While Yseif and the women were still locking eyes, the Demon Maid regained part of her conscious. She grumbled as she tried to hold herself steady. The pain was too much for her to handle. With Yseif already being here, she lost all the bravery and strength she had before.

Noticing the movement of the Demon Maid, the women turned her attention towards the Demon Maid. Black short hair fashioned in a bob cut. The black hair glistening with the rays of the sunlight shining upon it. Fitted with a round face and oval shaped eyes, her deep purple colored iris contrasting with her white skin. Adorned in a one piece frilly white and black dress, although torn, the dress still contoured to her body shape. The chains on her feet shackling her to a metal spherical shaped ball. The wounds of lashes colored her back red.

From there, the women turned towards the small girl lying unconscious next to the Demon Maid. The small girl also has wounds on her body. Her hair unkempt and her floral white dress tainted in dirt and mud. The dried tear streak on her face showed that she cried.

Seeing as the women turned her attention towards Sana, Yseif moved to block her line of sight.

The women sighed and finally found the reason for this man’s outbreak.

“Someone stupid enough to touch his inverted dragon scale” she thought.

“Ra…Raella…” Yseif mumbled.

With her heightened sense, she heard exactly the words that Yseif mumbled.

“You still remember me…” Raella sighed.

As the Demon Maid was closer to Yseif, she heard his mumbling clearly. Hearing the women confirm her identity, the Demon Maid was trembling.

The female war god, the nemesis of all Demons, the religious faith of the humans, the Goddess of Light, Raella. Ethereal, eternal, powerful, and courageous, that’s what the humans believe. Now that the real Goddess is before her, the Demon Maid felt extreme dangers to her very being.

Feeling the Demon Maid’s stiffness, Yseif blocked the pressure pushing against her.

“I’m sorry for attacking you, I lost myself for bit.” Yseif told her.

“You were trying to protect Sana and yet I almost…against my benefactor…” he said depressed.

“A-a-a-…” the Demon Maid tried to say something but no words came out.

Still facing Raella, Yseif asked her.

“You are here for me?”

“What do you think?” she smiled back

“…”

“Don’t give me that grumpy face, I’m not going to eat you or anything…” she sighed.

Looking at the weapon that Yseif is holding, Raella swapped from a carefree face to a serious one.

“You’ve pulled the weapon out…” she said.

“I’ve no excuse…” Yseif replied.

“Since the weapon is already drawn, one sealed is broken…” she told Yseif.

“…” Yseif kept quiet.

“If she was here, what would she say?”

“Do not mention her here! She would understand me!” Yseif rebuked.

“Do you really think so?” Raella nonchalantly replied.

“…” Yseif frowned in quietness.

“I know what you meant, but you didn’t need the weapon did you?” Raella interrogated.

“…” Yseif’s frown became darker.

“Now, now, stop making that scary face…” Raella sighed.

“Since I know that you are here, the others will also…” she informed Yseif.

“I will leave here and disappear from the world again…” Yseif answered her.

“Do you think it’s that easy? This isn’t the first time now. They will not let you go again.” Raella explained.

“What do you want me to do?! What do you expect from me?! I’ve lived quietly until now! Sana was safe and I was happy! Yet in just one day, ONE DAY! Our happy life crashed down!” Yseif shouted.

“I’ve already lost Leina, I even destroyed her hometown, I couldn’t even protect her but she protected me instead! Today, I almost lost Sana, I almost lost my very own daughter and you are telling me why I broke my own seal?! Why I broke my promise with her?! Why I am not allowed to retaliate in kind to those who ruined our peaceful life?!! You tell me! Who is in the right?! Who should I blame for this situation?! Is it me?! Is it the fault of my very existence again?! Am I wrong?!! If you know so much, then you TELL ME THE ANSWER!!” Yseif continued.

Surprise by Yseif’s outbreak, Raella was stunned. She was not expecting this reaction at all.

“Y—“

Right when Raella was about to say something, a strange occurrence happened. Yseif went stiff all of a sudden. The light of his eyes seemed blank. The world went still for a second.

***

A dark void. An endless, edgeless, and dull world appeared in front of Yseif. Filled with nothing but black colored water flowing endlessly across all direction. There was no sun, no stars, no moon, a sky didn’t even exist. All around him was just void after void of darkness.

“Do you want revenge?” a voice echoed.

Yseif looked around; there was no one but him here.

“Do you want to kill everything?” the voice continued.

Frantically, Yseif tried to pinpoint the direction of the voice.

“Do you want to build the best world for your daughter?”

“Do you want to eliminate all the threat against you?”

“Do you want to give everything to your daughter?”

“Do you want the truth?”

“Do you seek answers?”

“Do you feel anger?”

The voice constantly shot out questions.

“Who are you? What do you want?” Yseif asked the void.

A shadow of Yseif appeared before him. It was like looking at a reflection. Everything from the hair to the feet was exactly the same.

The shadow looked at Yseif and said.

“I am you. You are me. We are one and the same. You are the body and I am the power. I can give you everything and I can take everything. All things fear me so they fear you. I can give you the answers that no one else can.”

“Answers?” Yseif questioned.

“You are aware of what you are but do you know why you exist? Do you know why you have overwhelming power? Do you know why the world tries to eliminate you? Do you know the reason behind Leina’s death?”

“…” tempted, Yseif pondered his choice.

“Think about it, you were just peacefully living with your daughter and yet, troubles comes to find you. Did you think it’s a coincidence? Did you think no one knew where you were at?”

“They are coming, do you think you can protect Sana without me?” the shadow asked.

He raised his hand and held it in front of Yseif.

“Take my hand, I can give you the power to protect Sana. Leina would understand your choice.” The shadow persuaded.

Sana was everything to Yseif. After he lost Leina, the world was bleak. Sana was the only one in the world which can bring him happiness. The world doesn’t matter if Sana is not there.

“Without Leina and Sana, the world can just be destroyed” Yseif thought.

He lifted his hand and shook the shadow’s hand. A smile appeared on the shadow’s face.

“I will grant you your wish” the shadow said.

***

Raella stared as Yseif’s darkness energy intensified.

“Shi—“

*BOOOM* Raella was cut off in her cursing.

Yseif’s aura exploded. Raella flew pass Yseif, grabbed the Demon Maid and Sana on each hand, and made some distance.

Around Yseif, the forestry was destroyed into a crater. The crater growing in size as Yseif’s aura expanded and intensified. Even though it was still morning, in the sky, it was as if night fell. The world went dark.

The pinnacle of darkness have emerged from its slumber.