I flew through the air, moving above the chaotic fighting below. My hair whipped and rattled as my wind propelled me at tremendous speed. Considering that the elves were on the ground, and I was alone anyway, no one to hold me back, I opted to fly straight to the southern wall. But not too high. Just palace level.

As I expended my mana, I felt terribly dizzy. My body had begun to ache from all over the place. But I endured it. Can’t let pain win over me. My intense magic casting from earlier, and now, had taken a terrible toll on me. I fear that if I let go of the grips I have on my consciousness, I’ll pass out. That shouldn’t happen.

But as I went on, the southern side became clearer. A large group of people were running in the grassy field, knights defending and imperials attacking them. But then I saw a particular someone. A silver-haired woman, a man right in front of her.

“Mother…?”

My eyes widened when I saw a sword plunged into her heart, followed by several sharp vines piercing through her body. As I witnessed that, I… My mind went blank. It burned itself into my eyes, I felt something heavy pouring on my shoulders. I felt something I barely felt before.

No, no no no no no…

My thoughts spiraled into chaos, pure incoherence.

I poured more mana into my winds as I watched the enemy pull out his blade and the vines withdrew, blood came out with them. I felt a sense of pain and burning in my chest. All that filled my mind was my own mother.

I reached them.

“WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!”

The enemy turned at me with widened eyes, utterly shocked by my sudden appearance. He had pointy ears. The burning in my heart grew even more intensely. What he had done, just to see him, and that pointy ear, it caused my very soul to flare.

“Wha—”

The moment I touched the ground, I lifted one leg and kicked him away. My leg was filled to the brink with Physical Enhancement, and the impact made a loud boom, blasting him away far into the distance.

“White hair!”

I turned towards the one who shouted that, another elf. I held out my hand, and a wide beam of magic roared out of my palm. Magic so intense that it left its wide mark on the ground, the bright light went on to reach more than forty meters, vaporizing everything within it that couldn’t endure its power. My magic was indiscriminate. Both enemies and allies were hit in the blast. But I don’t give a fuck about them, whoever they may be.

All that mattered was my mother.

I frantically rushed towards her, kneeling and lifting her up into my arms. She looked up at me with weak eyes, life fading, but there was joy in them. I couldn’t understand why she would look at me like that, considering how she was.

“E-Estelia—”

“Mother. H-Hang on, I-I’ll heal you.”

I poured as much healing magic on her. She was already losing a lot of blood, and the several wounds… and her heart… her heart was hit. I-I don’t think I could heal her. But that couldn’t be true. It couldn’t be. It can’t be…

“Estelia… listen.”

She reached out for my hand, and I gently grasped it. I looked at her dearly, and I realized I was trembling, a warm sensation streaming down my cheeks.

“No, don’t talk. Save y-your strength, o-okay?”

She merely smiled, so tender as she usually would. So full of love.

“I’m s-sorry, your mother is so slow.”

“D-Don’t say that.”

I glanced at her wounds, they were barely healing.

She’ll heal… She’ll heal. I’m strong, powerful. The best there is. I can achieve everything I want. I can… save whoever I want.

I don’t want to lose her. What have I been fighting all this time?

“R-Remember what I said, okay?” She slowly took a deep breath. “Take very good care of yourself.”

“P-Please, d-don’t. Y-You’re gonna be alright.”

Still with her so loving smile, she raised her hand and placed a hand on my cheek. Her thumb gently caressed my face. “Oh my baby girl, my little Estelia… Mommy won’t be with you anymore… So please, take care, promise me.”

I touched her hand on my cheek, holding it tightly and pressing it onto me. I savored her pleasing and warm touch.

“I-I can’t live without you…”

“You have grown more than I have ever hoped. My daughter so pretty…” she chuckled. “So reliable now.” She rubbed my tears with her thumb.

“Mother…”

“Promise me, Estelia.”

I didn’t want to say it. For it meant… It meant goodbye. Forever. But…

“... I promise.”

Her smile grew. “... I love you, my dear lovely daughter.”

She raised herself up, and tenderly kissed my forehead.

I pursed my lips, closing my eyes. To proceed…was so painful. But I forced them open and said the words.

“I love you too, Mother. I love you so much…” I gave her a soft, loving smile.

After hearing my words, it seemed like it gave her a great amount of relief, and she slowly closed her eyes…

“... Mother?”

Her hand on my cheek was dropping, but I held it up. And I realized my healing magic had stopped working.

“No…”

Realizing what it meant… I pulled her closer and embraced her tight.

My mother was gone… I closed my eyes as I felt what remained of her warmth, my eyes brimming with tears. I couldn’t stop them, I couldn’t control them, I couldn’t keep them from falling. Just like how I couldn’t keep my family safe.

I failed… I failed in what mattered the most. I was a failure.

I failed, Father.

I couldn’t protect what I should protect.

The weight and pain in my chest were drowning me.

“... Hah… Hah…”

I was breathing heavily… Hyperventilating. I couldn’t comprehend it completely. I didn’t want to move.

My mother, she showed me the purest form of love. She showed me what it was like to have a family. It was here, it was because of her, that I have had a home. It was because of her… that this second chance at life… was so good. So full of happiness. Full of wonder. Granting what I longed for deep inside.

Now… she is gone.

No longer will I be able to hear her sweet and loving voice. To see her beautiful, tender smile. No longer will I again hear her stories before sleeping. Her warm and soft touch. Her gentle embrace. Her love…

Already, I felt an intense sense of longing.

I didn’t know what to think…

I felt empty…

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

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***

Vernon endured the wound he sustained and ran towards the princess who had the queen in her arms. Princess Estelia’s head was lowered, hiding from everyone’s view. Vernon clenched his fists, feeling terribly disappointed in himself, upset, and utterly sad.

It was supposed to be my responsibility to…

He was supposed to protect the queen, as such what was ordered to him. He was absolutely disappointed in himself. And it pained his heart greatly to see the princess crying in front of him. He failed his task. There was no greater failure.

But there was no time to wallow in grief, there will be time for that later. He slowly approached closer.

“Princess…”

She flinched ever so slightly.

“Vernon…” she uttered softly.

“We should get out of here and go for the trees.”

“Vernon, get her out of here. Bring… bring her body to safety.”

“What about you?”

She slowly raised her head to look up at him. Upon receiving her gaze, Vernon couldn’t help but involuntarily take a step back.

“I feel like I’m about to explode,” she said.

Her tear-stained eyes didn't look normal, it was just like before. Her eyes became the stars you would see above in the night sky. But this time, each star, and the spiraling stream on her pupils, were brighter than ever before. The red that replaced the darkness of a starry night shone and swirled like clouds. There was chaos erupting within them.

Being directly looked at by those strange and powerful eyes, as if they were divine, disturbed the depths of his soul. The sheer pressure they emit seemed to force you to kneel. Whatever they were, they were more than magical in origin.

“Now,” she continued with a blank expression, so in contrast to what she was a moment before. “Take her.”

Vernon steeled himself and moved opposite of her, and carefully lifted the late queen with both arms. Suddenly, Vernon felt a faint pressure emanating from the princess. It seemed the same as last time. She was breathing heavily, wheezing in and out. Like she was holding something within.

Realizing what was about to come, Vernon quickly stepped away and shouted at everyone.

“Everyone! Flee! Withdraw! NOW!”

Hearing him, the Wisterian forces quickly withdrew away, running straight to the nearby treeline. The enemies were confused, glancing at the princess who was left behind. Many of the imperial knights approached her.

She slowly stood up.

The enemies were only a couple of meters away from her when suddenly a burst of energy exploded outward in all directions. The wave of energy moved nearly at the speed of sound, scarring the land in its wake. The closest imperial knights were obliterated. In what only took a moment, their armor was torn off, their skin next, then the muscles, before they were crushed and crumpled like paper while being blown away.

A constant area of violent mana remained raging around the princess, reaching a radius of thirty meters.

The imperial knights in the distance didn’t know what to do, and they could only watch, flabbergasted by what’s happening. But those standing in the field caught the princess’s eye. Estelia slowly held out her hand, and a moment later, a wide blast of mana erupted from her palm. Wind bursts rattled as it moved across the field. Almost twenty meters wide, and reaching as far as a hundred.

The knights were unprepared, but not like they could do anything about it, and they were erased from existence. They hadn’t even had the chance to scream.

Those that were away from the blast were shaken upon witnessing the sheer destruction she caused.

“R-Run, RUN!”

They attempted to flee out of absolute fear.

The princess began to walk. Her steps sounded like thunder in a raging storm. She slightly waved her hand. And what emerged was an arc of red inferno that grew wider the more distance it traversed. The very soil in its path melted, and the human knights caught up in the flames were charred in mere seconds.

“W-What is she?!”

“Who cares! I’m getting out of here!”

“Can’t even get near her!”

“Are you stupid?! Thinking of fighting?!”

The princess waved her hand again, and a thin magical slash cut the enemy knights in half.

But then blood ran down Estelia’s nose. Tears of blood came out of her eyes.

Alruwin watched from a distance as he healed his own wounds. He was able to conjure a small wind barrier on his chest, otherwise he would have been dead by the princess’s all powerful kick. But he grimaced at the pain all over his body, and the mere outrageous sight before him.

A young god rampaging.

It would be too risky and deadly to try and attack her now. No, it will be nigh impossible, not without anything divine to fight against her, too. Still, as one would expect of a god, able to unleash this much power. And against humans too, like playing around straw puppets.

Alruwin could risk it all and pierce through the curtain of violent mana protecting her, but there was a better option. In the end, the princess was still a god in mortal flesh. A mortal vessel cannot sustain the power of the divine. If this goes on, she’ll be in great pain as her divine being breaks the body. If she doesn't stop, she’ll die.

And just as he predicted, the princess suddenly came to a stop, and she fell on both knees. She coughed terribly and she spat a large amount of blood to the ground. She coughed and coughed, and she placed a hand on her chest. She panted heavily, her body trembling.

The mana emanating from her gradually wavered. She was becoming weaker. Alruwin stopped his healing and readied his sword. Her magic’s area of effect was shrinking.

The princess choked for air, her shoulders shifting at every breath. The pain was gnawing at her insides. Her Mystic Medium was definitely a wreck. It was surprising that her skin didn’t get a tear from the sheer power she was releasing. However, it did seem she had realized the danger she was in, and was pulling her mana back.

She struggled for a moment, until eventually, the mana field had disappeared. Alruwin ran towards her, his sword ready to take off her head. He saw a couple of black fogs coming towards her as well. The Cursed Children. It was troubling, but he focused his sights on the priority target.

And they got close, a few meters left. Alruwin shifted his sword, ready to swing. The Cursed Children turning into solid matter to defend the princess. When the princess was within reach, Alruwin swung his sword. The princess was too weak to move in time to defend herself. It was certain, with this fatal strike, she would die.

But then, there was a spark as Alruwin’s sword hit something other than flesh.

“What?”

It was a man. No, not exactly. He had long claws for fingers, and he had dark bat-like wings on his back. Suddenly, the claws ignited in flames. Alruwin quickly stepped back and saw more of them, all at a total of eight. Five of them in total have wings, while the rest have none. They moved in to fend off the two Cursed Children, while the others suddenly charged at Alruwin.

The elf cast his wind and spawned thorny vines to drive them off. He wanted to go straight for the princess, but they were in the way. Alruwin was confused by the unknown party for a moment before he came to a realization.

“What are demons doing here?”

“Would you look at this, boys?” said a winged demon named Droz, wearing a wide grin. “A little wingless fae got lost.”

Alruwin grimaced. “I’m an elf.”

To face demons made Alruwin feel utterly disgusted.

“Elves, faes, all the same. Except, you have no wings.”

“I am no fairy.”

“Really? Our dark faes look kinda like you. Guess you’re just inferior, huh?”

Hearing that, Alruwin clenched his fists. “Mutants!” In his boiling anger, Alruwin charged against the three demons. “They’re nothing but mutants. Defiled their nature!”

The mere mention of them caused his anger to flare. Faes, or also referred to as fairies, were close with the elves. It wouldn’t be strange to say their species were closely related, as both were creatures of nature. In fact, faes and elves lived together or close to each other, perfectly in harmony. Nurturing the forests.

However, there were many faes that were tempted by an evil god. For they longed for something more. What they had was never enough for them, not enough power, not enough life. For there were differences between elves and faes. Faes lived shorter compared to the long lifespan of elves. And they were weaker, for their purpose was to tend to the forests. Not for conflict of any kind. Perhaps many of them felt inferior, or were jealous.

Whatever the true reason may be, in the end, they drank the evil god’s blood. And those who drank that corrupted blood were changed. Such a betrayal against their people was unforgivable. To abandon the forests, to betray the gods. To betray their own kind. To corrupt themselves.

Nothing more than mutants.

They were not natural, not at all. They were freaks of nature.

“That’s it, wingless fairy! Fight!”

Meanwhile, as the elf and the demons clashed, and the other demons holding off the two Cursed Children, the leader of the Imp Company warily approached the kneeling princess. She looked so sickly, even more pale than she originally was. She almost looked like a corpse.

“Now we are certain. It’s you.”

The imp, Rytus, reached out for her. But before he could grab her, the princess suddenly rose and pushed off his hand.

“Don’t touch me.”

At the same time, she extended her fingers on her other hand to his face. Rytus instantly shifted his head to the side as lightning shot out from her fingers. It grazed his cheek. But it quickly healed and closed off.

The princess’s eyes widened in surprise. She considered the situation and decided to release her mana again. However, Rytus had already anticipated such a thing, and he grabbed the faintly glowing white dust from the pouch in his pocket, throwing a handful at the princess’s face.

“What? W-What did you…?”

The princess faltered on her legs as her eyes trembled. They were becoming heavier. As one would feel when needing to sleep.

“Sleep, princess. We have a long sail ahead of us.”

“S-Screw you…”

Unable to bear her sleepy eyes, she slowly fell to the ground. She resisted the closing of her eyes, but, a moment later, they closed in the end.

Rytus quickly picked up the frail princess and put her on his shoulder.

“No! Don’t let her be taken away!” shouted the cursed child, Heneis. But he was being held off by the demons in front of him.

“Imp Company! Time to run away!”

“Eh? We running, not flying?”

Rytus frowned in annoyance. “It means flying away, Arashia! Now let’s go!”

Those with wings grabbed those without and quickly ascended into the air. Venzus, the one who grabbed the wingless Arashia, smacked the back of her head.

“Ow!”

“Moron, be serious. And get on pulling out your wings already!”

“It’s painful! I’ve been trying, but they won't!” Arashia had a sad look on her face.

Not all imps have wings, but all could potentially have them. Wings were not naturally there like the dark faes or birds. The imps have to grow them out of their backs, they have the organ for it. However, they have to force them out every time they need it.

Doing it the first time was not easy at all. It was a painful process — although, not like it wasn’t painful in a normal process too. It’s like forcefully growing out another limb. Furthermore, keeping them out was painful as well. And Arashia was among the unfortunate of having difficulties growing them out, despite having the requirement of being strong enough. She couldn’t do it no matter how much she put in the effort.

“Do it harder!”

“You know what, screw you Venzus! Put me down, I can run faster than you can fly anyway!”

“This bitch. Stop squirming!”

“You big meanie!”

“Hey, stop it you two,” one demon scolded them. “We’re not safe yet.”

They looked back and they saw their opposition moving to chase them.

Venzus sighed. “Dammit.”

“Sacrifice yourself, Venzus. Throw yourself into them, you’ll be missed,” Arashia blankly said.

He smacked her in the head again. “Shut up before I throw you to them.”

Rytus turned to one of the winged demons. “The elf archer, hold him off.”

“Understood.” And the demon separated.