The Reincarnated Archmage

I.

"It's dangerous!"

"He can kill you too! Please come back!"

"You can't do it! Stop this nonsense!"

Ignoring the pleas of my soldiers behind me, I focus my mind so the huge amount of mana that flows in my body will not waver. I raise my head to look at the eyes of the devil in front of me. I put a strong barrier around him, so he can't escape. But it is rather useless since he is not even trying to break it.

He is just standing there, waiting for me to put an end to his life.

A pair of glowing amber and crimson eyes stares at me. His long, raven hair sways together with the strong wind around us. I once told him that he was too beautiful for a man, but he never believed me. In fact, he doesn't like it when I call him beautiful.

He always grumbles saying 'There is no living man wanted to be called 'beautiful' by a woman." then he will argue by saying, 'Between the two of us, you are the one suited to be called beautiful and not me.' all the time. But even if I insisted that he is not beautiful, I still keep on calling him that whenever I see a chance. He will be irritated with me but will become helpless and instead, laugh with me in the end.

An image of two children, playing and laughing as they make a childish promise to protect each other's happiness.

'Ah... Those memories...'

Why do I have to remember it now, of all times?

I will complete the spell in a few minutes, and he is also aware of that. Instead of trying to escape from my magic barrier, he even dares to smile at me. The smile that I love seeing on his face.

The man in front of me is none other than Larzul, the Archmage of Dark Magic. His superior black magic spreads quickly and it's destroying the peace and balance of the world. His sole mission is to destroy the current world and build a new world where black magic is the only magic that exists. As the Archmage of Light Magic, I have the mission to stop him at all costs.

The magic circle around us emits a golden light. The spell is now complete. A golden chain that comes from the magic circle suddenly shows and tightly holds his whole body. Tearing away my gaze from him, I sheath the sword on my waist and walk slowly toward him. Just like earlier, he is not resisting. I stop in front of him and touch his face. He leans his head on my hand and whispers my name softly.

"Veronica."

"I hate you."

"I know."

"You clearly promised..."

"I know."

"Then why..."

Why are you just accepting your fate?

Why are you not fighting back for your life?

Why are you being like this?

Why... do we need to end up like this?

He lifts his head a little so he can properly look at me. I can see his eyes scanning my face. He always has this habit— of looking at me as if he's engraving my image in his mind. And then his lips curl up before closing his eyes.

I tightly pursed my lips so that my thoughts won't spill into my mouth. I'm afraid that if I try to speak another word again, I may say something foolish that will make me regret it in the end. His face shows how relaxed he was even in this condition, but his voice is full of conviction as he speaks to me again.

"Kill me."

I peel my hand on his face and lift the sword I am holding in my other hand. The legendary sword of Bulgadi. The sword was given to me by the gods to defeat the devil who is destined to destroy the world. The weapon that severed my connection with him. The sword that will end up Larzul's life.

I took one last glance at his profile before closing my eyes. Without missing a beat, I strongly pierce my sword toward Larzul's chest. I directly aim the sword at his heart. He coughs a mouthful of blood that stains my clothes. The light from the magic circle disappears together with the chain that holds Larzul's body. When the chains disappear, his whole weight leans on my body. I feel his weak arms wrapped around my body.

"You did it." He whispers in my ear. His voice was soft as if he was praising me for what I did.

I decided to ignore his words as I deepened the sword on his chest.

"Can you... call my name one... last time?" He asked me while coughing in between.

"Larzul."

"Not that."

I closed my eyes to stop the tears that threaten to spill on my eyes. Up until this point, he is still being cruel to me. I feel his hands on my back, grasping my whole body. Taking a deep breath, I softly speak the name of my most treasured person.

"Gerard."

"...Thank you."

His lips suddenly touched my cheek. It is only a feather-like touch, but it sends a shiver down my spine. A kiss conveys his feelings and memories to me.

A sudden light covers Larzul's body. His body is slowly turned into ash. The ashes of his body were dancing along with the strong wind. I still hold the sword tightly that is piercing his heart. Before he completely disappears, I hear his last words pass through my ears.

'Goodbye, my inamorata.'