"...urry!..."

"...ver th...!"

"...move that...!"

At the very edge of my vision, where nothing but bleak darkness existed, something entered my ears.

Inconsistent, distant, yet almost loud.

(...A...star?)

The light of something pierced the darkness, but only for a moment.

But as time passed on, another light appeared for a moment, but it faded as well.

My body was so tired, something I had forgotten. The urge to sleep was so deep. Or perhaps it wasn't, but I no longer had any resistance to it having not felt it for so long.

I...just wanted to sleep.

My body hurt so much. I just wanted it all to disappear.

I just wanted to disappear.

...

My eyes closed.

After all, I had died.

Though maybe because it was a god that had killed me, things were different.

The pain from my body which I hadn't felt due to how sudden everything was remained etched into my soul.

Most likely, what had happened to Letty was done to me as well.

I would be stuck here, my soul trapped, until it was degraded into nothing.

Such was the burden of my sin as judged by the gods themselves.

Whether I was resentful for such a judgment?

I...didn't even have the energy for that.

I just wanted to curl up and sleep. Get the sleep I was denied for over a decade.

I'd make up for it ten, a hundred, a million times over.

Until there was nothing left of me.

Because...

My heart was so full of regrets.

Not like last time where it was only a little saddening.

I wanted to cry. To wail. To scream until my throat grew hoarse.

I wanted to see my family so badly.

To reassure them.

To watch over them.

To protect them.

I would give anything to be able to do that.

But it was too late.

I was powerless.

...

I wanted to disappear.

To fade away.

Until even my regrets were washed clean.

Because...I had an eternity to wallow in them.

I'm sorry Letty.

I'm sorry Fate.

I'm sorry Alicia.

I'm sorry Claret.

My dear, precious family.

I'm sorry.

...

..

.

 

Something wet and sweet touched my tongue.

My mind in a daze, I greedily lapped it up, my tongue begging to get more to sate this burning thirst I've never experienced before.

But that delicious nectar stopped before my throat even could start to feel satisfaction

Then it returned.

Dimly, my mind registered that the taste was different, but I didn't care. It was still delicious.

But it too stopped.

Then it returned again, different again.

The cycle continued over and over.

Five times. Ten times. Twenty.

Finally, I had the strength to reach out to that delicious nectar. Lifting my body up, I greedily bit into the source. That hotness that filled my mouth as I greedily started to suck.

But as my fangs were filled with warm and delicious blood, my eyes opened in realization.

I wasn't dead.

And in front of me was a smug face, one I was quite familiar with.

"Looks like you owe me another one."

That face, Harja's face, looked pale. She looked weakened.

And the reason, was me.

I opened my mouth and let go of her wrist. Blood dripped from the deep holes my fangs made, but I resisted my instincts.

""Mommy!""

"Mother!"

It was only then I realized the warmth that was surrounding me. My three daughters, my oh so cute daughters, had been hugging me this entire time.

My arms wrapped around their bodies as I savoured their warmth.

Even more than the blood that sustained my body, this warmth was what sustained my heart.

But...there were only three. We were a family of five.

I looked up, and there was the missing member.

Floating there above me, backed by spirits until the entire sky was blotted out, was Claret. Her hands held together on her chest as tears ran down her cheeks in an uncontrolled waterfall.

"Come here. You're family too."

"M...Master!"

Without any need of any more, that foolish familiar of mine, that precious member of my family, rushed down and wrapped her arms around my neck as she started to sob while calling out to me.

"Master! Master! Master~!"

One hand around my daughters, and the other around Claret.

I wanted this moment to continue forever, to keep hugging my family and continue to reassure them, to keep them safe, knowing that I was there for them.

But there were some things I needed to do first.

Looking up at the tall dragonkin that moved off to the side, I gave the chieftain my best smile.

"Thank you, Harja."

But contrary to my expectation, she gave a gentle smile. Something I've never seen from her in my entire life.

"It wasn't just me you know."

She looked off to the side, and as I lifted myself up a little to see, there, was a huge crowd of people as well.

On one side was a few dozen people, some holding their wrists. But each of them had blood on them.

Philia, Elli, Orphne, even little Iaso was there. And what surprised me the most was the presence of the three former members of the hero's party as among their numbers.

And on the other side was a line. Every single person there held a knife, some sheathed and belted, some held out. And I couldn't even see the end of the line. Not even through my [presence detection] skill could I find the end of that line.

And when I felt for that, I realized just how many people were nearby. The view of them being blocked.

All around me was trash, a literal mountain of junk.

And I was in the middle of it, like the centre of a crater.

"Your room is so well kept, I never thought you had so much junk." Philia's warm smile was added as well.

"Really, I thought you were better than this, dear Scarlet." My eyes were drawn to Elli as she smiled, those wrinkles doubling in numbers.

"Heh! We fought to be the first to give you blood you know!" That little Orphne gave me her usual smug face, even while I doubted as to how much blood a fairy could give.

"Hmph. It's just natural to pay back what we owe." Iaso frowned and looked away, but I was able to note that the frown didn't last, and she kept glancing over with a worried look.

"As for us, let's just call it paying for our sins a little." That dwarf smiled together with the human. The elf looked away, but it seemed it was more out of not knowing what to say than any malice.

"To think you had such a trick up your sleeve this entire time."

"Huh?" I looked up at Harja, unsure what she was talking about.

"When that guy attacked you, he was forced to run away when the dungeon entrance was flooded with your junk. We all knew you carried stuff in some weird way using [dimension magic], but so much that it made a small mountain?"

"I uh..." Frankly, I had no idea that was what had happened.

I really thought I had died then and there, but it seemed like somehow I survived. But the damage was enough to unravel the [dimension magic] I had perpetually prepared to hold my things. I had once wondered what would happen if this spell got forcibly cancelled, and it seemed like I had gotten my answer.

And thanks to that, it prevented that god from confirming my death.

For that matter, I didn't understand how I survived. Having my heart ripped from my chest should've been enough to kill me, no matter how much HP I had. The very act of tearing through my chest like that should've been enough to deplete my HP in the first place.

But, I had a single suspect.

Looking into my data, I checked one of the custom skills I had created: [Anti-Death]. The skill was one I had made months ago to protect my life. All it did was prevent my HP and MP from dropping below one. But it was something I couldn't test, so I never considered relying on it.

And yet, by some miracle it worked as intended.

I looked into the skill itself to check it a little more closely. While the skill's primary function was quite simple, I had added a log function a well just in case. There was no way to properly check if this skill really was what had saved me without it, so I had included it for the sake of record keeping. Entirely something for intellectual curiosity I had to admit though, as even if I had confirmed it to work as intended, this wasn't the sort of skill you would rely on.

But looking at the skill's log, I was brought to a surprise. The entire log was filled to its limit, with new entries erasing old ones. The skill had activated thousands of times.

In other words, the entire time I was buried under the mountain of junk, the system kept trying to make my HP go to zero, while this skill kept trying to prevent that.

I was on the verge of death the entire time, my body unable to even start the recovery process, I was completely helpless.

I understood just how risky this skill was, even though it worked perfectly. An oversight that really made me want to avoid using it ever again.

"Really. It took us two days just to dig you out. I don't know how you even survived without a heart. Maybe those brats in the church is right and you really did become a god?" Elli chuckled, but her expression told me that she did consider that maybe her words might not really be off the mark.

"Two...days?!"

I bolted upright. My body still felt sluggish, and I had only recovered a quarter of my HP. But that didn't matter at all.

"Alicia, Fate, Letty, Claret?"

My family stared at me.

"Stay together, and stay safe. I'll be back as soon as I can. Alright?"

They gave me firm nods, bringing warmth and confidence into my heart.

I would be back for them as soon as possible. I didn't know how long it would take, but I definitely would.

I gave my family one last squeeze before heading back into the dungeon.

To the bottom floor, where everything started, all the way back with Letty's playful interference. And everything will end, with that ceaselessly blinking notification.

 

In the end, I didn't know what to expect. Really, I had no idea.

When I reached the bottom floor, I hurried to the console and when I started it up, I immediately touched the blinking notification that continued to harass me every time I worked here.

For the first time, I was going to accept it, consequences be damned.

It was only a matter of time before that god realized that he failed. That he would come back. Perhaps this time, there'll be collateral damage as well, or maybe he'd succeed on the second try. I couldn't afford to let him have the chance.

But just as I was about to hit yes, I hesitated.

Frankly speaking, I was scared. Terrified.

Even if everything went well, it was possible I would never be able to feel the warmth of my daughter's bodies. Never be able to care for them again.

Just to avoid dying again.

But, even if that was true, even if I could never see them again, it didn't mean that this act wouldn't make things better for them. At the very least, this god should no longer be able to go after me. And that alone might be enough to stop him from hurting my family, accidentally or on purpose.

Grabbing my hand, I forced the shaking to stop, and pressed the button.

[Forced transcendence accepted. Apotheosis initiated.]

"Hrrgh!"

I groaned. Heat welled up from within, a burning, fierce flame that made me feel like I was being cooked alive.

That heat spread throughout my body. My shoulders, hips, neck, elbows, knees, to the tip of my fingers and toes, as well as my head.

"Aaah...aaahhh!"

I could feel it. I was changing. My body was losing something, and was being replaced by something entirely different. My pale skin started to glow, literally emitting light.

Maybe I was on fire. My sins being burned away or something.

I could only dryly laugh at the absurdity of the thought. But then again, this was all beyond my understanding. I was becoming something I didn't understand once again.

But I would adapt. I would thrive. As long as I continued to be myself, I would find a way.

The world, or rather this small white room, turned on its side.

Only a few moments later did I realize I had fallen over. All the heat and the pain made it impossible for me to keep standing. Then, I heard a voice. An impossible voice.

"Damn. He said there was a signal but...you!"

It was that giant of a man, in that weird white outfit.

But this time, I didn't cower in fear. I couldn't.

Because I was grinning.

"Too late, fucker."

My words were consumed by the heat as was I, just as I saw his mana clad fist fall towards me.

 

I blinked.

I blinked again.

(This is...?)

I had no idea. All I could see was white. An entirely white space, with no distinguishing characteristics. No walls, no ceiling, not even the floor I was standing on had any details that would allow my mind to register it as a floor.

It was hard to even call this place a room, or even a space.

Once again, I blinked.

But no matter what, nothing changed.

Simply put, I had no idea where I was. This place didn't even appear anything like the reincarnation place I was at before.

"Ah, you are awake. Good."

Suddenly, a voice rang from behind. I spun around, ready to defend myself.

Once again, I was surprised, but by multiple things this time. I couldn't remember when, but I was holding my scythe in my hand. The weapon, which should have been destroyed and lost. It was in my hand, as pristine as the day I had gotten it.

Then there was the figure in front of me. A...lady? According to the voice I thought it was a woman, but she didn't have the appearance of any race I was familiar with. Roughly speaking, she looked like an owl, except she had a human mouth instead of a beak. And her cheeks were bare, though the feathers did frame the rest of her face. White, black, and brown feathers in a pattern that reminded me a little of the bark of a birch tree. She had a pair of feathery tufts on the top of her head that moved on its own, but in a way that reminded me of eyebrows.

The rest of her body too, was covered in the same sort of feathers, though she wore a loose robe over her torso, I could see fierce looking talons at the end of thin scaly legs underneath.

"Like you are a vampire, I am a strigian. Now, if you would stop gawking like some hungry chick, we have business to attend to."

If this strange person had glasses, I could definitely see her pushing them up as she said those words. But instead, those huge golden eyes simply glared at me before she turned around and walked away. An opening appeared like a crack in the infinite whiteness, and I pushed off the supposed ground in order to catch up.

As I followed this owl-like person, I tried to put my weapon away. I didn't think it would prove very useful at this point.

But somehow, I couldn't open my pocket dimension.

"For security's sake, all special powers are sealed in this place. Don't bother trying anything."

"!"

I almost staggered backwards. This woman was glaring at me again, but she was doing it without having turned any part of her body. Instead, she had simply turned her neck until she was looking backwards. I knew owls were known to do this sort of thing, but seeing it on someone almost as tall as me was pretty disturbing.

But this...strigian...woman, she turned her head back without slowing her stride, while I was forced to pick up the pace to catch up.

"Now, Miss Scarlet, I presume? I am Featiah, and will be your representative today."

"Representative?"

"That is correct. You have been accused of several charges, the greatest ones of which fall under the category of unauthorized use of divine property."

"Haa..."

I didn't really get what she was talking about. Things were just moving so fast.

"However, there are quite a few unusual circumstances to take into consideration. Even if you are found guilty, it is probable that you will find any punishments reduced, or you may even be relieved of all guilt."

"Wait, I have a family! I need to get back to them! My daughters...!"

But the woman, Featiah, did that head turn thing again.

"You have gone through your apotheosis. Family is a term which does not apply to those like you or I."

"What?! But...!"

"However!"

The feathered woman raised her voice for the first time.

"Dependants are recognized, and will be taken into consideration when your punishment, if any, is delivered with the verdict."

I could only shut my mouth. Things were just going so fast, I was so short on information. I could only depend on this person, though she did seem to take pity on me at least.

When I emerged through the crack in space, I arrived in a completely different area. A small room with white wood and marble making up the walls, and a wooden table dominating the central space. On one side of the table was a simple but comfortable looking chair. On the other...

(A perch?)

While the size was quite different, all I could think of when I saw this wooden bar built into a solid base was a perch for birds. And of course, Featiah hopped right onto it like a normal bird.

"Sit down. We have a lot of time before everything is ready."

"Ummm...okay."

Taking the invitation I sat down across from the owl lady. Or rather, tried to. I accidentally knocked the seat down, hitting something I didn't expect to have: my wings. Those giant bat wings I used to fly were there, extending out from my back.

But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get them to sink back into my skin. Probably also due to that security thing.

Giving up on it, I picked the chair back up and sat down in it, careful not to hit my wing against it again.

Meanwhile, she worked a kettle and teapot with her wings, somehow manipulating them like a normal person. Only on closer inspection did I notice that hidden within those huge feathers were slim fingers in the final major joint of her wings. Delicate enough to work like a human's fingers while the outer half of her wings were folded up.

As I sat there, I thought back to what had happened.

I had managed to survive after having my heart taken out by that god guy, then I activated the forced transcendence thing. Then he showed up again, and tried to kill me a second time, but instead I arrived in that white place and met this strange bird person.

...

Yea. I had no idea what was going on anymore.

"Drink. You'll feel better."

I looked down and there was a cup of tea steaming in front of me. The owl lady was quietly sipping her own, fully enjoying the flavour.

"I don't know if you realize, but vampires can't drink."

"That's irrelevant. Drink."

But she simply ignored me and continued to drink with practised grace.

Seriously, it was weird seeing an owl drink tea from a cup, but I was just being discriminatory by doing so, so I figured I'd indulge her and choke on this cup for a while.

I picked up the cup with the few traces of drinking manners I could remember and poured the hot liquid into my mouth and swallowed...and froze.

"This is...delicious."

I was so amazed I couldn't help but stare at the cup. This was unmistakably tea. What little memories of tasting such a drink left confirmed it as such.

Yet...it tasted good. And it passed through my throat without any pain.

And yet, it was absolutely not blood.

Raising the cup to my lips again, I took a slow draw from it, savouring the taste.

Only when the cup was empty, did I realize that tears were falling down my cheeks.

"My family. They will never be able to taste this."

Placing the cup back onto the table, that was all I could think of. I couldn't tell what sort of tea this was, but I had forgotten how delicious it could be. But none of my daughters, with them being vampires, nor Claret being a spirit, were capable of drinking something like tea. At best, it would be a painful experience as their throats clenched up when their very bodies rejected it.

Like the few times I had tried to eat mortal foods. Our bodies hated it and reacted violently to it.

"If it makes things any better, this tea doesn't exist anywhere outside of the divine realm. Drink while you have the chance."

Realizing that Featiah had given me a refill and was already back to enjoying her drink, I picked the cup up and cradled it between my fingers. A part of me felt bad about enjoying something I couldn't share with my family.

But...Featiah was right. I should drink this. There was no harm to that much, at least.

Taking another long sip, I enjoyed the slightly bitter leaves mixed with a floral scent along with a hint of some sort of sweetness. Trying to think of what it tasted like made me realize, I was actually pretty bad at this sort of thing. All the flavours I imagined the blood I drank had, I might've been pretty wrong with them. Maybe they didn't actually taste like those things at all.

Or rather, of course they didn't. The vampire sense of taste was so completely different form a mortal's sense of taste, any comparison was entirely futile and served no useful purpose. At best, saying something tasted like this or that was more like saying it gave me the feeling similar to eating this or that. In reality, they probably tasted completely different, and there was no way to actually know.

"Have you calmed down?"

"Rather than calm, more like...resigned?"

I was so completely at a disadvantage here, there was probably no point in fighting anything. I was entirely defenceless, even with my scythe in my hand. Though for some reason I couldn't let go of it.

I was in a completely unknown place, with completely unknown adversaries, completely unknown numbers, and I had no idea if anything I could try would have any effect.

My starting point was so disadvantageous, that it was simply better to go with the flow the best I can unless if I get lucky and find an opportunity. A real opportunity with clear options. Not some vapid escape with no direction.

"I suppose that is well enough. For now, I am here to discuss with you what will happen to you next."

"...I'm listening."

Lowering the cup, I turned my full attention towards Featiah.