My Own

“Forgot?”

Vivian, hearing this answer, first froze slightly. Then an indescribable sense of absurdity surged in her heart, nearly making her laugh in exasperation.

She had inexplicably suffered a decapitation strike. Her territory fell into chaos. She was displaced, even reduced to a prisoner for a time. She had endured so many twists and turns.

And now, the instigator of it all casually told her—I forgot?

“What?”

Vivian crossed her arms over her chest. Her crimson demonic eyes narrowed slightly in a posture of scrutiny and interrogation. Her tone cooled. “Are you unwilling to admit your failure, or do you think those events were trivial to you, so you simply chose to forget? I see you remember plenty—like how to wield a sword, how to summon Holy Light, how to… capture me.”

The last few words, she nearly ground out through clenched teeth.

Faced with Vivian’s clearly angry questioning, Lucia neither retreated nor argued. Instead, she lightly furrowed her delicate brows. Her azure eyes revealed a nearly pure confusion and seriousness.

“No, I really forgot.”

Lucia frowned slightly, responding earnestly. “I’m not joking with you, nor avoiding the issue—I know you’re angry, even hate me for attacking you and taking you away. That’s justified. But… as for why I did it, many key details and reasons from that time… my memories are like they’re shrouded in thick fog. Completely blurred.”

“I truly don’t remember.”

Her gaze was clear, without a flicker of evasion or hesitation, as if stating a simple fact.

“…”

Vivian fell silent.

She stared fixedly into Lucia’s eyes, trying to find any trace of deception.

But in the end, she saw only open blankness and a hint… of bewilderment that even Lucia herself seemed unable to comprehend.

In an instant, Vivian’s nameless anger felt like a punch landing on cotton, leaving her unsure how to vent.

After all this, the culprit didn’t even remember why she had committed the act.

What was this? An amnesia trope?

Vivian felt speechless inside.

‘What exactly did you forget?’

Vivian took a deep breath, asking Lucia as calmly as possible.

Her reason kept reminding her that the upheaval in her life wasn’t solely Lucia’s doing—more likely the consequence of transmigrators like her, or even those with player systems!

“…Many fragments of my memory are blurred.”

Lucia pondered, seemingly striving to recall.

“My teammates, those who once fought shoulder-to-shoulder with me… the companions who shared life and death in battle. We went through so many heart-pounding adventures, subjugating countless powerful demons—everything should be crystal clear, etched in my bones. Yet now, I can’t even recall their specific appearances. Only vague shadows and bland names remain.”

At this point, Vivian could clearly sense the undisguisable loss and emptiness in her tone.

“Even why I agreed to the second decapitation plan—I don’t remember at all. But I retain impressions of the process. During that time, I felt muddled, as if I had no capacity for independent thought—except the moments alone with you in the castle, which are very clear.”

“…Is that so?”

‘This selective memory loss is too unusual! As if some force forcibly erased or interfered with her memories, leaving only interactions with the “player” Vivian intact.’

Listening to Lucia, Vivian suddenly realized something.

Was this world truly functioning normally? Were all the backgrounds and characters predetermined? Were even Lucia’s past memories fabricated? Everything scripted?

But Vivian quickly dismissed the idea.

The reason was simple: even in a medieval sword-and-magic setting, this world’s population was vast. If some super-civilization could create such a world and perfect every person’s memories, background, and settings, then any further thought from Vivian would be futile—that was the gap between an ant and the heavens. Pointless to dwell on.

After thinking, Vivian felt a more reasonable explanation might be—Lucia, in life, had been under powerful mental control or hypnosis. The process of death and transformation into a special heroic spirit then caused memory confusion and loss.

Lucia possibly influenced by hypnosis—but unlikely for her.

But in front of 【Players】? Anything was possible.

In any case, Vivian now had many theories, but none confirmable.

“…I understand.”

Vivian sighed, accepting Lucia’s explanation quite openly.

“What are your plans for the future?”

Taking a deep breath, Vivian looked at her old acquaintance—the angelic Lucia in heroic spirit form—and asked slowly.

Dwelling on an unverifiable past was meaningless. She shifted to the more practical future.

The radiant wings behind Lucia fluttered lightly. She shook her head, a helpless frankness on her face.

“I don’t know.”

Lucia said, “Though I still possess power, I probably can’t stray too far from you. Limited to that, I can’t do anything earth-shattering.”

She spoke quite candidly, her gaze shifting back and forth to the ring on Vivian’s hand. “If you don’t mind, let me follow you? Consider it compensation within my ability—of course, I won’t raise a hand against my human kin. That’s my bottom line.”

“Fine.”

Vivian thought for a moment, then nodded, accepting Lucia’s current state.

No matter what, having the strongest Hero as a major combat asset by her side was something Vivian could fully embrace.

“But your existence is also an issue. I can’t let you out every moment.”

“Oh, you mean the identity problem? Though I can’t fold away the wings on my back, don’t you demons have harpies with wings? My identity can be… hmm, a mutated, especially beautiful harpy!”

Lucia said quite naturally, clearly trying to secure a “legitimate” reason for Vivian to maintain her presence.

“No, that’s not the issue.”

Vivian shook her head. “Appearance and wings are easy to handle. The problem is your power… As Demon Lord, I might endure it, but other demons near you would be harmed. I can’t risk my subordinates’ lives and health.”

“Ah~ you mean that.”

At this, Lucia’s eyes lit up, as if finally getting her chance to show off. She smiled faintly, raising one palm upward.

The next moment, a soft, pure light quietly emerged in her palm.

“f*ck, don’t screw me over!”

Vivian jolted in fright, instinctively erupting with dense dark mana, wrapping herself tightly to avoid Holy Light’s assault—Lucia’s Holy Light was of extreme purity; even a glance could instantly kill low-tier demons!

But the next second, though sensing the light, Vivian felt no harm at all.

The expected burning, stinging, purifying sensation never came.

It was… just warm.

The orb of light hovered quietly in Lucia’s palm, radiating a warm, gentle, even comforting aura.

Like winter sunlight, summer moonlight—devoid of aggression, without that suffocating rejection.

“…?”

Vivian was stunned.

She cautiously, bit by bit, withdrew her protective mana, approaching the light suspiciously, even extending a finger to tentatively touch it.

The sensation at her fingertip matched what she felt from afar—Vivian only sensed a gentle, heartwarming warmth, as if touching not demon-lethal Holy Light, but heated sunlight.

Vivian was thoroughly baffled. She looked up at the smiling Lucia, then at the harmless light orb in her hand, her mind struggling to process.

“I found my own 【Light】.”

“…?”

Vivian’s eyes widened involuntarily, staring at the incomparably warm light, realizing a fact.

“You possess your own light? Your own 【Rule】!?”

She couldn’t help sucking in a cold breath—this was too outrageous!

Humans, as short-lived species, had conventional Hero powers and such, more like talents and divine favors. Lucia’s former power was undoubtedly a boon from the God of Holy Light, Rhine, augmented by her comprehension and talent in light. But no matter how refined or elevated, the essence never changed—for demons, it was like water and fire; encounter meant mutual destruction.

Its essence was fixed, “borrowed.”

Like Lucia’s old light—no matter how strong, it was “Rhine Holy Light,” innately hostile to demons.

But now, Lucia seemed, after death, in heroic spirit form, to have redefined “light”!

This was a new power rule completely detached from the original faith system, wholly belonging to her personal will!

And this light even seemed harmless to demons!

“Exactly.”

Lucia nodded affirmatively. The light orb in her palm leaped gently. “Though losing my body is regrettable, in that liminal state between life and death, after breaking free from certain shackles, I had the chance to contemplate light’s essence—Rhine’s Holy Light is mercy and protection, but also order and purification. The light I want, the happiness I want for all…”

Her gaze softened toward Vivian, toward the Evernight Territory of the demons behind her: “Perhaps… it’s more like ‘understanding’ and ‘coexistence.’ It can still dispel darkness, bring warmth, but no longer exists to annihilate.”

Vivian stared at her in a daze, at that warm light, her heart surging with shock.

The Lucia before her truly seemed different from before.

She was no longer the “Saintess of Light” embodying absolute justice, merciless toward demons—but… a new existence who had found her own path.