Chapter 1760: Succession [1]

When the world faded into darkness, Melania thought she was dead.

The last thing she saw through the small space left in her vignetting vision was August's figure covered in light.

She wanted to smile and welcome him back, joking about something random as they confronted their enemies together. She wanted to have some sort of reaction to welcome him back from whatever realm he'd gone to.

Unfortunately, she could not.

After watching all of the rest of her friends fall one by one in her paralyzed state, Melania was sent into the blackness.

Her consciousness was enveloped by the murky waters of the underworld as she unwillingly bathed in their current. If only a bit more time passed, she'd finally be able to let go of this life and pass over like everyone else.

In her mind, all possibilities of survival were gone now. Melania didn't want to give up hope. She wanted to grab onto every tiny rope she could find if it meant that she could live for even a few seconds longer.

However, the ropes in the sky above were all frayed. She grabbed and climbed, grabbed and climbed, but all she gained was an inconsequential amount of time.

Looking back at it, there was never a reason to resist.

She willingly threw herself into the jaws of death for August's sake. Since she was able to see him safely return to the world before she died, she should have just been content.

Most people in her situation would die before they saw if their sacrifice meant anything.

Still, Melania wanted to be selfish.

She wanted to be the person who saved him, but she also wanted to live and see what happened afterward.

Even as her soul disappeared into the embrace of samsara, she looked into the sky, hoping for a miracle.

And it arrived.

Somehow, her prayers had been answered.

The darkness above that could only be considered a sky because there was a sea below; in that place, a golden light shone. It formed a pair of wings like those of an angel surrounding a circular runic symbol that she'd never seen before.

As its light illuminated her soul, the pieces that were fading into a haze became corporeal again.

The murky water that was up to her hips by now receded along with the blackness. Warmth filled Melania's soul, and subtly, she once again felt a connection to the physical plane.

Her body...

She didn't realize that her soul had been separated from it until she gained it back. The tactile feeling of her nerves firing signals in every direction, of her mana flowing through her veins, and of her heart beating powerfully was an unimaginably beautiful feeling to her.

She had almost died.

However, her vitality told her that she was alive. The angel who saved her from the darkness assured her that she'd live.

The process of cleansing Melania's body took several minutes even for the heavenly artifact. Not only was her physical body practically dead already, but her soul was nearing the border to the beyond and needed to be retrieved from the grasp of samsara.

It was possible as she hadn't completely died yet, but she really didn't have any more time. With a few more seconds, even the artifact wouldn't have been able to save her.

Nevertheless, to Melania, it felt like no time at all. She was so deeply enveloped in warmth that she could not register time. The only thing her mind saw was the beauty of life, the beauty of being returned to the world.

And though the real world could never be as glamorous as it was in her head, none of that mattered.

Melania opened her eyes and saw a destroyed cavern filled with water. It was dark, damp, and disgusting.

However, compared to the murky waters of the underworld, the bloody waters of reality were far more enticing.

Compared to the dark sky of that place, even the dreary rocks above had a kind of majesty that couldn't be explained.

Looking down at her own hand as it responded to her desires and gripped itself over and over again, Melania smiled.

'I...I'm back.'

She couldn't stop the tears from falling. She hugged her knees and cried happily, celebrating her return from that place.

It was scary.

It was so much more terrifying than she expected. Just like August, Melania had died many times in a realm where she was invincible. As such, she had lost her fear of death.

She was able to run into danger without qualms specifically because she'd done it so many times, but now that she had experienced what true death felt like, she didn't know if she would continue to be reckless.

The hopelessness was completely unlike what one felt when dying in a realm like that. The realization that nothing could be done, that even having consciousness was meaningless for anything other than realizing one's own insignificance.

She didn't understand exactly why she'd lived, but now wasn't the time to question it.

She cried for no more than two minutes before she got herself together and stood up.

It was only then that she noticed there was a barrier separating her from the cavern. Looking around, she saw that everyone else was enveloped by similar barriers.

Melania sensed the strength flowing through her body. Her mana, which had been destroyed by the poison, was back.

As such, she easily popped the barrier and stepped into the water-logged cavern.

All around, the others were waking up too. Valerie was already standing. As was Juno. Those two never lost consciousness, so they saw what August was doing from the start. Of course, August assumed that they were focused on healing, but he was not correct.

The things he was planning to keep hidden from others had already been revealed, though the two who watched didn't plan to mention it.

Yuna had awoken. She checked the wound on her stomach in surprise and looked around to see everyone else.

Raul was the same.

Whether it was by coincidence or design, all of them woke up and looked around to see the rest doing the same.

And though August was not present, there was definitely a place for all of them to turn their attention.

Valerie's hands shook as she saw the face of the friend she thought she'd lost.

"Melania!" She yelled in shock and bewilderment.

Melania smiled. This time, she was able to hear her name being called.

"Yeah, I'm here."

She responded warmly. It was all she really got the chance to say.

After all, in that same moment, Valerie charged in and hugged her with all her might.

It was a reunion both of them thought impossible, but one that was allowed to happen through a collection of miracles.

The two of them, no, everyone in this cavern had chosen to sacrifice themselves to help their friends. In the end, when thoughts of escaping left their minds, they did everything they could to kill as many enemies as possible before going down themselves so the rest didn't have to face as much.

In the moment of battle, all of them wondered if now was really the time to die. None of them held such thoughts, but as death filled their minds, they were forced to wonder if it was really worth it to do all of this for the sake of others.

However, all of them came to the same conclusion. Standing here now, none of them doubted themselves in the slightest.

Right, each and every one of them tried to sacrifice themselves for the rest. That meant that each and every one of these people was a cherished comrade and a trusted friend.

For the sake of the people who would do the same for them, why would they hesitate?

As everyone gathered and began conversing about random topics, glad to be alive, their last member also arrived.

It had been too long since they had last talked.

Wasn't it about time for August to reunite with his friends?