Elegy from Another World

Like pages of a closed book being forcibly opened, erased colors being repainted. That cold, seductive voice, with a hint of barely perceptible mockery, echoed once more in the ruins of my consciousness.

Do you want power?

I know what it is. It's the voice of the demon king who was defeated in the battle on the level of my consciousness. It hasn't dissipated; it's just lurking, waiting for my most vulnerable moment.

"No," I responded with my last remaining thoughts, focusing on the gradually cooling body in my arms, "I just want to save her."

So, what price are you willing to pay?

The cost. That word pierced my heart like an ice pick. I had sworn never to become its blade, never to sacrifice the innocent or lose myself for power. But now, watching Tia's life light slowly fade, those principles seemed so pale.

"Give one…" I almost blurted out "everything," but the words caught in my throat. Everything? Including everyone in Utopia? Including my will and memories as "Lisma"? No, I can't. To sacrifice everything to save one person is not what Tia wants, and it goes against my original intention of protecting this place.

My thoughts raced wildly in despair, until finally, a desperate gamble emerged. My body—this being, by its very nature, is an abnormal entity, a vessel for pain and pleasure, a carrier of "stories." If a price must be paid, perhaps it can be sacrificed.

"I'm willing to give... my body." My thoughts were like a stone falling into an abyss.

【OK!】

There was no bargaining, no further enticement. A cold, immense power, filled with the essence of destruction and chaos, surged into my limbs and bones like a black tide, instantly engulfing my consciousness. What a profound irony—I had firmly refused to become the Demon King's blade, yet now, for the "personal desire" of saving my companions, I had willingly embraced the power I resisted, standing on the opposite side of my own beliefs.

Inside the Utopia base, as I held Tia, overcome with grief, my body suddenly stiffened. My dazzling golden hair, starting from the roots, visibly faded to a lifeless, snow-white. My once clear blue pupils lost all color, turning into an empty, pure white, while the pale blue heart symbol within them turned pink. A chilling pressure emanated from me, causing Xiao Pei, Edseysis, and Zoimem, who had rushed over, to feel an instinctive shudder.

An even more shocking change occurred in Tia's arms. Her terrible wound, previously untreatable and corroded by the "Hero's" power, was now beginning to writhe and heal! The black aura, symbolizing the Demon King's power, clashed and annihilated with the golden holy light (or "Hero's power") remaining at the wound. Ultimately, the black power prevailed, forcibly repairing and mending the damaged tissue. The Demon King's power, symbolizing destruction, was now playing the role of salvation, while the supposedly righteous Hero's power had left behind a fatal wound. This double irony chilled me to the bone.

After confirming that Tia's vital signs had stabilized and her breathing had become steady, I gently laid her down. I looked up at my companions who had gathered around me with my pure white eyes; their faces were filled with worry, confusion, and fear.

"I'm fine..." My voice was hoarse and indifferent. "Take care of Tia."

After saying that, without waiting for their reaction, I turned and headed straight for the outer ring area of ​​the base—there was an isolation zone with extremely strong containment capabilities, built when Zoimem was imprisoned. I locked myself inside, cutting off most of my contact with the outside world.

During this time, Xiaobei, Edseysis, and Zoimem tried to contact me several times, clearly noticing the drastic change in my appearance and the ominous aura surrounding me. But I resolutely refused to let them approach, ordering them to stay by Tia's side. Although they were extremely worried, they ultimately obeyed my command.

An hour passed in the deathly silence. I huddled in the corner of the cell, awaiting the anticipated erosion—the erasure of my will, the alteration of my memories, the takeover of my body. Yet, nothing happened. My mind remained clear, my memories intact, and I held firm control over my body. Apart from the cold, powerful dark force flowing within me and the change in my appearance, I seemed to still be myself.

"Why?" I couldn't help but ask myself, and also that being, "Why can't you control me?"

"...That's exactly what I wanted to ask you." For the first time, the Demon King's voice carried a hint of genuine confusion, even a touch of defeat. "My power has indeed been infused into you, the contract is established. But your 'existence'... is like a fundamental agreement that cannot be written into, an absolute core that refuses to be overridden. I cannot possess it, cannot distort it, and cannot even effectively read your deepest thoughts."

I was stunned. Was it because of my strange self-perception at the "narrative level"? Was it because I might essentially be closer to a "vessel"?

"Okay," I breathed a slight sigh of relief, "it seems that for now, you don't pose any threat to me."

I tried, cautiously, to reconnect to the symbiotic network of Utopia through the tentacles on my back.

【Xiao Bei?】I sent out my thoughts.

"Lady Liscia! How are you?!" Xiaobei's voice responded immediately, filled with urgency.

【My situation is a bit complicated.】I told him about the contract I made with the Demon King and our current strange state of "coexistence".

Just then, the Demon King in my mind uttered a whisper that was almost astonished: "[This...this is the memory and emotion of 'others'? So complex...so vivid...] It sounded as if, through my connection with Xiaobei, he had truly 'seen' and 'felt' the inner world of another 'independent consciousness' for the first time, an experience he had never had before."

Ignoring the Demon King's surprise for the moment, I continued to ask Xiao Bei: "How is Tia now?"

Her vital signs are completely stable, and her wounds are healing well, but she remains unconscious. Edseysis, Zoimem, and Tina are all watching over her. Please rest assured.

"That's good." I felt slightly relieved, but a greater worry followed. "However, Xiaobei, the crisis is not over. Tia's identity has been exposed, and that so-called 'hero' will never let this go. With his mindset of treating the world as a game, he will definitely see Tia as a 'mission objective' that must be completed. Moreover, now, with the Demon King's power within me, Edseysis's special existence, Zoimem's white dragon identity, and even you... we may have already been marked as 'high-level elite monsters' or 'dungeon bosses' by him."

I paused, a resolute glint flashing in my pure white pupils.

In other words, we are destined for a life-or-death battle with that "hero." This battle is not about conquest, but about survival; we must be prepared.