Ascension of the Dark Seraph - Chapter 248

Chapter 248: The Shadow and the Victim (2)
The scent of warm bread and fruity flavour instantly greeted Nerissa once she stepped inside.

It was empty, as expected, since it was already late in the night.

From behind the counter, the staff smiled at her warmly and gestured toward the glass display case that showcased all kinds of meticulously crafted cakes. A little bit different than usual for Nerissa, the places in this city were all so grand, but the atmosphere was the same.

She felt familiar, relaxed, and more importantly, it felt like home.

“One fruitcake, please.”

“Right away, miss.”

“Is it possible to eat here? Or are those chairs and tables for waiting only?”

“Of course, miss. Make yourself comfortable. I’ll bring your cake when it’s ready.”

“Thank you.”

Nerissa took a seat on a chair right beside the window facing the empty night street outside.

Only the faint sounds of the staff preparing cakes echoed in the background, but to Nerissa, these sounds were beginning to pull away, distant, muffled—as if the world itself was slipping away. A strange sense of detachment settled over her, numbing her senses.

Then, her gaze drifted downward, to her hands—stained with dried blood.

A lingering reminder of what she had done.

Nerissa clutched her hands hard, shaking away the dread inside of her.

‘I’m okay, I’m okay…’ She repeated those words inside her mind—like a broken record. ‘Nothing will happen to me. I’m going to be okay… He… The Shadow… He hadn’t realized what I had done. I am going to be okay.’

“Here’s your cake, miss.”

Suddenly, Nerissa returned to reality as the staff placed a colorful cake in front of her.

She then offered a pliant smile, “Please, enjoy it while it’s still cold.”

“Thank you.” Nerissa replied without turning to look at the staff, focused on the colorful fruitcake.

Naturally, the staff excused herself but stopped a few steps away.

She hesitated for a moment, deliberating something before she eventually walked back to Nerissa with the same smile, “I apologize for disturbing your time, but are you one of the Hybrids who took care of the ruffians in the night market?”

“Ah,” Nerissa raised her gaze to meet the staff’s. “Yes, I stopped here before going back.”

“Speaking for the people living around here, I’m really thankful for your help.” The staff bowed.

Upon seeing this, Nerissa quickly shook her hands.

It doesn’t feel right to accept gratitude when Lucivar was the one who caused it in the first place.

“You don’t need to thank me, it’s my duty as a Hybrid.” She answered.

But even so, the staff still bowed and thanked her repeatedly.

Considering that an attack on the night market—would dissuade people from coming to this part of the city, the staff was grateful that at least people would not be too scared to come since a group of Hybrids instantly handled the situation.

For the staff, Nerissa helped the small businesses in the area, like this cakery, from bankruptcy.

Hearing how genuinely grateful the staff was helped alleviate Nerissa’s heart a bit.

At this moment, she allowed herself to forget about the past.

Nothing bad will happen, the Shadow was nothing more than a being in the past, and he couldn’t hurt her.

However, that moment of peace didn’t last long.

“Like mother, like daughter—you seem to enjoy killing people too, don’t you?”

Deg!

Nerissa’s heart skipped a beat when an astral voice, one that she recognized almost instantly, seeped into her ears. Just hearing the voice alone froze her entire body, she was terrified. Slowly and stiffly, she raised her gaze and found the staff was now nothing like she was before.

Now, her entire body was black—no features and inhuman.

Only her eyes remained—one a striking blue, the other a milky white, as if blindness had claimed it.

The Shadow.

“Didn’t I warn you, little girl? Hurt or kill anyone, and I’ll be here…” It continued raspingly.

Almost instantly, Nerissa blinked her eyes several times.

It was then that the Shadow disappeared while the staff was already back to stand behind the counter.

But even so, Nerissa’s entire body was already drenched in sweat, her eyes wide with fear.

Her hands trembled violently, her body quaking as if on the verge of collapse. Swallowing hard, Nerissa hastily reached for the spoon, gripping it with unsteady fingers. With a shaky breath, she scooped a tiny piece of cake and placed it into her mouth.

Only the sweetness of the cake could ease her, could help her forget about the Shadow and her past.

However, the sweetness only lasted a couple of seconds.

Nerissa needed to constantly put more cake into her mouth, scoop after scoop, becoming more and more frantic with each one she made to the point that the staff was looking at her worriedly. Then—once the spoon clanked hard against the plate, no more cake that could ease her fear, she suddenly stood.

Without saying anything, she placed all the cash she had on the table and walked out hurriedly.

Once outside, she immediately walked aimlessly.

She trudged down the street and kept her head down, staring at the concrete ground.

“I’m sorry… Please, I’m sorry… Please, I have no choice. I need to be stronger…”

Along the way, she kept rambling apologies, as if saying them enough times might somehow make her feel better. But it didn’t. Occasionally, her rambling was disturbed as she yelped and stopped whenever she noticed, or felt like she noticed, a shadow appearing on her periphery.

Her fear became worse knowing that someone was watching her right now.

Despite her reluctance, Nerissa began humming, trying to blot out the world with her singing.

But as she did that, a Shadow appeared in front of her.

Nerissa’s breath hitched as she stared into the Shadow’s eyes—her heart pounding hard inside her chest.

“Sing more. That’s all you’re good to do, right? Singing to block the scream as your mother ki-”

“Aaah~!”

Not even waiting for the Shadow to finish its sentence, Nerissa screamed and ran, tears streaming down her face. The dark sky above rumbled, and within moments, rain poured down in torrents. But she did not stop. She ran blindly, heedless of her drenched clothes, the crackling thunder, or the slight ground beneath her feet—until she almost slipped.

She tried regaining balance, halting her sobs, but then, someone yanked her back by her hair.

Roughly, Nerissa crashed hard onto the wet ground.

From her wet, blurry vision, she saw the Shadow standing in front of her with malice.

“Like I promised, I’d kill you.” The Shadow said firmly, its hand raised.

Around its hand, tendrils of shadow weaved in and out like a retractable knife, beaming with malice.

Nerissa could only crawl back—until she was backed against the corner, cradling her body as she spat out pleases and apologies. She was utterly terrified, with nowhere to go. Just then, her mind snapped as she let out a scream, calling for anyone to help.

If she couldn’t rely on herself, then she could bet on anybody else.

But that scream warranted a slap across her face and a kick to her stomach, shutting her up,

Blood oozed out of the corner of Nerissa’s mouth as the Shadow dragged her by her golden, damp hair.

Now that the Shadow already has its hand on her, there is no escape.

Almost instantly, Nerissa’s willpower to escape or survive vanished.

Even her cry stopped, her terror-stricken face replaced by a hollow one as she was dragged away.

For Nerissa, this was it—her death.

In a brutal motion, the Shadow lifted her by her hair and placed her against the wall.

“I’ll kill you the same way as I killed your mother. Be grateful, you will be united with her once again.”

“In Hell.”

Splash!

Nerissa gasped, choking on a mouthful of blood as her chest got pierced by the Shadow. Her body hung limply against the wall, pinned like a shattered marionette—while red streaks trailed gruesomely down the stone.

On the other hand, the Shadow took a step back, admiring the haunting tableau in eerie silence.

Everything was becoming darker—the blackness of death was drowning Nerissa’s vision.

Coupled with the rain pouring down, she could barely see anything.

Anything but the Shadow—that she could see vividly.

She watched as the Shadow pulled its arm once again, preparing to deliver the final strike.

Despite the approaching death, the approaching end, it was somewhat serene.

Nerissa didn’t feel terrified anymore, she was at peace, and she accepted that this would be her end.

‘I was not cut out for this life,’ She thought acutely.

It had been a losing battle to survive, ever since the day her family was killed. Meeting Tobias sparked a flicker of hope, but it was never enough, it didn’t solve the problem. She needed to grow stronger, to survive, to not let the past repeat.

But to do that, she had to walk a darker path—fate gave her no other path to advance.

Her bloodline demanded bad things.

It craved the sound of screams, thrived on inflicting pain and misery.

And if she did that, the Shadow would end her.

So Nerissa knew that deep down, there was no other way for her than death.

‘It lasted a lot longer than I thought,’ Nerissa smiled beautifully. ‘But time is up for me.’

Just as the Shadow was about to end her, it was hurled to the other side.

Crash!

At that moment, the blackness of death and the blur from her impaired vision brightened up and cleared.

Music played in her ears as her heart fluttered in surprise.

Nerissa’s eyes widened completely as time slowed down, the beads of water suspended mid-air as her eyes locked onto the person who came out of nowhere and knocked the Shadow away. Despite feeling surreal, it was real, this person really did knock the Shadow away.

“L- Lucivar…?!” She yelped out the name.

Glancing towards her, Lucivar cracked a small smile and got her down from the wall.

Initially, Nerissa couldn’t believe that Lucivar was here since she saw it herself that he went back along with the others earlier. But as soon as the warmth from his hand touched her face, she was certain that this wasn’t her mind playing tricks on her.

Lucivar was really here, and he saved her.

“You should’ve talked to me if you’re having a problem,” He said with an indifferent tone but it sounded gentle in Nerisisa’s ears. “Now, look at you. Sigh… wait here, I’ll handle this and then we can go back to the academy together.”

Pivoting away from the stunned Nerissa, Lucivar faced the other side of the alley.

A figure was standing there, basking in brilliant light.

“Don’t try to do bad things around me, it’s predictable,” Lucivar said, smiling in mockery. “In case you forgot, I’m Loki’s avatar.”