Light and Curses..
Light and darkness, white and black.
If someone were to ask what color
dominates the souls of others, most would
find it difficult to answer.
After all, people can’t be so easily categorized into two distinct shades.
The world isn’t divided into simple absolutes like good or evil; humans are more complicated than that.
Life, as it turns out, is far more gray—an ever-shifting spectrum of morality, circumstance, and intent.
But for Emilia-things were far simpler, if not stark.
She had been born with a divine gift, a blessing granted by the great goddess herself, that allowed her to see the world in a way no one else could.
To her, the souls of people were laid bare, stripped of their pretenses and illusions.
In her eyes,
the world was divided into
light and darkness, good and evil.
The brighter a soul, the more righteous
and blessed its bearer.
The darker it was, the more corrupt, vile, and beyond redemption.
This ability—this blessing-was not simply a passive perception; it was an inherent part of who she was. It shaped the very essence of her being.
Born with the sight to judge others, Emilia had grown up in a world of constant scrutiny, where everything was measured by the balance of light and shadow within a soul.
And as the Saintess of the Holy Church of Light, her judgments were not only absolute, they were sacred.
Her every action was guided by the belief that she was the herald of divine justice, a vessel through which the goddess would cleanse the world of sin and corruption.
She was not just any mortal; she was the
chosen one—the beacon of light meant to banish the darkness from the world.
‘His soul is too pure…’
The thought flashed through Emilia’s mind
as she made contact with Riley’s hand.
It was supposed to be a simple gesture—an
innocent touch-but the moment her
fingers brushed against his skin, something far more profound stirred within her.
A gasp escaped her lips, soft yet filled with
awe.
She could feel the overwhelming warmth of his soul, the radiant light that seemed to
emanate from deep within him.
It was unlike anything she had ever
encountered.
Riley’s soul wasn’t just bright—it was
blinding, its purity almost unreal.
It felt… foreign, as if it didn’t quite belong to this world.
Yet, at the same time, it was as if it should
belong, as though the very essence of his
being was meant to exist in perfect harmony with the world around him.
There was a serenity, a balance, in the light that exuded from him, so potent that it left Emilia’s heart pounding in her chest.
In all her years, never had she seen a soul
like this.
In this world, no matter what race or background, souls were always the same size, the only difference being the quality of the light or darkness that they carried within.
But Riley’s?
His was different-so utterly, beautifully
different.
The sheer magnitude of it was enough to
make her question everything she had
come to understand about souls.
‘He is loved by the goddess above.’
It was the only conclusion that Emilia’s
mind could arrive at, and yet… something unsettled her.
She had never witnessed such an extraordinary brilliance, but there was something that didn’t fit.
Something that clashed violently with the
purity she saw.
Beneath the ethereal light, there was a shadow-no, more than a shadow.
A darkness, vast and consuming, swirling
like an endless abyss around the core of his
soul.
Her breath caught as her gaze delved deeper into that darkness, and a shiver ran
down her spine.
This was not ordinary darkness. It was something primal, ancient, and incomprehensible.
The light inside him was so pure, yet it was
suffocated, strangled by the all-encompassing void that surrounded it. And that void… it wasn’t passive.
It seemed to have a life of its own, pulsing
with malevolent intent as if waiting for the
perfect moment to snuff out the light entirely.
‘What… is this?’ Emilia’s heart pounded
faster, each beat filling her chest with a growing sense of dread.
She had seen darkness in souls before-
souls tainted by sin, by cruelty, by greed— but this? This was different.
This wasn’t the usual corruption that came
from a person’s actions or thoughts.
This was an external force, an alien
presence that clung to Riley’s soul, threatening to devour it whole.
It was as if two forces were waging a silent
war within him.
Emilia’s fingers trembled as she kept her hand on his.
The purity of the light was undeniable-it
was strong, resilient, and radiated a divine protection, like the embrace of the goddess herself.
And yet, the darkness…
it was suffocating, like a black hole that consumed everything it touched.
How could these two opposing forces coexist inside one person?
Her mind raced with questions. How was he even alive? The clash of these energies—one of divine origin and the other of unfathomable darkness-should have torn him apart.
‘How did such a pure and bright soul….
Receive this level of curse….?’
After spending the day giving the girls a thorough tour of the academy grounds, the evening crept in before any of us even
realized
it.
The sun had begun its slow descent,
casting a golden hue over the campus as the vibrant energy of the day mellowed into a more relaxed atmosphere.
We had decided to take a well-earned
break at Panda Café, a cozy spot that offered warmth and comfort away from the hustle of the academy.
As we settled in, the girls quickly fell into
conversation, their voices bubbling with excitement and curiosity.
It wasn’t long before all their attention had predictably shifted toward Rose and Seo, who were both struggling to keep up with
the unrelenting enthusiasm of their juniors.
“Senior Seo, is it true that your sword is so fast it can’t be seen?”
“Probably…?”
“Wait Senior Rose… Big bro saved you from thugs when you first met him?”
“Yes, he did. He was really cool back then~”
“Hmm…. I never knew that…”
As their conversation continued, the group exchanged more stories, questions, and
laughter, the bond between them growing naturally.
Yet, despite the camaraderie unfolding in front of me, I found myself sitting off to the side, distanced from their conversation.
It wasn’t that I didn’t enjoy their company —far from it—but I had positioned myself at the edge of the group deliberately. I
needed some space for the sake of my sanity. Being in the middle of a group of such
lively and beautiful girls wasn’t exactly a peaceful experience, and more than that, the attention it brought from every other
student around us was starting to wear on
me.
From my vantage point, I could feel the weight of countless eyes.
The males around the café were casting not-so-subtle glances in my direction, some filled with curiosity, others with what
I could only describe as barely contained
envy.
Even all the girls around gave me no filter
with their disgust and murderous glares…
Fuck…
I should’ve realized it earlier.
campus with seven
Walking around goddess-like beauties was bound to draw
attention.
As I focused my senses, the whispers
around us became painfully clear.
‘I thought he was already dating Princess Snow?’
‘Wait, wasn’t he seeing Seo?’
‘He’s the
enemy of all humanity!’
‘I heard for sure he was secretly dating
senior Alice.’
‘No, no, it’s definitely Rose, right?’
“That scum!’
‘Don’t tell me he’s cheating on all of them…
right?’
‘Maybe he’s dating all of them?’ ‘Seriously, just how many is he going to add
to his list…?’
‘He’s even targeting his own sister now…’
‘What a creep. He’s the worst.’
‘He deserves to die.’
With every whisper, the web of lies and
assumptions tightened around me like an invisible noose.
My already low social standing at the
academy seemed to be on the verge of plunging even further into disgrace. I wasn’t exactly expecting a hero’s
reputation, but the way things were shaping up, I was starting to look more like the academy’s resident villain. ‘Just how absurd can rumors get in such a
short amount of time?’ I mused with a bitter smile.
It wasn’t really my first time being
subjected to such absurdity, but even still I
couldn’t help but find it all too ridiculous…
Nobles really do have a talent for creating chaos out of thin air.
Sigh… Anyways…
Instead of letting the weight of their scrutiny bear down on me. With a slow, deliberate sip, I let the warm
coffee I ordered slide down my throat, its
comforting bitterness grounding me
amidst the storm of gossip swirling around.
The warmth of the
cup in
my hands offered
a strange sense of calm, and I focused my
attention instead on the scene in front of
me.
She was on her third cup of tea by now,
and I watched as she absentmindedly sipped from it while devouring the last slice of cake she had ordered.
Her wide, nervous eyes darted to me and
then quickly away, as if she were afraid
that meeting my gaze for too long might turn her to stone.
“Aren’t
you going to join them?”
I asked, raising an eyebrow as I gestured toward the group of girls animatedly
chatting at the next table. Enna, who was seated directly across from
me, let out a nervous little laugh, her hands fidgeting with the edge of her teacup. “Eh-hehe… I already had my fill of getting
to know the seniors earlier.”
I
guess
that’s true…, recalling how she’d
been the most eager out of all the juniors
to engage with Rose and Seo during the
campus tour.
While the others had kept a respectful distance—likely more out of formality
because I was Reina’s brother-Enna had
been full of questions and bubbling enthusiasm, especially toward Rose and
Seo.
I could still see how she hovered near
them, captivated by their reputations and stories.
In contrast, the others-Vanessa, Stacia,
and Flamme—had maintained a polite
curiosity, addressing me and the girls with
the kind of detached respect one gives to
someone of higher standing but without much personal investment. Stacia and Flamme, though, had given me a
bit more attention and familiarity than the
rest, but I knew it wasn’t purely out of
interest in who I was, but rather their own
interest and agenda… especially Flamme. Though… Her attempts at a lighthearted
conversation with me all this time didn’t
quite mask the subtle tension in her voice.
Her
eyes
darted me before quickly shifting back to her cup.
Whatever it was she saw within me, it was
probably enough to keep her captivated for
the rest of the day.
I could see it in the
way
her eyes flickered
every time she glanced my way-subtle, but
the glow of power behind them was
unmistakable.
It’s not like she can see the whole truth though…
I had taken the precaution of wearing the
[Item: Ring of Light] earlier in the day.
As long as that ring stays on, she shouldn’t be able to detect
any
personally inside me.
Which was a relief.
unforeseen darkness
One less thing to worry about, especially
given her ability to judge people based on
the light and darkness within their souls.
Without the ring, there was no telling what she might’ve seen-how deep the shadows
actually went.
Afterall I can’t be too careful with her…
especially considering she was the type to straight murder anyone on the spot once
she saw darkness within them….
[Note: Foreign influence of divinity is currently scanning user…]
[Note: User astral defenses cannot be activated. User soul level too low.]
She’s really taking everything onto account
before starting any conversation huh….
The nervous way
her
eyes glowed every
time she looked my way wasn’t just
nervous energy. It was her power at work.
Although my experiment with her worked,
now I couldn’t help but feel a little bad for
her.
Emilia was probably doing this out of
genuine curiosity—and even concern.
Still, I couldn’t ignore the reality of the situation.
She’s the only one who can help me deal with this.
Emilia, with her divine blessing and ability
to see the light and dark in others, was the
only
one with the
power
to
get rid of
whatever influence Liyana had placed on
me… probably…
It was risky-I knew that.
Afterall this was Liyana we were talking
about, she’s sure to detect something a-miss if she really did something to me.
But there wasn’t another option.
She was my best chance.
In the game, Emilia had been the key to
Lucas’s winning the battle against the evil
god Erebil.
She had been the one with enough divine
power to match, and in some cases,
surpass, the forces of darkness that
threatened to consume the world.
Without her, Lucas would’ve never stood a
chance in defeating the ancient evil.
In fact, she had even played an
instrumental role in restraining Liyana,
using her divine abilities to hold her in
place long enough for Lucas to land the
finishing blow.
If she was the same Emilia I knew from the
game, then whatever she saw within me
was something she couldn’t just ignore.
She’s probably already piecing things
together.
“Uhm… Senior Riley…”
“Yes?”
“Are you… perhaps by any chance busy
later?”
“No, not really,”
She bit her lip, glancing around as if to
make sure no one else was listening. The
cafeteria was bustling, but no one was
paying us any mind at the moment.
“T-then…”
She trailed off, her hands clenching tightly
around the edges of her sleeves, fidgeting
nervously.
The pink blush that colored her cheeks
deepened as she seemed to struggle with
her words.
Then, leaning in closer-so close that I could feel the warmth of her breath brush
against my
neck—her soft voice soon
followed as it entered my ear.
“Can
you please meet me in
later…?”
my
dorm room
Her voice was barely audible, but it sent a
shock of surprise through me nonetheless.
“D-don’t
Please?”
worry, it’ll be just the two of us…
