Brain bloom

Repeat...repeated endlessly, and no one can stop it.

Until all souls were collected and the price was to be paid—the ancient Demon King came to the human world, filled with numb sorrow, wanting to see if the bloodline of his beloved continued until its final end. He lamented how quickly time had passed; twenty generations had changed since then…

But its deep love and longing for Matilda never changed.

The souls of these twenty generations have become its power. These are the people it killed.

These souls are sweet because they always believe that their lives are far happier than others'.

Finally, it saw that the woman left behind was gentle-looking, bearing some resemblance to the woman it loved. Like its ancestors, she enjoyed eighteen years of wealth and honor before meeting her lover and becoming pregnant.

So she was destined to die—the instant she gave birth to her baby.

There will be no babies; in fact, what will be born is a curse that signifies the end of everything.

When it is born, it will kill its parents to atone for its final sins. Perhaps, it will be one of the most terrifying things in the world. Even the ancient Demon King felt fear, unsure of what kind of vengeful spirit this curse, which has lurked until now, would become.

The birth happened to take place at dawn.

The ancient demon king hid far away, but still silently watched this moment of ending.

After a difficult labor, the doctor looked at the baby in his hands and asked—

"what is this?"

Just as the light of dawn shone, the thing shrouded in sinister black mist was born from its mother's body.

That was a real curse.

It was a sign of the end, yet it was born at dawn, which the ancient demon king found laughable.

Then, this malevolent thing instantly devoured the lives of everyone around it, their souls surging towards the ancient demon king. Indeed, the price had been paid sufficiently. Thus, this bloodline came to an end.

The woman it deeply loved had also vanished without a trace. This long transaction had come to an end.

With these sorrowful thoughts in mind, the ancient demon king silently turned around and prepared to leave.

But it heard the sound of crying.

Beneath the radiant dawn sun, amidst the cursed black mist, a tiny, delicate, and pale hand reached out tentatively.

That...it's actually a human baby's hand!

The beautiful cries echoed for a long time in the lonely world, never ceasing.

This baby should never have been born… The ancient demon king was deeply shocked. Despite its confusion, it disregarded the dread of the rising sun and flew away. It did its utmost to dispel part of the curse and discovered that inside, there truly was a healthy baby girl…

The curse was meant to kill everything!

But... she was born at dawn, a time symbolizing new life.

The ancient demon king blinked repeatedly, suddenly recalling the past and silently knowing her fate. He also saw the shadow of his beloved in the infant's tender, undeveloped face.

This is a belated devil's bargain...

The ancient demon king once asked Matilda for her name, and she readily told him.

But it learned the name without paying any price... Although it was many years late, it should pay a price, which is to let the child live as long as possible.

This is also a form of remembrance; even the most wicked and sinister demons cannot bear to extinguish the miracle of her struggle for survival. Those curses relentlessly tried to kill her… yet she still lived.

Volume 1 #169 Birth Under the Dawn (Part 5)

She was a child destined not to live long.

To be born into this world, to reach out to the free sky, and to let out a clear and loud cry is already an incredible miracle... She was born wrapped in this heavy cloak of curse.

Under the morning sun, the ancient demon king stood silently by his side.

But he dared not reach out and touch her, for she was like a fragile gem that would shatter at the slightest touch.

The ancient demon king thought she wouldn't last more than a few minutes before dying... but the crying continued unabated, and the miracle seemed to be going on for much longer. Remembering the past, it silently made a decision to try and save this strong, fragile little life.

First, it took her back to the realm of demons.

In the human world, the ancient Demon King's power was incomplete, unable to fully suppress this malevolent curse. But in the Demon Realm, the situation would be much better. Although it was a gloomy and eerie world, she could probably live longer there.

However, multiple attempts yielded no results.

Even with a heavy price paid, the curse could not be lifted.

The problem is not a lack of power, or that the ancient demon king is unwilling to make a sacrifice.

Rather, it's because this is fundamentally a huge contradiction.

This curse was created to sever this bloodline, which is the very foundation of the transaction and the price the ancient demon king must inevitably pay. But now, it wants to tear the curse apart, which would mean the price is missing and the "reciprocal exchange" is invalid.

The ancient Demon King is the being who governs "transactions" and "costs," and he himself is the embodiment of "equivalence of cost" in the world.

For it, removing the curse is tantamount to denying everything about itself.

It couldn't resolve this contradiction, and it was too powerful. No one but itself could touch this level of domain and interfere with the curse... The Ancient Demon King could only do his best to suppress it.

It placed a soft cushion on its throne, put her there and personally cared for her, watching her grow day by day amidst pain... and then, in a human way, gave the newborn a meaningful name.

“Let’s call it ‘Wish’…May you live longer. May my beloved Matilda forgive me and protect your soul.”

day to day--

The wish contained in this name has probably come true; may it never have died.

The ancient demon king's affection for Wish grew daily, even though he knew she wouldn't live much longer.

Someone reminded me that babies need breast milk.

But the ancient demon king had his own ideas. In order to make Yuan live longer, he risked starting a war and found an ancient being living in seclusion in the demon realm—an ancient phantom dragon.

In a distant era, the ancient Demon King offended his opponent through fraudulent transactions, but for the sake of his wish, he was willing to set aside his noble pride. With a sincere apology, he won the forgiveness of the ancient phantom dragon and the sweetest "tears of knowledge" in the world.

I hope that this is how I grew up slowly.

The indelible curse upon her was like something that could corrode everything, burning all clothing to ashes. But so that she wouldn't have to be naked, the ancient demon king used his own wings to make her a garment.

She needed to learn to walk, so the ancient demon king held her hand with his wings and would catch her whenever she was about to fall.

She began to try to speak, and the ancient demon king quickly forgot his usual language magic and dug out the common language he hadn't used in a long time to communicate.

When she's being difficult, I let her treat me like a plush toy.

Before she fell asleep, it would tell her interesting stories of trading it had experienced throughout its life... and occasionally mention Matilda.

Over time, the inhabitants of the Demon Realm all learned of this—

At first, everyone was puzzled as to why the ruler of this world would suddenly bring back a human adopted daughter. Not only that, but he also forced all subjects of all races to attend some kind of "first birthday ceremony" and to bring generous gifts.

People came dissatisfied, but left disappointed.

After they returned, legends about the "Dawn Princess" spread rapidly.

The entire realm of demons was shaken by the existence of Wish.

Everyone now knows how strong this little girl is, how lovely, dignified, and lovable, still alive despite the curse of the ancient demon king.

In fact, there are many powerful or ancient beings in the realm of demons who despise the Ancient Demon King, this extremely troublesome owl who believes in reciprocity in trade.

But nobody dislikes Yuan.

Occasionally, some old guys who have a grudge against the ancient Demon King will come knocking on your door, cursing you as a "petty, scheming owl," but they're not there to cause trouble; instead, they're there to lend you a helping hand.

They concealed some trump cards for dealing with the ancient demon king, and seemed to be somewhat effective against curses as well.

Finally, at the request of the ancient demon king, a mysterious sorceress arrived with her husband. Together, they severed most of the curse, allowing Yuan to live a little longer.

But they also understood that this did not mean they were cured—the curse would slowly return.

As time passed—unbeknownst to many, the malevolent aura of the demon realm had faded considerably because of her presence.

Even growing up in a place devoid of sunshine, Yuan was still a cheerful and strong girl. She endured the excruciating pain of the curse at all times, yet she always faced her fate with optimism and composure.

She learned a great deal from the ancient demon king and various ancient powerful beings, and also had close friends with whom she could compete on equal footing and grow together.

Gradually, Yuan's strength approached that of his adoptive father, becoming a powerful monster that even it found astonishing.

Time slips away silently and slowly.

As people gradually forgot her tragic fate and thought she would take over her father's position and transform the desolate Demon Realm into a paradise where all residents could live in harmony—the ancient Demon King was calculating the time.

Yuan also knew that he didn't have much time left.

She found the ancient Demon King and proposed to leave the Demon Realm.

The latter refused sternly and asked—

Are you going to find a way to survive?

"No. I just want to see what the dawn you speak of is really like. You always say how beautiful the sky was when I was born, but I've never seen it. I want to find a beautiful dawn to die peacefully, just like when I was born..."

I wish I hadn't said anything more, and had hidden my sadness with my usual smile.

Even someone as cheerful as her couldn't help but fear death. But if she could die under the rising sun, a symbol of new life, perhaps... she wouldn't be so afraid. Since the fate of death cannot be reversed, at least she could choose her own burial place.

This was the only fate she could control.

Volume 1 #170 Birth Under the Dawn (Part 6)

Besides that, she also had some selfish motives.

As her best friend, Melia often came to the Demon Realm to play with her. Besides cuddling her and expressing her longing for her parents and her yearning for family, she would also go on and on about the interesting things in the human world.

Relying on her parents' prestige, she united an extremely powerful group and established a nation. Every time she hears about how vibrant the nation is, how clean and tidy the streets are, and how magnificent and grand the cities are, she is filled with longing.

She also wanted to see... before she died.

The Ancient Demon King, however, had a different mindset...

The daughter had grown up and wanted to decide her own destiny, which the ancient demon king naturally refused. He still had a final trump card to play, hoping she wouldn't be so desperate.

Ke Yuan's attitude was exceptionally firm, and even the ancient demon king could not suppress it.

It had no choice but to propose that if Yuan could defeat it, she could visit the human world. It braced itself, ready to unleash its full power to discourage its daughter, but Yuan did not make a move.

I wish I could simply walk up to it silently, embrace it, and utter the words that would stir the ancient demon king's thoughts.

"The long karmic connection between my bloodline and yours will come to an end after my death. Thank you for your love all this time, but from now on, please do not love me, because I will soon disappear... But don't forget that I love you too, Father."