Episode 60. Turning Point
Kassius raised his head.
"This is really happening."
He muttered, playing with his wrist.
He'd thought he could do it, but to think Kassius could actually accomplish something this miraculous?
He'd only used his power to destroy himself. He'd considered the Red Serpent's power a curse, an evil.
The remnants of his power were utterly cruel and horrific, leaving nothing to be seen.
Kassius stood in the middle of it all.
It was a nightmare for Kassius, too.
"You saved us, my lord. Don't think of those you killed, think of those you saved."
Terion had tried to comfort him several times, but it hadn't truly resonated with him.
It took a long time to adjust. It wasn't until he met Isabella that he finally shook off the nightmares that had plagued him for months since gaining his power.
"Thank you for saving me."
On that day, when she muttered in a weak voice, her breath wheezing hot against his neck, Kassius shook off all his nightmares.
He hadn't sent the child away alone, but had kept her until the very end of the war, fearing something bad might happen to her...
Isabella had also been a comfort to Kassius.
It was proof that he was truly working to save someone.
And now, for the first time, Kassius began to realize that his power wasn't a curse.
The power of the red serpent was given only to the courageous.
After his death, it would return to its rightful place.
Until then, Kassius would endure endless agony, disappointment, and then hope.
"Solein. Check it out."
Kassius stepped back.
Solein swallowed and bent down.
His rough hands touched the green, sprouting earth.
Black light burst from Solein's eyes.
“One who can put the black serpent to sleep and cover it with life. One who possesses the power of the red serpent has found the land where life had departed.”
A voice that didn’t sound like Solein’s flowed through his lips.
A red light shimmered alongside black beneath Solein’s palm.
“Hope will bloom again in Hiloshine!”
Hiloshine.
That was the name of the black serpent buried in the ground.
The name of the pitiful serpent, confined to a barren and distant place, because it alone devoured life.
That deep loneliness seeped into Solein.
Black tears soaked his cheeks.
A power rippled within Kassius.
The red serpent seemed to be responding to the black serpent.
The red serpent’s power burrowed into the earth.
It spread far and wide, beginning to dye the once black and barren land with green life.
“...Perhaps it was fate that you came here,”
Solein muttered, overcome with exhaustion.
His body, drained of divine power, sagged as if it had lost all its energy.
“Heloshine may have been waiting for the lord, no, Keros.”
Keros.
It was the name of the region where Kassius had gained the power of the red serpent.
And also, the name of the red serpent.
Thump, thud.
Rain began to fall from the sky.
It was a beautiful, shimmering blue.
Kassius and Solein raised their heads.
The rain clouds that had begun above them began to spread into the distance.
“…It seems Sailus, the protector of the sea, has also come.”
Solein’s voice trembled faintly.
He had lived in despair, leading his clan in a dying land.
Dreaming of a new hope that would one day rise again.
Perhaps Hiloshine was waiting for his brothers.
Greenery was coloring the once-barren land.
Keros’s power brought life to life, and Sailus’s power nurtured that life.
Heloshine’s black power firmly supported the land, forming the foundation of its life.
Heloshine, Keros, and finally Sailus.
Light was blooming in the harmony of the three gods, who had crawled out of the chaos of the beginning.
Kassius raised his head.
"This is really happening."
He muttered, playing with his wrist.
He'd thought he could do it, but to think Kassius could actually accomplish something this miraculous?
He'd only used his power to destroy himself. He'd considered the Red Serpent's power a curse, an evil.
The remnants of his power were utterly cruel and horrific, leaving nothing to be seen.
Kassius stood in the middle of it all.
It was a nightmare for Kassius, too.
"You saved us, my lord. Don't think of those you killed, think of those you saved."
Terion had tried to comfort him several times, but it hadn't truly resonated with him.
It took a long time to adjust. It wasn't until he met Isabella that he finally shook off the nightmares that had plagued him for months since gaining his power.
"Thank you for saving me."
On that day, when she muttered in a weak voice, her breath wheezing hot against his neck, Kassius shook off all his nightmares.
He hadn't sent the child away alone, but had kept her until the very end of the war, fearing something bad might happen to her...
Isabella had also been a comfort to Kassius.
It was proof that he was truly working to save someone.
And now, for the first time, Kassius began to realize that his power wasn't a curse.
The power of the red serpent was given only to the courageous.
After his death, it would return to its rightful place.
Until then, Kassius would endure endless agony, disappointment, and then hope.
"Solein. Check it out."
Kassius stepped back.
Solein swallowed and bent down.
His rough hands touched the green, sprouting earth.
Black light burst from Solein's eyes.
“One who can put the black serpent to sleep and cover it with life. One who possesses the power of the red serpent has found the land where life had departed.”
A voice that didn’t sound like Solein’s flowed through his lips.
A red light shimmered alongside black beneath Solein’s palm.
“Hope will bloom again in Hiloshine!”
Hiloshine.
That was the name of the black serpent buried in the ground.
The name of the pitiful serpent, confined to a barren and distant place, because it alone devoured life.
That deep loneliness seeped into Solein.
Black tears soaked his cheeks.
A power rippled within Kassius.
The red serpent seemed to be responding to the black serpent.
The red serpent’s power burrowed into the earth.
It spread far and wide, beginning to dye the once black and barren land with green life.
“...Perhaps it was fate that you came here,”
Solein muttered, overcome with exhaustion.
His body, drained of divine power, sagged as if it had lost all its energy.
“Heloshine may have been waiting for the lord, no, Keros.”
Keros.
It was the name of the region where Kassius had gained the power of the red serpent.
And also, the name of the red serpent.
Thump, thud.
Rain began to fall from the sky.
It was a beautiful, shimmering blue.
Kassius and Solein raised their heads.
The rain clouds that had begun above them began to spread into the distance.
“…It seems Sailus, the protector of the sea, has also come.”
Solein’s voice trembled faintly.
He had lived in despair, leading his clan in a dying land.
Dreaming of a new hope that would one day rise again.
Perhaps Hiloshine was waiting for his brothers.
Greenery was coloring the once-barren land.
Keros’s power brought life to life, and Sailus’s power nurtured that life.
Heloshine’s black power firmly supported the land, forming the foundation of its life.
Heloshine, Keros, and finally Sailus.
Light was blooming in the harmony of the three gods, who had crawled out of the chaos of the beginning.
Kassius exclaimed.
"It can't be a curse."
He wiped the raindrops from his face with his hand.
"This warm power can't be a curse..."
It was good that he had come to Hiloshine.
His peace was here.
With Renisha, who had led Kassius to Hiloshine.
Renisha and Brixton stared out the window, astonished.
A bright green light was rising above the dead land of Hiloshine.
“This is...”
Brixton muttered involuntarily.
“Kassius... this is definitely Kassius,”
Renisha said with a trembling voice.
“He promised me a place to bring my parents home. He promised to make new sprouts sprout in this barren land.”
And Kassius had kept his promise.
More magnificently than she had imagined.
“Father was right when he said Hiloshine was the land of hope,”
Brixton murmured, gripping the railing.
It wasn’t just the black snake’s scales buried in this black land.
Hiloshine held life.
“Father knew this moment,”
Brixton repeated.
Renisha bit her trembling lips.
The Duke had repeatedly told the children of Lottera: when their most difficult and challenging moments come, go to Hiloshine.
They would find answers there. That's why Renisha believed in Hiloshine's potential and came here, and why Brixton readily sought out Renisha, who was in Hiloshine.
Their very foundations bore the mark of Hiloshine.
"Lottera's roots lie buried in Hiloshine. We began there and reached the Isles. In moments of despair, seek Hiloshine. Its land, sea, and air will welcome you."
"It can't be a curse."
He wiped the raindrops from his face with his hand.
"This warm power can't be a curse..."
It was good that he had come to Hiloshine.
His peace was here.
With Renisha, who had led Kassius to Hiloshine.
***
Renisha and Brixton stared out the window, astonished.
A bright green light was rising above the dead land of Hiloshine.
“This is...”
Brixton muttered involuntarily.
“Kassius... this is definitely Kassius,”
Renisha said with a trembling voice.
“He promised me a place to bring my parents home. He promised to make new sprouts sprout in this barren land.”
And Kassius had kept his promise.
More magnificently than she had imagined.
“Father was right when he said Hiloshine was the land of hope,”
Brixton murmured, gripping the railing.
It wasn’t just the black snake’s scales buried in this black land.
Hiloshine held life.
“Father knew this moment,”
Brixton repeated.
Renisha bit her trembling lips.
The Duke had repeatedly told the children of Lottera: when their most difficult and challenging moments come, go to Hiloshine.
They would find answers there. That's why Renisha believed in Hiloshine's potential and came here, and why Brixton readily sought out Renisha, who was in Hiloshine.
Their very foundations bore the mark of Hiloshine.
"Lottera's roots lie buried in Hiloshine. We began there and reached the Isles. In moments of despair, seek Hiloshine. Its land, sea, and air will welcome you."
He seemed to hear his father's voice.
Brixton gritted his teeth.
A black light flowed from his palm.
He shuddered and pulled his hand away from the railing.
Slurp.
Black scales appeared on Brixton's cheeks, then subsided.
Renisha stared blankly at them.
Brixton turned to face Renisha.
Brixton's vertically condensed eyes reflected Renisha and Haylin.
"...It seems Father has granted me the power to seek revenge."
Brixton raised his lips.
"Renisha. Do what you must. I will become your knight."
Brixton knelt before Renisha.
Kissing the hem of Renisha's skirt, Brixton whispered,
"As I wish, as you wish. Become the emperor of this country, Renisha."
Emperor.
Renisha secretly harbored a dream.
Renisha's desire wasn't for the position of Empress. Her aspirations were higher than that.
From the beginning, Laxus and Renisha were not meant to be together.
Laxus possessed what Renisha desired.
Perhaps this entire tragedy was predestined.
At that moment, lightning split the sky.
Ever since Renisha was a young child, she has held a golden, dazzling crown in her heart.
That was the day she first entered the palace.
“Shh, Renisha.”
The child was barely five years old, so he didn’t notice her hiding in the carriage. It would have been easier to leave her in the carriage, but he was also uneasy about leaving her there, who could run off somewhere.
But Lottera’s position was too threatening to leave her with anyone.
Everyone wanted Lottera. Someone could approach Renisha with ill intentions or harm her.
But he couldn’t just take her back.
The meeting the Duke of Lottera was facing was not a light one.
The Duke of Lottera sighed and grabbed Renisha’s hand.
Sitting down at the child’s eye level, he spoke softly.
“You must follow behind your father. Never let go of my hand.”
Renisha nodded, her eyes sparkling.
“Renisha, you can do it.”
The Duke of Lottera patted his daughter’s head.
"Of course. Our Renisha can do just fine."
Renisha closed her wide eyes and smiled.
Duke Lottera kissed the child's forehead.
"You must never do anything that would catch anyone's eye. Do you promise?"
The child was much more mature and intelligent than her peers.
He assumed the child would fully grasp what Duke Lottera meant.
Renisha nodded.
“Yes, Father.”
Duke Lottera patted the child’s head once more and then stood up.
The central nobles gathered.
The audience room filled with their gazes, each passing moment, brushed past Renisha.
Instead of shrugging, Renisha suddenly stuck her head out.
Her eyes caught the golden chair on the highest platform. It shone brighter than anything else in the light, and it looked noble.
It was the most beautiful thing Renisha had ever seen.
“Father.”
Renisha pulled the Duke’s hand.
They were discussing the war that would ensue over the Chorpa Plains.
Most of the central nobles wanted a peace treaty, while a few opposed it and advocated war.
The Duke sided with the peace treaty.
“Father,”
Renisha called him again.
Duke Lottera lowered his head to look at the child.
The child, who had been quiet, suddenly teased him, and he looked surprised.
But Renisha's gaze was fixed on something else.
The Duke followed her gaze and turned his head.
The Emperor's throne.
A splendid golden chair where a middle-aged emperor sat.
Renisha was looking at it.
"Renisha...?"
The Duke of Lottera called out to the child in an anxious voice.
"I want that,"
Renisha said clearly.
The place was so noisy that only the Duke of Lottera heard her. He glanced around, then took Renisha's hand and hid her to the side.
"Father?"
Renisha looked at the Duke of Lottera as if she found him strange.
Her father had always given her anything she wanted.
But now, he seemed terrified.
"Shhh!"
The Duke said sharply to Renisha.
"It's better to talk about that later, Renisha."
Renisha pouted.
Her young face was filled with discontent, even as she nodded.
The Duke of Lottera cast a fearful gaze on the throne.
The place Renisha longed for.
'The prophecy has finally come true...'
The dark fate surrounding Renisha seemed so close that it was as if she could touch it.
The memory of that day was vivid.
Now she clearly knew why the Duke had been afraid.
A daughter dreaming of the throne of the Emperor. Anyone would have been afraid.
Nevertheless, the Duke of Lottera had embraced Renisha and raised her, leading her to where she is now.
'Father.'
Renisha's cold gaze was fixed on Brixton.
'Is this also what you wish, Father?'
Renisha asked, her red lips filling her mouth.
Brixton gritted his teeth.
A black light flowed from his palm.
He shuddered and pulled his hand away from the railing.
Slurp.
Black scales appeared on Brixton's cheeks, then subsided.
Renisha stared blankly at them.
Brixton turned to face Renisha.
Brixton's vertically condensed eyes reflected Renisha and Haylin.
"...It seems Father has granted me the power to seek revenge."
Brixton raised his lips.
"Renisha. Do what you must. I will become your knight."
Brixton knelt before Renisha.
Kissing the hem of Renisha's skirt, Brixton whispered,
"As I wish, as you wish. Become the emperor of this country, Renisha."
Emperor.
Renisha secretly harbored a dream.
Renisha's desire wasn't for the position of Empress. Her aspirations were higher than that.
From the beginning, Laxus and Renisha were not meant to be together.
Laxus possessed what Renisha desired.
Perhaps this entire tragedy was predestined.
At that moment, lightning split the sky.
Ever since Renisha was a young child, she has held a golden, dazzling crown in her heart.
That was the day she first entered the palace.
***
“Shh, Renisha.”
The child was barely five years old, so he didn’t notice her hiding in the carriage. It would have been easier to leave her in the carriage, but he was also uneasy about leaving her there, who could run off somewhere.
But Lottera’s position was too threatening to leave her with anyone.
Everyone wanted Lottera. Someone could approach Renisha with ill intentions or harm her.
But he couldn’t just take her back.
The meeting the Duke of Lottera was facing was not a light one.
The Duke of Lottera sighed and grabbed Renisha’s hand.
Sitting down at the child’s eye level, he spoke softly.
“You must follow behind your father. Never let go of my hand.”
Renisha nodded, her eyes sparkling.
“Renisha, you can do it.”
The Duke of Lottera patted his daughter’s head.
"Of course. Our Renisha can do just fine."
Renisha closed her wide eyes and smiled.
Duke Lottera kissed the child's forehead.
"You must never do anything that would catch anyone's eye. Do you promise?"
The child was much more mature and intelligent than her peers.
He assumed the child would fully grasp what Duke Lottera meant.
Renisha nodded.
“Yes, Father.”
Duke Lottera patted the child’s head once more and then stood up.
The central nobles gathered.
The audience room filled with their gazes, each passing moment, brushed past Renisha.
Instead of shrugging, Renisha suddenly stuck her head out.
Her eyes caught the golden chair on the highest platform. It shone brighter than anything else in the light, and it looked noble.
It was the most beautiful thing Renisha had ever seen.
“Father.”
Renisha pulled the Duke’s hand.
They were discussing the war that would ensue over the Chorpa Plains.
Most of the central nobles wanted a peace treaty, while a few opposed it and advocated war.
The Duke sided with the peace treaty.
“Father,”
Renisha called him again.
Duke Lottera lowered his head to look at the child.
The child, who had been quiet, suddenly teased him, and he looked surprised.
But Renisha's gaze was fixed on something else.
The Duke followed her gaze and turned his head.
The Emperor's throne.
A splendid golden chair where a middle-aged emperor sat.
Renisha was looking at it.
"Renisha...?"
The Duke of Lottera called out to the child in an anxious voice.
"I want that,"
Renisha said clearly.
The place was so noisy that only the Duke of Lottera heard her. He glanced around, then took Renisha's hand and hid her to the side.
"Father?"
Renisha looked at the Duke of Lottera as if she found him strange.
Her father had always given her anything she wanted.
But now, he seemed terrified.
"Shhh!"
The Duke said sharply to Renisha.
"It's better to talk about that later, Renisha."
Renisha pouted.
Her young face was filled with discontent, even as she nodded.
The Duke of Lottera cast a fearful gaze on the throne.
The place Renisha longed for.
'The prophecy has finally come true...'
The dark fate surrounding Renisha seemed so close that it was as if she could touch it.
***
The memory of that day was vivid.
Now she clearly knew why the Duke had been afraid.
A daughter dreaming of the throne of the Emperor. Anyone would have been afraid.
Nevertheless, the Duke of Lottera had embraced Renisha and raised her, leading her to where she is now.
'Father.'
Renisha's cold gaze was fixed on Brixton.
'Is this also what you wish, Father?'
Renisha asked, her red lips filling her mouth.
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