Mary and I stood in a white voidâa product of my spell. Her demon features remained on display, in contrast to the blankness in all directions. She walked over to me and hugged me.
âWas that your doing?â Mary asked. âI remember things I shouldnât have forgotten.â
My mind reeled. I would have loved to tell her I did that on purpose, but I wasnât even sure of myself. Iâd also forgotten. Instead, I returned her hug.
âThank you, Eerie...No...â
I put my hand to her mouth. âDonât say it. I wish to remain Eerie.â
Mary nodded before looking around the place in all directions. âWhere are we?â
âI donât really have a name for it, but while time is suspended, I am healing that monster.â
âTime is suspended?â She asked.
âItâs a simple spell, really,â I said with a grin.
âYou know thatâs not true. Why do you always do that?â Mary asked. âEven before, you did something similar.â
I put my hand up to stop her. I remembered the memory we shared. And I smiled at her. âWhat was it again?â I exaggeratedly put my hand to my chin. âDonât get all sentimental with me.â
âYouâre so unfair, Eerie.â She sighed and sat down on nothing. âBut this memory is a small piece of me. Iâve lived for much longer as a demon.â
âI really didnât intend to pass on the memory to both of us. It was triggered by the reading of my grimoire.â
âIn other words, it was a side effect of this spell.â Mary sighed again. âI wish I could remember more about itâEarth. As it is now, it feels like some alien concept. Itâs impossible for my mind to reconcile both lives without having more.â She giggled after a short pause. âBut it seems that even in this life Iâm still protecting you.â
âI think my mind struggled with reincarnation, so I probably buried the memories in my writings. I could only remember small amounts. Even in this life, some memories of the forest are lost. I think I was lonely.â
She stood back up and hugged me again. âWell, you wonât be lonely anymore. You can have all of us to lean on. Your life as an actress has only just begun.â
For the first time since I could remember, tears filled my eyes. Through everything that happened, I didnât cry. I kept going. I clung to this identity. I found friends in this new life, but my tears never flowed as they did now. Mary patted my back while my eyes released little droplets, one after the other.
I smiled at her. âYouâve known the life of a demon. What was that like?â
âItâs not that much different from human civilization. I suppose, the biggest difference is the demonâs focus on strength. Weâre brought up from a young age to think that strength is everything.â
âIs that how you became a Demon Lord?â
Mary nodded. âIt wasnât easy. For starters, there are many wrath demons, and wielding your nature isnât simple. Many are consumed by what makes them a demon.â
âIt sounds like you had a rough time.â
âHm, itâs not all bad. Like I said, the civilization is not that much different from a humanâs. Itâs inevitable weâll end up there at some point. I just hope an understanding can be reached at that time.â
âCan I ask why you left?â
Mary frowned. âI didnât want to lead anymore. I donât think what I did had ever been done in the history of demonkind. I passed the torch. Normally, the torch would be passed by someone who surpasses the incumbent through might alone.â
I nodded as my spell finished. The white void slowly faded away, giving way to the sight of a lush forest. The adventurers stood around in shock. No door stood in the clearing, and theyâd all been transported from a ginormous boss room.
The only remnant was a small candle floating at the center of the clearing. The flame around on the top of the monster dimmed to a small red.
Sine broke me out of my stupor with a hug. âWitch helped him!â
I patted her head and raised my other fist triumphantly. âThatâs why I am the greatest witch!â
Her eyes seemed to sparkle. But while we were having our moment, the lion man walked towards the candle. However, before he could touch it, I sent magic into the ground. Vines shot out of the soil and wrapped around his limbs, stopping him mid punch.
He struggled against them. âLet me go! Even if you are my future wife, this kind of obstruction to our quest canât be tolerated!â
Soon, the axe hero was siding with the lion, rushing towards the poor candle to deal the last bow, but he met the same fate as the big cat.
Before long, anyone that tried to deal with the candle was wrapped in vines. In reality it was only the one of the other heroes.
The king cleared his throat. âLetâs listen to what Eerie has to say. She did take care of our problem.â
I nodded, taking Sineâs hand, and walking towards the small candle. It didnât speak even as we got close, but it didnât move.
âAs I am sure everyone can see, this candle is no longer a threat,â I said. âMy wish is to unite this one with Sine.â I looked towards Sine while she nervously put her fingers together. âDo your best!â
She smiled back with a newfound strength, walking forward towards the floating candle. As she got to it, magic left her body and entered into the remnants of the colossal.
âHis name is Cerumen,â she said, âand he says thank you for freeing his mind.â
I grinned at Cerumen. âThis is just one of the many talents of an aspiring actress.â
There was a certain feeling that came with watching Sine take another monster under her wing. I watched the small flame of Cerumen grow a tiny bit. It felt like the flames of a new adventure sat into my lap, and the new candle brightened with the changing of seasons.