I Became My Healer Elf Character - Chapter 26

Chapter 26: Requiem
Hikari hovered above a storm cloud in the capital, but her eyes were able to pierce through the madness. Down below she saw guards getting attacked by all manor of monsters. Each fallen guard would give rise to a new fallen soldier for the enemy. The elf clenched her staff tight and leapt from her dragon.

“Master!”

Hikari didn’t listen to her subordinate’s calling. She saw those two fleeing girls running towards the castle, and even though she hadn’t known them long, she felt her blood begin to boil. Her purple eyes glowed, and her body let off a bright light as wings sprouted behind her.

The magic resonating from her parted the clouds and rendered the storm lifeless. She could hear the souls of soldiers below as their lives were ended.

“Save me!”

“Protect my daughter!”

“Amelia, please!”

Over and over again, they sang out like a chorus. At the same time, the goddess chastised herself in her mind. Why hadn’t she told Senjo to act on her own? All of the hopes and dreams of people were ending, and they were sentenced to a foul oblivion by the hands of a demon. Yet, she was…

She let them die.

“Master!”

All of the goddess’s senses focused on the enemy army. This feeling of hopelessness, she felt she’d received it before. If the people lose hope, it’s my job to give it to them.

Hikari pointed her staff of Hope at the ground below.

“[Requiem].”

Rays of light descended towards the dead guards, the zombies, the hell hounds, the undead demons, and the souls stripped by the demon heading the army. Their bodies were incinerated on impact.

The souls being stripped away flooded towards the sky. All of them conjoined into a stream and flooded into Hikari’s body, joining the vast plain making up her inventory.

She received their countless grievances and despair. Even the tortured souls of the demons became thankful for their release.

All of the onlookers stared in awe at her visage as she slowly floated down. She continued to descend until she was level with the demon and his fallen angels.

Lord Thalmus’ eye twitched for a moment, but he regained his composure. He smiled at Hikari and began clapping. “I never suspected that the one who I’d been pursuing would have been able to do this. Say, miss angel, how much mana did that spell take?”

“This? I’d be able to do it at least a few more times.”

Thalmus frowned at Hikari. “You don’t need to make up lies or bluff. That must have taken quite a toll on you. If you can give yourself up, I will leave here. What do you say?”

At that moment, Kurayami arrived next to her master glaring at the demon. “This man is too presumptuous. Please, let me handle this guy.”

Hikari put her hand up. “I have another job for you. Rally with Senjo, and take care of those two princesses. Make sure that they remain unharmed.”

“But Master…Alright, I understand.”

As the dragon flew away, Thalmus looked at Hikari incredulously. “Are you so confident that you’d send away your only reinforcements?”

“No, it was your mistake in thinking that she was the only one.”

“What?”

Hikari floated her staff in front of her. A mass of purple energy formed and condensed just like when she summoned Kurayami. The sound of a clock echoed in the sky. Tick-tock, tick-tock, it repeated itself.

Thalmus narrowed his eyes towards the summoning. “What are you trying to do now? Another big spell?”

The answer to his question came in the form of a massive angel. The golden figure floated in the air with so many wings, obscuring the view. On each of the wings eyes could be seen gazing at the demon. A huge halo rounded the head of the being. Looking at it, it was impossible to tell if it was male or female.

At the center of its chest a huge clock rested in its sternum. The clock ticked louder and louder, until it was the only sound that could be heard across the capital. All other sounds had become drowned by the clock of oblivion.

Name: Tokeimoshu

Age: Unknown

Race: Angel

Title: [Keeper of Hope]

Strength: 0

Agility: 100,000

Intelligence: 20,000,000

Wisdom: 25,000,000

Faith: 20,000,000

Health: Null

Mana: 10,000,000

Stamina: Null

“What!?” Thalmus shouted. “What is that!? How are you able to summon one of the angels of old! Impossible!”

Hikari looked towards the angel. “This man has no hope left.”

“Wait!”

The clock ticked one more time and froze. The entire world around seemed to go dark for a second. The angel spoke in a language unrecognizable to the mortals of this world. To the receiver it was a gut wrenching voice, but to Hikari she could understand the words clearly. The voice came out as smooth and lovely as a guardian of divine gates.

“[Time’s Apprehension].” Mana poured into the demon with the cast of the spell.

///

Thalmus saw a world paved in darkness. All around him, the vastitude of light was nowhere to be found. The light of the mortal plain had disappeared. There was no red moon shining above him. Sound wouldn’t reach him.

His own cries were deafened. He looked down at his hands, relieved to see they were still there. His legs remained fixed into the nothingness.

What is this place? Did I die?

He didn’t feel any sense of comfort, but slowly the arms of angels began reaching out to him. They curled around his body in an almost seductive hug.

For a brief moment, the arms surrounding him brought him a sense of joy. If it was truly the afterlife, then maybe he’d have all of his dreams fulfilled. But wishing for a cozy afterlife as a demon was almost unthinkable. It was said that all demons would return to the wellspring of the demon plain, and they would begin the cycle anew.

Was it all a lie?

However, the grips of their arms tightened around him. The crushing hug, sent a shiver of pain down his spine, and he finally found his voice, screaming into the void.

Each angel started to whisper words into his ears.

“I’ve lost who I am.”

“How much longer will I be forced to bare this?”

“I hate him, but my soul won’t resist.”

“Why did you do this to me?”

“You’ve taken my sanctity.”

“My freedom…”

“You took away my hope…”

The voices continued on like a chorus. A golden clock appeared into the sky. Tick-tock. Tick-tock. Tick-tock.

The unrelenting clock was slow. Each second was like a year, but the clock kept ticking. The voices kept ringing in his ears.

He pleaded into the void. “Stop! Stop! Stop!”

The crushing of his very being continued. The weight of over 50 angels kept crushing him, yet no matter how much he pleaded it kept going.

Years turned into centuries. Each second came, and with each second another year would pass. His initial fear turned into despair. The cries of the victims fed into his tears. In all of Thalmus’ life, he had never cried. He thought it was impossible, yet here he was with waterfalls streaking down his face.

Each cry was a memory of fallen angels. Each picture that filled his head flooded him with their vengeance.

Eventually, his pleas turned into resignation. He knew that what he did was being punished, yet there was still a voice in his mind more agonizing. It’s not my fault! I didn’t choose to be born a demon!

His regret fed into his sorrow. He’d never known the empathy or sympathy of a mortal, and the display became his apprehension.

For the first time in his life, he felt sorry for the creatures he’d stripped of their status. He lamented the fact that he gained power through the suffering of his harem. When he felt like his very soul would collapse, the arms surrounding him let go.

Cracks started appearing in the void, bringing in rays of beautiful white light, and the ticking of the clock finally stopped. The angels surrounding him had regained their light. Each one of them cast the demon a serene and peaceful smile. The tones of their voices softened.

“I forgive you.”

“I forgive you.”

“I forgive you.”

“We all forgive you.”

Hearing those voices brought a warmth to his heart and soul, but the tears wouldn’t stop. He choked on his words.

“Am I really someone worth forgiving?”

All of the voices of the angels echoed the same sentiment in conjunction.

“Yes. May your next life be full of light and hope.”

Thalmus looked up to the bright sky. The angels slowly disappeared one after another, and eventually he found himself back in the mortal realm.

His body slowly began fading into particles of light, and in his last moments he looked towards his fallen angels.

“I release all of you…”

With those last words spoken, Thalmus died.