Elfsei Mayumi Yumi

Two weeks.

That was all it took for the world to go from glory to silence.

Two weeks since the war ended.

Two weeks since Elfhrinsei fell, since the seal broke and Angelic Arthur emerged, since we watched the impossible happen before our very eyes.

And yet, it feels like years have already passed.

Now I stand here on the high terrace of the elven palace, where blue crystal lanterns float like stars caught in the wind.

Down below, the city shines like a perfect painting.

Too beautiful to be a traitor.

My chest tightens.

"I still can't breathe properly without feeling like I'm going to vomit."

But if I'm going to finish this story... I have to start with what destroyed me.

Three months ago:

Hiroshi with that smile of his, the smile that always said "I've already won" before the game even started.

"So that's it, Yumi . You want Alisiya ... and I want to see the world fall apart. We can help each other," he said .

I should have turned around.

I should have broken his nose.

I should have done something different from what I did.

"Can you really capture her?" I asked , feeling the defeat growing before the battle even began.

He gave a crooked smile.

"Yes, but in return, I want to play with your puppy, " she replied .

My stomach churned.

I knew exactly who he meant:

Fubuki Shouta .

"Playing"...? I asked , even though I knew the answer.

Hiroshi laughed as if it were a game.

"I pull the chains, he obeys. You've seen him do this before. I just intend to... stretch the rules a little," he said with brutal simplicity.

I remember the bitter taste of blood when I bit my lip.

If I refused, he would do it anyway.

If I accepted, I would be an accomplice.

And I accepted.

"...Okay," I replied .

Even I didn't believe it myself.

It was there that I signed the death warrant of the person who loved me most in the world.

That's where I handed over Shouta .

That's where everything started to rot.

Two weeks ago: The Palace of Syros

I went alone.

"Don't come after me, Filna . I'll finish off Elfhrinsei now," I said .

Filna crossed her arms, with that cold look that savors every mistake I make.

"And since when did you become the protagonist, sis?" she asked .

"Ever since he destroyed everything we had," I replied .

She didn't argue.

He simply turned his face away.

And I walked to the palace.

The black crystal floor reflected my distorted face with every step.

The walls trembled as if breathing, alive with forbidden magic.

And there, in the center of the great hall, illuminated by an arcane purple circle, Elfhrinsei waited.

He turned slowly, with that gentle smile that was more deadly than any sword.

— Yumi . You look so much like her. — she said softly.

Behind him, suspended in a translucent spell, lay the body of my mother, Alara, as if she were sleeping, intact, serene.

My heart stopped.

"It's not possible..." I whispered.

Elfhrinsei approached, placing the palm of his hand on the seal.

"Before crossing over to World Two, she was my light. I loved her more than life itself," he said .

The word "loved" cut my skin like a blade.

"I just want to bring her back. But to do that, I need to rekindle the feeling that guided me before… I need to remember the touch, the warmth," he continued .

He stared at me.

— One night. A night like the ones she gave me. — he said bluntly.

So that I can feel again… before restoring what I've lost.

My whole body went cold.

Part of me wanted to laugh.

Another one wanted to vomit.

Another wanted to kill him right there.

But I was looking at my mother's face.

For what could be hope.

"If she loved him... if this is a key... if this can bring her back..."

I betrayed myself.

" ...Okay . If she would do it... I'll do it too," I replied , almost voicelessly.

He smiled.

And the rest I prefer to bury, because remembering already hurts enough.

The invasion:

Explosions shook the palace.

Lights pierced the walls like lightning thundering inside a temple.

I could barely stand.

That's when Filna appeared.

— Sister. — she said, standing in the doorway, her whole body trembling with shock and hatred.

She looked at me.

Considering the state I was in.

And something in her expression broke.

" So... that was it. While we were gambling our lives out there," he murmured .

I tried to speak.

"I... can explain..." I tried to say.

"No need. Choices speak louder than words," she replied.

Then she attacked.

With the frying pan.

Delighted.

Teleported .

He hit me directly in the stomach with the frying pan.

I only had time to activate Cloning, and three versions of myself took shape, more solid than ever thanks to the broken system.

Filna did not back down.

— TELEPORTATION. — she murmured.

A clone disappeared and reappeared on the ceiling, only to be destroyed.

— JIKŪ IKAN. — she finished.

And he switched the positions of two clones at the right moment, correctly identifying the real one.

The frying pan hit my abdomen with brutal force, breaking my breath and throwing my body against the wall.

My vision went black for a few seconds.

When I returned, the ground was shaking.

A colossal light appeared in the center of the hall.

Yuuki shouting someone's name.

Alisiya advanced with magic that cut through the air like a knife.

Elfhrinsei , laughing with final arrogance.

And in the midst of it all…

Hymen , stepping forward.

The collapse of the level system:

It wasn't a sound.

It was an invisible impact.

It's as if all the world's chains broke at once.

My body burned, but not from pain: from power.

My cloning has expanded, allowing for five complete, sustainable bodies, mentally connected.

My temporal spells lengthened; now I could extend and manipulate seconds with deadly precision.

Similarly, I felt:

Shana , unleashed as the true Demonic Queen .

Koharu , shining like a pure angelic heiress.

Fujimoto and Alisiya , without artificial weight on their backs, real strength emerging.

And then…

Angelic Arthur

The palace floor cracked.

White and gold lights rose like pillars.

And a tall figure emerged, followed by another, Angelic Merlin.

Arthur looked at us as one might observe dust on an old book.

"The barrier to World Two is vulnerable. The game starts now," he said , bored.

Fujimoto , Shana , Koharu , and Alisiya advanced.

Arthur raised his hand.

And we were all thrown to the ground with absurd force.

Effortless.

Expressionless.

As if we were irrelevant.

"Survive, if you can. I might need parts later," he said.

And it disappeared into the dimensional tear.

The world still smelled of ashes.

The battle against Elfhrinsei ended moments ago, and the wind that swept across the devastated fields of the Kingdom of Syros seemed to carry screams that no one wanted to hear anymore.

Yuuki was on her knees, trembling, her hands still stained with blood that didn't come from any physical injury. Alisiya stood beside her, staring blankly into space with glassy eyes. Neither spoke. Neither needed to. The entire continent heard the final impact.

The explosion of scarlet light…

Yuuki 's desperate scream echoed through the air…

And then silence.

The entire ground vibrated, and it was as if the world took a deep breath for the first time in centuries.

The Level System, the invisible wall that limited the power of us all, shattered in a wave of energy that surged into the sky like white lightning.

I felt my body tremble as my abilities expanded like a lung that could finally fill with air again.

My clones could now multiply without burning my body, five at a time.

The amount of time I could manipulate... doubled.

Filna , beside me, gasped in surprise: her teleportation portals extended to previously impossible distances, and the Jikū Ikan shone with double the intensity.

And then…

The seal cracked.

A crack cut through the air like shattering glass, and the sky darkened in an instant.

"It can't be... the seal...!" Shana screamed.

We rushed into demonic territory, the forbidden heart of the spiritual prison that held Lucifer. Demonic isolated between worlds.

We arrived in time to stop the rebellious demons from destroying the arcane circle; we defeated them, one by one, in a frenzied mix of screams, steel, and magic.

But just when we thought we had stopped them…

The ground opened up.

A pillar of purple energy devoured the seal's runes like fire licking dry wood.

And then he appeared.

Demonic Lucifer was reborn.

An overwhelming presence, an aura that twisted the air around it.

It hurt even to breathe.

— Fujimoto ! Back off! — he shouted Shana .

Shana stepped forward first, assuming her full demonic form, black wings cutting through the wind, horns curving backward, and red markings glowing on her body like live embers.

Koharu exploded in light, revealing her full angelic form, gigantic white wings, a fragmented halo floating above her head.

Fujimoto stood between them, his eyes burning purple. His Hidden Observatory pulsed like a second heart, ready to wrest the truth from the universe if necessary.

The final shock was brutal.

Shana 's black flames collided with Koharu 's celestial light , guided by Fujimoto 's purple energy blade slash , all against Lucifito 's titanic fist .

The impact destroyed mountains.

I was thrown against a stone wall, even dozens of meters away. The sky opened up in streaks of red light.

And then…

Silence.

When the dust settled, Lucifito staggered, wounded.

Shana fell to her knees, panting.

Koharu was bleeding, but she still faced the enemy.

Fujimoto stood motionless, his arm trembling as if he were holding up the entire world by himself.

"It's over..." he said, before fainting.

Lucifitus ' body turned to ashes.

The war is over.

But the victory didn't taste like victory.

I didn't cry.

There weren't enough tears.

It was then that Filna approached and placed her hand on Shouta and Fujimoto 's shoulder .

"Come to the Elven Kingdom. Until Angelic Arthur is defeated, you will be safe there. And we need you alive," he said . Filna .

Shouta nodded, without a word.

Fujimoto simply closed his eyes, too exhausted to reply.

I turned my face away. I couldn't look either of them directly in the eye.

Because I betrayed each and every one of those faces.

Because none of them trusted me anymore.

The walk to the Elven Kingdom was silent, heavy, almost suffocating.

Shouta and Fujimoto followed behind us, exhausted, their faces marked by the shock of what we had experienced.

Filna walked ahead with heavy steps, her jaw clenched.

When we arrived before the crystalline gate of the citadel, two elven guards crossed spears to block our passage.

"We need to speak with Galadriel immediately," Filna said firmly.

The guards hesitated, but they made way.

We were led through the palace, down white and silent corridors, as if even the walls were holding their breath.

In the great hall, Galadriel awaited us, majestic, and beside her stood Elfsei. Celebrian , his only son.

His light green eyes, bearing the elven symbol, analyzed each of us.

"Give a report," Galadriel ordered.

Filna told everything.

From beginning to end.

Without hiding, without softening, without trying to protect myself.

Each of her words was like a blade.

When the explanation was finished, Galadriel stared directly at me.

" Yumi ... do you understand the magnitude of the disaster you caused?" she asked me angrily.

"Yes," I replied , almost voicelessly.

Celebrian took a step forward, full of disdain.

"Sleeping with Elfhrinsei . Giving away critical information. Putting everyone at risk. For revenge," Celebrian said hatefully.

"Yes... I understand," I said.

Galadriel took a deep breath, rigid as marble.

"Your punishment will be immediate. From now on, you lose all your rights as a citizen of the Elven Kingdom. You will be demoted to the servant class," he said . Galadriel .

His eyes were like blades.

"She will work serving mid- and high-level elves , taking care of cleaning the palace, maintaining and organizing the internal premises. She will not be allowed to leave elven territory. She will have no say in decisions. She will have no privileges. And she will be constantly supervised," he concluded . Galadriel .

The room fell silent.

I couldn't lift my eyes.

Celebrian has taken a step further.

"That's not enough. The whole kingdom must know who almost destroyed us," he said . Celebrian .

He left immediately and, seconds later, his voice echoed throughout the city:

"Citizens of the Elven Kingdom, gather immediately in the main square. The truth about a betrayal will be revealed."

Minutes later, we were faced with hundreds of elves clustered around the central square, on stairs, balconies, pillars, and verandas.

Everyone is waiting for a public execution.

Celebrian raised his hand, and the crowd fell silent as if the world had stopped.

" Yumi betrayed this kingdom. She sold herself to the enemy. She slept with Elfhrinsei , the murderer of thousands. And she put us all at risk out of selfishness and revenge," Celebrian told everyone.

The murmurs began as a light rain and turned into a storm.

Disgusting.

Traitor.

It should be banned.

Why is she still alive?

I felt the weight of those words crushing my chest.

Filna looked at me with a disappointed expression.

Shouta clenched his teeth and glared at me with hatred.

Fujimoto looked at me with a pitying expression.

I was alone.

Completely alone.

When the crowd dispersed, I walked to one of the highest balconies in the city.

The view showed the silvery horizon and the sky beginning to lighten.

The cold breeze made my hands tremble.

I looked up.

The blue sky shone, tranquil, as if nothing had happened.

As if the world were untouched.

As if I hadn't destroyed everything I loved.

I took a deep breath.

And finally I accepted the truth:

I am not a hero.

I am not a martyr.

I am nothing.

All that was left was to pay.

I closed my eyes, letting the pain surge through my chest.

My name is Elfsei. Mayumi Yumi .

And I will pay for everything I've done.