Dancing on the golden ashes

"What's going on, Gaon?" Seong-hoon's fingers tighten around my arms, his whole body locking up as if lightning just struck him. I don't blame him. I feel the same.

The Creator's true face… it's older now, maybe in his forties, lines carved deep by time, but the features are undeniable. It's him. Seong-hoon.

That's not possible. The Seong-hoon of the past is supposed to be dead.

Unless… unless she lied to me. Lied to protect me from the truth. No. I shake my head. I don't believe this. It must be one of his tricks. It cannot possibly be reality. I refuse to accept it.

"Ahhh… what a pain. Years of wearing this mask, and now this face comes back to haunt me again… hahaha!" Maniacal laughter bursts from his lips as he presses his palm against his face, peering at us through the gaps between his fingers. His dark eyes fix on me and my husband, and white hair spills free like a river of snow. The air itself bends beneath the pressure of his dragon aura, stripping us of breath, making even the realm tremble.

"Hello, my love. Or should I say, a copy of what she once was? Did you enjoy your honeymoon with my clone? Was it fun playing pretend, living the life we should have shared in that world? Hahaha! How funny—you fell for me again, even giving birth to a daughter. Haa… at least I will have someone to look after once you perish. Enough of these games. Too many secrets have been revealed, and this is no longer fun."

"Who the hell are you?!" my Seong-hoon interrupts, his eyes blazing with denial and hatred. He pushes his body in front of mine, shielding me from the Creator. Right… why did I even care about the rest? No matter what the truth is, my Seong-hoon is only one.

"You're not him. Don't listen to him. You're still my Seong-hoon—one and only. And no matter what, everybody else knows it." My voice rises, echoing across the battlefield. It envelops the demons, and they roar in agreement, their voices shattering the suffocating aura pressing down on us.

"Childish denials." The Creator's roar shakes the realm. His terrible aura surges out again, heavier than before, wrapping around us all. Terror grips me—I feel as though the world itself is collapsing. My eyes widen in disbelief as something ancient manifests behind him, drawn from the fabric of the universe itself.

The draconic aura intensifies, crushing everything beneath it. One by one, we are forced to our knees. My Pride burns hot, refusing to bow, keeping me just centimeters from the ground. But even I can barely resist. The others fare far worse. Even Seong-hoon, standing beside me, is bent to obey.

The ancient object takes form, and my breath catches—it is a throne. Forged from celestial metal, burning with the fire of billions of stars. The moment he sits upon it, reality itself splinters. All else vanishes, and when my senses return, I am standing inside a cage of celestial light, face-to-face with the Creator's sneer.

"The Throne of Eternity…" The emperor of all angels whispers, his voice trembling. "You… you betrayed us…"

The confirmation strikes me like a blade, and my chest tightens. I cannot breathe.

"Shut up, old fool, and fight for me. As my servant, annihilate all of the demons—or else I will annihilate you and your arrogant race." The Creator's voice drips with boredom as he lounges on the Throne of Eternity, waving his hand as though he commands an insect. His dark eyes fix on my Seong-hoon, inspecting him, searching for something hidden.

How… how did he claim the Throne of Eternity? How am I supposed to win now? The thought claws at my mind, and with it, all hope begins to crumble.

Suddenly, the air trembles. With a single flick of the Creator's finger, countless portals bloom across the sky. From them, races emerge one after another, an endless tide.

Familiar faces march forth: a humanoid elephant with fifty arms; a lion so radiant the sun itself pales beside it; elven figures tall and terrible; beastkin with sharp ears and piercing gazes.

And then, horrors I have never seen—slimy creatures darker than night, twisting shapes of shadow, and vast flocks of beings with wings of birds… no, they are birds, endless as the sea, their numbers stretching across the horizon.

The sky drowns in them. Their presence rivals my legion, even threatens to overwhelm it.

No. I don't want to think about that possibility. I must escape. I must help my people. We will win. We must. Right?

"Yes, my lord…" The angel bows his head, but his eyes are not glad. Coward. He only knows how to be arrogant toward those weaker than him.

I watch as my legion readies itself for battle, every gaze fixed on me. Words are unnecessary. I feel their resolve pouring into me, burning like fire. Seong-hoon most of all—his body radiates with rising draconic power, his sword expanding like a true dragon, his eyes sharp as twin blades fixed on the Creator, hungering for blood. He is not him. He is my Seong-hoon. The perfect version. We are not the ones from the past. No matter how it came to be, as long as we wipe this history away, we will become the originals.

"Watch closely, Gaon. Watch as they all die before your eyes. I will keep you alive to witness the doom of your so-called family. And when they are gone, I will spend eons breaking you, reshaping you into the perfect doll she never was."

For a moment, loneliness flickers in his eyes as he sits upon the Throne of Eternity. Does he still miss her? My stomach twists. Shit. How dare he? This trash dares to speak of love?

"I will kill you," I snarl, teeth gritted, my aura exploding against the cage of celestial light. "Once I am free, I will rip you to pieces. I will destroy you and everything you have ever built. Mark my words—your days are numbered. We demons are powerful, and we will annihilate you and all who stand in our way!"

My power surges, gnawing at the cage, forcing cracks of shadow through the light. It does not break. Not yet. But that doesn't mean it won't.