NoveLight ™
Three Days Later
The promised date.
The Demon God's Domain
“Are you ready?”
Descending from her towering throne, the Demon God Huffniss glided down gracefully.
I extended a device toward her, infused with the power of dreams.
“Of course. As I mentioned before, this episode revolves around the story of the former Demon King, Perlerina. I believe you’ll find it to your liking.”
The save data was prepared to begin at Act 2, with Act 1 already cleared. This setup would ensure immersion right from the start.
“Before we proceed, allow me to explain a few things. If you disrupt the episode, the perception mechanism won’t function as intended. Thus, regardless of how the story unfolds or whether it meets your expectations, you must follow through as presented…”
“Hm…”
The Demon God propped her chin on her hand, listening to my explanation.
The device floated into the air and landed in her grasp.
“So, if I enter this and complete the episode as given, the former Demon King will be resurrected, correct?”
“That’s correct. It worked for the Magitech Engineer, and it worked for Sacrifice.”
Of course, that’s not going to happen.
You won’t be completing this episode.
And even if you did, the Demon King’s resurrection wouldn’t occur.
The version of Act 2 distributed to other players included a pivotal choice at the highlight moment: whether to assist the Demon King’s massacre or stop it.
This additional choice not only diverges from the established history but will also split the perceptions of the players who experience the episode. It’s entirely different from the case of the Ten Heroes and Saintess Kate.
“If the Demon God plays directly, I imagine you’ll reach the ending in less than half a day.”
A little flattery never hurt.
“Good. It is I who shall play, after all. I’ll complete it faster than anyone else.”
True to her arrogant nature, she activated the device without a shred of doubt.
Woom
As the Demon God powered up the device, the dream’s authority enveloped her completely.
Watching her, I entered the developer mode of [Akashic Archive] through the power of dreams.
***
Fwoosh!
“It’s finally time for the third trial.”
“...?”
Immersed in the power of dreams, the Demon God Huffniss found herself inside the game. Before her stood a black-haired human boy, addressing her directly.
“This is the final trial. If you pass this one, you’ll become the official curator of the [Akashic Archive].”
The words spilled out, dull and uninteresting.
She felt an overwhelming urge to overturn this nonsense and grab the boy by the neck. But the cautionary advice from the Apostle of Dreams echoed in her mind. Huffniss decided to restrain herself, for now.
Snap.
The curator snapped his fingers, and a book flew off a nearby shelf, landing in the space between them.
“This story will be a little different from the previous ones.”
The pages began to flip on their own, one by one.
“As before, the Abyss has begun its erosion. However, this time it isn’t through monsters. The erosion has targeted the protagonist’s very thoughts.”
Divine energy flowed from the curator’s hands, forming a vivid projection in the air.
‘…Perlerina?’
The sudden appearance of the former Demon King left Huffniss startled.
“She’s the central figure of this story and the one you must guide along the correct path.”
“…What do you mean by that? I must guide her along the correct path?” Huffniss questioned, irritation evident in her tone.
The curator crossed his arms, meeting her gaze.
“It’s simple. The protagonist of this story—this Demon King—played a pivotal role in shaping the fate of countless races in this world. It’s because of her actions that this world even exists within the [Archive], deemed worthy of preservation. The problem is, the Abyss’s interference has shattered her will.”
“Her will… shattered?”
“Yes. What she accomplished was only possible because of her unyielding resolve. The Abyss, however, has corrupted that resolve. Your task is to stay by her side and help her.”
“…How exactly am I supposed to help her?”
“This time, you won’t possess a character within the story, as you did before. Instead, you’ll exist as a spiritual form, remaining close to Perlerina. Don’t worry; you won’t have to live through her entire life. Everything unimportant will be accelerated. Your role is to guide her during the most critical moments.”
Wooong.
The curator’s power swirled around the book, creating a vortex of energy.
“Remember, as curators of the [Akashic Archive], our mission is to preserve events exactly as they happened across the universe. Even if the outcome doesn’t sit well with you, you must not arbitrarily alter it.”
Huffniss only half-listened, her focus elsewhere.
All she cared about was finishing this as quickly as possible and meeting Perlerina again.
“Let’s begin, then.”
The world contained within the book engulfed Huffniss entirely.
***
A quiet village bathed in moonlight.
A place that should have been peaceful now burned in chaos.
"Kill all those damned demons!"
"Slaughter them and take what you can!"
Human mercenaries rampaged through the village, dragging out the hiding residents and mercilessly slaughtering them.
“Hahaha! Look at this tender demon flesh! Nothing beats the thrill of slicing through it!”
“Massacres without consequences! What better way to have fun?”
Most of the demons were defenseless women and children, but that didn’t stop the mercenaries. Their blades tore through flesh and bone, their laughter chilling in the night air.
“Those wretches…!”
The Demon God Huffniss clenched her spectral fists, her eyes glowing with rage.
This scene, one of countless atrocities that plagued the continent before she ended the Great Demon War, was a grim reminder of the chain of hatred between the races.
In the past, demons were hunted and discriminated against relentlessly. Huffniss herself had lost her parents to another race's cruelty.
Were she in her true form, the mercenaries would already be reduced to dust. But in her current state as a soul, she had no physical power to intervene.
Ding!
[First Assistance]
A system notification appeared, followed by a virtual arrow marking the child’s location.
Huffniss followed the guide, her soul drifting through the chaos.
In a small house tucked into the corner of the village…
“Lina, you must not come out. Do you understand?”
“But, Mom!”
A desperate mother hid her young daughter, a demon girl, in the basement. She covered the entrance with heavy furniture, using herself as bait to save her child.
It was a classic scene, tragically common across the continent during those times, but no less heartbreaking for its familiarity.
‘So, this is the past of my mentor,’ Huffniss thought, her gaze darkening.
“I love you, Lina.”
“Mom! No, Mom!”
The woman sealed the basement and stepped outside, tears streaming down her face.
As soon as she opened the door, mercenaries waiting nearby caught sight of her.
“A demon wench!”
“Grab her!”
Though demons were physically superior to humans, ordinary demons who lived peaceful lives were no match for mercenaries trained for slaughter.
The demon woman was immediately overpowered.
“Hehehe, what a prize we’ve caught.”
“This one will be fun to carve up. Her hand’s mine.”
“Ugh, you’re insane. Why would you even keep something like that?”
As they butchered her, the woman bit down on her screams, enduring unimaginable pain. She feared that even a single cry might alert her daughter and cause her to react, giving away her hiding spot.
Huffniss, floating invisibly nearby, watched the woman’s death with a heavy heart.
Even in her arrogance, Huffniss could not help but respect the demon mother’s determination and sacrifice.
“Cry, you damn wench! This isn’t fun if you stay silent!”
One mercenary thrust a jagged blade into her abdomen, twisting it mercilessly.
“Aaagh!”
Despite her efforts, the searing pain forced a scream from her lips.
Her scream echoed through the house.
“Mom!”
The voice of her daughter, muffled but clear, came from the basement.
“…Huh?”
“Is there another one?”
“Over there!”
“Find it!”
The mercenaries dropped the dying woman and followed the sound toward the basement.
The demon woman, barely conscious, crawled toward them and grabbed one mercenary’s ankle.
“Persistent wench.”
Crack!
A kick to the head silenced her forever.
In the basement, the young girl sobbed quietly, her hands clamped over her mouth.
Bang! Bang!
“Bring the hammer! We’ll bust it open!”
The mercenaries began smashing at the hidden entrance above her. Death was moments away.
“You.”
A mature, imposing woman suddenly appeared beside the girl.
“Huh?”
The girl stared at her wide-eyed.
“There’s no time. If you don’t want your mother’s sacrifice to be in vain, you must listen to me.”
The figure before her was none other than the Demon God Huffniss, appearing as she envisioned herself in reality.
To the girl, Huffniss looked like a great being straight out of a fairy tale.
Without a word, the girl nodded.
“Good. Now, try to move your mana essence.”
“...?”
“We don’t have time for questions. Focus on the lower part of your abdomen. If you truly are Lina, you can do this. Concentrate.”
Under Huffniss’s guidance, the girl quickly learned to manipulate her latent mana, her body flickering and disappearing from view.
“Good. Now, use it!”
As the mana enveloped her, the girl vanished entirely.
Crash!
The mercenaries broke through the basement entrance.
“…What the? There’s nothing here.”
“That can’t be right.”
“Did we imagine it?”
“Damn it. False alarm, I guess. Let’s move on.”
They spat on the floor before leaving the house.
Moments later, they set the empty house ablaze.
***
I possessed the curator in the version of the story that the Demon God was progressing through, taking on the role as its developer.
Everything was proceeding as planned.
The Demon God, tethered to her mentor’s side, would witness the entirety of her life unfold. She would see the truths hidden behind the surface.
What would happen when everything she believed about her mentor was upended, and the truth came to light?
This episode wasn’t a tale of vengeance against a betraying mentor.
It was a bittersweet journey of farewell—a poignant and precious goodbye to the one she revered.