My Living Shadow System Devours To Make Me Stronger

Damon gently put Ric down and ruffled his hair, trying to maintain the smile on his face.

”Run along, Ric. We have some grown-up matters to settle.”

He did not wait for Ric to reply before turning toward Xander with a sneer.

”Who knows? Take a guess.”

”No, I don’t want to,” Ric whispered.

Damon paused.

”No, I won’t,” the boy continued, his voice trembling as he looked between them. ”Master, please. Will you two listen to me? Please, just once, let’s not fight with swords and magic. Let’s just listen to each other without pride, ego, or bias. Please.”

Damon turned to look at him.

Ric’s face was wet with tears, and his hands trembled at his sides as he struggled to make the two men understand what he wanted. He was terrified, yet he had still found the courage to stand between them, even though he knew how easily either of them could kill him.

Damon glanced at Xander before slowly allowing the shadows surrounding his body to dissolve.

Xander immediately thrust his spear toward him.

Because Damon had chosen to listen to Ric instead of reacting to the attack, he was unable to dodge quickly enough. The spear pierced his stomach.

”Noooo!” Ric screamed.

But Damon did not fall.

He grabbed the spear with his left hand and punched Xander with his right, forcing the other man to stagger backward.

”Didn’t you hear the kid? He has something to say.”

Xander slid back, leaving a trail of blood across the ground as he struggled to regain his footing. Damon’s blood dripped from the spear, but Damon paid it no attention. At this point, the system’s warnings had begun ringing in his head, alerting him that he was dangerously close to death.

A beam of light descended beside him, and Evangeline hurried forward to support his body. Her hands touched the enormous demon wings on his back, but she did not look at him. She simply lowered her head, her expression difficult to read as she steadied him against her.

Meanwhile, Ric walked toward Xander, who was also covered in blood.

Then he straightened his back and tried to compose himself, behaving much like a young noble who had been taught how to introduce himself properly.

”I am Godric Ravenscroft of House Ravenscroft. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

He scratched the back of his head, looking somewhat embarrassed.

”I’m sorry. I... didn’t really know what to say if I ever met my father. It just wasn’t something I thought about often. Maybe because I didn’t need to. I was raised with love and care, and my master...”

He glanced over his shoulder and pointed at Damon, who was doing his best to remain standing.

”Oh, that’s him, by the way.”

Ric turned back toward Xander, his eyes shining with tears.

”He’s the kindest, most amazing person in the world. He taught me that a man must be brave, honorable, and protect the weak. A man must do what is right.”

”He’s my hero”

Tears began to fall from his eyes as he struggled to continue, his small voice carrying across the crater.

”My master told me my father was a stickler for the rules and always did things the honorable way. He told me I should be like you. He told me you were a real hero, but...”

Ric looked at Xander before shaking his head.

”No. Now that I see you, I realize my master lied. You aren’t a hero. Neither is my master. I grew up wanting to be just like him because Master is always right, but Master doesn’t think he’s always right. He told me he was just human and that we all make mistakes.”

His voice echoed across the battlefield, reaching even Emilia at the top of the crater. A small magical orb was still active nearby, broadcasting the scene to the world. Through it, the image of little Godric Ravenscroft, standing before his father in the middle of a battlefield drenched in blood, was being witnessed by countless people.

”Is that what he taught you? Lies?” Xander whispered.

”No. He showed me a gentler world, and I’m grateful for that. I didn’t understand it back then, but what Ranar did after Gunter betrayed us was hard. Forgiveness is really hard, but I think I’m ready to forgive too, because I’m tired of this bloodshed. I just want it to end.”

Ric sniffed and wiped his nose with the back of his hand before glancing toward Damon, as though asking for his approval.

Damon remained quiet, watching the boy with an expression that was difficult to read.

Xander glared at him before taking a deep breath.

”Forgiveness? When he killed my brother in cold blood? You are a child, a pup who doesn’t understand anything.”

”It’s true. I’m young. I’m only eight, but I still know...” Ric replied, his voice faltering for a moment before he gathered himself again. ”If I don’t understand something, Lilith says I should ask. That’s the only way to learn. If you want to learn, you should ask too...”

He hesitated.

”Fa... Father.”

Damon fell silent.

He lowered his head, his bloodied hand tightening slightly around the hilt of his sword before relaxing again.

”Ric...”

He looked toward the sky and sighed.

Then he took a step toward Xander.

”The world is ending anyway. What’s there to hide?”

His voice was tired, but it carried clearly across the crater.

”I killed your brother, Xander, and I still don’t regret it. I hated him, and I wanted to kill him. Today, I may yet send you to meet him. But I did not kill him without a reason.”

Damon lifted his head, the blood still fresh on his bruised face.

”Your brother wasn’t some blameless saint. He was a murderer. He was the one who killed my mother and father, so I killed him for my vengeance.”

Everyone’s eyes widened.

Evangeline’s expression changed as she looked toward the figures floating in the sky above the crater. Even Xander’s eyes widened beneath his helm, his grip on his spear faltering for a moment.

”Tha... that’s impossible...”

Damon sneered, a small smirk appearing on his bloodied face.

Then he looked toward Emilia.

”Only one person knew this, and that was Linga Felt. At least, I assumed he was the one who told you the truth. Tell me, Emilia, where is Linga?”

Emilia glanced toward her sister.

Terra remained quiet for a moment before speaking up, wiping the blood from the corner of her mouth.

”He’s receiving treatment at the Hightower estate in the capital with his family. I kept my word not to harm him if he told me the truth.”

Damon glanced back at Xander.

”Now you know. The brother you admired was just a dirty, lowly murderer, a stain on this world. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he’s the reason for all this, because he decided his ego was more important than my mother’s life.”

He grabbed Xander by the armor he continued shaking his head in disbelief.

”I will never forgive him, and I will never forget. In death, I hope he suffers for all eternity.”

Damon’s eyes grew colder.

”Now then, with that out of the way, let’s end this. I still have to fight a god after I’m done with you, and I’d rather not waste time before my inevitable demise.”

His tone was flat, as though he were discussing an ordinary inconvenience rather than the possibility of his own death.

Then Xander laughed.

He fell to the ground, covering his face with one hand as laughter escaped him in broken bursts.

”Hahaha... hahaha... I see it. No... hahaha... I see it now. The prophecies Sylvia gave us years ago...”

Tears spilled from his eyes as his laughter continued, his body trembling beneath the crushing truth he had spent years refusing to consider.

”What is the meaning of this? What is the meaning of anything? My oath...”

His voice broke.

”My oath...”

Damon lowered his head.

”Told you, didn’t I? Revenge isn’t so glamorous.”

He turned his back on Xander, intending to put an end to the conversation, but Xander spoke again.

”Tell me, did killing my brother make you happy? Was it satisfying?”

Damon fell silent.

For a moment, he remained still, staring at the destruction surrounding them. He remembered the hatred that had driven him, the days he had spent carrying his loss, and the moment he had finally taken his revenge.

Then he shook his head.

”No. It was dull and tasteless. It was an empty feeling.”