— Prologue —

Hey, do you know the sweetest lie we believe in? It is love.

The trees passed in a blur around me as I ran for my life. Holding a tiny infant in my bosom, I desperately tried to keep her warm with my body. But as blood kept gushing out from my wound, my body gradually became colder and colder. Even so, for her safety, I couldn’t stop here.

Behind me, a group of knights charged through the forest, their armor clanking loudly as they pursued me. I could hear their shouts and angry cries as they approached me.

"She's over there! Catch her!"

I whispered as the Animata inside my body burned hot, “Kai… lend me your strength. Ignition.” An enormous magical energy burst to strengthen my leg for just a few precious moments of speed. I rushed from one tree branch to another, trying to get away from the chaser.

But …!

Suddenly, I tripped and fell off, the wind whipped past me as I fell, from the tree. I embraced my daughter, miraculously protecting her from the fall. Fortunately, the ground was soft that we fell without any serious injury. But then, my eyes widened as I saw my left foot turn into red crystals.

“D-Dammit, why must now…?!”

As I frantically crawled away, the men effortlessly caught up to me and overpowered me. One of them yanked my hair and pressed a knife against my neck, while another crossed his arms and sneered at me. I screamed and thrashed wildly, trying to break free from their grip, but the final knight snatched Milli from my hand.

"N-no, give her back!" I shouted.

"... And what would you do, Witch of Calamity? " the Knight laughed at me.

"I'll kill you!" I shouted and released a mist of blood, however, they laughed at me.

They smiled, "It’s useless! Did you think we didn't know how your tricks work? Your magic only works if we fear you. Hahaha!”

As their laughter grew louder and more derisive, their expressions suddenly changed. Smiles transformed into twisted, horrified looks of disgust. One of the men abruptly released my arm and took off running, shouting, "No way! Stay away from me!"

The other, using his dagger, drove it deep into his comrade's chest, screaming, "You can’t run from me, you witch! AAkkkh!" But before he could do more damage, another assassin slashed him with his sword, shouting in agony,

"Stop! This voice in my head... Aaargh!” He then threw his sword and clawed his head in agony.

Their voices echoed eerily in my ears as I reached for their sword and stood up. Finally, the one who snatched Milli looked at me in fear, "What have you done? W-Why everything around me turned into monsters?"

I took back Milli from his hand and glared at him, "You made a grave mistake. I can’t use magic, fool.”

His body convulsed violently, "Aaahhhhhh!!" He collapsed onto the ground with his heart stopped beating. Mist of blood gushing from the orifices of the body of the Knights, they colluded together as a spear that rushed back to me. My head was wracked with a storm of pain as the backlash of my power continued torturing me, threatening to pull me unconscious.

“Smile of my beloved mother,” said the voice in my head.

My vision grew dim, "No... I have to find a safe place for Milli," I said while walking slowly, fighting the red crystals that slowly consumed my body.

Ironically, we crave love, having lost the warmth we used to feel… only to realize how cold our heart truly is.

The sound of my ragged breaths echoed through the trees, a haunting reminder of my desperation. I knew that I couldn't keep running forever; other knights were closing in, their footsteps growing louder with each passing moment. But then, just when I thought all hope was lost, a glimmer of light appeared in the distance. The end of this cursed forest is near.

Desperately trying to reach the light, I muttered, “Finally… we can be free, Milli.”

Suddenly I found myself at the cliff, where the largest river on the continent, Arisia, flew to the sea. I smiled wryly realizing what just happened,

“So, you decided to betray me too,” I whispered, my gaze fixed on the sunrise just beyond the horizon.

I was teleported against my will by someone… that I loved so much in this life.

I hugged Milli tightly, trying to soothe her as the angel of death approached me. She knew that she didn't need to rush because my death was imminent. I squared my shoulders, ready to face The Angel of Death with as much bravery as I could muster, knowing that I was surrounded by her entire Knights.

“It’s over, Sister. Give the Devil to me," Arielle said. Ironically, the light of sunrise turned my blonde sister into the most beautiful being in the world… hiding the blood trails behind her.

Milli's cry calmed down, as I let out a deep sigh. I formed a floating blood cocoon that cushioned Milli as I went to my final battle. With determination, I glared back at my sister and slit my neck with my claw, "In your dream!”

Yet the more we search for love, the more world hides it from us. 

Javelins of blood gushed from my carotid arteries, rushing to impale the knights. However, they easily dodged all of my attacks and even deliver the counterstrike. One of them pulled his hammer to crack the cliff and took my footing, but I easily jumped and locked his neck with my thighs before slamming his head to the ground.

I raised my arm, trying to control my blood forming a giant spike, however, a searing wind blade cut my right arm away before I finished it. As I staggered, the bravest Knight lunged his spear at me, but in desperation, I bite back his neck and tore his flesh. Forming a giant blade with the blood gushing through my severed arm, I rush to the remaining knights while shouting,

"I'll never let you have her, never!!"

But the truth is, what we yearn for is a family, having lost the bond that we had once.

Suddenly, Arielle commanded her knights to retreat as she unsheathed her black sword. She gazed at me with contempt before executing her swordplay with breathtaking elegance. With ease, she deftly deflected my frantic strikes and delivered a decisive blow to my stomach. I stumbled backward and made another attempt to attack, but Arielle countered each one effortlessly. She didn't even resort to using magic, as if to highlight the vast difference in our powers.

“It's useless. You’d never bested me in our duel, Sister,” Arielle said while approaching the cocoon.

I grabbed her leg and said, “No, don't touch my Daughter!”

Arielle let out a disappointed sigh, “…" I couldn't understand. Why are you always becoming a nuisance? With Ideal White, all of the world's sufferings would end. We just need to use that replaceable piece of meat as a sacrifice to the gods,” she said, looking at me painfully,

“This Devil isn’t a human. It’s just a chalice to Ideal White,” she continued.

“No! I’ll never let you use her like a tool, you monster!”

"Monster? Hahahaha! That’s rich, coming from you. My dear sister, we’re BOTH monsters. Don't you pretend to be human in front of me!" Arielle laughed before turning a disgusted face, “Or… Do you honestly believe in a mother's unconditional love, even after everything that happened to us?” she said.

After letting me go, Arielle snatched Milli from her cocoon and smiled at me.

"Don't worry, I'll take really good care of Milli for you, Big Sis.”

I stood up and sharpened my claw with every ounce of strength I had left. With the red crystals now covering every inch of my body, I knew instinctively that I couldn’t defeat Arielle. However, I had to no matter the cost. I’ll never let Milli suffer the same fate as me!

With a primal scream, I charged toward her, my claws glinting in the light. But Arielle's smile only grew wider, as if she was relishing in my agony. And then suddenly, I felt a searing pain as twelve spears pierced through my flesh, pinning me to the ground.

As life slips away from my heart, I desperately try to reach Milli. But then I could only watch in horror as the crystal consumed my arm. It was… too late. My vision faded to black, and the only sound left was the haunting echo of Milli's cries.

"Someday... I will... save you, Milli."

Thus, we covet the White Ideal, in the hope to change the sweetest lie in the world into the truth.

**— I — **

The wave of darkness consumed me, drifting my soul into the shore where a giant tree of light stood gracefully. It seduced me to touch its trunk, to let myself be absorbed by its root. Yet, the iron chain pulled me away from the tree. It bashed me to the battlefield, over and over again. I was trapped in this domain, cursed to fight over my life for eternity. Yet, I always found myself at the same ending.

Death and Rebirth.

Long had gone my sense of time, and my memory fractured beyond recognition. I don't know who am I, or what brought me here. Even death did not free me from this prison. Yet I longed for the daylight could touch me but in reality... The light would always come for my life. The Chosen Heroes would always try to kill me in vain.

I wonder… is this the afterlife? But what have I done to deserve this fate?

Until one day… Someone grabs my hand. It was a husk of a human, cursed with imminent death as she forcefully step inside this realm of gods, The Obsidian Theater.

“I… found you, Devil.”

With her green eyes, she cried at me. It was tears of relief and joy of finding what she truly believed in her life… that all her sacrifices were not in vain.

Yet, I didn’t understand, why meeting me brought so much happiness to her.

I asked, “What is your wish, Hero?”

I am The Devil, the one who bears all the sins of the world. Inside my heart lies the crystal of the omnipotent magic, called Magicore of Ideal White.

Ideal White is the magic that all witches dream of. With its absolute strength, those who possess it can fulfill any wish they desire, even bringing back the dead. With that sweet seduction, Heroes are willing to sacrifice everything to achieve Ideal White.

However, the Ideal White is incomplete without the Hero's Soul inside it. It means that they have to kill each other for a miracle promised by the gods.

And thus, she wasn’t the first Hero to meet her end here.

“I… No, I’m here because I wanted to ask you,” she answered with her body slowly decaying into nothingness,

“What is your desire, The Cowardly Devil?” she asked me.

My desire?

Crackles whispered in my ears, slowly wove the pieces of memory I had left. My eyes opened to realize the truth about myself. They brought me into a scene that I'd lost long ago.

My life is nothing but pain. None of my wishes have come true in this life. I've never experienced true love. I've never felt the warmth of a family. I've never even seen the hope that drives me to live…

Until I realize…

When that subtle touch gripped my index finger, when I first saw the red baby crying so loudly in my bosom, a strong urge came to my heart. A life born of my greed and stupidity. An innocent soul who does not know the dangers of life that will await her.

“Arleina Milliana Gremory,” I named the little girl.

The moment she stopped crying and smiled at me, I remembered what I should've done.

“I… wanted to protect my daughter's smile,” I answered.

The Hero's smile surprised me. It was as if she found the correct answer in her life, the destiny she was meant to be. I’d never understand countless Heroes that fought me here to their despair, Every Hero would rush for my life, killing me desperately for their ideals. Yet, she was the first time touched and even talk to me. And somehow, I felt a familiar presence within her, as if, we know each other for a long time.

“I finally… found you,” she cried silently, making me confused at what she meant.

But then, she took off her heart and show it to me. It was her Magicore, cursed with dark energy to reflect her soul. Coughing blood, The Hero gave me her heart,

“With this, you’ll have a second chance to meet with your beloved. However in return, I want you to do one thing for me…”, she said as her right hand destroyed to pieces.

“Do you want me to save the world?” I asked.

But the Hero shook her head, “No, this world is beyond saving. No one, even the gods could save it from its doom,” she said before her leg shattered into pieces and she leaned to me. Hugging me tightly, she whispered to me,

“Please… stop me, Mother.”

“What…?”

Before I could ask anything, she vanished into particles of light in my embrace. Yet the void of my heart began to fill with an enigmatic feeling. I found myself strangely crying, but I didn't understand why. The only thing she left behind was just her tainted Magicore, lying helplessly in my hand. It was in contrast to mine which was always devoid of any energy.

”A completed Ideal White... No, it can’t be… you are not a Hero. You're the same as me.”

It's ironic, really. I was chosen as the Devil, but the truth is that my Magicore is defective. It was always been empty because I didn't have magic inside my body, which means that even if I were to fuse my Magicore with the Hero's Soul, I could never complete the Ideal White.

Yet at the same time, no matter how many times I die at the hands of Heroes, I always seem to revive. I am immortal, but why? It's like some cruel joke. Perhaps my immortality is the reason the gods chose me- because they found it amusing that after everything the Hero had been through they would only meet one truth... Despair. The Ideal White they chased was only a cruel illusion, a dream they could never have.

However, this Ideal White is complete. How...? No, I don't care about that.

“Are you… Milli?” I whispered to the Magicore.

I grasped that light and pledged to myself to never betray this light again. Facing the Tree of Life, I chanted to my only light, the very first magic I had,

“Once there is only one truth, one reality to the world, one guiding spirit through the night. Let my intentions be pure and my heart be light, as I call to you the Primordial Truth.”

Suddenly the ground began shaking as the souls enraged within the Tree of Life. The tree attacked me with its roots, but as I dodged its attacks, I continued,

“With the words, I speak be my promise, may my desires manifest and my wishes live within the stars above. I, bearer of all sin, beseech you.”

Suddenly giant knights of light pierced my body with their lances. Yet I persisted as the Magicore in my hand shone ever brightly. With the curse mark on my eyes, I look directly at the eyes of the gods above the tree. I raised the Magicore into the sky and shouted,

“Give me the power to defy destiny. Ideal White!”

And thus, the clock in my heart began to move again. May the string of my fate leads me... to a certain future where I vowed to save you, Milli.

PS:

Hello, nice to meet you. I'm JA Chrysant, the author of this book. It is my first time telling the story in English, so I'm sorry if I made many mistakes, hehe.

This is the new book I wrote, a simple story about a sinful girl who longed for true love. It will take place in two eras, the era before her first death and after she use the Ideal White. If you enjoy the story, please give like and share story, it'd make me really happy!

JA Chrysant.

— II —

“Now, how do I stitch these hands together? What? Seriously, paper glue is more than enough?”

…

“For the finishing touch, try putting the Magicore into her heart. It would awaken it. Probably? Ugh, Mom, why you left me such chaotic notes?”

…

“So… according to Mom’s note, that should be it, but why it hasn’t been reacting?… Oh, wait, there is a little note scribbled below it. Hmm, let’s see. A chanting? Well, better than nothing.”

…

“With the will of night, I, insert your name—, e-ehem, Kiara Megistus, pledge loyalty to our promise. Oh, Goddess of Death, Nyghtingal, awaken your sorrowful gaze to the world and grant us the final truth! Absolute Darkness!”

…

“Uhh… nothing happened. As I thought, this is just one of Mom’s pranks. Geez, ultimate summoning my arse, she’s always like that! Didn’t she know what I’d been through to gather its body part? … Ugh, if only I can— w-wHAAT?!”

So noisy.

I woke up from my deep slumber, finding myself inside an abandoned Shrine. There I could see a young girl in her black coat, gasping in surprise. Her short brown hair was unkept, and the thick bag in her diamond eyes showed that she probably hadn’t slept well for days. She wore adventurer garments, yet she lacked the tag to identify herself. However, putting aside all of her chaotic appearances, she was pretty cute.

"W-Whoa! Is this for real? Am I succeeded in summoning a god? Oh, shoot, this is so crazy, oh my, oh my, what should I tell Artie?” the girl jumped in joy, but then a sudden doubt crept in her chest,

“But… aren’t you a little bit too… mundane for a god? I believe in the scripture, Nyghtingale should appear as the most beautiful being in the world,” she continued confused.

U-Ugh, I just woke up and someone had just mocked me. But, the way she said those sharp words with such cuteness and innocence hurt my heart the most. Well, sorry for not being that pretty!

I let out a sigh, “Do I look like a god to you?”

“No, not at all. You look like a normal gal to me. Oh, wait! Haha, I almost forgot, you don’t want to be ***** all the time, right? Here, I brought some clothes. It’s my Mom’s, not mine, since… well, you know… ” she answered while glimpsing a second to my chest, then comparing it to hers.

“Yes, I know. It’s a cutting board,” I replied feeling defeated.

“Hehehe, It’d definitely be a fit for you,” She let out an awkward laugh before rummaging her back and coming up with a weird pair of clothes.

“What’s this? Isn’t this for man…?”

“Huh, you don’t know? It’s jeans. Though it is a worker's attire, once you used it, you never wanted to wear a dress again. Mom loved it so much! Now, stand up. I’ll put it for you, ” she ordered me.

“E-Eh? No, no, no, no! I-I-I can put it myself.”

When I was a princess, the maid would routinely dress me up. But, it was still kinda embarrassing when it was done by a stranger, especially by a girl who clearly hid some intentions.

“Ow, don’t be shy. We’re both girls! I also wanted to check all of your body, to search if I’m still missing some parts. Now, now, come here little goddess,” she said before she jumped onto me.

“N-Nooo, stop it!”

After a while, the girl finished putting the clothes on me. I crawled into the corner of the room, clutching to my knees. The trauma of my past came to the surface, forcing me to remember the truth of this world. The world is so scary. Society is scary… Human is so scary… I don’t want to deal with them anymore!

“Aren’t you one shy goddess? Don’t you know, skinship is effective for building relationships between people? You should expect more skinship in the future, hihihi,” the scary girl chuckled as she wrote on her note.

M-more skinship? The thought sent chills down my spine as I crawled further away from the predatory girl. Dammit, what have I done to deserve this humiliation?

Kiara closed her notebook with a wide smile, “Well that aside, the most important thing is… I found nothing wrong in your body, you’re perfect. Well, as expected of my genius, hihi!“ she said, catching my hand casually,

“Anyway— I’m Kiara Megistus, from today onward, I’m your Master. Please, take care of me—” she continued.

“E-Eeekh! N-No touching!” I stay away from the girl, only to realize I was cornered. What’s with this girl, why she persistently tried to get close to me? Ugh… The way she looked at me, was she waiting for me to introduce myself?

“… I’m—“ I stopped. Strange, I can't remember. It's like there is a chain in my mind that sealed the memory. Perhaps, after countless times of never mentioning my name, I simply forgot it. Either way... I don't remember myself. All I knew is just I'm here to save my daughter.

“I… Who am I again?” I answered.

Kiara pouted, “W-Wait, seriously? You don’t know your name? That’s a serious shite,” she said while crossing her arm, but then she smiled cheerfully, “Well, Let’s put that aside for now. It's common for summoned being to have amnesia, given time you'll recover it somehow. Anyway! Since all of the hard work I’ve put to call you, you must be a strong strong goddess! Now, show me your magic!”

… What is this girl rambling about?

“Girlie, I can't use magic,” I answered truthfully. One thing that I remember about me is my defective heart. Because of it, I don't have Mana inside my body, thus I can't use magic.

“Huh?” The girl raised her eyebrow and then she frantically searched for something in her bag. It was a peculiar lens that she used to examine me.

“It’s really true… The Magic Lens couldn’t detect any Mana on you,” she gasped in disbelief, “It is the first time I’d ever seen someone without magic… Nonetheless a goddess!”

“Daemon can’t use magic too,” I replied.

But Kiara looked at me confused, “What are you talking about, dear Goddess? Everyone on Mars can use magic now. Geez, where are you come from? Earth?”

"Yes, of course, I know I'm from Earth, it's common sense, Girlie," I asked confused.

Kiara's mouth widened, "What the... It's been thousands of years since humans terraformed Mars, my Goddess. Though that civilization had long perished, its descendant still lives on Mars to this day. Oh my, a goddess from Earth huh? That would make you a Primordial One, then. This is getting interesting..."

W-Wait, it’s not some bad joke, right? She just said it had been thousand years after my death? I-I couldn’t believe it. How am I supposed to save my daughter if she didn’t exist anymore?

No, no, no, there must be a reason why I was awakened at this time. It was faint, but I could sense it. Milli was somewhere in this world. I couldn’t really explain, but it must be something they called a Mother’s instinct.

Suddenly, Kiara chuckled nervously as cold sweat dripped from her forehead, “Oh well, this is a problem. If you can’t use magic, how do we escape this place, then?”

I raised my eyebrow confused, “What do you mean?”

“Well, you see… we’re kinda… in the heart of enemy’s camp.”

Suddenly, I heard a commotion outside the shrine followed by the harsh shouting of some men in arms. The sound of boots pounding against the ground grew louder and louder, and I braced myself for the worst. Before long, a band of soldiers in white burst through the door, drawing their peculiar weapon shaped like a metal rod.

The one who lead the soldiers was a witch with fierce red hair. Aiming her magic wand toward us, the witch shouted,

“Found you, Doctor. Now, give back what you’ve stolen from us!”