GASP!!
As a terrifying chill ran down his spine, Ignus jolted awake from his unconscious state, with a fearsome look on his face. He was surprised to find himself still alive even after confronting those dangerous circumstances!
However, his body had turned pale and cold, with a painful throbbing ache in muscles all over. He had never run so much in his life. Rolling his eyes around, he tried to glance at his surroundings, but he further flinched in shock.
Right after waking up, he found himself in his own home, lying down on the couch in his living room. But that was not all. Just a few steps apart, a tall, divinely handsome man, almost in his early 30s with glassy white skin, was seated on the adjacent couch, fixating a cold gaze on him.
The man had unique silver white hairs, framed over his forehead. His round, blue pupils with long white eyelashes didn't blink for a second as both of them met each other's gaze. Decked up in complete white attire, he seemed to radiate a strange calming aura around him.
"Are you awake? Do you feel better now?" In a low, stiff tone, that man initiated the conversation.
Ignus flinched at his query and gulped his saliva as he continued staring at him.
'Now, who is this punk? A burglar? Or another crazy man like those who chased after me earlier? But wait, how did I come back home? Most importantly... What is he doing here in my house!?' Countless assumptions were bothering his mind.
The man was seated in a dignified way, with his long legs crossed over others. He exhaled a small huff of breath and stood up from the couch, walking a step closer to him.
"Don't think too much, Ignus. I am not here to hurt you. And yes, I brought you back home because you wanted to see your mother, didn't you?" He made Ignus recall his mother.
Immediately, Ignus flinched in shock at his remark, wadding his orbs round. Indeed, before losing his senses, he deliberately wished to see a glimpse of his mother one last time, but he was baffled to find the man was aware of it!
His throat parched dry in fear, and in a shaky voice he stuttered, "W-Who are you? What are you doing here at my house? H-How do you know my n-name? How are you aware of everything?"
A small, mysterious smirk sliced across that man's slender lips as he answered, "Will you believe me if I say who I am?"
"Huh—"
"I am Elyon, the Angel of Good Deeds." This time his voice grew a bit stiff with his gaze fixated upon him.
"W-What? Angel? A real one?" Ignus was very startled at his remark as he repeated it after him, widening his eyes with confusion. Every dreadful incident that he encountered was too much of a burden for his young heart, yet further shocking events awaited him.
"You were quite badly injured when I found you on the street. So I had to use my healing power on you and bring you back home so that you could fulfil your wish." Elyon didn't wait for his reciprocation and continued explaining to him.
His ocean eyes grew a bit dim as he pointed his finger to the backyard of their house, asking him, "Do you want to see your mother one last time? She is still there."
Immediately, at his question, Ignus jolted up from the couch and frantically ran towards the storeroom, holding his breath for a second. For a moment, he deliberately wished everything about that incident to be a horrible nightmare, which was perhaps about to end soon!
But once again, his premonition was proved wrong.
As soon as he reached the storeroom, the traces of his horrific reality were right before his eyes.
In the centre of the cold, damp, dark room, his beloved mother, Helena, was lying down lifeless, covered in a pool of blood.
Just having a glimpse at her, Ignus burst out into tears as a painful scream escaped from him, "MOMM!!"
Frantically, he ran inside and grabbed her cold body in his arms, as his painful cries and shrieks filled up the room.
Leaning his head on her cold, stiff cheeks, he sobbed, "How? How am I going to live from now on? I... I only had you in my life! Why? Why did I have to lose you, mom!?"
While Ignus was shedding his bitter tears with heart-wrenching cries, holding her blood-soaked body in his shivering arms, Elyon quietly entered the room and stood a few steps away from him.
His facial expression grew dim as he continued to watch them for a while, without a word.
As a few moments passed, Elyon moved a step closer and murmured, in a wistful voice, "Ignus, it's time. You have to let her go."
Soaked in tears, Ignus lifted his agonized eyes and glanced at him, embracing her cold body tightly in fear.
"W-What are you ta-talking about? W-Where should I l-let mom go? H-How am I supposed to live without her!?" He quivered.
"None of us can escape our destiny... and no matter how hard it is, you are bound to accept your fate." Elyon asserted in a cold voice, as he lifted one of his palms in the air. A bluish-white beam of light started to spread out of his hand as he directed the light on Helena's lifeless body.
In the blink of an eye, her cold, stiff body started to disappear into thin air, in the form of countless small white butterflies. Stunned at the divine sight, Ignus tried to hold onto her tighter as he screamed helplessly, "N-NO! DON'T TAKE HER AWAY FROM ME! NOO!!"
As Helena was obtaining her final peace under Elyon's blessing, one of the small white butterflies gently brushed against his teary cheeks, making her soft voice echo in his ears for one last time.
"My child, Ignus, you will never be alone. Your mom will always be by your side, no matter what path you choose ahead. I will always root for you."
"Hic... MOM!!" Curling both his fists tight, Ignus screamed with his teary voice filled with ardent pain and guilt. "I am so sorry, mom… I couldn't protect you... I am sorry for being such a pathetic son... Hic."
The white butterflies soon enough disappeared into thin air, vanishing the dazzling light that had filled the damp, dark room for a while. Standing still, Elyon watched Ignus mourning bitterly on the ground as a deep sigh exhaled out of him.
"Regretting it now won't make any difference, Ignus. You are facing the consequence of making the choice by yourself." His tone sounded a bit stiff.
At his stiff retort, Ignus lifted his pained, tearful face up from the ground and shoved a fierce glare at him as he scowled, "Consequence of my choice? What did I do to deserve such a terrible fate!? My mom was killed right before my eyes! Every single person is going crazy over this town! Strange, monstrous creatures appear out of nowhere! How am I responsible for all this?"
"Because you are the one who summoned the Demon Lord in this world!!" This time, Elyon raised his pitch a little at him, sounding a bit infuriated by his tone.
He rolled his blue eyes and continued, "You have created the mess but..." I can't put the entire blame on you since you were born with this fate.
But, hear out the truth, Ignus. You have brought darkness and destruction in this world by summoning Demon Lord Aiden here." His voice grew low and anxious after a brief pause.
Jaw-dropped at his revelation, Ignus squinted his eyes with disbelief and cowered in fear, "D-Demon Lord? I summoned him?!"