A faint tickling sensation on his forehead made Xue's eyebrows twitch, and he gradually opened his eyes. The first sight he encountered was the raven-haired woman beside him on the bed, her mesmerising eyes brimmed with affection. She smiled lovingly, and the sunlight beaming down on her made her appear ethereal, her hand lingered around his face.

Her lips started to move, her voice sounding neither far or close, like he was in a dream.

"What are you thinking of, Xue?"

"You."

Xue closed his eyes, and the next time he opened them, he found himself in a dilapidated room with dim lighting. The raven-haired woman was nowhere to be found.

"Finally awake?"

Upon hearing that familiar voice from a certain laid-back devil, Xue shut his eyes again. A gloomy shadow hung over his entire figure.

"Get lost."

Veau was leaning against the destroyed wall of his room, and he glanced over to Valoel who was sitting on the table. He shrugged helplessly at his master and prepared to leave his room.

"You brat, what do you think you are doing? In circumstances like these, being beside your friends and family is the right choice."

"He's not my friend."

"If he isn't, why didn't you kill them the moment you decided to betray them? Why did you give them the chance to kill you?"

"That was just our plan to–"

"The two of you aren't idiots, you won't keep your enemies alive. Stop lying to yourself any longer. How long do you think I have watched over you and Zeau?"

"..."

Valoel clicked his tongue at his dishonest disciple who couldn't retort to his words. Veau cleared his throat awkwardly, glancing away.

"Why am I here?" Xue questioned, his voice devoid of emotion.

"There was no other resting place for you." Valoel explained.

"Even so, why here of all places?" Xue grumbled, his eyes still remaining closed. "It reeks."

Veau raised an eyebrow. "Oh? I could make it smell better, for example–"

"Scram!"

"Yeah, you should. This is my room."

"I should kill you."

"The feeling's mutual."

"Stop, stop, stop!" Valoel exclaimed, standing up from his table and massaging his head in frustration. "The two of you are going through the same pain and misery. Venting your anger like this won't help!"

"I warned you, master." Veau shrugged. "He would prefer resting on a rock rather than here, even your house that has exploded into pieces would be better."

Xue pretended that the whole world was dead to him, tuning himself out of this conversation.

"There's nothing left! How can you expect me to bring an injured guest to my house like that?!"

"That fox can hold their own ground." Veau nodded in approval as he pondered to himself. "I still would have liked to see their fur dyed in blue."

"Not bringing her along was a great choice. This has nothing to do with her, and I won't allow her to risk her life for something like that," Valoel sighed, waving his hand in the air in resignation. "It's just a house. She can destroy it all she wants."

"It's about time you moved out anyway. I have always thought the hut you built looked awful."

All of a sudden, someone barged into the room.

"Master, are you still not going to explain who they are?" Zeau questioned in exasperation, his voice full of disapproval. "We've met the mortals before, but the other two who holds similar powers to us–"

He witnessed the sight of Valoel grabbing Veau by the collar in anger while Veau faced his master with a bored look. After which, Zeau's head turned towards Xue laying on the bed, who was pretending to be a corpse.

"On second thought, maybe it's better if the two of them handled the angels and demons for now." Zeau mused. "We are not of sound mind."

"It's time I tell you about them." Valoel stroked his beard, nodding as he released Veau and cleared his throat. "The reason behind their familiar powers is because they are the First Demon Lord and the First Supreme God."

"What?" Zeau blinked in shock, looking at Veau. "Did I hear that right?"

"Come now, brother. We've seen and experienced enough things to not be fazed anymore." Veau shrugged.

"Hm, yes, when you put it like that, I guess it makes sense." Zeau frowned.

Xue heard the conversation clearly and his eyes burst open.

"Sevont and Tano?" Xue questioned. "The two of them are alive? How?"

"It's something to do with the Oracle's mirror–" Valoel started to explain but Xue vanished from the spot.

"He's gone, master."

"Does he not know how long he has been asleep?" Valoel sighed, looking at his two disciples. "Two months has passed since then. How have things been for the two of you?"

"You'll hear nothing good from us." Zeau smiled wryly. "Thanks to the...First Demon Lord, it has made things easier to speak to our brethren."

"The war has gone on for too long, to the point where vengeance has lost its meaning. None of us wanted this." Valoel stated, solemn. He observed Veau in sympathy. "None of us."

There was an air of melancholy to Veau as he gazed out the broken wall of his room. His fingers slowly trailed up his black robes, clutching onto the feather dangling on his neck.

"Kyahaha!"

"Come back here!"

There was a loud shriek and high-pitched giggles coming from below the castle.

Veau glanced down and he caught a sight of four children playing together. One of them was an angel, and the other was a demon. The remaining two were of mixed breed.

It was a sight he never thought he would be able to witness in his lifetime.

A scene you wanted to always see...

It's here, Eona.

But you aren't here to witness it.

He tightened his grip around the feather, albeit not too tight as he was afraid to damage it.

Zeau approached Veau quietly and placed a comforting hand on Veau's shoulder. The two of them stood side by side, quietly observing the children playing below.

Valoel heaved another long sigh, shaking his head as he stood up. "Right now, more than anyone else, the two of you share the same pain as Xue. The three of you need to support one another, since you'll be the ones leading the future."

"Master, do you really think he would ever forgive us? Or forget what we have done."

"He wouldn't." Veau interjected coldly. "Xue is no longer that foolish or kind-hearted."

"Seems like you already know the answer, so I'll leave you with another thought," Valoel smiled helplessly, walking towards his disciples and patting them on the back. "Is this the ending you want between all of you?"

The two of them remained silent.

Valoel bid them farewell and left the room. He had to build another hut for himself and console a stubborn little Kilgitsu.

***

Xue had been in the castle numerous times, and he swiftly made his way to the entrance. Arriving at the doors of the castle, he was momentarily surprised to see that he had been fixed. The doors were completely brand new.

"Hahaha!"

He heard muffled laughter outside the doors, and there was no hint of mockery in that laughter. It was pure joy.

A happy laughter?

Is this...the demon realm I knew?

His hand lingered on the doors and he finally pushed it open. Just then, bright light filtered in through the gaps of the doorway, making him squint his eyes.

The demon realm he knew was never this blinding.

Something has changed.

"Xue!"

He took a step back when Hana appeared in front of him with a wide grin. She was dressed in light pink robes and there was a piece of similar-coloured shawl hanging around her neck. She was hiding something behind her back, her vibrant red hair was tied up and swaying to the breeze.

"Hana?"

"You are finally awake! How do you feel?"

"..."

Xue didn't know how to answer that question, since there was nothing positive he could say about his current mood. Even though the world currently seemed bright and dazzling, to Xue, it was dull and colourless.

It was nothing but emptiness.

"...Xue?" Hana called out in distress. The current demeanour of Xue made her uneasy. "It's okay if you don't want to answer that question."

"Stop making Hana anxious."

Someone stepped in beside Xue, patting him on the shoulder. It was K'xug and his heterochromia irises held a hint of concern in them.

"You have been unconscious for two months, so take it easy."

"What?" Xue blinked.

"After that day, you sustained severe internal injuries and we did our best to heal you," K'xug sighed, folding his arms across his chest. "Your other soul fragments took over your body to ensure proper recovery. They were unusually quiet as well."

Just then, Xue realised that ever since he awoke, he hadn't heard of them speaking in his mind. However, hearing the comment from K'xug, he knew that he wasn't alone in this suffering.

Hana and K'xug exchanged knowing glances, and they didn't want to pry on the reason behind Xue's injuries. It was obvious how someone as powerful as him sustained such injuries.

"Didn't you want to pass Xue something, Hana?" K'xug nudged encouragingly.

"Uhm, mmm..." Hana smiled sheepishly before she revealed the object she was hiding behind her back. "Eat this, Xue. I remember you liked it alot."

It was a freshly made parfait in a glass mug with a small spoon.

"Don't forget, we are all here for you, okay?" Hana said, her eyes filled with sincerity as she beamed at him.

K'xug smacked his hand on Xue's back, giving him a reassuring nod.

Xue was stunned speechless and he accepted the parfait with gratitude. He stared at the parfait in his hands, the heaviness in his heart easing up a little.

"Big sister Hana!"

"Come on, come on! Play with us!"

A young angel and a young demon pulled on her shawl, making her stumble. She glanced back, a hint of laughter in her voice.

"Don't pull on the shawl. It's what I brought to show you some magic tricks today!"

"Is it with light magic?"

"No, with water magic!"

"What's that?"

"You can only see it if you head down to the mortal realm! You see, the elemental energy in the mortal realm works differently!"

"Woah! So cool!"

"Does that mean we can play with the others?"

"Yay!"

"Yes, after I am done speaking to my–"

The two children cheered, pulling on the sleeves of Hana's arms as they pouted.

"Awww! You said you'll play with us after giving that parfait to your family! I can't wait any longer!"

Hana became flustered in an instant, gasping as she leaned down to cover the young demon's mouth. There was a tinge of red on her cheeks as she glanced at K'xug and Xue.

K'xug chuckled, trying to hide his smile by placing his fingers on his lips.

"Family?" Xue blinked in surprise. "Me?"

"I-I said someone like a brother to me!" Hana sputtered out as she panicked, her face growing more red by the second. "I didn't mean it in a literal sense!"

The young angel tilted their head in confusion. "But family means family, what else could it mean?"

The demon child smacked Hana's hands away and stood proudly with hands on their hips. "That's right! That's what my mum told me! Family is family!"

Hana was completely embarrassed now.

Xue recalled the words uttered by Hana earlier, and a faint smile curled at his lips.

"Hana."

"...don't take their words to heart, Xue, I just–"

"Thank you. You are family to me as well."

"...!"

Hana stared back at Xue with an emotional look in her eyes. She took a step closer to Xue, her hands clasping onto his that was still holding onto the parfait.

"Don't keep it all to yourself like last time, Xue. Don't forget, you have us." Hana spoke with a hoarse voice.

"I know."

She smiled, turning her head away and rubbing at her eyes.

"Come, let's go and play."

"Big sister Hana, you are crying!"

"I'm not sad, I'm just happy. I'm crying tears of joy!"

The children pulled on her arms, dragging her away as she laughed with them.

Xue scooped a mouthful of parfait and savoured it in his mouth before swallowing it down. The faint smile remained on his face.

"K'xug."

"...?"

"Thank you."

"You don't need to thank me for anything," K'xug smiled, glancing in the direction that Hana disappeared to. "How are you feeling now?"

"I'm not okay," Xue answered bluntly, swallowing down mouthful after mouthful of parfait. "...but I'll be fine for now."

"As long as you promise not to live like a corpse from now on."

"Don't worry. I'm not going to abandon my only family left in this world." Xue met K'xug's gaze, his grey eyes no longer as bleak and lifeless as it was earlier. "That includes you too, K'xug."

K'xug laughed. "Even so, we made sure to take turns to check up on you."

"We?"

"Did you think it was only me and Hana?"

"To the right, right! Just a bit more–yeah! Good, stop!"

A familiar voice exclaimed, and Xue would recognise that obnoxious voice anywhere.

"Haru?"

He glanced in the direction that Haru was shouting from, and he found Haru glancing back at an elderly man sitting down on a chair. The man was obviously not an angel or demon, but a mortal.

Haru started making some hand gestures towards the elderly man. The elderly man squinted his eyes at where Haru pointed to before nodding in approval.

"Okay, we are done here." Haru panted out, collapsing on the ground. "I never knew how tiring it was doing something like this!"

"That old man is deaf." Xue noted before he frowned in bewilderment. "But what is a mortal doing all the way here in the demon realm? And why is Haru here?"

"Is that all you noticed?" K'xug raised an eyebrow. "And that old man is some renowned architect from Haru's place, and an architect that Sevont approved of."

At that moment, dozens of angels and demons collapsed right beside Haru as they kept their wings. They laid down on the ground in a defeated manner, and their faces were smudged with dirt.

"I can't believe we have to repair this castle bit by bit."

"Ugh...I can't do this anymore."

"Is this how much respect and love you have for your lords? How weak."

"Shut up, we don't want to hear it from people who betrayed their own leader."

"As if you demons are any better, you forced your own lords into war for your reputation and selfish desires."

"..."

"..."

"Don't you guys ever get tired of arguing the same thing over and over again?" Haru groaned. "How many times have we rebuilt the wall just because of your petty fights?"

At those words, the demons and angels sighed and laughed helplessly in unison.

A perplexed Xue stepped forward and lifted his head up. He realised that the walls of the demon castle were slowly being patched up under the efforts of these demons and angels. It wasn't only the walls, but the windows and the rooms were also being refurbished. However, what surprised him even more was that they were working together.

"Apparently, Sevont said that this castle was built by hand and no black magic was involved. This castle was to show their adoration and respect for the demon lords who cared deeply for their people," K'xug explained, a hint of awe in his words. "I have never seen a demon lord compelling his own people to rebuild the castle with such anger in their words. It's almost like he placed a curse on them."

"It's true," Xue nodded, a distant look in his eyes as he recalled memories from his first life. "The demons who built this castle were very precious to Tano. He wouldn't allow their handiwork to crumble down like that."

"So you know it too."

"...but what are the angels doing here?" Xue tilted his head.

"Apparently, Tano had this idea of making the angels and demons work together to repair the demon lord's castle. This applied for the heavenly palace too."

"Ah." Xue gave a deadpan. "That sounds like something he would do."

"He seemed pretty angry too."

"Tano? Angry?"

"It seemed like he placed some actual curses on the angels, saying something along the lines of making up for their sins against their ruler. They had to obey his commands no matter what."

A small smile flitted past Xue's lips.

Seems like he is angry for my sake.

A group of children raced past Xue and K'xug, a mix of demons and angels. They jumped onto the bodies of their exhausted parents, embracing them.

"Daddy, mummy!"

"Hehehe!"

"And the kids?"

"Some of them didn't feel safe leaving them in the heavenly realm where demons would be at, and the kids didn't understand the animosity between demons, angels or mixed breeds. They grew bored and ended up playing along with one another."

"How ironic."

"Isn't this the future you once envisioned, Xue?"

"Well, it's...close enough."

Just then, Haru noticed the presence of K'xug and Xue. He bolted up from the spot, sprinting over and grabbing Xue by the shoulders.

"Oi, Xue! You are awake now!" Haru exclaimed, glancing Xue up and down as he continued shaking Xue violently. "You were covered in blood when we last saw you! Why are you so reckless just like Cecil? Do you know how shocked we were?! You are fine now, right? "

"...I'll be fine once you stop shaking me. You are gonna make me spill Hana's parfait."

"Xue!"

"My friend! He's awake!"

"What a relief."

Kiyae, Ryo and Yun dropped the building materials on the ground, making the angels and demons scramble to catch it. They rushed over to Xue with smiles on their faces, and they expressed their concern for Xue.

Xue was annoyed at their constant fussing, but he didn't push them away. Now, he understood what K'xug meant by taking turns to check in on him.

"I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" Kiyae narrowed her eyes. "I don't want to see you all gloomy again! It's not cute at all!"

Xue sighed. "Yeah, yeah."

"You said so! Don't go back on your words!" Haru smacked him on the back repeatedly. "We'll be checking in on you everyday!"

"Would you quit hitting me?"

"Hahaha, right, sorry!" Haru laughed. "I was just too happy to see my friend awake again!"

"My friend!" Ryo grinned, embracing Xue without hesitation. "If you need a fighting partner, just call me anytime!"

Xue panicked, passing his parfait to K'xug.

"Don't listen to this battle junkie." Yun slapped his hand over Ryo's face, pushing him aside. "Take a good rest, Xue. You can depend on us to help you whenever."

"Yun Yun! Don't be mean, let us hug him!"

"I don't trust you guys to control your strength. Didn't they warn us of how severe his injuries were?"

He watched the four of them bicker with one another, and the tangled knots in his heart were slowly beginning to unravel.

He finally came to an understanding.

Even though his world had left him, it did not mean that the world had truly ended. He wasn't the only one suffering in this world, and one way or another, he'll find a way to push forward. Just like everyone else.

Indeed, his world had left him, but it didn't mean he had to stop living.

A smile welled up from the bottom of his heart, and he closed his eyes. His soul fragments that were unusually quiet were beginning to speak up.

Kai: "We said we'll wait for her."

Alric: "Fo-forever and ever!"

Zasiok: "We can't give up hope."

Leonaut: "I refuse to give up."

Isleif: "She'll come back for us."

Sid: "My goddess said she'll come back!"

Shin: "I believe in her."

Rugi: "I will never doubt her."

Jehan: "I refuse to leave without seeing her face for one last time."

Xu Bolin: "No matter how vague and hopeless it might seem, we have to push forward."

Wang Jie: "The woman we fell in love with isn't that weak!"

Min: "She's like poison, but a poison I can't live without."

Nerri: "Cecil Lan."

Fyth: "Our oath."

His dull and bleak world was slowly being filled up with splashes of colours.

This wasn't the world he wanted to bring her back to, he wanted to show her the world he envisioned. A world without needless war, a world where people weren't bound by their fate, a world where it belonged to the people living in it.

"K'xug."

"Yeah?"

"I need to meet Tano and Sevont."

"Judging by your expression, it has something to do with Cecil, doesn't it?"

"Not only that," Xue answered and shook his head. "I want to welcome her back to a world of our own. Not the Creator or the hatred between angels and demons."

"Me too." K'xug grinned, watching Haru bicker with his companions while the angels and demons groaned in misery at their workload. "I want to see such a world."

Xue chuckled, throwing his arm around K'xug's shoulder. "Thanks for believing in me."

"What are you talking about? I always believed in you."

"Oh, Xue is smiling!"

"He's no longer gloomy!"

"Xue, welcome back!"

"Like I said, stop squeezing him like that. Take it easy on an injured person..."

Xue grimaced, escaping from their embrace and he turned to look at K'xug. Just then, he noticed K'xug's empty hands.

"...K'xug, where did my parfait go?"

K'xug blinked innocently, shrugging.

"You..."

"Didn't you say you wanted to see Tano and Sevont? Let's go then."

"And you said I was petty."

"I just want to spend more time with Hana."

Xue gave K'xug an expression of disbelief.

"Supreme God..."

The group of people paused. They turned to see a group of angels standing before them with hesitant looks on their faces.

"You peasants–mm."

Kiyae pinched on Haru's cheek, tugging on him with a warning look in her eyes. "Captain."

"Don't you dare talk to my friend." Ryo stood protectively in front of Xue, glaring at the angels. "You were the ones responsible for hurting him."

"Ryo..." Haru muttered out in amazement before grinning. "That's right, if you wanna talk to him, you gotta go through me!"

"What more do you want from him?" Yun questioned, a frown on his face.

"To think you have the guts to speak to him again." K'xug raised his eyebrows at the angels, a hint of anger in his words. "Haven't you done enough?"

The angels cowered back at their words, but they still refused to leave. They clearly had something to say to Xue.

"Forget it, let them speak," Xue sighed, patting Haru and Ryo on the shoulder as he gently moved them aside. "I want to hear what they have to say."

"Supreme God."

"I recognise your faces," Xue grimaced, a hint of bitterness in his words as he recalled those painful memories. "You were the ones cheering while I was stabbed in the back."

They lowered their heads, obviously guilty.

"Spit it out." Xue demanded, his voice devoid of emotion.

"We...we apologise. We have committed an unforgivable sin, we...we doubted you and fell into a trap, a trap that made us betray–"

"So what?"

"Yes...?"

"You want me to forgive you just because you were brainwashed by Zeau and Veau?" Xue scoffed, a chilling glint in his eyes. "Their method only worked because you allowed those doubts to fester in your minds."

"..."

"You want me to forgive you? Hah!"

"No, we-we want to..."

Xue summoned his soul weapon out of nowhere and brandished his spear towards them. "Repent with your lives?"

The angels were shocked.

"I may have taken up the role of the Supreme God once more." Xue smirked at them, aiming his spear at their necks. "...but I am nothing like the past me."

He will no longer allow people to take advantage of his kindness or generosity. It was only those who treated him with sincerity that deserved it.

That was the lesson that Xue learnt after being stabbed in the back, pierced through the chest and having his soul ripped apart.

"You expect me to forgive and forget? That's not what I became the Supreme God for." Xue sneered. "I didn't come back for trash like you, and neither did I come back for revenge."

This time, he only came back for his own happiness.

***

《 start 》

"Don't cry."

I will cry, and I will continue to do so.

...but this is nothing like my past life.

This time, my cries will be heard by people around me.

People that treat me with sincerity.

They will be there to say...

"It'll be okay. We are here for you."

I have finally found people to believe in.

These are also the people I returned to fight for, to...live for.

《 stop 》