Liberation of The Slaves

Chapter 110 – A Heart That Learned to Love Again

I stepped quietly into the bedroom.

The faint scent of wildflowers still lingered in the air—a soft, familiar fragrance that always seemed to cling to her presence. The evening light spilled through the window, washing the room in hues of gold and shadow.

Selena lay there, just as she always did.

Her silver hair fanned gently across the pillow like threads of moonlight, framing her serene face. Her lips, pale and still, held the ghost of a smile—one she might’ve worn in a long-forgotten dream. She looked so peaceful, as if she were merely sleeping through a long afternoon.

I sat down on the edge of the bed, careful not to jostle the mattress, and reached out with my left hand. My fingers brushed gently through her hair—soft, silky, and cool to the touch.

“…Hey, Selena. Look what I’ve learned today.”

My voice was a whisper. A habit, maybe. She never answered. But I always spoke as if she might.

With my right hand, I conjured a lightball—a small, swirling sphere of chaos energy infused with light. Unlike ordinary magic, this one pulsed with depth: a luminous white core wrapped in an elegant shroud of inky black. It shimmered, not with brightness, but with contrast—like moonlight caught in midnight water.

Tinkle!

Hmn…

Pom!

Pii…!

The souls stirred inside us.

Even though the two inside Selena’s body couldn’t see through her eyes, the moment my fingers remained in contact with her skin, they could share in my vision—through the resonance of our connection.

Fia hummed with joy.

Nyx gave a dreamy little sigh.

Pom let out an excited chirp.

And Pii… she whispered softly, quietly awed.

They all found it beautiful. That strange, mirrored light. A harmony of opposites. Like yin and yang. Water and fire. And this—dark and light.

And I…

I agreed.

“I’ve seen something like this before,” I murmured, watching the lightball hover in my palm. “Back in the imaginary world. Before you all entered me.”

Back then, the souls had looked like orbs—simple, unassuming. A pure white core encased in shadow, as if even after purification, the darkness clung to them like a memory they couldn’t let go.

Much like me.

Even after the Goddess cleansed my soul, traces of who I once was still lingered. I wasn’t hateful anymore. But I remembered hate. And it remembered me.

“I think… you’d like this too, Selena.”

My eyes fell on her again—this girl, this strange, beautiful force who’d let me into her world and reshaped mine in the quietest way.

“You’d probably call it pretty. Or say it looks like moon magic,” I chuckled softly, swallowing the lump in my throat. “And then you’d close your eyes, say something cryptic… and sleep in the grassland until sunset.”

The light in my hand flickered gently.

“I hope you’re dreaming of something peaceful right now.”

My voice dipped lower, the words catching a little.

“So please…”

I leaned forward, brushing her bangs aside and resting my forehead lightly against hers. Her skin was still cool, still faintly warm at the pulse.

“…wake up.”

My whisper cracked. Not loud. Not desperate.

Just a wish.

A quiet plea from a boy who’d grown used to this silence… but never truly accepted it.

The chaos light flickered between my fingers—then slowly faded away.

I kept my forehead pressed softly against hers, the touch grounding me as my fingers slowly combed through her silver hair.

I closed my eyes.

And behind that darkness… the past came rushing in.

Memories I tried so hard to leave behind.

In my previous life, the people who should’ve been family—my aunts, uncles, cousins—never missed a chance to look down on us. They called us poor, pitiful, as if they weren’t just one misstep away from the same fate.

I promised myself I'd prove them wrong. I’d buy a house. A home. Not just for me, but for my parents—for our little family that never asked for much.

My sister had done it. She bought a home before she got married.

But me?

I chased that dream all the way to my death. Worked myself hollow. Studied until my mind bled. And still, I never reached it. I died with that promise still echoing in my chest—never fulfilled, never spoken aloud again.

School wasn’t any better. Every day felt like a war I couldn’t win. My classmates tore me apart with words sharper than blades. Even my first love—someone I once looked at with pure, innocent affection—joined in the bullying. Her laughter still haunts me.

And the few people I could actually call friends… gone.

Four of them—my lifelines—died before they could even graduate. I never got to say goodbye. Never got to ask them if they were hurting too.

Love? That was just another story I lost.

Four times I confessed. Four times I was rejected. And every time, I asked myself, “Why do I keep falling for people only to be broken?”

Then, once… someone confessed to me. For the first time, someone looked at me and said, “I love you.”

I cried that night—not from sadness, but because, finally, I felt seen.

But months later, she left me. Said she found someone else. Just like that, my first real love crumbled like the rest—turning memories into salt that stung every time I thought of her smile.

Family betrayal.

Friendship ripped away.

Love that bloomed only to wither soon after.

By the time I reached college, I had only one dream left—own a home. My childhood goal, still flickering in my heart.

And yet, even then… I fell in love again.

A senior this time. She rejected me too.

But fate, as if playing some cruel trick, handed me another confession—this time from a junior.

We dated. We made promises. We built dreams together.

For a moment, I believed. I truly believed.

Until the pandemic came.

Long-distance relationship.

Distance… became emptiness. And then, she was gone.

Two years of love ended with a message and a smile shared with someone else. Her new boyfriend in her hometown. Her future she chose.

Not mine.

Every betrayal. Every rejection. Every time someone chose to walk away and left me behind…

I swallowed it all.

But the bitterness never left.

It wasn’t just them I hated anymore.

It was myself.

For never being enough. For never fighting back. For always watching life fall apart while I just stood there, silent and small.

And in this life…

It started no different.

My family—Sis Celes, Sissy, my parents—slaughtered. Murdered like animals by bandits under imperial command.

I had nothing.

Again.

But… not quite.

Not anymore.

Now I have Azadia—loud, gluttonous, infuriating angel, who’s also kind and loyal in ways she doesn’t admit.

I have Alfia and Nyxia. Pom and Pii who haven't been named yet. Gentle spirits who’ve warmed my soul with their presence.

And I have Selena.

This sleeping girl whose warmth kept me sane, even in silence. Whose stillness reminded me I wasn’t alone.

We’re bound now—not just by magic, but by shared scars. By something deeper.

So this time…

I won’t just endure fate.

I won’t just watch.

This time—I’ll fight it.

No matter how cruel the world becomes, I won’t be powerless again.

I refuse to be that boy who could only cry as everything he loved was taken away.

“I've made a decision.”

Tinkle?

Hmn…?

Pom?

Pii…?

Their gentle echoes rippled through my soul space, each one laced with curiosity, anticipation, and something deeper—hope.

"I have you all… I have Aza. I have Selena. Fia, Nyx… and countless others. I’m not alone anymore. And I don’t want to lose any of you.”

My voice trembled, but I didn’t stop.

“I’ve made promises. To each of you. I haven’t forgotten any of them.”

I paused for a breath… and in that stillness, my parents' smiles came back to me.

Sis Celes’ kind eyes. Sissy’s energetic laugh. Visions like faded light, but still warm, still burning.

I opened my eyes.

"I’ll carry their dreams forward. I’ll become a high-ranking adventurer—not just for me, but for all of us."

My gaze shifted to Selena’s sleeping face—so peaceful, so quiet, like a fairytale yet to be written.

“Together… we’ll travel this world.”

“We’ll rescue slaves—not out of pity, but to give them a choice. A new path. And if they wish, they can walk it with us.”

“When the time comes… we’ll seek out those responsible for the pain that haunts us. Not just me—but you, too. Selena, Fia, Nyx, the others…”

Even if the ones who harmed them were long gone, the cruelty they built—those labs, that research—might still be out there. Still hurting others. Still devouring lives.

“We’ll put an end to it.”

“And for all of you… I’ll create vessels. Real ones.”

“We’ll go to the demon territory. Maybe make new friends there—kindred souls who’ve also been cast aside.”

“Then…”

“We’ll build something lasting.”

“A home for those who’ve known only suffering.”

“A sanctuary for those who’ve known only discrimination.”

“A nation.”

A country with no collars. No cages. No slavery.

A place where no one is lesser. Where no race stands above another.

A place where kindness is law, and pain has no place to take root.

“And I…”

“I’ll be its immortal ruler.”

“I’ll protect that dream.”

“And if one day… new dreams bloom inside your hearts, then we’ll chase those, too. Together.”

I smiled faintly, heart swelling as I opened the moment to them.

“How does that sound?”

Silence followed. Soft and full.

Then—

【Haa… I was wondering what you were getting at. Do you not feel even a little embarrassed, declaring your big dreams like that with such a serious face?】

“H-Huh…!?”

I immediately got up. Heat rushed to my cheeks. Now that she said it, I did sound ridiculous!

But then—

【But…】

<“B-But…?”>

I turned, bracing for the teasing jab, ready to defend myself.

Instead, Aza’s voice lowered—gentler, quieter.

【I like it.】

<“Huh? R-Really?”>

【You don’t need to ask. I’m your assistant. No—even if I weren’t, I’d still follow you.】

【Living beside you these last ten years… has been more fulfilling than all my time spent watching humans from heaven.】

【I want to see more. I want to see everything—what kind of world you’ll create, what kind of future you’ll build.】

【So I’ll follow you, Master. Wherever that path leads.】

Her sincerity washed over me like a tide. Not loud, not flashy—just… steady.

I swallowed the emotion rising in my chest and smiled.

<“Thank you, Aza.”>

Then, like a chorus swelling at the perfect moment—

Tinkle!

Hmn!

Pom!

Pii!

Their voices rang out in perfect harmony—full of warmth, full of resolve.

Behind them, I could feel the quiet murmur of over a thousand other souls, all watching, all listening. All agreeing.

They wanted it, too.

To be free.

To live.

To walk under the sun, not as ghosts of suffering, but as people with names, bodies, and dreams.

They didn’t just want peace.

They wanted joy.

A rainbow to follow the storm.

A future worth existing for.

<“Thank you, everyone.”>

I bowed my head, pressing a hand to my chest.

<“Then let’s live. All of us. Not just survive—but live.”>

And this time…

We would live it together.

Fixing my gaze on Selena’s sleeping face, I spoke softly—words meant only for the silence between us.

“How about you, Selena?”

Of course, there was no answer. Just the steady rhythm of her breathing. The gentle rise and fall of her chest.

But I waited anyway. For a sign. A twitch of her brow. A flutter of her lashes.

And still no reaction.

But I kept speaking anyway, because my heart had too much to say.

“I’m really looking forward to our journey,” I murmured. “So…”

My fingers brushed back a stray lock of her silver hair, tucking it behind her ear. Her beauty was almost unreal beneath the soft glow—like porcelain kissed by moonlight and dreams.

And I… the fool who fell in love with a girl who couldn’t even hear his heart whisper her name.

“Let me be selfish… just for a moment.”

I leaned down, closing the space between us. I could feel the heat of her skin against my lips, and in the next moment, I kissed her.

Not a peck. Not water hydration.

But a real kiss—long, slow, and tender.

My lips molded gently to hers, memorizing every curve, every softness. I poured my feelings into that kiss.

My pain. My gratitude. My longing.

She tasted like the silence I’d come to treasure—quiet, deep, and full of meaning.

Like a promise I wanted to keep.

My lips parted hers slightly, and my tongue found its way to hers, caressing with aching patience—like a man trying to savor a feeling he thought he’d never deserve.

【Mmm?! Mmmmmm…♥】

Aza’s moans echoed distantly through our bond, but I didn’t care.

I didn’t flinch.

I didn’t stop.

For once, her teasing voice couldn’t reach me—drowned out by the storm of emotion pouring from me into this kiss. My world had narrowed into this moment, this contact, this girl.

My hand slid up to cradle Selena’s cheek as I kissed her deeper. Her lips were soft and warm, so warm it made my chest ache.

I wished I could stay like this forever.

Wished she could hear me through this touch alone.

Wished she would kiss me back.

But even in stillness, even in sleep—she gave me peace.

Eventually, after what felt like an eternity wrapped in seconds, I slowly pulled away. A final, trembling brush of lips as I parted from hers.

【H-Haa… haa… S-Stupid Master…! You can’t just… just… do that without warning! I-I nearly—!!】

Aza’s voice finally cut through, breathy and scandalized.

<“I thought you would like it more when it’s a surprise.”>

【W-Well… th-that’s true…】

She mumbled, flustered and breathless. I couldn’t help but chuckle at her contradiction. This angel of mine, so divine in presence, yet so embarrassingly easy to fluster—was such a delightful paradox.

I smiled, forehead still resting gently against Selena’s.

She looked so peaceful… yet beautiful in a way that made me want to cry.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, voice cracking with affection. “But I kissed you… not because you needed it… but because I needed you.”

I lay down beside her and wrapped one arm gently around her waist, the other stroking her hair as I buried my face near the crook of her neck. I felt her breath tickle my collarbone. Her body was warm against mine, her skin pale like moonlight caught in still water.

And there, held against the girl who gave my broken soul a reason to believe again—

In a world that remained silent—

Though her eyes didn’t open, and her lips didn’t move—

It felt, if only for a moment, like she could hear me.

Even if this moment stretched on for days, weeks, or years…

I would wait.

Because my heart no longer chased fleeting illusions or storybook endings.

Because I had already fallen.

And it had found its answer—

Not in wishes.

Not in illusions.

Not in make-believe.

But in the girl who sleeps beside me now—

A silver-haired girl, like someone pulled from a forgotten fairy tale.

The one I cherish.

The one I yearn for.

“I love you, my wild princess.”