If you ask her why she hasn't questioned such a simple truth until now, it can only be attributed to the three hundred years of seal. The despair of seeing no end, coupled with the overwhelming darkness and loneliness, fueled Yue's hatred and rage, leading her to believe, "That man wanted to kill me, but simply didn't." And it was this very thought that prevented her from considering other possibilities.
"...That man...didn't intend to kill me from the beginning?"
She spoke as if to herself.
"That's right, sealing it is his purpose."
Why? Why? Why? My heart suddenly began to thump.
If the goal was to usurp the throne, why did he let Yue, who might become an obstacle, live? Yue began to fall into a cycle of thought.
All I heard was the roar of the wind.
The gravity field that had been holding the phantom down was dispelled. Immediately afterwards, the phantom launched a counterattack, unleashing a volley of black vortex-shaped gravity bullets, "Black Jade," at the moon.
“…Grr!”
Yue was unable to counteract the force completely, and a gravity bullet grazed Yue's shoulder. With just a slash, Yue's lithe body flew up like a leaf.
The mental disturbance and physical impact created a larger gap, and the memory was evoked by the phantom.
However, this time the memory was not the previous "memories that I could recall as long as I recalled them", but fragments of memories that Yue had forgotten, buried deep in his memory during his long confinement.
(I'm sorry──there's nothing else I can do──one day──the person who accompanies you──will──definitely──protect──I did this──but don't forget──I love──)
Suddenly, Yue was transported down memory lane, and heard a voice she missed so much. It was gentle, yet filled with sadness and regret.
It was Uncle Dinglied's voice.
The noise in her memory was so severe that even words and expressions were indistinguishable, as if they were buried in a sandstorm. However, Yue knew that they were in the sealed room at the bottom of the abyss.
Perhaps it was because Yue was sealed in a huge three-dimensional cube at the time, and her consciousness was hazy, so she couldn't remember clearly.
But there was one thing she could clearly recall. The feeling of him touching her cheek seemed to return. Even though he had sealed her away, betrayed her, the touch of that hand was exceptionally warm. The way he gently touched her was so gentle, similar yet different to how Hajime had touched her.
Yes, if I had to use a metaphor, it would be like how a father feels about his daughter...
"So where are your real parents?"
When Dang Yue suddenly realized it, she was surrounded by five sky dragons emitting dark red electric light.
She used "Heavenly Misfortune" to forcibly break the encirclement, used "Absolute Misfortune" to devour them, and then used the barrier to fend off the five dragons. However, the power of the phantom had obviously increased, and Yue was unable to stop all five dragons.
Yue was struck in the side by the Storm Dragon. Although her "auto-regeneration" quickly healed the wound, her clothes were left in a terrible state.
Yue did not have time to use regeneration magic, so she summoned the Five Heavenly Dragons again and faced off against the phantom-recovered Five Heavenly Dragons.
“…What did you do to me?”
Yue thought it was impossible for her to have such a memory, that it must be fake. Yue stared at the phantom, who just shook his head quietly.
"I don't know what you don't know. I'm just awakening memories that you clearly knew but pretended not to know."
"That is……"
"For example, what about your father? For you who admire your uncle as a father, what kind of person is a true father?"
“Of course…”
Of course my father loved me, but he was brutally murdered by my uncle...
Yue was about to say that, but stopped at her lips.
Because she couldn't recall any memories of her parents. No matter how hard she tried, her memories were shrouded in fog and were completely unclear.
It's not so much that I've forgotten, but rather that the impression is simply too weak, so that after three hundred years I can't recall any memories... It's a very uncomfortable feeling.
"You should understand very well, and have long known, the kind of love your father and mother have for you."
The five celestial dragons attacked each other, followed by hundreds and thousands of magic bullets fired at each other, while fragments of memory were mercilessly dug out by the phantom.
──Aletia, you're amazing.
Whatever you want, we will prepare it for you.
Everything is according to your wishes.
They never denied their daughter.
Just endless indulgence.
Both her father and mother wanted to fulfill all of Elaetia's wishes. They might say they cared deeply for her, but could that truly be considered parental love?
Rather, it is a kind of worship...
It was always her uncle who scolded Elaitia.
Her uncle taught her the important lessons of being a human and a royal.
"Brother! Don't exaggerate! What do you think of that kid?"
Looking back, my father and uncle often quarreled, always arguing about Elaetia.
— The church requested a meeting? They've come again. No, forget it, Eletia, leave it to me.
Looking back, my uncle would always be present when I met with church officials. Actually, unless there was absolutely no other option, he would always excuse himself by saying he was worried.
At that time, Elaitia was still very dissatisfied, thinking that her uncle was overprotective of her.
"You should still remember."
Yue regained consciousness and found herself trapped in her memories again, at the cost of her body being torn apart by the spatial rupture. Although she barely escaped being torn in two, she no longer had the time to worry about her body.
"What's your uncle's expression like since he started distancing himself from you?"
Yue was irritated by her words, by the unearthed memory—and by her uncle's expression.
His face was expressionless, yet distress was evident. His eyes were filled with pain, as if he had been poisoned or severely beaten. Even bystanders could see the deep wrinkles on his face, as if he had aged suddenly.
"...!"
Yue was hit by another attack from the phantom, and pieces of his coat and blood flew into the air.
Phantom's power finally recovered from its weakened state to a level comparable to Yue's.
This fact made Yue narrow his eyes, aware of his own mental wavering.
"If you don't find someone to hate, if you don't give up thinking and hope, your heart will break, right? That's why you take the most objective script as the truth and believe it without a doubt."
Light couldn't deny it.
(…I…did I remember it wrongly?)
Light found himself beginning to believe in the possibility of a different truth.
At the same time, the original question came to mind strongly again.
──Why did that man seal me?
Because he was afraid of her inherent magic? No, remembering her immortality wasn't enough of a reason.
Just sympathy? No, imprisonment in an endless prison is crueler than death.
So it's because of hatred? No, I just remembered that this isn't the reason.
There is a reason that Yue is not aware of, but is more clear.
Is there a me that I'm unaware of? Is there a 'certain being' operating without my knowledge? Is 'that being' approaching, and so I'm sealed? — Has 'that being' not disappeared yet?
A lot of questions kept swirling in Yue's mind.
At this time, the phantom asked Yue another sharp question.
"Who are you? Who am I?"
“──!”
Yue was unable to answer for a moment, because she realized that the answer was the reason why she was sealed.
And that reason still holds true today.
Yue felt as if a piece of ice had fallen into her heart, and her body was invaded by a strange coldness.
As soon as she stopped, she was hit by a large number of magic bullets and was blown away without even being able to defend herself.
Yue rolled on the ground several times before finally getting up. Her body was still intact, but her clothes looked quite miserable. Her once pure white coat was stained to the point of discoloration.
Then the Phantom spoke again.
"I should have thought about who I was, but I didn't."
This sentence was like a fatal blow.
"Do you really think you can stay by his side forever?"
Yue couldn't immediately answer her "yes." She seemed to see the "karma" left over from the past, entangled with her future self.
Her heart felt like it was pierced by a gun called fear.
Yue even wanted to hug her body tightly to stop her trembling.
To Yue, Hajime was light—a light that cut through the darkness, illuminated and warmed her, and gave her peace and happiness. To separate her from Hajime would be like being sentenced to death for Yue.
The phantom's footsteps were approaching.
It feels like the end is approaching.
Yue looked up at the sky and saw her own red eyes reflected in the ice-mirror ceiling.
That light was the same color as the light of Hajime, whom he loved deeply.
The corners of her mouth suddenly curled up into a smile.
"..."
The Phantom stopped, her expression a mixture of surprise and confusion.
Yue answered Phantom in a calm tone.
"...Even so, I won't be alone."
"No, you—"
"...Hajime's got Shia and Tio beside him, and even though she's reluctant, Kaori is there too."
Phantom froze in disbelief, her mouth wide open. However, she likely understood Yue's meaning quickly. After checking her own situation, Phantom confirmed her thoughts and then revealed a completely speechless expression.
"For you, the center of the world is always Nagumo Hajime."
"……certainly."
The phantom was now in a weakened state, but it hadn't been strengthened either. This meant that although Yue was shaken by the reality that could overturn everything in the past, her core values remained unwavering.
"You two are so alike."
The phantom's tone changed. Perhaps it was because he was thinking of the vampire princess's partner, who was deeply in love and had been desperately showing off their affection at the end of the trial, that he looked a little exhausted.
"...There's no point in asking and answering these questions any further."
"Yes, the memories I can find are gone."
Now that their powers are equal, Yue is no longer bound by memories of the past.
The magic power of both of them erupted, and all the remaining magic power was gathered to launch a single attack - "Thunder Dragon".
The golden and dark red dragons violently collided with each other...
“…At least I can be sure that if I lose here, I won’t be able to see Hajime. Don’t get in my way!”
『──! 』
The moon is the stronger one.
The roar of thunder was deafening, and the golden "Thunder Dragon" devoured the dark red dragon.
Then bite the phantom directly.
The phantom gradually turned into particles and disappeared, but her expression still showed helplessness and a bit of worry.
The huge noise disappeared into the void, and the space returned to silence.
A new path appeared after part of the ice wall melted, but Yue Kan didn't even look at it. She silently approached the ice wall, gazing at her own reflection.
Her heart did not waver.
But doubts arise.
A vague feeling of unease seemed to transform into a thin mist, spreading through his heart. To dispel that unease, Yue tried to explore his own memories, but since the phantom could no longer dig up anything, it meant that it was something Yue didn't know either.
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