"...Uhhh."

Charlotte groaned as she woke up from her own breaths. Her eyes were sedated, but still, they moved across the room as soon as her eyes were able to see. And she saw Sofia sitting in the corner of the room, she immediately asked her where Viel was.

"He's out exploring the city with his friends. They should be back soon."

"No…", Charlotte shook her head, the expression on her face couldn't be painted, "We… the two of us can't meet", she said, her voice weak and stuttering.

"...", Sofia let out a small sigh as she approached Charlotte and sat beside her, "Did… someone speak to you while you were unconscious?"

"How did you know!?"

"Viel… is the same", Sofia said calmly as she examined Charlotte's condition, "Whenever he loses consciousness as you did, he is able to communicate with the voices in his head."

"We must not meet!", Charlotte once again raised her voice as she grabbed Sofia's hand. "Viel and I… we… we're not meant to--"

"What's up, my biological mother!?"

Before Charlotte could finish expressing her woes, Viel barged inside the room, behind him were Diao Mei, Lu Xun, and Violet, who tried to stop him from ramming the door open. But alas, she was too late.

Seeing the serious expression on both Charlotte and Sofia's faces, Viel could not help but slightly back away. "...Woke up badly?", he said as he chuckled awkwardly.

"V… Viel", Charlotte could not help but gulp as she saw Viel. He was so near, but it felt like there was a thick wall separating the two of them. And her hands chained to the ground.

She wanted to hug her son so badly. But after what that man inside of her consciousness told her, she just couldn't.

"What's… going on?", Viel squinted as he looked at Charlotte and Sofia suspiciously.

"She talked to someone while she was unconscious"

"M… Miss Sofia!", Charlotte was too late to stop Sofia from talking.

"I see", Viel nodded his head as he walked closer to the two, "So you really do have a voice inside you as well, biological mother?"

"What did you guys talk about?"

"That…"

Charlotte could not help but bite her lips as she let out a tiny hum. She then looked towards Viel's friends, who were behind him.

"It's alright, I want them to hear it", Viel quickly said as she noticed Charlotte looking at Diao Mei and Violet.

Diao Mei and Violet looked at each other in confusion. Completely unaware of what the two were talking about. Lu Xun, on the other hand, excused himself, saying that he will be waiting outside.

It took a few seconds for all of them to get settled and take their own seats. What followed after, however, was silence. Diao Mei and Violet still had no idea what Viel meant by he wanted them to hear it. What would they be talking about, anyway?

And so, after a few more seconds of silence, Viel was the one to open his mouth first. "...So, what did the voice inside of you tell you?"

"That…", Charlotte once again bit her teeth as her breaths stuttered. The uncontrollable beating of her heart made her unable to speak as if it was blocking the path of her words.

"Viel… you…"

She once again stuttered as tears started to trail down her face. The words that she was about to say were more painful than anything she has ever experienced.

The feeling of her heart being broken by Li Zhao. The torment she experienced as a portion of her back was torn by a blade. The suffering she had experienced for being unable to walk for years. The pain of losing her husband.

All of those suddenly felt insignificant.

She had finally met the son she did not even know existed… but now…

"Viel… you're dying."

"What!?"

Both Diao Mei and Violet could not help but stand from their seats at the same time. Their voice reverberating throughout the small room.

Sofia, on the other hand, only adjusted her spectacles as she looked at Viel.

"Well…", Viel let out a huge sigh as he looked to the ceiling for no particular reason, "If you put it like that…", he muttered, slightly letting out a chuckle.

"Wait, it's true!?", Diao Mei grabbed Viel's shoulders.

"When you told me you will disappear, is this what you meant!?", Violet, as well, could not help but voice out her concern as she grabbed Viel's cheeks.

Viel was saying something, but since he was currently being choked to death by the two girls, the only thing that he could let out was garbles.

"But why?", Diao Mei said, her words completely filled with disbelief, "And how!?"

She had always known Viel to be the strongest person she has ever seen. Completely untouchable, and even stronger than her grandfather. Even Matriarch Yinji had acknowledged his strength. So why now, of all times, was he suddenly dying? And how!?

The two then looked at Charlotte, the fire in their eyes clearly looking for answers.

And so, Charlotte let out a deep breath. Gathering all of her resolve to tell everything that Rain told her.

Rain told Charlotte that half of his soul is gone. And that the other half was inside Viel. He also mentioned something about a System, something that is also inside of Viel.

"He told me… that you… You're not supposed to even exist," Charlotte's eyes trembled as she turned her head towards Viel.

Viel should not have existed in the first place. That the one that was supposed to be Viel was Rain.

Diao Mei and Violet could not help but furrow their eyebrows in confusion, but still, they remained quiet to listen to the rest of Charlotte's story.

Sofia, however, remained quiet. Her eyes moving from left to right, her thoughts racing inside her mind.

"He also told me that letting you live would be dangerous…", Charlotte continued, "He…

...He told me to kill you."

"!!!"

"That I am the only one who can do it."

"But you're his mother!", Diao Mei waved her hand, "You--"

"Of course I won't do it!"

Before Diao Mei could even speak any more, Charlotte's throbbing screams filled the entire room, "And that's why we should not be together, Viel. What if he somehow manages to take control of my body!? I… I can't…"

"But that still doesn't explain what you said, Miss Charlotte", Violet placed her hand on her chin, her voice trying to be calm, "You said he was already dying?"

"...Half of Rain's soul is inside him… and it's consuming him", Charlotte closed her eyes, a tear falling from it as she did so, "But since only half of Rain's soul is inside of him, it's not enough. And so, the System would be trying to merge Rain and Viel instead. And whatever that would create…

...would be dangerous."

"You can't seriously believing everything that man said!?", Diao Mei once again waved her hands in frustration.

Charlotte, however, could only shake her head.

"He wasn't lying."

"How would you even know that!?"

"Because I am him… and he is me. I… can feel if he's telling the truth."

"That… that's ridiculous…", Diao Mei stuttered as her legs slowly gave out, "Why… why is everything happening so fast?"

Once again, the room was filled with only their fettered breaths.

"..."

"..."

Seconds, minutes… An hour.

The 5 remained in silence for almost an hour before Viel let out a sigh, A quiet sigh that almost deafened the entire room. Charlotte turned her sedated eyes towards Viel as soon as she heard his breaths, but before she could even turn her head, Viel hugged her.

"...Viel?", Charlotte could not help but blink a couple of times. Her hands trembled as they slowly approached Viel. However, before her hands could take Viel into their embrace, he pulled away.

And without once again even saying a word, he also quickly hugged Diao Mei and Violet.

The two could not help but once again look at each other in confusion. It would seem that being confused was the only thing they did in this room.

And right after hugging the two of them, Viel slowly stepped away and walked towards Sofia, standing beside her as he looked at Charlotte and the two.

Viel took a deep breath and closed his eyes. And as soon as he let go of it, he saluted.

"Thank you for everything…", he said, a warm smile plastering his face, "You guys…

...You guys are the best."

Violet, who realized what was happening, quickly rushed towards Viel and Sofia. But before she could do so…

"Sofie!"

A wall of ice blocked her path, splitting the room in two completely. A bright light then shined below Sofia and Viel, basking the two of them. And before the light could completely drown their faces, the smile on Viel's face slowly disappeared.

The three on the other side of the room could not help but close their eyes as the light grew stronger.

And when their eyes opened, the wall of ice that covered the room was gone, replaced by the sound of water dripping from the ceiling. And with the wall of ice, just like that...

Viel and Sofia were also gone.

"Viel…

…Viel!"

***

"Are you sure about this?"

A few kilometers away from Quinn City, a bright light flashed, with Sofia and Viel walking out of it.

"Well… better now than later", Viel shrugged his shoulders as he let out a tiny chuckle, "Let's go then, lots of things to see", Viel said before nonchalantly stepping away.

But before he could even take a single step, Sofia grabbed his hand and pulled him towards her, hugging him tight on her bosom.

"It's okay… you know?", Sofia whispered.

"What?"

"To cry."

"Psh. What? Why would I?"

"Saying goodbye to your friends like that, friends you haven't seen in years… I am sure it wasn't easy. Especially leaving the way you did."

"I'm… alright. This time I am not alone, right? I…

…I have you with me. You are staying with me, yes?"

"...Always."

"Even if I don't remember who you are anymore?"

"Even if you don't remember your name anymore."

"Always?"

"...Always."

***VOLUME 5 END***

An abrupt end, just like Viel's sudden farewell. The next volume would be a brand new story, still following Viel, of course.

If none of you remember anymore, Morning Star is the meaning of Viel's name in the Western language, which Grandma Ling named him. A Morning Star, always attracts people, but always fleeting. Just like Viel.

Once again, thank you for following Viel's story with me. The next chapter would be the start of the next volume, titled: War.

***

4 years later.

The emergence of a new Demon God shocked the entire Western Continent. None of them were ready for the brutality that came with its birth. Unshackled, resolute, and does not discriminate.

Once again...

...the Western Continent was at war.

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