The next morning the sun rose over the kingdom in a golden glow, touching the
high fortress walls
and dyeing the surrounding forest in enchanting colors. The air was mild, the
breeze gentle, and
people busied themselves with their work, carving hope into a land that had once
been ruin. Osamifos
stood at the window, watching the scene, his eyes shining with pride. *I had
refused to be their
king, yet today I find myself caring for them more than for myself. Watching over
them gives me a
comfort and peace I cannot describe.*
Knock. Knock. Knock.
A light rapping at the door pulled him from his reverie.
Osamifos: Come in. Arimal: Good morning, Your Majesty. Osamifos, smiling: Your
morning is brighter.
Arimal, noticing his smile: You look happy… joy fills your face. Osamifos: Yes… this
place accepted
me as I am, and I have done my best to raise it to something better. Arimal: All of
that is thanks
to you. Osamifos, in a stern tone: Don't exaggerate… too much praise can spoil the
morning's calm.
Arimal, flustered: Sorry, Your Majesty… breakfast is ready, and your family awaits.
Osamifos: Very
well, I'm coming.
The Family Meal:
Osamifos sat at the table with his family. The atmosphere was full of love and
merriment. Osamifos:
Good morning. Everyone: Good morning.
Nicrocia, smiling shyly: Sit quickly… I'm so hungry. Osamifos, laughing: The food
won't run away,
Nicrocia, be patient a moment. Everyone burst into laughter and began to enjoy
the bounty of the
land.
But Akwantia cut through the cheerful mood: Father… I want to go to school.
Osamifos, surprised:
School?! Where did that idea come from? Akwantia: I read about it in one of your
books… I long to
learn. Osamifos, smiling: Your wish is my command, little one.
Soon the others cried out excitedly: "Me!" "Me!" and the place buzzed with
laughter. But Nicrocia
said seriously: We don't have schools yet… only training workshops and research
labs. Osamifos: Then
we'll build a special place for them… we'll discuss it later. Suddenly Osamifos stood
and turned
toward the door, as if summoning destiny itself:
"Akwantia…
I asked King Nazghoth to send us the finest knights, the greatest healers, and the
most skilled
warriors. And because you are the smartest, the strongest, and the most
responsible among them… I
will leave this task in your hands. From now on… you will lead in my stead."
A Tour of the Kingdom:
Osamifos went out to inspect the kingdom himself. He passed through villages,
asking the people
about their needs. He met two frail women begging. Villager: We are poor… we
cannot find our daily
bread nor work because our bodies are ill. Osamifos: What are your names?
Villager: Irvalen… and
this is my sister Shizura. Osamifos: You will both work in the castle, and no one in
my kingdom will
go hungry again.
They wept with joy: "Thank you, Your Majesty!" He remembered himself when he
had been weak, cast
out, without work or hope. He whispered: *Life is cruel… I will not let my people live
what I
lived.*
He then visited the farmers. They asked for new houses and more hands. He
promised: "Additional
homes will be built… your wages will be fair according to your toil." The farmers
thanked him
enthusiastically, though he wondered inwardly: *Do they tire of thanking me so
often?*
Finally he went to his favorite lake, where he sat to think.
She smiled bitterly: "This is what you deserve… you're not our father."
Nicrocia rushed in, terrified, running to him and crying: Osamifos!!
Before she could collapse completely, Akwantia shouted and slapped Fidia hard,
making her step back,
her eyes filled with tears and fury: "How dare you stab our father?!"
Fidia froze for a moment, then fled outside the castle, swallowed by sorrow, anger,
and darkness…
Blood still flowed from Osamifos's wound after Fidia's attack, while Akwantia sat
beside him,
holding his trembling hand and weeping bitterly:
Akwantia: "Father… I am grateful to you for giving me life, for raising me, teaching
me… even if you
are not my real father, you are the only one who showed me warmth and love since
my childhood.
Please, forget what Fidia said… you are our father, and you will remain so!"
Osamifos smiled through his pain: "We destroyed your lives while thinking we were
protecting you…
but sooner or later you will learn the truth. Many secrets have yet to be revealed…
even you, I have
not fully trusted. If you want to kill me, do it… but before I die, forgive me and take
care of your
siblings."
Akwantia cried out from her heart, tears falling on his face: "Daaad! I'm not done
with you yet! You
won't die now… we need you, and I want you as a real father, a friend, and a
companion. Don't leave
us… don't abandon us to life alone!"
Osamifos was deeply moved, tears streaming: "Your words break my heart, my
daughter… thank you."
In that moment, Kaironia shouted from afar as she ran toward him: "Daaad!"
Then Osamifos lost consciousness and slipped into a deep sleep because of the
severity of the stab
wound.
The Family's Collapse:
While Akwantia tended to her father and held him, Nicrocia embraced Irithria and
Kaironia, who had
fallen into a deep psychological shock, frozen like lifeless bodies. Nicrocia wept
bitterly:
"Forgive me… I didn't know what to do… I only wanted to be a mother! Please…
don't leave me!"
But the girls remained silent, sunk into emptiness. Nicrocia could not bear it, she
grabbed a dagger
and pointed it at her heart, tears rolling down her face: "If this is the price of my
mistakes… then
let me go now. Forgive me… and thank you for every moment I spent with you."
Before she could stab herself, Kaironia leaped forward and grabbed her hand, while
Irithria threw
the dagger away then hugged Nicrocia tightly, crying and shouting: "Mom! Don't
leave us… we love
you!"
Nicrocia collapsed, sobbing, and hugged her daughters with all her strength, then
carried them back
to Osamifos. ... (text continues)
The Cry for Return:
The family gathered around Osamifos; Akwantia held his hand, Irithria and Kaironia
cried and
shouted: "Dad! Come back to us!"
Inside his mind, Osamifos heard their voices, yet he was lost in internal struggles:
*I am not from
their world… I lied to them that I was their father… I ruined their futures… do I
have the right to
be happy among them? Or am I merely a tyrant who killed their dreams?*
Then he remembered their faces, their cries, their tears. *No… I cannot leave now.*
With the strength of his will he blinked his eyes… and found them all staring at
him, calling:
"Daaad!"
He opened his arms and embraced them all, then rose using his skill of organ
regeneration, healing
his wounds and restoring his body as it had been. He looked at them sternly: "But…
do not forget.
Fidia is still my daughter. No matter what she did… a father remains weak before
his children. I do
not want to lose any member of our family. Bring her back to us…"
Fidia's Curse:
They all rushed toward the dark aura they had felt on a nearby mountain. There
they found Fidia
alone, crying and cursing herself: Fidia: "I betrayed my father… I destroyed
everything… I want to
die!"
A strong black curse was spreading from her body, threatening to devour her soul.
Akwantia ran to her and hugged her: "Sister! I'm sorry… I didn't mean to hurt you!"
Irithria and
Kaironia tried to heal her, but failed. Akwantia cried out in alarm: "This is not a
natural curse…
it's a strange substance!"
Fidia lost consciousness and her sisters carried her to the castle. There Osamifos
awaited them,
looking at her worriedly: "This is not a curse… it's a deadly substance. She has
ingested a poison
made from the skin of a three-hundred-year-old serpent. This substance can wipe
out half a million
people if it spreads!"
He sat beside her and used his power to heal her. It took twenty-five minutes of
concentration and
energy before he could neutralize the poison and save her. Then he turned to
Irithria: "Go
immediately to the place where she fell and bring any remnants of this substance
to the laboratory.
We must find out where it came from."
A Moment of Forgiveness:
After the healing, Akwantia sat crying beside Fidia: "I thought I would lose you…
forgive me,
sister."
Osamifos smiled as he wiped her tears: "Do not blame yourself… you are strong,
but you need
training. One day you will be the lady of the cosmos and queen of the stars."
Akwantia's face brightened with a trembling smile, and she hugged her father.
Irithria and Kaironia
approached as well, and Osamifos opened his arms and embraced them all, crying
with them. At last…
after all the pain, warmth returned to the family. But the shadows still loomed far
away… this was
only the beginning.
Chapter Eight — Shivering Hearts
That night the girls gathered around a long table lit by the glow of torches.
Akwantia sat by the
window, her blue eyes reflecting like a sea mirror. Kaironia sat quietly, but she
trembled inside
like a bird trapped in a cage.
Akwantia spoke first, in a hesitant voice filled with sorrow: "Whenever I close my
eyes, I see a
shadow stretching toward us… a shadow not of night nor of flame, but of our hearts
themselves. I
feel the truth we know is only a small piece of a much larger wall, behind which a
secret refuses to
be revealed."
She fell silent for a moment, then placed a hand on her chest: "But, my friends… I
can't endure it
anymore. Silence is heavier than speech. Will we keep lying to ourselves? Will we
continue hiding
behind our broken smiles?"
Kaironia raised her eyes, glistening with tears not yet fallen: "Akwantia… if words
could heal, I
would have spoken long ago. But what if we open the door and the wind sweeps
everything away? Aren't
we safer in our silence? I'm afraid… afraid that the truth is not a cure but another
curse added to
our list of curses."
She added, her voice trembling: "I'm afraid we'll lose some of us if we speak. Do we
have the power
to bear another loss?"
A heavy silence fell, as if the room itself stopped breathing. But from a distance,
Fidia's voice
rose in the corridor, soft yet like a sword: "Silence, Kaironia, is the blade that slowly
kills us…
Truth, however, is the storm; it may break us, but it leaves us standing, free."
Chapter Nine — The Fateful Decision
The next day the family gathered in the throne hall, where Osamifos called his
daughters: Akwantia,
Kaironia, Fidia, Irithria. The father stood tall and spoke in a voice that carried the
awe of kings:
"I have decided with my wife to send you to the kingdom of Nazghoth next door,
where you will study.
The journey takes seven days by carriage, but I have prepared everything."
Kaironia's features trembled and she hesitated: "The truth… I don't want to go. I
like staying here
and learning from your books. I even found a 'manga' for you, Father…"
A cold sweat ran down Osamifos's brow, then he said: "There is something I have
not told you before.
A secret I did not dare reveal… but since you accepted me despite knowing the
truth, it is time to
reveal it."
The girls drew closer, their eyes glittering with curiosity, and they chorused
together: "Tell us,
Father. We want you to stay with us forever."
Osamifos sighed and his voice dropped like a storm's whisper: "I am… not from this
world. I was
resurrected here by a goddess. Your world does not know me, and my world does
not know magic, gods,
or demons… it is a world of humans and technology. But I came burdened with a
heavy fate."
The small eyes widened and stars were reflected in their pupils. Akwantia asked in
innocent
boldness: "Father… are you human like us?"
He replied, veins on his brow standing out: "Yes… but I almost became a legendary
monster."
The girls laughed innocently, and he smiled despite the weight on his chest.
Chapter Ten — Forbidden Knowledge
Everyone sat, even Nicrocia, who shone with a mysterious smile like a curious star.
Osamifos raised
his voice as if delivering a speech: "My world is different—no magic, no gods. There
the sun
supplies energy, and factories turn sand into glass and oil into plastic. We are now
in the year
2025… the future relative to your world. As for you, you are powerful dragons, not
mere creatures,
but the Four Goddesses."
The girls exchanged stunned looks. Akwantia stepped forward, excitement shining
in her eyes: "I want
to know everything about your world!"
Osamifos smiled: "Your thirst for knowledge is a great asset, but do not seek your
truth now… you
will discover it in time."
— Chapter Four: Departure to Nazghoth
The father insisted on sending them to the academy in Nazghoth's kingdom.
Despite the girls'
objections, they agreed in the end. Osamifos promised them: "I will send my
private books with you,
and I will write additional books to teach you secrets unknown to anyone here."
Akwantia rejoiced as if she might leap from her seat. Nicrocia requested a book on
household skills
to help her in cooking instead of relying on her strength. Osamifos smiled at her:
"You do not need
to change… you are beautiful as you are."
Nicrocia blushed and hurried away, leaving the father and daughters to laugh
bashfully.
Chapter Five: Omen of Misfortune
But the happiness did not last. As everyone prepared to depart, the earth trembled
violently and the
sky dissolved into pitch black. Osamifos and Nicrocia went out to inspect the
surroundings and saw a
great halo descending from the sky.
From the void emerged a majestic being—great wings, golden hair, a star on his
brow, a white beard
like snow, and blazing blue eyes. He stood before the carriage that carried the
girls, his voice
dripping malice: "O pests… your end has come."
Chapter Eleven: Court of the Heavens
In the high places, the Court of the Heavens convened: twenty lords who govern
cosmic balance. Their
voices rose: "The birth of these four little ones is a catastrophe that will overturn
the order. It
is time to eliminate them."
A lord of terrible authority stepped forward. His name was Darkthan, and he spoke
in a voice that
terrified worlds: "In my name… I will put an end to this catastrophe."
Chapter Twelve: The Confrontation
When Darkthan appeared before the girls, Akwantia stepped forward like a shield
protecting her
sisters. "We are Osamifos's daughters."
Darkthan laughed mockingly: "You are nothing but a sin… the world rejected you
and your place is in
the abyss."
Fidia cried out: "Let me kill him!"
But Akwantia pulled her back as she watched an opponent she knew was no
ordinary foe.
Darkthan raised his hand, ready to unleash cosmic annihilation: "Let your frail
bodies be
destroyed!"
Suddenly the earth cracked with a thunderous sound. Osamifos charged like a
hurricane, seized
Darkthan's face, and drove it into the ground with a force that shook the kingdom.
His voice thundered: "What are you saying, fool? How dare you approach my
daughters? I will tear you
apart… you damned one!"
Chapter Thirteen: Clash of Shadows and Light
The ground trembled under Osamifos's footsteps, and the sky was cloaked in dense
darkness as if
preparing to witness an unforgiving battle. In the center of the ancient stone arena,
where ruins
testified to forgotten glories, stood Darkthan, lord of darkness, his eyes glowing like
embers of an
angry night.
Osamifos raised his black sword engraved with dragon runes, and a dark aura
mingled with white
sparks flowed from his body—light and shadow, life and death in one form.
Darkthan (in a deep,
arrogant voice): — So you've come, emissary from the womb of the gods. I thought
their myths were
mere delusions… but you stand before me now, defying my authority.
Osamifos (with a voice that rolled like thunder): — Darkthan... You have defiled the
blighted land
with the blood of the innocent and declared yourself lord over shadows. Know this:
I am neither
messenger of the light nor servant of darkness... I am Osamifos, son of silence and
return, come to
break your chains and cast you into the abyss of oblivion!
Darkthan laughed madly, then raised his hands and from the earth erupted twisted
pillars of shadow,
like black serpents hunting prey. Osamifos struck his sword into the ground,
sending out a wave of
black-and-white energy that collided with the shadows, and the arena exploded
with lights and
thunderbolts.
The battle began.
Darkthan lunged with unseen speed, striking with his dark claws; each blow could
shatter rock.
Osamifos parried with his sword, sparks flying with every clash as if the heavens
themselves were
rent.
Darkthan: — You cannot repel the darkness; it is eternal, feeding on fear!
Osamifos: — Fear has no dominion over one born of death itself!
With a resonant cry, Osamifos unleashed a dragon wave that manifested a colossal
dragon of light and
shadow behind him, roaring with a force that shattered stone. Darkthan summoned
a three-headed dark
beast that wrapped around the dragon like an octopus, and the sky exploded with
black lightning.
The fighting reached its peak. The air turned into a whirlwind, and the earth split
under the weight
of the blows as if the battle threatened the world's end.
Darkthan (breathing hard, his eyes wild): — Impossible… who are you? What power
is this?
Osamifos (stepping forward slowly, his aura burning the darkness): — I am the
voice that restores
balance… I am the curse you failed to count!
He dealt a mighty blow with his sword that pierced Darkthan's chest; dark blood
erupted like black
rain. Darkthan staggered, his body cracking inward, but before falling he let out
one final cry.
Darkthan: — I will not end here! Even if defeated today... I will return! Darkness
does not die!
He opened a rift in the void and swallowed himself, leaving behind a whirl of
nothingness, then
vanished.
Osamifos stood firm, his sword dripping with dark blood, breathing heavily, but he
did not bow. He
lifted his head to the sky and said in a majestic voice: — Let this be only the
beginning... the
shadows will return, and I will watch for them!
He remained standing, his breath quickening, his sword still ablaze. He lifted his
face to the
heavens and said quietly and solemnly: Osamifos: "Run as you wish, Darkthan…
but you will find
nowhere to hide from your fate. Greater things are coming, and I will not retreat."
After that great catastrophe, the girls departed for the academy in Nazghoth's
kingdom, seeking
knowledge and power. There, amid the forbidden stacks of dark archives, I
discovered the terrifying
truth: The Court of the Heavens exists… and behind it is the Council of Cosmic
Balance.
Darkthan's attack was not a solitary whim but a decision from the council itself...
the council
composed of twenty lords in absolute Omega rank, none below SSS level—it's said.
that "their weakest
is the strongest within."
I sat frozen in my room, drowned in silence, when a soft knock came at the door.
Nicrocia entered,
her steps heavy as if shadows crawled with her.
Nicrocia (cautiously): — Osamifos… have you heard anything about that attack?
Me (with hardened eyes): — Yes… it was no random act. It is tied to the Court of
Cosmic Balance…the
council of twenty Omega lords… and their lowest ranks are SSS.
Her face trembled, and she gasped: Nicrocia: — Twenty lords of that caliber?! How
can we face them?!
We are already overwhelmed by enemies above ground! What if they ambush us
suddenly?! The kingdom
could fall while we're chasing illusions!
I lowered my gaze for a moment and then whispered heavily: Me: — We are in the
eye of the storm,
Nicrocia… we don't know from which direction the blade will strike. We must
prepare for the worst.
But she did not calm, moving closer and speaking sharply: Nicrocia: — And what of
Kaironia, Fidia,
Irithria, and Akwantia?! They are just girls; how can they be a match for the Council
of Balance?!
I smiled a mysterious smile, as though I saw what was unseen: Me: — You are
mistaken… you still
don't perceive their true nature. They are not ordinary humans… but *sealed
goddesses.* They
renounced their divinity in the past… yet their powers still pulse within, waiting for
someone to
awaken them.
Nicrocia's eyes widened as if she could not grasp it: Nicrocia: — Goddesses…
sealed?! Osamifos… do
you realize what you are saying?!
Me (firmly): — Yes… I see it clearly; I feel it in their blood. All they need is someone
to open the
doors of the self… but it is not free; they will pay with their souls in the refining of
that power.
Her lips trembled: Nicrocia: — Their souls…?!
Me: — Yes. And when they return from the academy, I will subject them to the
harshest training. Each
one alone… each will temper her power to its end. And when their essences are
balanced… only then
will they break their chains.
I paused, then added in a deeper tone: — I have a feeling that Akwantia alone, if
fully awakened,
could rival one of the council's sages."
Nicrocia put her hand on her chest as if holding back a trembling heart: Nicrocia: —
My God… if this
is true, I must be involved… I will teach them secrets known to no one but me.
I smiled, my eyes glittering with resolve: Me: — Then let the path begin.