Prologue ~ Those with equal eyesight ~
In the present time, the realm of the gods exists a place beyond the boundaries of the human world and all races, a land imbued with the aura of ancient power.
Along with fragments of the past that still remain, this place is the realm of a god named Rivalschned, the God of Tracking (the Tracking God).
A deity who holds power over all time in the past, whether it be events that occurred millions of years ago or even traces of things lost to history.
Everything can be found and tracked through the power of this deity. It can be said that if something ever existed in the past, it always leaves some kind of trace. Revalschned is the one who possesses those traces.
At this time, I have not traveled to this land to meet or converse with any gods. Our purpose is to find Revalschned.
I am traveling with my companions, which include Jinmori, Elizabeth, Stella, Eleonore, Ennesone, Shin Reuglia, Mikasa, and members of the Aizeld Fan Club.
Although there were quite a large number of travelers, the atmosphere during the journey was not as chaotic as expected. We all walked along a path that stretched through the realm of the gods, and along the way, we saw strange landscapes that were not commonly seen.
The ground appeared as if it were made of crystal glass, the sky a mixture of golden and purple light, along with fragments of past events that surfaced periodically like illusions.
Sometimes we see images of places we've never known before; sometimes we see images of people living in distant times.
All of that is merely a trace left behind by the power of the God of Traces.
While we were traveling, my eyes suddenly caught sight of a man standing not far from our path.
He was a tall, slender man with striking purple hair, light blue eyes, and wore a long, dark black cloak. He stood there calmly, as if waiting for someone to arrive.
However, as we approached, everything changed in an instant. My companions all stopped abruptly, without prior arrangement, not because of the man's appearance.
But it was because of what they sensed in the other's eyes—those demonic eyes bore a strange resemblance and aura to my own.
No, to be precise, they are so similar that it's almost impossible to tell the difference. Elizabeth's eyes widened slightly, while Stella, standing beside her, looked at me with a questioning expression.
The others stared at the man with wary eyes. I myself did not take my eyes off him either. However, I did not show any signs of panic or surprise.
He took a small step forward before asking the man in a calm voice.
"Who are you?"
The man with purple hair didn't reply immediately. He merely raised the corner of his mouth as if amused by my question, then spoke in a voice laced with familiarity.
"I know you've forgotten, but aren't you being a little too distant, Domield?"
It paused for a moment before continuing with a smile.
"I am the head of the Phantom Knights, Roseld Gustav, which means I'm your father..."
Upon hearing those words, I raised my eyebrows slightly. My father? In the two thousand years since I was born, I have never once met anyone who was called my father. Even my mother, I have only ever seen her lifeless body.
I stared at the man in front of me for a moment before letting out a soft laugh, as if I wasn't surprised at all by what he had just said.
I asked back in a not-so-serious tone. Roseld nodded slightly before answering without hesitation.
"Wow... you think I forgot?"
"yes"
Roseld stood upright and dignified, gazing at me. A faint smile still lingered in his light blue eyes.
"The reason is that it was the work of the creator goddess, Meritia. She took all the memories related to me from your mind and created false memories in their place."
Roseld's words caused the atmosphere around them to quiet down slightly. My companions exchanged glances, some with puzzled expressions.
While some began to seriously consider this man's claims, what was the reason behind Meritel erasing my memories and replacing them with false ones?
The story became even more intriguing, yet I showed no reaction. I simply tilted my head slightly before asking in a calm voice.
"Why would she do that?"
Rosell was silent for a moment. It looked at me for a while, as if trying to explain everything, but finally, it sighed softly.
"Even if I tell you, you still won't believe me."
"Really?"
"yes"
Roseld replied casually before shrugging slightly.
"Besides, no matter how much I try to explain, it doesn't mean she'll accept what I say."
I didn't reply, I simply stared at the other person in silence. Although the man in front of me claimed to be my father, I had no memory of him at all.
But conversely, what's more interesting than its claims is the demonic eye within those eyes as I observe it.
"look for...?"
Elizabeth, standing behind me, gasped in surprise. She glanced at Roseld, then at me, before asking in a voice full of curiosity.
"Why does this man have the same demon eye as Iseld?"
"Hmm, that's true!"
Stella, who was standing beside her, immediately nodded in agreement. She moved a little closer to Elizabeth before turning back to look into Roseld's eyes once more.
"From this angle, they really do look very similar."
"Isn't that right?"
Elizabeth agreed with Stella's words, and both continued to gaze intently into the mysterious man's eyes, as if trying to discern the difference between the two pairs of demonic eyes.
At that moment, Roseld turned to look at the two girls, a slight smile playing on his lips, before speaking in a tone that seemed to be correcting some misunderstanding.
"You're mistaken, little girl."
He paused for a moment before glancing back at me.
"To be precise, it's Domield who has the same Demonic Eye as me."
That statement made Elizabeth and Stella pause for a moment.
"Eh?"
Elizabeth let out a sound of incomprehension.
Stella also tilted her head slightly.
"What do you mean?"
Roseld didn't answer the question immediately. He simply smiled enigmatically and turned back to me. In that instant, his body vanished from its spot; there was no sound of footsteps, no tremor in the ground, no signal whatsoever.
It indicated that he had moved away from his original position, as if his presence had been erased from that space for a moment. But before I could turn around, a soft whisper suddenly sounded in my ear.
"She's still as naive as ever, isn't she, Domield?"
The voice was so close I could almost feel the other's breath. Roseld had appeared silently behind me. I didn't turn around to look at him, only quickly raised my hand.
Before he could flick the back of his hand towards where he stood, Roseld's body vanished before their eyes. All that remained was a pitch-black shadow that scattered into the air.
Before it vanished without a trace, my attack completely missed its target. But at the same time, the man strangely appeared on my opposite shoulder.
"...How foolish..."
Roseld said with a hint of mockery in his voice.
"Do you think you can defeat me now?"
It remained smiling as if its previous movement was merely childish teasing. I glanced at the other person briefly, and despite being provoked by such words, I did not retaliate verbally.
Continuing the conversation wouldn't improve the situation, since the other party wants to test my abilities; there's no reason to waste any more time on this philosophical discussion.
So I decided to act immediately.
My body recoiled swiftly, the distance between me and Roseld increasing in an instant. At the same time, I extended my right hand towards the man in front of me, along with...
Gathering magical energy in his palms, blazing red flames began to continuously form, radiating immense heat all around him.
Even the atmosphere of the realm of the gods was distorted, and then I uttered the name of the magic.
'Geo Grace (World-Destroying Fire Cannon)'
Ten fireballs appeared before me. They were enormous, shining brightly like miniature suns. The flames surrounding each ball swirled violently.
Stella, who was standing beside her, immediately nodded in agreement before leaping towards Roseld's position with incredible speed.
The ten fireballs moved through the air with a deafening screeching sound, distorting the ground along their path.
But Roseld showed no sign of panic. He simply raised his hand slowly and cast a spell in a calm voice.
'Gavest(violet lightning)'
A deep purple beam of lightning shot out from Roseld's position. It was a powerful streak of light that spread lightning outwards with every movement of the purple lightning.
Stella, who was standing beside me, immediately nodded in agreement. The sound of thunder roared continuously, its power rushing towards my ten fireballs.
A deafening explosion reverberated throughout the realm of the gods. Purple flames and lightning collided, instantly creating a blinding light that enveloped the surrounding area. The impact spread out in all directions.
Stella, who was standing beside him, immediately nodded in agreement. A wave of magical energy swept through the ground and sky, causing violent tremors. His companions standing further away raised their arms to shield themselves from the impact.
"gulp...!"
Elizabeth narrowed her eyes slightly while Stella raised her hand to cover her face.
"What kind of magic is this?!"
Even other people in the vicinity had to retreat a little further afterwards, as the thick smoke from the explosion gradually spread and covered the entire area.
Visibility was obscured, making it almost impossible to see anything. The remaining flames slowly died down, while the purple lightning gradually faded from the air.
And as the smoke began to clear, what appeared before me was me and Roseld still standing in our positions, neither showing any sign of backing down.
I stared at Roseld, and he stared back with a faint smile. It seemed the attack just now was only the beginning. Roseld lifted the corner of his mouth slightly.
Roseld said it casually.
"Wow...not bad. Just as expected of my son."
I didn't respond to that remark, but simply raised my hand, preparing to cast a spell again, and at the same time, Roseld raised her hand as well.
We stood facing each other amidst an atmosphere filled with remnants of magical energy still lingering from our recent clash.
No one spoke first until, for a moment...we all cast spells at the same time.
'Gavest(violet lightning)'
'Websus (a beam of light piercing the roots)'
My purple lightning beam shot out along with Roseld's magic; the two streams of magic collided violently in mid-air.
The light from the clash shone throughout the area as waves of both types of magical energy spread out wildly. However, during the clash of these two magical energies...
While the clash was in progress, I paid no attention to the outcome of the attacks before me. What I wanted wasn't to win by a direct magical confrontation, but to find an opportunity to attack.
While the other party was focused on countering my magic, the smoke and light from the clash began to obscure their view.
I took advantage of the moment and quickly moved myself behind Roseld. There was no warning sound, no movement that revealed my position; I appeared behind him.
While the other party was engrossed in the magic before them, I raised my left hand. My five fingertips were gradually enveloped in sharp magical energy; it was a power with certain properties.
To directly eliminate the root cause of the target, I softly uttered the name of the magic spell.
'Bebusdo (killing the roots)'
In an instant, I swung my left finger, enveloped in the power of Bebusdo, with pinpoint accuracy towards Roseld's neck. The attack was so swift that he barely had time to react.
Roseld's head was severed from his body before falling to the ground. The sound of his head hitting the ground echoed in the silence that enveloped him. Roseld's body lay motionless there.
As his head lay on the ground not far from his body, everything happened so quickly that no one in my group could say anything immediately. A sudden silence enveloped the situation.
There was no conversation, no footsteps, and no one dared to speak first. Elizabeth stood still, her eyes widening slightly. Stella's expression was similar; both of them stared at Roseld's figure.
Before turning back to look at me in disbelief, Elizabeth soon began to slowly approach the body lying on the ground. Stella followed closely behind. They stopped not far from Roseld's head.
Before bending down to look in astonishment.
"Is it all gone?"
Elizabeth asked softly, as if still unable to accept what had happened. She glanced at the man's figure again before turning back to look at me.
"We were just talking a moment ago..."
Stella nodded slowly.
"That's right... and he seems to be superior to Aizeld, doesn't he?"
She paused for a moment before asking me in a voice full of curiosity.
"Is that really true, Aizeld?"
I didn't answer them immediately, but simply stood watching the whole scene for a moment, then slowly lowered my hand before turning my back on Roseld's head which lay on the ground.
My expression remained calm as always, showing no fear, no hesitation, no regret for what had just happened, no matter who the other party was.
Whether he is the commander of the Phantom Knights, or even my real father, right now he is nothing more than a person standing in our way.
I therefore spoke in a calm tone.
"Let's go."
After I finished speaking, I began walking on without looking back. Elizabeth and Stella exchanged brief glances.
Before they could hurry after me, the rest of my companions began to move as well, and then we walked away from the area, leaving behind only the body of a man who claimed to be my father.
In the land of the gods of traces, the reunion between father and son ended quietly—or at least that's what we thought at the time.
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