The Damned Demon-Chapter 876: I Can Fix This

A late teen Cedric, chained and frightened, pressed himself back against the cold stone wall. His breathing quickened, his eyes wide with sheer panic as he stared at the ominous figure standing calmly before him.

The young miss of the Evangelion Family—Aira, whose existence had been almost mythic, shrouded in seclusion and mystery for years—now stood in front of him.

He had only seen an old photo of her in her early childhood days where she had delicate, angelic features.

But now they seemed to have had transformed into something grotesque, almost demonic. Long, sickly white hair cascaded down her shoulders, pale gray spikes with radiant white veins protruding from her skin like thorns on a pale flower. Pulsing white veins spiderwebbed across her ghostly face and arms, creating a disturbing contrast to her ghastly pale skin.

But most terrifying were her eyes—radiant, brilliant white orbs emanating an unearthly, chilling brilliance that pierced straight through him.

"Why... why are you doing this to me?" Cedric choked out, voice breaking in fear and confusion. His wrists strained against the chains binding him to the stone, the metal links rattling sharply. "I never did anything wrong. Does Master Evangelion know you're doing something bad like this? Help! Somebody please!" he screamed desperately, turning his gaze upwards, hoping someone, anyone, might hear his plea.

But his desperate screams echoed back emptily, absorbed by the dense, soundproof walls.

Aira stepped forward slowly, her voice eerily gentle despite the terrifying visage she presented. "Cedric, please calm down. No one can hear you. No one even knows we're here. Not even my father, who built this chamber. I made sure he erased his own memories after he constructed it."

Her words fell upon Cedric like ice-cold water, silencing his screams instantly. His eyes widened with shock and despair, the grim realization settling upon him that no rescue was coming. No one knew.

Aira regarded him quietly, her terrifying eyes filled with an unsettling blend of sadness and possessiveness, "I know you're scared, but you don't have to be. I also know you don't truly know me... not in this lifetime but believe me when I say I know you better than anyone else. I promise, I'm not doing this to hurt you. I am doing this to save you."

Cedric stared at her in disbelief. "S-save me? How could kidnapping and chaining someone in a place like this be called saving? Please… just let me go…" he pleaded, his voice trembling.

"You'll understand one day," she whispered soothingly. "I'll remove the chains if you promise to stay here quietly and listen to me. Can you promise me that?"

Cedric furrowed his brows anxiously, "H-how long do you want me to stay here?"

Aira tilted her head slightly, as though considering, then said in a detached manner, "Not long at all. Just a few more years, until that damned entity comes to claim your life again."

Cedric gasped, recoiling in horror, "A-A few years?!"

But Aira continued, indifferent to his reaction. "Before then, I must find more Radems or complete difficult quests. I have to break this Level 40 barrier holding me back. I—I can't fail again. Not again."

Confused and horrified by her words, Cedric grew agitated, his panic intensifying. With desperation he began violently tugging at his chains. His eyes flared brilliant gold as he summoned every ounce of his mana, desperately attempting to free himself.

He wished he had trained to become stronger but he wasn't allowed to and was kept busy all the time.

And now he was suffering for it. The metal bit painfully into his wrists, blood beginning to trickle down his arms.

Aira's focus snapped back to him, noticing his frantic struggles. Her voice softened anxiously, almost pleadingly. "Cedric, please stop. You'll only hurt yourself. Those chains are unbreakable."

But her words only spurred Cedric's panic further. Teeth clenched, muscles straining, he continued pulling, his wrists tearing deeply, blood now dripping heavily to the stone floor.

Seeing the crimson trails pouring from his wrists, thousands of brutal images—Cedric dying again and again in every conceivable way—flashed through Aira's mind, overwhelming her senses. Her radiant eyes flared brighter, pain and anger overtaking her rational thought as she clutched her head in agony.

"I said stop!" she roared, her voice raw, horrifying, and instinctively she struck out in pain.

A loud, sickening explosion echoed as her palm made contact with Cedric's face. Aira froze, eyes wide, staring at the bloodied mist drifting in the air. Cedric's headless body slumped limply, dangling grotesquely from the chains.

Aira stood there, trembling, staring blankly at her bloodied hand, whispering in denial, "No... Why did you make me do this? Why couldn't you just listen to me?"

A moment later she violently shook her head, her expression shifting rapidly to anguish and desperate remorse. "No... I-I'm sorry... I didn't mean to hurt you…I was-...I'll fix this. You're not gone. I can fix this," she whispered frantically, eyes wide and vacant, laughter hollow and lifeless.

She raised her trembling hand, eyes shining brilliantly white, as time itself bent to her will. The blood retraced its path, flowing backwards, reassembling Cedric's shattered skull. His head reattached seamlessly, eyes blinking open once again in panic, breath ragged as he again struggled uselessly in chains.

"Go to sleep, Cedric," Aira murmured gently, pressing her palm gently to his forehead. His struggles ceased immediately as unconsciousness overcame him.

She tenderly caressed his still-bloodied wrists, whispering, "Perhaps it would be best if you remain asleep until I finish. At least you won't feel anything."

Then she stood, pacing frantically across the room, talking to herself in a manic frenzy. "No new quests with Radems... I can't waste any more time. Should I try absorbing Deviars? No, no… my body would reject them or maybe not. Argh! Why is this Level 40 barrier impossible to break?!"

A primal, raw scream of frustration tore from her throat as her fist slammed against the stone wall, creating a massive dent that echoed ominously through the chamber.

Asher watched this scene unfold in indescribable anguish. He desperately wished he could intervene—shout, plead, anything to stop her madness. But he was helpless, imprisoned within these horrifying memories. His heart twisted painfully, knowing this monstrous version of Aira was a result of her endless regressions and his countless deaths.

That was when he remembered that entity's words, [You walk a path carved by something older than death... and time does not lend its power without demanding a piece of your soul.] And it seemed that with each regression, she was losing a piece of her soul until now where barely a part of Aira remained.

But he knew he couldn't blame her. After going through all those years again and again, even he would have gone mad and lost.

As the echoes of her scream slowly faded, Aira slumped against the cold stone wall, her shoulders trembling as whispers of hopelessness and agony escaped her lips.

"Why... why is it so hard to protect you, no matter how much power I gain? Why can't fate let me have you, even just once?"

In that moment, despite her terrifying appearance, she seemed heartbreakingly fragile. Her loneliness and suffering pierced through Asher's soul like an icy dagger, and he wished he could give her a hug and tell her it was okay to stop. But he could only watch in silent, helpless despair.

Soon, Aira took a slow, trembling breath, straightening her hunched shoulders. The fragile vulnerability that had briefly cracked her terrifying facade melted away, replaced by a cold, ruthless mask of determination. Her radiant white eyes glowed brighter, an eerie, resolute fire burning fiercely within.

"That's it," she muttered darkly to herself, her voice edged with a chilling resolve. "I will just have to activate the Last Judgment quest myself. Surely wiping out the demons should earn me at least a single Radem." Her gaze flickered thoughtfully, "And if not, I might as well grab some Deviars from there, at the very least and test my body."

Asher's ethereal presence watched helplessly, a painful sigh escaping him. Never before had he wished so desperately that none of this was real. The thought of his loved ones, Rowena, Isola, Ravina, Sabina—all of his people potentially facing annihilation filled him with an anguish he couldn't bear. Even if in this twisted version of Zalthor, an "Asher" didn't exist, their fates still pierced his heart.

But before his mind could spiral further, Aira approached Cedric's unconscious form. She knelt down gently, brushing a strand of his messy hair away from his peaceful face. Her voice softened momentarily, a flicker of tenderness breaking through her hardened exterior.

"I'm leaving for a quest now, Cedric," she whispered softly, almost lovingly. "I know you can't hear me, but you'll be safe here, away from harm. I promise I'll return quickly—and when I succeed, all of this suffering will finally end before you even realize it."

Standing up, she straightened herself and with a wave of her hand, a radiant portal ripped open before her. Aira glanced back once more at Cedric, eyes filled with grim determination, and stepped forward into the swirling vortex of light, vanishing instantly.

An uncertain amount of time passed in the heavy silence of the chamber—Asher felt as though minutes and hours blurred into meaningless fragments. Suddenly, the still air rippled and shuddered violently. A dark green portal tore itself open, slicing through the air with a guttural sound, causing the chamber to vibrate.

From within stumbled a young woman, breathing heavily as if she had just survived a harrowing ordeal. She was bewitchingly beautiful, her pale skin starkly contrasting with the elegant black armor she wore, emblazoned with an crimson ornate dragon emblem that glowed faintly. Her raven-black hair cascaded like silk over her shoulders, emphasizing her sharp, elongated ears. But it was her eyes—dark golden, fierce yet haunted—that shook Asher immediately.

"I hope this is it," the young woman mumbled breathlessly, her voice soft yet burdened with urgency. She took another step into the chamber, the portal behind her sealing shut silently, leaving her standing in the quiet space.

Asher furrowed his brows deeply, confused yet deeply unsettled by the eerie familiarity emanating from her. He watched as her gaze locked onto Cedric's chained, unconscious form. Instantly, her golden eyes widened in shock and grief.

"Oh devils…" she whispered, stepping closer, disbelief clear on her face. Her voice trembled slightly, filled with sorrow and disappointment. "I can't believe she really did this to you, Papa… Did she truly go mad?"

A bolt of shock and disbelief ran through Asher. His thoughts froze, unable to process the words clearly for a brief second. "Papa?" he mumbled incredulously, eyes widening with a mixture of awe, disbelief, and profound sorrow. Realization struck him like lightning—this young woman, fierce yet familiar, was none other than Ravina, his daughter!