MS Chapter 002

…No. That cannot be.

A chill crept into the back of his mind despite his belief that Tayden would never do something like this.

“What happened to the Imperial Capital of the Tali Empire?”

-That place was the first to fall…

“It collapsed?”

The Imperial Capital was where the two of them had lived. Tayden was not born a noble, but he was bestowed the title of a hero who saved the world, and the Emperor invited him to reside in the Imperial Capital, gifting him the western palace within the capital walls.

“Show me the Capital. It cannot be. He is strong. So are my subordinates. They could not possibly have fallen that quickly…?

-You are right. Tayden was far too strong.

Hegermi spoke with a sigh.

-Even with all my power, Iitis hard to show you what the Capital looks like now.

“What do you mean by that?”

-Even if you are as foolish as you are, you must understand what I am saying.

Understand?

Hebe thought that even if he were a thousand times smarter, he still would not have grasped the will of a god.

It sounded as if Tayden’s power, as a mere human, was blocking the interference of Hegermi, the god of creation.

-I can show you only for a brief moment. Open your eyes wide and look closely. It is the result of your selfish actions.

In an instant, the scenery before him changed.

Contrary to Hegermi’s words, the Imperial Capital looked entirely intact. The palace where the Emperor had lived was utterly devastated, but the western palace gifted to Tayden showed no sign of damage.

Hebe stepped inside the palace. The candlesticks in the hallway were unlit, and cobwebs filled the corners.

Throughout his stay, the palace was perpetually abuzz with visitors and attendants. Though Hebe, as a dark sorcerer, had been shunned by many, there were still those who loyally stayed by his side. When he walked the halls, a magical beast he had raised since it was a cub would soar through the open windows and proudly walk beside him. His subordinates would gather around him.

This deserted scene was even more devastating to Hebe than the carnage outside.

Before he could even process the grief, Hebe was suddenly transported again, now standing before a familiar door. A faint light seeped through the crack.

He opened the door.

Inside, the bookshelf appeared just as he remembered, with two old, stale teacups in front of it.

He had shared tea with Tayden there, and after Tayden left, he had gone to the bedroom for a nap, his body weary. He had never woken up again. A year and a half had passed, yet the table remained untouched.

The bedroom….

He was afraid to go there. But he knew he must. Hebe headed for the place where he had died.

There, he discovered the source of the sound he had been hearing all along.

Tayden was weeping, cradling Hebe’s corpse in his arms.

He looked very different from the last time Hebe had seen him.

In his memory, Tayden had always been impeccably attired. Be it amid the chaos of battle, under the cloak of midnight operations, or in the wake of sudden skirmishes, he never once looked less than impeccably composed. He consistently stood out, drawing the attention of all around him.

These clothes are so cumbersome and uncomfortable. Look at this brooch, Heve. It does not suit me, right?

When Tayden complained like that, Hebe would stare in a daze and reply, “No, it suits you perfectly. It’s like that outfit was made just for you.”

He remembered the last time he saw Tayden. He was wearing a black cloak adorned with raven feathers on the shoulders. The cloak, embroidered with the Star of the Continent, the symbol of the knights, was pinned to his shoulders and fastened with a round ruby that shimmered red. His black tunic, made of luxurious fabric, had buttons crafted from gems found only in the mines of Arianta. Around his waist, a belt embroidered with gold and silver thread and studded with diamond-shaped holes emphasised his broad shoulders and narrow waist. Tayden owned dozens of such splendid outfits and always stood out in a crowd. He could still see his pure, radiant smile.

But now, everything was different.

Tayden’s face was contorted with despair as he cradled the body. He wore something between sleepwear and outerwear, his hair wild in every direction, and blood dripped from his hands. Only the corpse in his arms remained pristine, untouched by the passage of time.

“Tayden….”

Though Hebe knew he could not hear him, Hebe called his name anyway. At that moment, Tayden lifted his gaze.

His eyes were blood-red. The face that once always held a gentle smile was now contorted with hatred and rage, twisted into something demonic. He was more terrifying than any demon king painted by a famous artist.

Hebe had never seen Tayden like this before.

The Tayden he knew had been shy, gentle, and sensitive. Even as a child who had fought monsters on the battlefield, he had never lost his innocence. Hebe had never seen such a distorted expression on his face.

Even in this disembodied state, Hebe’s heart throbbed with pain. As he unconsciously moved closer, Tayden, though he could not see him, seemed to sense something and clutched the corpse tighter, wary.

Only then did Hebe realize it. The black magic that emanated from Tayden was destroying everything. Beasts, people, nature, and even the barrier in the sky. It was his will, his intention.

Tayden had chosen to turn Vicentia into hell.

How…

Hebe could not believe it. That Tayden had embraced dark magic and was now bringing about the world’s destruction. And that, somehow, this palace and this room remained untouched.

Why? How? For what reason?

Countless questions swirled in his mind.

“Stop it. What are you doing?”

Hebe reached out to stop him.

The scene shifted again into darkness. Hebe’s outstretched hand swiped through nothingness. No matter how he looked around, Tayden was nowhere to be seen. In the silent darkness, only a solitary white light floated.

 

***

 

Returning to reality, Hebe still could not believe what he had just witnessed. He was still dazed, wondering what he had died for.

Only after the silence settled did Hebe kneel before Hegermi.

“Oh, Divine one, please send me back there. Tayden is all alone. You know how fragile he is.”

-It is impossible. Tayden pushed me away.

The response was full of despair. Whether the voice belonged to a man or a woman was unclear, but its sorrow was undeniable. Yet Hebe believed that their despair could not match his own.

For Tayden, Hebe had chosen the path of a traitor and become a fallen dark sorcerer.

Tayden Enderway, the hero of the Oracle, is the light and hope of Vicentia. Hebe had wanted to give peace to someone who bore such a heavy burden from such a young age.

I did hope he would mourn my death, but I never imagined it would be like this.

His heart throbbed with pain as if someone was ripping it apart. Tears welled up, blurring his vision, tears that had not fallen even at the moment of his death.

“What in the world happened to him? What happened to Vicentia… to Tayden?”

-You already know. Tayden lost someone he loved.

That sorrowful reply dragged Hebe into a pit of despair.

Did Tayden have someone he loved? Someone he loved so deeply that he would lose his mind?

Though he was dead, his heart throbbed with pain. Who could it have been? The first to come to mind was Lunis Yulli, so lovely she seemed like a fairy, with a coy and charming personality that even Hebe found endearing. But something about it felt off.

But it was my corpse that Tayden was holding.

Tayden had been cradling a corpse that emitted a constant stream of dark mana, its body showing no signs of decay, appearing more asleep than dead.

His mind spun in confusion.

You already know. Tayden lost someone he loved.

That is what Hegermi had said. That Tayden had broken down from the loss of someone he loved, and he was holding Hebe’s lifeless body as he wept.

-Even you, slow as you are, must realise it by now.

Hebe’s hands trembled.

It was absurd, truly unbelievable, and yet it seemed as if Tayden had loved him.

-Selfish creature.

Hegermi’s rebuke pierced his chest like a final, cruel confirmation.

-A year and a half has passed since your death. Had your soul been found earlier, perhaps things would not have reached this point, but now it is too late to prevent the world’s destruction.

He pressed a hand to his chest and lifted his head. When he blinked, a few tears that had welled up fell.

“Are you saying Tayden loved me?”

-You still have to ask?

“That can not be. Why would Tayden love someone like me? There are many other, more beautiful, more brilliant people around him. Why would he choose a fallen, treacherous person like me, who had turned to dark sorcery and rose against him? We fought many times.”

Hegermi gave no reply. Yet Hebe felt the gaze of the divine bearing down on her from all directions. After a brief silence, the god spoke in a scolding tone.

-Even after all this, do you still doubt Tayden’s love?

“It is just too unbelievable. Are you showing me this nightmare to test how I will react?”

Hebe asked sharply. Even though he could not see, Hebe felt as if Hegermi sighed.

-Even if you try to turn away, it is pointless. It is the truth…Tayden loves you far too much.

Hegermi’s words settled over him like despair.

He had never imagined this. What Hebe had pictured was Vicentia celebrating the fall of the prominent dark sorcerer with endless festivals, not a future where a hero in despair destroys the world.

Hebe had hoped that Tayden would forget him and live well.

He knew Tayden had relied on him and once even admired him. That is why he hoped nothing painful would ever reach him. Even as death approached, he had deliberately acted cold and cruel, all for the sake of Tayden.

If his death wounded him, he believed his kind friends would help him heal. Tayden was tender and kind-hearted, easily wounded, yet he remained convinced that, given sincere comfort, he could blossom once more like a flower.

“Even if you say he loved me and was hurt because of it… what about everyone else? Surely someone tried to stop him. What about my subordinates, Jean? Mau and Parthe?”

-They are all dead.

A calm voice pierced his ears.