol on her shoulder.

"But the problem is not every Dark Elf is born with natural Darkness attribute.

"

Her turquoise eyes glowed as she scanned the man in front of her.

"Lord Lukas, you weren't born with Darkness attribute. You're an elf, not a Dark Elf,

" she said, faking her

"surprise.

"

"I wonder where you got your Darkness attribute from.

"

Lukas snarled at her, but instead of attacking her, he actually tried to escape.

Of course, she didn't let that happen.

She pointed her parasol at Lukas's direction, then the frills around the parasol turned into Light whips. The whips caught the Dark Elf and wrapped themselves around the man tightly.

"This isn't your physical body, so I can't kill you,

" she said, still smiling while approaching him.

"But I won't let you go without squeezing some useful information from you first, Lord Lukas.

"

Lukas sneered at her.

"You said it yourself– you can't kill me. What made you think you can make me talk?

"

She just smiled brightly, before she proceeded with her

"interrogation.

"

"I was born and raised in the West Continent. To be precise, I'm a person of the empire,

" she said vaguely.

"Thus, I was also raised to worship Lord Yule– the Moon God. But I came to hate the god I worshipped while I was trapped inside the Hisa Tree.

"

"I don't care about your sob story–

"

"Shh!

" she said, then she put a finger on his lips to stop him from talking. As soon as she touched his lips, another Light whips appeared and covered the elf's mouth this time.

"Losers should shut their trap.

"

Lukas could only glare at her.

"It wasn't only hate I felt while I was trapped,

" she continued with her

"sob story.

"

"I felt pain, anger, desperation, sadness, and despair as well. Do you know what happened after those negative emotions accumulated in my chest?

" She leaned down to whisper in Lukas's ear.

"My Light attribute almost turned into Darkness attribute.

"

She pulled away from Lukas to watch his reaction.

As expected, he was calm. Although he was glaring at her, she could see that he was nervous about what she would say next.

"That was when I realized that extreme negative emotions bottled up like that could turn into Darkness,

" she continued. She was still smiling, but her voice sounded more serious now than ever.

"If Princess Neoma didn't find me when she did, I would have given in and eaten the part of my Light magic that turned into Darkness.

"

Yes, she almost ate it.

While she was miserable, the Darkness kept whispering in her ear while urging her to consume it. The Darkness promised to free her, and to kill the de Moonasterios that she hated most at that time.

"I was reminded of that time when I saw you, Lord Lukas,

" she said, then she put a finger under his chin to lift his face and force him to meet her glowing turquoise eyes.

"I told you, my eyes are special. I could see the filthy things you've consumed, and they're eating at your soul.

"

Of course, Lukas could only glare at her as a response.

He's not putting much of a fight, so he's probably gathering his energy to escape.

She pretended not to notice about his escape plan, so she kept talking.

"You consumed Darkness made from despair,

" she continued while shaking her head disapprovingly.

"But that despair wasn't from you, but from another person.

"

He looked at her as if saying,

"so what?

"

She smiled, then grabbed his chin while leaning down until her face was only a breath away from his face.

"Did you consume a Quinzel's despair?

"

Lukas's eyes turned into little crescent moons, and she could tell he was smirking creepily despite his mouth being covered by her Light whips.

If she'd be honest, she'd say the bad elf's smiling eyes gave her the chills.

What a lunatic.

She pulled away from him and let go of his chin roughly. But she didn't actually keep her hands off of him. This time, she poked his chest area with her finger while talking.

"You did,

" she did, even though Lukas didn't confirm her theory.

"So, that means you can copy the ability of the person you ate Darkness from. The Quinzels don't teach their techniques to outsiders. You definitely ate a Quinzel's despair and gained their ability.

"

It was honestly a reach.

But she experienced the same thing back when she was trapped in the Hisa Tree. Moreover, her eyes could analyze anything that had magic or Mana in it. When she saw a portion of her Light magic turn into Darkness, she analyzed it.

She realized that the Darkness made from her despair contained her techniques and special magical power.

If that type of Darkness could be consumed, then my hypothesis would be correct.

Plus, the bad elf's facial expression was interesting.

Lukas wasn't smiling anymore.

But she was.

"As a mage, this piece of information excites me,

" she said cheerfully, then she patted Lukas's head.

"Let me give you a farewell gift before you run away like a weakling you are.

"

She grabbed a handful of Lukas's hair and pulled it.

"You've been living off of Princess Neoma's negative emotions while hiding in the darkest depth of her soul like a roach,

" she said coldly. But of course, she was still smiling. She wasn't a scary person, after all.

"Are you hoping to copy Her Royal Highness's abilities?

"

Once again, Lukas's eyes curved into creepy crescent moons.

She knew why this bad elf looked excited.

Ah, his escape plan had succeeded. A black swarm appeared just below his feet. And it began to suck everything in.

Of course, she created a Light barrier to avoid getting sucked in by the swarm.

This protection won't last long, though.

"I will allow you to leave, Lord Lukas,

" she said in a sweet,

"caring

" voice.

"After all, you don't deserve to stay here. But don't expect to return, because I'll be undoing all the curses you sealed in Princess Neoma's soul. And most of all…

"

She let go of Lukas's hair when the force sucking them in became stronger.

Then she used another flight magic to get as far away as possible from the bad elf. When a decent distance was created between them, the Light magic that she used to tie him down (and shut his mouth) disappeared.

After all, she needed all her magic back to protect herself.

"We'll meet again, Lady Avery,

" Lukas said with a smirk while being engulfed by whatever black liquid it was coming from the swamp below his feet.

"And the next time we meet, I'll distort that beautiful face of yours with pain.

"

"Thank you for calling me beautiful,

" she said, then she did a mock curt while opening her parasol.

"But Lord Lukas, I hope I didn't lead you on by getting a little touchy-feely with you earlier.

" She tilted her head, put a hand on her cheek, and smiled sweetly at him.

"After all, I didn't touch you because I wanted to.

"

The bad elf looked shocked when the parts of his body that she touched earlier began to glow and burn.

"Whose beautiful face is distorted with pain now?

" Paige Avery asked with a beautiful smile on her face. Then she closed her parasol again and pointed the end tip at Lukas.

"I, Avery Paige, purify the evil standing in front of me.

"

A blinding light covered the entire dimension at the same time Lukas's agonizing scream filled the space.

***

THE DARK skyscrapers all disappeared now.

On the outside, those dark skyscrapers looked like roaches attached to Princess Neoma's white soul. That was how Greko, the young half human-half fairy, saw the impurity that disrupted the soul of Her Royal Highness.

"This part of Princess Neoma's soul is the part where her negative emotions are stored,

" Paige Avery said to herself while looking up at the

"sky

" above.

"But why does that

"sky

" contain sealed memories?

"

When Lukas disappeared earlier, the sky cleared and the Darkness covering it was purified by her Light magic.

But it wasn't enough to unseal the memories.

Well, it's not my job to take care of that.

She looked around and saw the colorful gems scattered on the white floor. This part of Princess Neoma's soul was already cleansed after she kicked Lukas out and purified the Darkness that he left. But…

"I can't stop you from feeling negative emotions, Princess Neoma, so this part of your soul will continue existing,

" Paige whispered to herself sadly, then she closed her eyes and hugged her parasol close to her chest.

"But from now on, I won't let anyone enter your soul without permission again.

"

***

WHEN NEOMA opened her eyes, she sighed loudly at the people who greeted her.

Nero.

Lewis.

Trevor.

Hanna.

And the Commander Yoan Stroganoff she saw before.

All of them, including her, were grown-ups. How could that happen when Hanna died as a child back in her first life, while Neoma died without meeting Trevor then?

But they were all gathered at that moment.

"Congratulations, Princess Neoma,

" Yoan Stroganoff greeted her with a warm smile.

"You finally gathered the Four Pillars.

"

Four Pillars?

That sounds familiar.

Neoma combed her fingers through her long white hair with pink strands.

"I didn't die at Nero's hands?

"

***

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***

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