The Dark Rebirth of Pandora: Revenge of the Abyss

Chapter 252: Star Cycle Revealed

We are in a completely white location, nothing is visible beyond the purest white, but black spots are noticeable in some places, as if they were staining the purity of the place.

I look at my disciple who comes running up to me, she was doing something before, but she seems very agitated now, I wonder why she is so agitated.

”...Master!!” My lovely disciple hugs me, jumping on me, which is really unusual for her who is normally well-composed, organized, and curious.

”Look at this, master! Look at my eye!” She says crying, while a black liquid flows, her tears are now of a completely black hue and easily noticeable in the white space.

”...Don’t worry too much, disciple, it’s not that bad...yet...” There’s no point in giving false hope, our corruption has reached 24% which is quite a lot, because of Amiya we are becoming more corrupted as time passes.

There’s no point in me lying to her by saying it won’t get worse, because it will get worse as Amiya becomes more corrupted.

Our mentality is also slowly changing, and this is noticeable, my disciple is a bit scared of the changes and I understand that, it’s natural for her to be afraid of changing in this way.

After all, many are afraid of an unknown change that affects both their body and their mind, she will soon learn to accept it and understand that it’s not that bad.

”Master, how can you not be worried!” She says sulking about it, being much more talkative than in the past and showing how she is being affected by it.

Normally she wouldn’t try to question what I say, accepting things as I say they are, but now she’s slightly more rebellious, which isn’t bad, but I’ll have to change the way I talk to her.

”Haaa...it’s natural, disciple, it’s just natural that when Amiya gets corrupted, we also get corrupted, when the existence time of that Amiya ends, the cycle restarts and we regain purity” I speak to see if this will calm her down.

”I know it’s your first time and you’re bothered, confused, uncomfortable and unpleasant, but it’s just something natural that’s out of our control” We can’t control this.

”Out of control? How is it out of our control! Are we the ones who give debuffs to Amiya because we’re doing this? I don’t understand, master! We’re hurting ourselves this way!” My disciple says boldly.

She doesn’t understand that we’re not ”hurting” Amiya, this Amiya is different from the others, each Amiya is treated differently, but there’s one thing that’s the same, they are all treated in the best way we can.

”...Disciple, I think it’s time for me to tell you the truth...why I accept that the Demon King Pandora stays with our Amiya as if she were a mere object and explain to you why we give debuffs to her even though we need her.”

”You’re old enough to know the truth” I move through the white space, taking my disciple with me to watch Amiya, quickly a ”screen” appears and we see Amiya talking to Pandora.

Amiya seems to be showing her current status to Pandora while Pandora laughs at her as if it’s something funny.

Amiya is clearly uncomfortable and embarrassed to have something so ”intimate” exposed and all she receives as a reaction are malicious laughs.

”Master, I don’t understand how showing Amiya humiliating herself helps, look at that! Pandora just laughs at her problems! How can this be good for Amiya? I don’t understand” My disciple says a little nervously.

”Haa...be calm, disciple, I’ll explain it to you just once and calmly” I say to her as I take a deep breath and prepare to reveal important secrets.

”Do you know why there are only two of us here? And why even though there are just the two of us, we are called [Stars]?” I question her, she has asked once before why we two are referred to as if there were more of us.

And the answer to this question explains some of the reasons why I let that happen to Amiya.

”W-Well...I have no idea, master” She says somewhat nervously at the sudden question.

”It’s simple, it’s because [Amiya] is also a [Star], when we say ’Stars’, we refer to 3 of us” I begin to give the answer she so badly wanted to know.

”We are divided into 3 categories, Star, Star Disciple, and Amiya” I begin to tell the truth I hid because my disciple was not ready before.

”If Amiya survives long enough and has her Ascension lose all her memories, she will become a star disciple, coming to us automatically, when this happens, the current star disciple will gain the position of Star.”

”...And the star...will die, becoming magic for the new Star who will repeat the cycle, ensuring our survival.”

”Each Amiya can ascend differently, it can be fast or take a very long time, because it varies from each one.”

”One day I was Amiya, and one day you too were Amiya, we are in this cycle for an uncountable number of years, and we simply repeat it, because all living beings have some form of existence and continuation.”

”The current Amiya is the one most likely to become a Star Disciple, and when that happens, I will die, becoming magic for you who will be the newest Star and lead this cycle.”

”Why do you think I’ve taught you so much about our duty and mission since the moment you appeared? And why do you think you don’t have childhood memories or anything like that? After all, you only appeared here without knowing anything, only knowing that you were a disciple and that I was your master.”

”I know it seems gloomy and cruel, but it’s the way we live, and I hope you understand that.”

”The reason we give debuffs to Amiya is to adjust her to the role of Star Disciple, which is a very heavy and dangerous burden.”

”Not all Amiyas need this, but the current Amiya clearly needs this slightly suffering experience.”

”When Amiya becomes a Star Disciple, we will be purified, losing the corruption, being corrupted is not bad, it’s just natural that it occurs and this same natural process is just temporary.”

”And the reason I approve of Pandora, who is the Demon King, a sadistic and cruel someone, staying with our current Amiya is because Pandora is a goddess, she is not just a Demon King.”

”Even if Amiya forgets Pandora, Pandora will not forget Amiya, and as such, when Amiya is in the position of Star Disciple and encounters Pandora again one day, they will not be enemies.”

”Many goddesses don’t like us, and we only have our place thanks to the primordial goddess, but it doesn’t hurt to have the real friendship or interest of some goddess, I believe Pandora has an incredible future as a goddess.”

”And even if she is malicious, she is a simple being, who will not kill a ’friend’ or ’interesting acquaintance’ and may even help us in a difficult situation.”

”...” My disciple looks at me in shock at what I revealed, a smile appears on my face because it was exactly the expression I made when my own master told me the same thing.

Neither of us would have ever imagined that one day we were an Amiya who managed to be special and move on to a next level of existence, since many Amiyas are unable to ascend and end up just dying.

”I-I...”

”You don’t need to say anything, disciple, I understand that it’s confusing and difficult, but it’s our duty, and I trust you to carry it forward, because even though we are temporarily corrupted, our duty is something that doesn’t go away.”

”We are unique in our own way, and one day you will take my place, and I know you will be an exemplary Star who will perfectly guide the current Amiya as well as care for the new Amiya that will emerge” I say with a gentle smile as I hug her.

”Y-You’re going to die?” She asks in a sad voice.

”...Yes, I’ve lived a long time, long enough in fact, and with the current Amiya, I think my death won’t be very far away, but I’ve taught you everything you needed to know.”

”Pandora is not an enemy, remember that, she is a dangerous person, but she can be a wonderful ally, we need to ensure our own space without enmities.”

”I-I understand...I-I’m sorry for being rebellious, I-I didn’t know that...”

”Don’t worry, I was like that in the past too, I was quite rebellious with my master until I discovered the truth, so I decided to enjoy more time with my master before it ended.”

”We are not immortal, our time is limited and we must make good use of it, even if a new Amiya can’t continue the cycle, we won’t live forever, one day I will die, and I shouldn’t die before completing the cycle.”

”And having a disciple can be stressful, but it’s fun and a unique experience, you’ll make it and I know that, because in the end we’re all quite similar in our own way of being.”

”You will be a wonderful Star, my dear Disciple, and I hope you will be a good master for your future disciple, teach her our steps correctly, and tell her the truth about us when you feel your end is near.”

”Now all that remains for us to do is watch our Amiya reach Ascension” I say as she cries black tears that drip onto my breasts, it is an unhappiness that we all have to suffer.

We are not immortal, and since we have a limited lifespan, we must do everything to keep the cycle going before our end comes, I myself was already worried if I would be able to fulfill this duty.

I no longer have much life left, the current Amiya is my hope to continue the cycle correctly, if she fails, I’ll only have a few more chances.

That’s why I must make the most of what I have at the moment.