❛ 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐇𝐀𝐃𝐎𝐖 𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 ❜ ━━━ (𝘀. 𝗷𝗶𝗻𝘄𝗼𝗼)

| forty two ; the bridge between two sides

the shadow in the light

chapter forty two; the bridge between two sides

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

"a soulmate is someone who has locks that fit our keys, and keys to fit our locks."

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

in another world, light and darkness existed in an age where everything else had yet to exist. the absolute being split the light and created the emissaries of god, and split the darkness to create the eight monarchs.

the monarchs who were born to destroy the world, and the emissaries who were born to maintain the world continuously killed each other's soldiers. fatigued by the constant war, the second brightest fragment of brilliant light, lucia, questioned the absolute being.

when she got her answer, the other fragments of lights were just as dismayed as she was. the war they were fighting was for enjoyment, there was no real purpose to it all.

"as long as the absolute being existed, the war will never end," the shadow monarch said. "and to end the meaningless war, they unsheathed their blades. it was the start of a rebellion."

the images began to change as the monarch showed jin-woo a moment that he treasured.

"that is me of the distant past. next to me was lucia, my lover," the monarch informed him. "she is the one that gave y/n her powers. that clip you gave y/n belonged to lucia."

"did she stand against the other emissaries with you?" jin-woo questioned.

the shadow monarch shook his head, "unfortunately, she did not. my loyalty towards the absolute being was too undying. perhaps i am the reason she passed."

after the shadow monarch continued showing jin-woo the battle after he had died, the images showed the corpse of the absolute being who was still sitting on his throne. just a couple of feet from the throne was where lucia lay, barely breathing as she was on the verge of death.

"her death still haunts me till this day," the shadow monarch commented. "i'm sure you're curious as to how lucia was able to become a shadow even though she was a ruler," the shadow monarch added. "i shall tell you the reason after i tell you about the monarch."

jin-woo nodded his head, listening to the shadow monarch once more.

the remaining fragments of brilliant light had killed the absolute being and called themselves the new gods, thus assuming the position of 'rulers' and used various tools containing the power of the absolute being to hunt down the monarchs.

as a result, the king of giants, legia, was captured by the rulers and the balance between the two sides collapsed.

"the monarchs realised the severity of the situation, and i used that moment to reach out to them," the shadow monarch explained. "they had no choice but to combine forces with me in order to combat our common enemy, the 'rulers'. from them on, i continued the long-lasting battle, as neither a fragment of brilliant light nor an emissary of god, but as the shadow monarch."

time was on the monarch's side. when he combined forces with the army of destruction, led by the king of berserk dragons, the monarchs, as well as the rulers came to fear him. two of the monarchs who feared him aimed for his back after combining forces. due to that, his shadow army was almost annihilated. the strength that was too powerful had brought him betrayal.