Evangeline Rullet (2/2)

As I watched my reflection sobbing in the broken fragments of the mirror, a strange clarity began to settle over me.

This must be a dream—or something like it. A vivid showcase of a memory, perhaps.

It was strange. I'd never experienced anything like this before. Despite being thrust into Evangeline Rullet's life, her memories had always been distant, like faint echoes I could barely grasp. But now… now it felt as though I were standing in the center of her anguish, drowning in it.

While part of me was intrigued, curious about what this meant, a sharp pang of grief tore through my chest, shattering my composure.

The feeling was overwhelming, far too real to ignore. It wasn't mine, yet it consumed me entirely.

Just then, the Evangeline Rullet reflected in the shattered glass cried out, her voice raw and desperate.

A sudden wave of mana erupted from her, the force of it shaking the room, rattling the debris and shattered pieces around her.

"Huh? Wait, stop!" I shouted instinctively, panic rising as I realized what was happening.

But she couldn't hear me. I wasn't really here—not entirely. I was just a mirage, a ghost watching a scene unfold.

The mana continued to surge, swirling around Evangeline like a tempest fueled by her grief.

I turned my gaze to the window, and my breath caught.

Outside, the world was nothing but a desolate wasteland. The ground was scorched and barren, littered with the remnants of a brutal war. Smoke rose in plumes, the air heavy with the echoes of carnage.

This was…

This must be after the war.

A chill ran down my spine as the realization hit me. This was after the battle against Shanis and Eren—when they sought to conquer Maharlika and take her lingering powers for themselves.

But something was wrong.

The more I watched, the more the scene began to unravel in my mind, leaving me confused.

Evangeline's cries grew louder, her voice trembling with raw emotion as she called out, her words piercing through the chaos like daggers.

"I'm sorry, Maharlika!"

"I've wronged you! I have betrayed you!"

"Please don't leave me! Don't leave us!"

Her sobs echoed in the desolate room, her mana surging in erratic bursts that threatened to tear everything apart.

And then I saw her.

Beyond the desolate battlefield, standing amidst the ruins, was a woman with flowing silver hair.

She didn't move, her figure eerily still against the chaos around her.

Slowly, almost reluctantly, she turned her head, her gaze meeting Evangeline's for just a moment.

Tears streaked down her pale cheeks, silent and unending, as if they carried the weight of a thousand lifetimes.

Her lips moved, her voice soft yet carrying an unshakable finality that seemed to echo directly in my mind.

"You love each other, don't you?" the silver-haired woman whispered, her tone heavy with bitterness and sorrow. "Enough to hurt me?"

Her hand lifted, and a faint shimmer of magic danced across her fingertips.

"So with this magic," she continued, her voice trembling, "you can eternally ask for my forgiveness while staying with each other."

The moment she spoke, a blinding light erupted, consuming everything in its path.

I stumbled back, shielding my eyes as the scene dissolved into chaos. The shattered room, the desolate battlefield, the crying Evangeline—all of it was swallowed by the light.

And then… silence.

I opened my eyes to find myself back in the quiet, familiar world I'd come to know. My breathing was ragged, my body trembling as the remnants of the memory lingered in my mind.

What had I just seen?

Maharlika's words echoed in my mind, over and over, her sorrowful gaze etched into my memory.

You can eternally ask for my forgiveness…

What did it mean?

And why did it feel like this was only the beginning of something much, much worse?