Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Silence had fallen over the marshland.
It seemed as if every living being in the area had stopped breathing as they waited for Link to make a decision.
The God of Destruction’s brows furrowed. The pressure exerted on her by the Ruler of Light and Darkness was growing by the minute. The moment she reached her limit, she would be forced to fight to the death with the lord of Ferde.
This was the first time Link had to make such a difficult decision since his first day in Firuman.
There was a very real possibility that the God of Destruction might turn on him if he handed over the Crown of Eternal Night to her. However, if he chose not to do so, both of them would have to fight to the death. Even if he emerged victorious, he would still have to deal with the Ruler of Light and Darkness on his own.
His only option now was to hope that once freed from the Ruler’s influence, the God of Destruction would choose to fight against her former master alongside Link.
“Could you hurry it up? I don’t think I can take it much longer!” hissed the God of Destruction. Her face was visibly contorted in anguish.
Link was unmoved by this. Suddenly, he remembered the time the Crown of Eternal Night first appeared before him in the Aragu realm.
He had been pushed to the brink of death back then. Still, he refused to succumb to his injuries. Despite Saroviny’s threats to pull his soul out for her father, he still chose to fight to his last breath.
It was then that the Crown of Eternal Night chose him to be its wearer.
The Shadow Divine Fragment chose me because the road we walk on are one and the same. If I hope to light the torch of my own godhood, I’ll have to persevere on the path I have taken. What path have I chosen to walk? Is it darkness?
Link looked back at all of his past exploits in Firuman, starting from his time in the Magic Academy of Fleming, then in Creekwood Village, followed by East Cove Magic Academy, and finally Ferde.
There was no longer any teacher or Magical Academy in this world that he could learn from. He had walked to the furthest corner of the civilized world, beyond which lay only the unknown.
No one else could help him resolve his current conundrum. He could only forge ahead by illuminating a path into the unknown with the light of all the wisdom he had gathered so far.
What had kept me going all this time? It was a question he could only ask himself.
Was it magic?
Link pondered over the question for a few seconds. He then shook his head. Magic has always been the sharpest tool in my toolbox, but it has never been essential to my existence. I could still devote myself to areas other than magic in order to achieve my goals.
Was it friendship?
Link immediately thought of Eliard. He was without a doubt his best friend in Firuman. Though Link had initially approached Eliard for selfish reasons, as days went by, true friendship finally blossomed between the two of them.
Having a friend like Eliard had certainly brightened his world. Would Link have made it this far without him?
An answer finally came to him. Without Eliard, the path before him might have seemed bleaker. However, for as long as he could remember, he had always acted on his own. Eliard was only there at times to provide backup for his machinations.
Friendship had only been one of the a sunnier parts of his life.
What about love?
Link thought of Celine, the Red Dragon Queen Gretel, Herrera and even Milda. He then shook his head.
Love might have played a huge part in his life at first. However, he soon realized that like friendship, love was no more than a beautiful scenery one would sometimes get lost in along the road called life.
Link continued picking apart every superficial element in his life, until finally he came upon a single word: freedom.
Darkness had always sought to descend upon Firuman. The fact of the matter is that even if darkness were to descend upon Firuman, the realm would still continue to exist. However, it would be transformed into an abyss, where everyone would be mutated into demons in the thrall of the Lord of the Deep. The only thing they would lose in the process would be their freedom. I too would lose my own freedom. In order to prevent that from happening, I’ve chosen to stand up against the darkness.
So what is freedom? Link asked himself again.
He soon found his answer. Freedom does not mean ridding oneself of one’s inhibitions, nor does it equate to plain chaos.It is the right to choose! Every life in this world has the right to choose its own path. This is true freedom!
I’ve chosen to pursue magical wisdom and the ultimate truth of the world. The darkness still schemes to interfere with my life. The Ruler of Light and Darkness still schemes to consume the realm. Such barbarism threatens to take away my freedom to continue my pursuit for knowledge. I’ve built Ferde from the ground up and accumulated this much power, all so that I can resist against the tyranny of my oppressors!
An indescribable light had illuminated the depths of his soul.
The light was pristine like water and hot like fire. However, it was neither blinding nor scorching. One could not help but be humbled before such a sensation.
A soft wind moaned across the marshland. It was the world’s way of welcoming the birth of a deity.
Link’s body floated into the air. He was not doing it of his own volition. The Firuman realm had lifted him up.
The pristine light had enveloped Link’s entire body. A black crystalline crown emerged from the light and drifted through the air until it landed gently on the God of Destruction’s head.
The anguish on the God of Destruction’s face vanished instantly. However, she remained kneeling before Link.
A divine light was now shining upon the world, broadcasting the newly ascended deity’s message in every direction.
The God of Destruction was closest to Link. She was the first to receive his message.
If she had received such a message before entering Ferde, she would have simply scoffed at it. However, since coming here, her plans had been foiled by Link time and time again. All of her most capable subordinates had been slaughtered by him. She was even enslaved by the Ruler of Light and Darkness. All of this had made her susceptible to Link’s divine message.
Though she was powerful to change just a small part of her world, there were others out there more powerful than her and capable of changing her very being.
When Link’s message of freedom reached her, she humbly said, “Almighty one, I offer you my life in the name of protecting everyone’s right to choose their own path.”
She was about to prostrate herself before Link when suddenly a gentle power stopped her. A warm voice echoed in her ear.
“No need to grovel. You have chosen to follow me. I am honored. If you’re willing, stand up and join me in my fight against the realm devourer.”
The God of Destruction shook her head and remained kneeling on the ground. She said, “Almighty one, this is my choice and mine alone. I will be your spear of destruction that safeguards the freedom of all life in this world!”
Link decided not to talk her out of this.
He could feel the Firuman realm’s Realm Essence power flowing into his body. His power level was climbing at an incredible rate. Level-20, Level-21, Level-22, Level-23… It showed no sign of stopping.
Despite the sudden increase in power, Link’s spirit did not waver. To him, this newfound power was but a tool to protect the freedom of everyone in the realm. He would need every bit of this power to defeat the Ruler of Light and Darkness.
All this power would have finally served its purpose once his enemy was vanquished.
The realm was soon about to face a terrifying presence capable of swallowing it whole. It had responded to Link’s epiphany by entrusting him with its power so that he may be able to fight off the realm devourer.
Link’s newfound Sacred Fire was a symbol of the realm’s trust in him. If he failed to defeat the Ruler of Light and Darkness and return the power that the realm had loaned him, his divinity would be stained, and his Sacred Fire would be extinguished.
A few moments ago, Link understood what he was supposed to do: give the Crown of Eternal Night to the God of Destruction so that she could resist the Ruler’s influence. Moments later, the Firuman realm had entrusted him with its power!
As his power continued to increase, the incarnation of realm’s will Freyar appeared before Link, the new God of Freedom.
She asked with a smile, “What is darkness?”
“It is one of the tools at my disposal,” replied Link.
“What is a god?” she asked again.
Link shook his head. “All life is divine. There is no such thing as a god in this world.”
Freyar beamed at Link. She then bowed before him. “It’s all up to you now.”
Link nodded. He could now see through the veil of the realm and into the Sea of Void. There, he saw the Ruler of Light and Darkness heading his way.
He immediately saw through this terrifying being. To the Ruler of Light and Darkness, both light and darkness were mere tools to be used in his rampage. However, unlike Link, he sought to devour everything in his path and rob all life of its freedom, all so he could sate his own hunger.
He was indeed a being of many contradictions.
Their fated fight was finally upon them!
The fate of the world hinged on the outcome of this battle!
