CHAPTER 185 – AGE OF EXCERIA
HIRAYA MISTELTEIN (EXCERIA)
PRESENT DAY
I couldn't hold back the tears as soon as I set foot in the Throne of Eternity. The overwhelming grief I had anticipated surged through me, and I broke down. Lysander had wisely given me a visor to shield my face, sparing me the humiliation of showing my despair to others.
Lysander’s lifeless body was seated on the throne, still and serene, as if he had merely drifted into a deep, peaceful sleep. Despite the gunshot wound marring his forehead, a faint, tranquil smile lingered on his lips, capturing the grace with which he embraced his eternal slumber.
The Altered Regression Magic activated, and the arcane symbols of the magical circle on the throne pulsed with a radiant energy, sending waves of time-altering magic across the planet. It was as if the very essence of the world reversed, restoring it to the state it had been before the Purge of Humanity without erasing the current timeline.
All around, the undead soldiers, Dragon Knights, and the once-leader of the islands watched in disbelief as their decayed, zombified bodies reverted to their former vitality. Fresh, living flesh replaced the grotesque remnants of their undead forms. They looked down at their restored hands and bodies, hardly daring to believe they were truly alive again.
In the center of the crimson carpet, the Dragon Lords rose from their resurrection, the very air around them shimmering with renewed life.
“We… We were resurrected. But why?” Gazelle Lockwood and Eva Nascence stood, bewildered, their voices tinged with a mixture of awe and confusion at the miracle unfolding before them.
“Mariko, my love!” Kate's voice rang out, filled with a mixture of relief and desperation, as she burst through the doors with the other members of the Daybreaker Squad, her heart set on finding the one she cherished most.
“Kate!” Mariko Septem cried out, her voice trembling with emotion as she ran into Kate's embrace. Their hug was warm and fierce, as if they were both trying to ensure the other was truly there, alive and real.
“My Prince Charming!” Gaeun's voice broke as she rushed forward, tears glistening in her eyes.
“Gaeun!” Earvin's voice echoed her relief, filled with a joy he hadn’t felt in ages.
Earvin Lancaster, back from the void of nothingness, was met with Gaeun’s affectionate kiss on his cheek, her lips brushing against his skin as if to confirm he was no illusion.
“You dwarven peasant!” Charlotte's voice rang out with mock indignation, but the glint in her eyes betrayed her true feelings.
“Charlotte, my queen!” Darlix Mctavish’s voice was thick with emotion as he reappeared, healthy and whole once more. His joy was met with an aggressive slap from Charlotte, quickly followed by a passionate, lips-to-lips kiss that spoke of all the words left unsaid during their separation.
“W-What happened? Meike?” Johnny Wolvesbane stood frozen, his jaw slack with disbelief, trying to comprehend the impossible. His heart pounded as he turned, and there she was—Meike, his lover, standing just a few steps away. Without hesitation, they rushed into each other's arms, holding tight as if the world around them might crumble again at any moment.
As the scene of reunion played out, the leaders of different races also returned from the dead, restored to their former glory in flesh and blood. Among them was Madam Marieflorine Corasell, who, alongside the countless humans who fell victim to the Purge of Humanity, had been miraculously resurrected.
The Elven Elder of Yggdra, the Head Priest of Onishira, the Queen of Nocturnia, and the Admiral-General of the Kraghelm were all resurrected on their respective seats, their bodies restored to life with an ethereal glow. Even the mermaids who had been annihilated by Gazelle Lockwood emerged from the depths of death, their scales shimmering with renewed life. Among those returned were Xenon and the Dragonoid Queen, their powerful presences now felt across the lands.
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But it wasn’t just the people who were restored—the very fabric of the world itself seemed to knit back together. Tasty Town reappeared in an instant, as if it had been hidden behind a veil that was suddenly lifted. Other cities and fortresses, such as the majestic Guardian’s Haven and the impregnable Empire’s Sanctuary, also materialized, standing tall and unscathed as they once had.
Everything that had been destroyed, every life that had been lost, was restored to its former glory as if the world had been reset with the press of a divine button. Yet, the timeline remained untouched. This was no mere Regression—it was something far more profound, more omnipotent, a masterful manipulation of time magic that transcended mortal understanding.
As I scanned the crowd of newly resurrected humans, my gaze fell upon Lysander’s family—his mother, father, and little sister. They stood together, their expressions a mix of shock and reverence. Despite the tears welling in my eyes, I managed a smile, though I noticed their awed stares as if they were beholding a divine being.
But something was amiss. A chill ran down my spine when I heard Johnny's voice, tinged with confusion.
“Hey… Who is that person sitting on the throne?” Johnny’s question sliced through the air like a blade.
“It’s… It’s Lysander. The Ultimate Evil of the World,” Meike replied, her voice trembling with a mixture of recognition and fear.
“Lysander?” Johnny tilted his head, confusion clouding his features.
“You don’t know? He’s the Foreign God that we sought to defeat!” Kate replied, her voice firm, almost indignant.
“That’s right,” Gaeun added with a resolute nod. “He’s the King of Dragons who unleashed the Purge of Humanity upon this world.”
“Goddess Exceria has finally banished the king of all evil,” Charlotte said with a casual flick of her brown hair, her tone tinged with relief. “Dying must have made you forgetful.”
Johnny frowned, the confusion deepening in his eyes. “Ah, I’m pretty sure I haven’t heard that name before,” he said, his voice uncertain.
A wave of shock coursed through me as I listened to everyone speak ill of Lysander. My heart pounded with the urge to defend him, to rage against their accusations, but then a sudden realization struck me like a bolt of lightning—Lysander could manipulate memories with the very formula of Regression Magic. He had used memory crystals before to recover forgotten memories from previous timelines. It was entirely possible that he had merged the memories of a distant, forgotten past with the present reality.
Lysander had used the Altered Regression Magic to erase the dragonoid rebellions from everyone’s minds. He had done it to ensure that the wars between humans and dragonoids, the bloodshed and betrayal that had scarred the world over and over again, would be forgotten. By intertwining the long-lost history we had uncovered from the murals in the Regression Site with the current events, he had crafted a new history—one where peace might finally have a chance.
But why… why am I the only one who remembers?
Suddenly, one of the dragonoids, Alris Vortigern, raised his fists high, his voice booming with fervor. “The Evil Dragon King Lysander is dead! All hail Goddess Exceria!”
“All hail Goddess Exceria!” the crowd echoed, their voices rising in a unified chant that reverberated through the grand hall.
“All hail Goddess Exceria!”
“All hail Goddess Exceria!”
As the hall filled with the thunderous praise, a deep sense of disbelief washed over me. My heart clenched at the sound of their words. I could hardly believe what I was hearing. Lysander, who had sacrificed so much, painted himself as the villain after all the heroic deeds he had accomplished. It tore at me to hear them celebrate his demise when he had been the true hero of this timeline. I didn’t want to monopolize the glory we had achieved together—it felt wrong, unjust. Without him, I would have been the one corrupted, the one they would now be cursing.
“N-No…” My voice trembled as I shook my head in denial. I turned toward Lysander’s body, which was now beginning to crumble into ashes before my eyes. “N-No, Lysander!” I cried out, my voice breaking with desperation.
I felt the powerful, uneven beating of my heart, a sensation that seemed to pulse through my entire being. In that moment, I realized—Lysander’s heart was still faintly beating. If I acted quickly, if I used the Final Pulse magic, maybe, just maybe, I could—
Suddenly, the Heart of Exceria in Lysander's chest erupted into a radiant golden light, its brilliance illuminating the entire hall. The light surged toward me with a powerful force, piercing my chest and merging with my being. In that instant, I felt the Heart of Exceria take root within me, transforming into a new, reinforced heart that beat with divine strength. The genuine heart of the goddess had returned to its rightful place, and with it, I became a full-fledged goddess, my essence now intertwined with the power of Exceria.
But as the divine power settled within me, I looked up to see that Lysander’s body was gone—completely vanished as if he had never existed.
“No… Lysander… please, don’t leave me…” I whispered, my voice breaking as despair overwhelmed me.
I collapsed to my knees, tears streaming down my face as I wept for the loss of my eternal love. My sobs echoed in the vast emptiness where Lysander had once been, yet all around me, the hall was filled with the jubilant chants of the people, their voices rising in exultation, repeating my name over and over. Their cheers and praise rang out, a chorus that seemed to stretch into eternity, even as my heart broke within me.
VESRYN PULSE: LYSANDER OF THE REGRESSION END