My Living Shadow System Devours To Make Me Stronger

They didn't teleport very far.

In fact, they were still within the Grand Duke's estate—back inside Lilith's personal carriage.

It was a luxurious one. The seats were soft, the air inside cool and clean from enchanted vents, and the windows were sealed and tinted with layered privacy spells. Golden lights glowed gently from above, creating an almost serene atmosphere.

The soft ripple of space was barely gone when Damon dropped to his knees.

He coughed—hard—blood hitting the velvet floor. Lilith rushed forward, catching him before he could collapse entirely.

"Damon!" she hissed, panic cutting through her voice.

He took a ragged breath and wiped his lips with his sleeve, leaning back on the seat and holding his head with one trembling hand.

"That damn old man did a number on me…" he muttered through gritted teeth.

Lilith bit her lip. She reached into her pocket space and pulled out an expensive-looking potion, one that glowed faintly in her hand.

She tried to open it, but he weakly waved her off.

"That won't work… It's soul damage. A small part of my soul got sliced—more than seven hundred times."

Her grip tightened around the bottle.

"You were too reckless."

The carriage lurched slightly as it sped off the road—likely headed back toward the outer edge of the estate.

Lilith sat beside him, her fingers clenched. "Maybe it doesn't mean much to you, but I was worried about you."

Damon raised his head. He felt like his consciousness was tilting on the edge of collapse, but she was right there—warm, real, alive. He wasn't trying to be dismissive.

She squeezed his hand.

"We made a deal, remember?" Her voice was low. "We'd walk the road to ruin… together."

He sighed and accepted the potion from her hand.

Uncorking it, he drank the thick, golden liquid. It slid down his throat, warmth spreading through his body. The blood on his lips faded, the fatigue in his limbs dulled.

But the ache in his soul didn't leave.

He was still hurt.

He didn't have any more soul-repairing potions left. He'd used the last of them after that hellish battle with Matia in the ruins of Lysithara.

Lilith smiled, but there was no warmth in it.

Damon exhaled.

"I come back and you emotionally blackmail me…"

She shook her head.

"Sorry about that…"

She leaned closer, her voice trembling just a little.

"But it wasn't all a lie… For a whole month, I thought you were dead. I didn't even know what to do. I didn't want to grieve because that would mean accepting it. Accepting that you were gone."

She clenched her fist.

"So I just kept thinking—if you came back, what would I say? What would I do?"

She laughed, but it sounded more like a sigh.

"And now that I'm looking at you, I couldn't say any of it. All I could do was… put on that pathetic act."

Damon looked at her. Her usually perfect composure cracked by emotion, her red hair half-shadowing her face.

He suddenly felt a pang of guilt.

"I did…" he said slowly.

She turned to him, eyes wide.

"…Die," he finished. "I was dead. For a whole month."

He smiled bitterly.

"Which, now that I say it, sounds completely insane… But it happened. I pissed off the goddess. And every other entity on her level. Just by figuring something out I shouldn't have."

Lilith's eyes widened.

"I dreamt the nightmare of the Unknown God… I don't remember the dream itself, but I still feel it. The sadness. The tears. The rage."

His voice trembled slightly. His eyes shimmered, but it didn't feel like those were his tears.

"While I was dead, he fought them. All of them. To bring me back."

He looked at her.

"I should be grateful. I would be… if it hadn't all been part of his plan."

Lilith didn't speak. She watched him closely.

"All that time… dying, surviving a death zone, everything… it gave me perspective. It made me think about things I never let myself feel before. And I thought about…"

His eyes met hers.

"…You."

Her breath hitched.

"You… thought of me?" she whispered.

Damon nodded.

"When I first realized I was alive again, the first thing I wanted to do was tell you. I needed you to know I wasn't gone."

He reached out and gently took her hand.

"I realize now that pretending to be indifferent doesn't mean anything. There aren't many things I want to live for… I still believe in the Unknown God's ideal. Of never wanting to be born….."

He squeezed her hand.

"But while I am here… I want to create something beautiful."

He took a shaky breath.

"All these things made me realize how I feel about… everything… and… how I feel about you—"

Lilith leaned forward, her eyes flickering.

Then her lips met his.

It was gentle—brief—but it silenced him instantly.

He blinked, stunned.

"What… was that for?"

She smiled.

"That was the prize for winning the duel. A kiss from me, remember?"

Damon blinked again.

"No, that was their prize if they won. My prize was 30 million zeni."

Lilith grinned slyly.

"Well, then. Consider this a reward for falling in love with your beautiful senior."

Damon stared at her.

"Wait—what are you talking about? Back up a second—falling?"

He groaned, rubbing his forehead.

"You didn't let me finish. I wasn't confessing. I was trying to say… thank you. For helping me. For always being there. I appreciate you… even if I don't say it."

Lilith froze.

Her entire body tensed. Her face reddened instantly.

She had misunderstood.

Damon leaned in, his expression smug.

"Senior… how long have you had feelings for me?" he whispered teasingly.

"You haven't seen me in months and already jumped to conclusions? Is that why you implied we were in a relationship earlier?"

He ignored the pain surging in his chest from his damaged soul—just to tease her a little more.

"Well, it's a good thing this cleared the misunderstanding."

Lilith's face turned redder than he'd ever seen it.

She realized—he had just turned the tables on her.

And she'd walked right into it.

Damon leaned back, a rare, satisfied smile on his lips. His heart was still pounding from what he'd said.

He was glad she kissed him. Otherwise, he might've said something really embarrassing.

At least now he knew how she felt.

Lilith didn't even look at him. She realized she'd been completely played.

But she missed this side of him, too.

Still… she wanted to throw a sarcastic jab, maybe reclaim a little of her dignity—but when she turned her head—

Damon was already asleep.

His head resting on her shoulder.

His breathing calm.

She gently placed a hand over his chest, feeling his heartbeat under her palm.

She exhaled softly.

"…He's alive."

Her lips curled into a faint smile. They were safe.

And when they returned to safety… there was so much more they needed to say.

To each other.