[Physis' POV]
The fragment of my old personality said to me that it would show me some kind of truth.
'The truth. What truth could it be?'
Could there be some truth that I was never meant to know?
As I pondered, the fragment started speaking beside the black dragon.
[ Well then, where should I begin the story? Ah, right, that would be good.]
As it opened its mouth, the collapsed black dragon lifted its massive body.
[ Yes, shouldn't we witness the most shocking truth first? ]
- Clap clap.
The fragment of my old personality suddenly started clapping.
Then, I saw a person's figure appear in front of the black dragon. A human facing the dragon in the ruins where no one else was present.
The black dragon roared and began to fight that person.
Of course, that person was someone I knew very well. There was no doubt about it.
That person was my past self.
The more my past self clashed with the dragon, the more the surroundings collapsed and were destroyed.
As the battle continued, the black fog surrounding the fragment of my old personality slowly dispersed.
And as the fog cleared, I couldn't believe what I saw before my eyes.
The first thing that caught my eye was... the horns and hair that had turned black.
The horns, which should have originally glowed in a bluish-white color, were now a muddy black, and the beautiful hair that once reflected the night sky became contaminated and scattered into black strands.
Then, the revealed face was partially covered with black scales, distorting the skin here and there. Between its torn dress, I could faintly see a black emblem protruding between the neck and chest.
And above all... there was a cruel ridicule and disdain that Adilun could never have.
That fragment had taken on the appearance of Adilun. No, it hadn't merely taken it on. I could directly see through to its essence. It was indeed Adilun.
"... Adilun?"
At my question, that fragment nodded.
[ Yes, I am... Adilun. In the novel you read, it is Adilun that has finally reached the end.]
"You were definitely a fragment of my emotions…"
'Weren't it?'
As I trailed off with the words I couldn't quite swallow, Adilun, who had turned black, laughed at me.
[ Did you believe that? How naive. ]
A smirk lingered on the corner of her mouth.
[ You must have always wondered. Why did the black dragon cross over to your world and kill people? ]
"..."
As I couldn't find the words to respond, Adilun began to decorate her story as if she were playing a joke, ith me fighting the black dragon from behind as an ornament.
[ The answer is simple. It's because I was disappointed in humans. Disgusting, despicable, and selfish beings who know nothing but themselves. ]
The black emblem emitted an eerie light, and soon, the surrounding atmosphere began to distort.
"Why... like that."
I couldn't help but blurt out, causing Adilun's expression to contort.
[ Why? How can you say such things? Ugh, my f*cking fiance. If you think about it, you are the cause of all this. If you had treated me well, maybe I wouldn't have become the Adilun I am now. ]
Adilun stared at me with all sorts of negative emotions. I couldn't bear to face the embodiment of my sins.
[ But you never acknowledged me for who I am. You called me a monster and undermined my worth as a being. I tried to endure the harshest words, planned to put up with it until the end, but the moment you insulted Rodenov and my parents, I couldn't hold back anymore. ]
"..."
[ That's when it all started. I killed you at that moment, and I crossed the point of no return. Wasn't it written like that in the novel? After your death, I put in endless effort and grew. No, that's not true. I was being consumed by the negative emotions that gripped me, just like how a monster is born. ]
[After that, everything unfolded just like the novel. I struggled to remain myself, but as I witnessed the greed and desires of humans, I started to feel disappointed... and I was losing myself. Do you know why the plague spread? It was because they waged a war among themselves for the remnants of the collapsed demon king in the northern part. Moreover, seeing the corpses of my father and mother who died at that time, not even intact, I was completely consumed.]
"...Stop it."
I tried to stop her, but all that returned was Adilun's cold sneer.
[ Stop? Why? ]
[ And you have something misunderstood. You thought you were reincarnated as Physis, right? It's exactly the opposite. ]
"What?"
[ You were originally Physis. Born without any trace of humanity, a primitive evil of humans, in a way. You died at my hands and were reincarnated in your world. The funny thing is, when I destroyed the continent I lived on and came to your world driven by some power, you, somehow, retained humanity. ]
[ And that... disgusted me to no end. That's why I wanted to destroy the world you were living in. ]
As Adilun's words filled with hatred came to an end, the battle reached its climax. The fallen black dragon and my heavily injured form were visible. Then, as I killed the black dragon, all scenes seemed to freeze as if time had stopped.
[ In that moment when we were killing each other, the time of the world began to turn back. We returned to the past world as if nothing had happened. Both you and I. ]
"That... can't be."
[ Do you know why I remain in your inner self? It's because I filled the void left by the primitive evil that was in you. That's why I remember everything and know everything. ]
I couldn't say anything. So, the past life I thought I had was actually my future self, and I had come back in time to the past? If I hadn't changed, would Adilun have become like this?
Above all else... did I kill Adilun, who had become like that?
"Ugh...!"
My memories resurfaced. Many memories came back to my mind. Every insult I had directed at Adilun overwhelmed me. Even the terrible words I said to Duke Johannes and Duchess Claudia.
Guilt surged through my entire body.
[ By the way, marriage? Between you and me? Haa. It's not even funny.]
[ I can guarantee one thing. You will never be happy. Even if you changed, I can guarantee that. ]
Then, her golden eyes dangerously glimmered.
[ I'll make it that way. Do you want to know why I remain in your inner self? To devour you, just like I did before.]
Laughter echoed in my ears. Gradually, a black tsunami rose behind her, filled with the faces of various beings, distorted by all kinds of desires—smiling, screaming, despairing, and raging.
And... as the black tsunami surged to cover the world, it eventually engulfed me.
Various repulsive and negative emotions surged within me.
The accumulated evil intent of human history began to trample on my heart.
* * *
[Adilun's POV]
It was a dark night.
As I opened my eyes, I realized that I had fallen asleep.
Outside the window, the stars were shining.
Ah, we defeated the Demon King. It was all over now.
Rubbing my eyes to wake myself up, somehow, I wanted to see Physis. What was he doing now? Was he sleeping like me?
Carefully, I headed towards Physis' room. Unlike Ortaire, Physis' room was a bit further away from mine.
But, something... an indescribable uneasiness started to creep in. The sharp uneasiness coursing through my skin was something I had never felt before.
Even when Physis was injured by the Demon King, it wasn't to this extent. Why was this intense uneasiness happening?
Unknowingly, my steps quickened towards Physis' room.
As I approached his room, I heard exhausted and tormented groans reaching my ears from inside.
I opened the door and entered Physis' room.
Then, I saw Physis in distress, covered in cold sweat.
"Physis?"
I called him cautiously, but Physis didn't show any signs of waking up. He just continued to suffer.
I tried using magic to forcefully awaken his consciousness, but it had no effect at all.
"Physis, Physis!"
Even as I shook him, there was no change.
"Wake up, Physis!"
"...No... I'm Sorry... Sorry..."
I saw him mumbling an apology to someone. Who could he be haunted by in his nightmares? ...Even after many try, he hadn't regained his consciousness and only kept repeating apologies to someone.
In the end, all I could do was reassure him. As far as I knew, the only person he might apologize to... was me. The way he was burdened with that sense of debt was just like how he had shown when apologizing to me in the past.
"It's okay. Sob... I'm fine. So please, Physis, wake up... Please..."
I gently stroked his distressed head, but all I could do was hope for him to wake up.
* * *
[Physis' POV]
The sins of all kinds of people weighed me down. It felt like my vision was gradually getting dark and hazy.
I knew that I couldn't lose consciousness like this, so I made every effort to keep my sanity intact.
However, even those efforts were gradually futile as a tsunami formed by the disgusting emotions of all humans and the sins I had accumulated came crashing down.
I felt myself gradually becoming blurred. The freedom of my hands and feet was suppressed, and I began to see my fingertips turning black little by little.
But then, there was a voice that reached me.
A voice filled with concern and undeniable affection... directed towards me.