Dancing on the golden ashes-Chapter 199: Change of Heart

"So, what is it you want to do, Gaon?" The voice rang in my head, relentless, pushing at the fragile walls of my mind. "Do you want to take all that frustration, all that jealousy, and throw it at those below you? Tear apart the happiness they have? You could you know. You have the power. You could wipe them all out in an instant, take away their peaceful little lives. None of them would even feel it, would even know what happened. So, why do you hesitate? Could it be that somewhere deep inside, there’s still some part of you that’s human? No... Even if you were once human, you were never really one of them. In your heart, you’ve always been above them."

The words hung in the air, like a stinging wound I couldn’t bandage, an accusation I couldn’t escape. Is that how it really is?

Foll𝑜w current novels on fɾēewebnσveℓ.com.

"Listen closely," it pressed on, its voice colder, sharper, almost like it was savoring my pain. "In this world, there is no right, no wrong. Do you think you’re so different because you’re a demon? Who is anyone to judge you for it? Who’s to say that the demon’s heart is more vile than the human heart? What makes them so much better than you? In the end, there’s only one race, one existence so vile, so full of destruction, that they were cast out, erased from all memory. Do you know who they were? Or is it too much for you to understand, too soon for you to see?"

I didn’t know what to think. The words felt like a dark, gnawing hunger in my chest, twisting my thoughts into knots. What are you trying to say?

The voice took a breath, then continued, smoother now, as if it had all the time in the world. "I’ll explain when you reach god-level, but with the way things are going, it might come faster than you expect. Your mental state has delayed things, but honestly, I couldn’t help you overcome it. You unconsciously cast me out of your heart, and I barely hung on inside you. Gosh, that was close. Too close…"

I stood there, speechless, completely overwhelmed. The entity wasn’t just mysterious—it was bizarre, unpredictable. Its mood swings were like being caught in a storm with no warning. It was too much to handle sometimes, and I could feel myself being pulled into its chaotic rhythm.

Wait... What do you mean it was me who cast you out?

Wasn’t it you who abandoned me?

After everything I went through, you just left me, didn’t you? I was beyond frustrated.

At least own up to it, I thought bitterly. Have some balls and tell me the truth.

The voice echoed with an eerie calmness, as if amused. "Darling, even if I wanted to, I couldn’t grow a pair. I was never a man, but forget that... what you need to focus on now is getting stronger, and fast. There’s something vile, something heavy, pressing down on you from all directions." The voice dropped to a lower tone. "I can’t tell you what it is, you might just lose all hope and... well, you’d probably end up killing yourself. Hahaha. We can’t have that, can we?"

A chill ran through me. What? What do you mean by that?

"You have about five hundred years, give or take. If you don’t reach god-level by then, Gaon, you risk losing yourself—and everything you care about." The final words hung in the air, heavy and foreboding.

What?

I recoiled at the thought, confusion swirling in my chest. Five hundred years? To become what? To become who?

Wait. Did you just say—could it really be?

Find your next adventure on novelbuddy

I couldn’t stop myself from shouting back in my mind. Can I really bring them back? Can I really save them?

The eerie voice chuckled, but there was something hollow about it. "I never said you could bring them back, but..." It trailed off for a moment, leaving me hanging, desperate for the answer. "With your powers growing like they are, who knows? Maybe one day, creating a whole new universe wouldn’t be out of the question. Reforging a few souls? It’s possible. But," the voice paused for effect, "don’t get your hopes up. If you remain weak, you’ll never see them again, and both this world and your previous one will be drowned in darkness. Forever."

The silence that followed was suffocating. The voice was gone, leaving behind only its cryptic words, and once again, I was left alone.

A wave of clarity crashed over me.

The path ahead was still shrouded in darkness, but at least I now knew what I had to do. I couldn’t allow myself to stay stagnant. I had to reach the next level, to grow beyond my limits. The ones I lost were still out there—maybe I could save them, but only if I was strong enough.

As for the rest of the world? I didn’t care. They could live their peaceful lives, shielded from the real dangers, and when the day came that the power they had no idea existed finally reached them, I would be there. But I wasn’t going to be anyone’s savior. If the world crashed down around me, I would hold it up—but only for myself and for those I loved. Everybody else could fall. It wasn’t my problem.

I flapped my wings, rising into the sky, leaving the peaceful village far below. Nobody noticed me. At this point, no one could stand in my way. And I was fine with that. After all, I was the Demon Empress. No human, no matter how powerful, could touch me now.

I still had my beasts—my loyal companions—and the souls of those I had loved. In a strange way, I realized life might not be so bad after all. I had a purpose, and with it, I could still change things.

I smiled to myself, imagining the day I could make everything right again. It might take time, and I would be walking a path filled with challenges, but for the first time in a long while, I felt a spark of hope. Maybe it wasn’t too late.