我洗碗时在厨房要了我

Chapter 131  Change the World

Ophelia read to a page that stopped her dead in her tracks. Layla\'s fingers trembled as she read the passage aloud.

"...you are my true daughter, the only creature I\'d value and treasure. All those that come before and after you are cheap imitations of you. They\'ve named that wretched and mangled beast Roselind, but what good does the girl have? She possesses none of my magic, none of my powers. Not a strand of silver runs through her scalp, not a droplet of amethyst in those eyes. All that comes before you are failures." Layla exhaled, peering upon Ophelia, reading the young Duchess\'s expression. Layla had heard very little about Ophelia\'s family, but knew the family\'s favorite was her older sister, Roselind Eves.

"I-I have more than o-one half-sibling," Ophelia realized, raising her head to peer upon Layla. "W-why was my m-mother that insistent on making m-more of her?"

"Almost as if she was experimenting," Layla murmured, trying to piece the puzzle together. "She must\'ve met many men of many backgrounds before she settled upon House Eves. Your bloodline consists of the founders of the ancient treaty from decades ago, it would make sense for her to search for your father."

Ophelia slowly placed the book on her lap. She would never be able to tell her father the truth. That the woman he was so obsessively in love with had never once shared his emotions. She only viewed him as a sperm contributing to her ultimate creation.

"But why?" Ophelia asked. "W-what did she gain from b-birthing the perfect Direct Descendant?"

"Perhaps this passage will help."

The women spun around at the wise voice coming from the entrance of the library. Reagan hobbled inside, each step as painful as it seemed, but he walked proud and old. He gently placed the book onto the desk, as if it was the most delicate object he\'s ever held.

"Monsters are created from magic. They breed during full moons as if compelled by the mystique of it all, much like werewolves." Reagan took a seat, pointing upon the passage. "There is a reason why monster organs are frequently sold and certain parts are highly valuable."

"Monsters are created from magic," Ophelia repeated those words. Slowly, but surely, a twisted idea came to mind. She nervously glanced at the magicians in front of her. Did she dare to speak of a solution that\'d hurt the two of them? That\'d deprive them of their jobs? And what about the other humans who worked as magicians? Would Ophelia\'s suggestion harm them all? Would they lose value in the eyes of the royal family?

Ophelia nervously fidgeted, glancing to the floor. Her heart skidded against her rib cage, her blood pumping in her veins. She thought of Killorn\'s reassuring words, his gentle guidance, and his soft caress upon her spine. She thought of his warmth, feeling it embrace her like a blanket, and slowly, her shoulders relaxed. She mustered all of her courage to ask an audacious question. She took a deep breath to clear her mind.

"Reagan," Ophelia finally spoke up. "Is there a way to wipe all magic from this world… until the end of eternity?" Nôv(el)B\\\\jnn

Layla and Reagan immediately shared a glance, as if the thought had already crossed their mind before, but none dared to bring it up. After all, this would only negatively impact them. "Yes—"

"Layla," Reagan warned, his voice lowering into a subtle edge. He seldom spoke to them as such.

"She has to know," Layla defied him, frowning upon his disapproving glare. His white, bushy brows came together at her defiance. But he never prized her for obedience. She was known for her knowledge and an unrelenting greed to obtain all she could.

"It\'s impossible," Reagan said to Ophelia, ignoring Layla\'s scoff. "There is no such instrument that could wipe magic from a land seeping in essence. Your idea could eradicate all of mankind for all you know it—"

"There is no such thing as impossible," Layla interrupted him. "To erase all the magic in the world, you must summon a spell so powerful, it drains this entire era and earth of mana. Of the essence that fuels magic in the first place."

One spell.

One spell was all it took. Ophelia knew she\'d be the one to cast it. She would be the catalyst for saving mankind. But at what cost?

"How many lives will this take?" Ophelia confessed, her lips trembling. "Mana draws on life forces… to suck all the magic from this world, how many will die in my attempt?"

"That is for you to decide," Layla stated. "But so far, we do not know the existence of that kind of spell. We do not know the destruction that could sweep these lands or the blessing that could save us from the darkness."

"But to rid all the monsters… be it goblins, banshees… we would all be saved," Ophelia argued. "All of humanity!" "We\'d never live in fear again," Layla agreed. "Children won\'t have to lose their fathers who leave to defend their homes from these treacherous beings. There would be less wars. Fewer deaths. Think about all the people we could—"

"W-wouldn\'t this erase vampires and werewolves?" Ophelia realized. Her heart dropped to her stomach. A neverending dread crept into her consciousness. She broke out in a cold sweat. Rooted in her seat by fear, she couldn\'t imagine a life where Killorn wasn\'t by her side. Her proud husband. Stubborn and serious. Heated and hardened by his experiences. Yet, gentle was his touch upon her flesh, and loving was his gaze upon her entirety.

"Vampires and werewolves are a form of humans," Reagan finally sighed. "When monsters are murdered, a mana stone is found within their hearts. It is what keeps their organs alive. Vampires and werewolves, on the other hand, possess human hearts. If you could even believe that."

Ophelia\'s eyes widened. A wealth of questions came to her. There was a way to save them all. A way out of the darkness. A light at the end of the tunnel, until Reagan\'s words crashed Ophelia back to reality.

"Ophelia, what you\'re planning to do will change the world," Reagan warned. "There will be many that disagree. They will do anything and everything to prevent your success. You would be branded a witch to be hunted and hung for your crimes."

"Or," Layla challenged. "By changing the cycle of life, by wiping all darkness from the earth, you would be a saintess—no, even better. You are going to be worshiped. There will be temples built in your name. Statutes built in your frame. In the eyes of the humans, you will become one of the New Gods." Ophelia tensed.

"A Goddess that\'d walk amongst humans, the last and only of her kind. Tell me, my dear friend, are you ready for that responsibility?" [2/3]

Xincerely