Chapter 11 Part 3

“How… how is this possible…?” 

Elia took the Sun Sword, her hands trembling slightly. The feel of the weapon was unfamiliar after such a long time. While she was grateful to hold it again, the manner in which it had been retrieved was just as important. She looked at Tartan Duke, her eyes filled with questions. He responded with a faint smile, eerily reminiscent of Aksion.

“It’s a long story, but I did deceive the saintess.”

It appeared he had successfully infiltrated under Sharon’s nose as planned. Having handed the sword to Elia, Duke Tartan prepared to leave.

“I must return now. If I stay away too long, it will arouse suspicion.”

“But…”

Elia grabbed his arm, worry evident in her eyes. She feared for him, knowing Sharon would suspect him first once the Sun Sword’s absence was discovered. Yet he shook his head, dismissing her concerns.

“Don’t worry. I prepared a counterfeit in advance.”

A realization struck Elia.

“A fake Sun Sword.”

It was the same sword Duke Tartan had faced the demon with for the first time. Though lacking the Sun’s powers, its appearance was indistinguishable from the real one. It should buy them some time. Elia offered a final piece of advice.

“Please be careful.”

“You too, Your Highness.”

Their farewell was brief. Tartan exchanged a look with Aksion before leaving. Their eyes met, blue and red, a stark contrast. Aksion bowed slightly; Tartan responded with a nod before departing.

‘Still worried…’

For now, inspecting the Sun Sword was the priority. Elia placed it on the table and gripped the handle, drawing the blade. Her palm seared with heat.

‘Hot.’

A fierce heat radiated from the sword.

‘How did Duke Tartan endure this pain?’

His arm had turned black and had yet to regain its color. Despite her worries, Elia did not let go of the sword. She was getting burned, but it was bearable.

‘Why is it different?’

The heat seemed different from what Duke Tartan experienced. The Sun Sword trembled slightly, as if testing Elia’s ability to wield it.

‘I can feel the years within this sword.’

The Sun Sword had been passed down since ancient times. The accumulated years had doubled with Elia’s regression. However, she couldn’t harness its power immediately. As she reached out to grasp its essence, a thin barrier blocked her.

‘What is this?’

It was like seeing treasure inside a box but being unable to open it. Elia’s instincts told her a key was needed to unlock this power. The sword’s heat intensified. As Elia furrowed her brow, Aksion hurried to stop her.

“Elia, it’s best to stop now.”

“Just a little longer.”

The scorching heat flowed through Elia’s arm. Flames overwhelmed her mind, presenting a new vision.

‘This is…’

A beam of light penetrated the darkness, revealing a massive resort island.

‘Arban Island?’

Tall palm trees and vibrant tropical flowers symbolized Arban Island. She had taken it from the Empress long ago but had forgotten about it. The vision, showing a radiant beach and lush plants, pulled Elia to the island’s depths. A natural cave beneath a massive rock mountain glimmered intermittently due to the embedded jewels.

‘A jewel cave.’

Arban Island had been designated as a resort from the time it was first discovered. Consequently, the jewel cave had never been touched by humans.

‘The key is there.’

The Sun Sword wanted Elia to go there. To unlock the power of time, she needed a clue from that place. Lost in the vision, she heard Aksion’s voice from afar.

“Elia? Elia!”

Aksion’s touch on her shoulder snapped her out of the vision. The heat from the handle dissipated. As Elia held the sword up, a faint flame flickered. The Sun Sword had temporarily accepted her as its wielder.

‘I need to take the sword there.’

Ancient relics always acted for a reason. Determined, she looked at Aksion.

“Aksion, we need to go to Arban Island.”

“The resort island? Why there…”

“The Sun Sword showed me a vision. There’s something in a cave on that island.”

Something related to the Sun Sword, or perhaps even more. Aksion, seeing Elia’s serious expression, made up his mind.

“Understood. I’ll make the preparations.”

“We should announce it as a vacation trip.”

Both the royal palace and the temple were closely watching Elia and Aksion’s movements. It was better to move openly and mask their true intentions than to act secretly and draw suspicion.

* * *

Three days later, in the afternoon, Mahar’s servants completed the preparations for the vacation. When Elia had taken over the island, she had removed all the people to the mainland.

‘They were the Empress’s spies anyway.’

The two of them traveled to Arban Island on a grand ship. Upon arrival, the servants, who had arrived earlier, had prepared the villa and were ready to serve their masters.

“What a beautiful island, don’t you think?”

“It’s a splendid resort.”

Holding hands, they walked into the island. Elia had already informed Risha.

“We want some alone time. Make sure no one disturbs us.”

“Yes, Your Highness. Will you return before dinner?”

“Probably? If something happens, I’ll set off fireworks.”

“Be careful!”

Risha waved as Elia smiled and pulled Aksion along.

“Let’s go. I want to explore inside.”

The couple ventured into the forest, greeted by dense trees. The forest, unmanaged for half a year, occasionally obstructed their path.

‘We’re almost there.’

As they pushed through large leaves, they heard a flock of birds taking flight. Looking up, they saw a swarm of fruit bats.

“It seems to be over there.”

Aksion pointed beyond the forest where a large natural cave appeared. They entered the cave. The damp walls and black darkness stretched endlessly. To the ordinary eye, it was just a cave or an undeveloped mine. But…

‘With the Sun Sword.’

Elia drew the sword. The Sun Sword, having accepted her temporarily, ignited with a white flame. The ancient characters on the walls became visible in the light.

‘These are not of the Empire.’

They were the ancient language of Elia’s tribe, readable only by her. She illuminated the walls with the sword, deciphering the meaning.

‘Demons are born from human emotions.’

Dark emotions seeped into the earth, meeting lava to create the first demon. The demon flowed into the lava, opening a sealed door.

“The Demon Realm?”

The small opening never closed. The exponential increase in demons was due to the power from the crack in the Demon Realm. From that crack, a demon emerged.

‘The demon who sees the future, Apikus.’

The first to notice this was Elia’s tribal chief. The chief succeeded in pushing Apikus back into the Demon Realm. He then closed the door, sacrificing his life. Yet, a fragment of his soul still roamed the world.

“What does it say?”

“…About the Demon Realm. It also describes how to reopen the door.”

The instructions were left as a precaution. To know how to close the door, one must first know how to open it.

‘First, consume the Sun with dark magic.’

Then, offer the person with the strongest fate as a sacrifice. The Sun will reappear, only to be extinguished forever a week later. That’s when the door to the Demon Realm will open.

The original story ended with the hero and saintess defeating the black dog and retrieving the Sun. But that wasn’t saving the world.

‘The ending I knew wasn’t the real end.’

The true reason for Elia’s sacrifice was to destroy the Sun forever. The post-ending world was one of complete destruction.

‘No way.’

One person came to mind.

‘The one who sees the Empire’s future.’

One day, he had appeared and prophesied everything: Parmeo Pitecus. Every incident was connected to him.