Healing System

Michael proceeded to tell him everything he knew about the Evangelists. It wasn't hard for him to do—it seemed like a necessity.

Also, having such a strong entity as Meph on his side was quite the boon. If he could make him fight alongside him, then his chances of winning against them would grow higher.

However, during the explanation, Meph's expression was not great, to say the least. It looked like he was forcing himself to hear what Michael had to say.

But at the same time, he was the one who asked, so Michael naturally indulged.

And after a couple of minutes:

"That's about all I know; do with that information what you please," Michael stated, observing the blank look on Meph's face, which wasn't getting any better.

'If his experiences were so traumatic, why even ask about Reinhardt in the first place?'

He's both here and not here at the same time. It's like he split himself into many little pieces and sent them across the world, almost as if they were looking for something. That something was likely Reinhardt.

'He plans to end it all now?' Michael thought skeptically. 'From what I have heard of Reinhardt, he's someone who is extremely powerful and manipulative. I don't doubt that he has prepared some kind of countermeasure already.'

Maybe, but can you stop him? Meph is stronger than he was when you last saw him. He was greatly weakened at the time, and now, it's almost all back. I don't remember who this Reinhardt is, but if he is one of the ancient beings from eons ago, then it would naturally be a difficult fight.

'One that Meph is too emotional to win, I'd say,' Michael remarked, staring back at Meph's red eyes. They glowed faintly in the dimly lit room, the light giving off a fierce pressure.

However, since it was not directed toward him, he just waited for Meph to come back to his senses so he could ask more questions.

But just as he thought the conversation with the system was over, it spoke up once again.

You underestimate beings of that caliber. Most who get that strong forego their emotions. Since he said Reinhardt used a precious individual to defeat him, that one fluke would not be present again. He would be at full strength and more.

'Fair enough,' Michael shrugged and decided to look out of the window; Meph's little introspection would take a while.

Just as he did that, however, he saw the clouds in the distance rumbling with thunder, seemingly as far as the eye could see. Despite that, the thunder never struck down, merely swirling around in the clouds as though they were some kind of ocean.

'Affecting the environment without even trying, huh... I guess I have been underestimating the new reality I found myself in, even after what happened a few days ago,' Michael thought to himself. Then suddenly, he turned his head toward Meph. The previous form of Zane was gone, replaced by the black mass he had seen back in the dungeon.

With a raised brow, he asked, "What are you doing?"

"I have to go," Meph stated and headed toward the window, not elaborating further.

However, the moment he was about to jump out of it, he halted and turned his gaze back onto Michael. His previously blank red eyes were now filled to the brim with determination.

"Look, I can't answer your questions now, and I also can't go with you to the other worlds, if that's what you were getting at. I am a wanted man—a kill-on-sight in most cases," Meph said before adding, "But I can give you a bone. I do owe you one—or I suppose, two now." He chuckled and began slowly walking toward Michael.

'Should be fine, right?' Michael thought. There did not seem to be any malice coming from Meph.

He could see the clouds out of the window, which were now back to their clear state, the thunder from before seemingly vanished into nothingness.

Meph approached him despite that and, upon arriving, stretched out his hand before saying, "Since I believe we would be meeting in the future, I will give you some information. Do with it as you wish."

As he said that, he quickly tapped his finger on Michael's forehead and a little bit of mana was released. However, immediately after that, Meph waved and jumped straight through the window, leaving him all alone.

'That was a bit anticlimactic...?' he thought, but just as he began thinking Meph did that to mess with him, his vision began turning dark against his control.

Michael was still conscious, but the world around him began feeling a bit distant, until finally, his vision went completely dark.

'System...?' he called out.

He's showing you a memory—or, well, memories. You just need to sit back and watch.

As the system's words dawned, his vision began gaining a bit of clarity, the darkness being replaced with all sorts of colors that eventually weaved themselves into a pair of images.

But just as he thought he would be watching some kind of slideshow, the images began mirroring themselves, turning into a scene that showcased a single person—a red-eyed man with long, flowing black hair. He was wearing a massive smile on his face, almost as if eager for something.

Michael stared on, but suddenly, his vision began traveling toward the projection before him, until finally, it combined with what the man was currently seeing.

And that was some kind of landscape—one that was a mix between barren and fertile. There was a small desert on one side, while at the same time, crops were growing in it—some of which even looked like carrots or tomatoes.

However, the one thing that caught Michael's attention was the sky. It was crimson through and through, with only a few clouds floating about, which were also red, just a tad brighter shade, highlighting their peculiarity.

And finally, the sun or moon—Michael couldn't tell. It was crescent-shaped and giving off a bit of light. It seemed to work as both a sun and a moon at the same time.

It's artificial. Just quiet down and watch. This memory dates back to the age after the fourth batch of primordials was born. That means your little friend here is basically as old as the universe itself. Still, in my eyes, he's a child.

'Okay, okay, shut up now. I am watching,' Michael interjected before the system could begin its inner monologuing; they usually took a while, so it was better to stop them as soon as he could.

The person, who he assumed to be Meph, seemed to be walking somewhere. There was a little wooden hut in the distance.

Michael felt it a bit off-putting, since he was looking directly into Meph's memories, feeling everything he had felt during this particular moment.

What also caught his attention was the mana. It felt strange, as though it was some kind of combination between mana and demonic mana, but from what he was aware of, that was practically impossible.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

However, Meph was using it at will. He swept a bit of it toward the desert where the crops were growing, and immediately, they grew to full size before sprouting the nearby crops around themselves, creating a chain reaction that went on for several hundred meters, producing all sorts of vegetables—even some Michael didn't recognize.

Emotions of love and admiration surged within Meph, and they were clearly transmitted toward Michael, causing him to feel conflicted.

'How does someone go from being seemingly a saint to practically a demon? System, is this the demonic realm?' he wondered.

Not exactly. The demonic realm appeared much later. I was not even an archangel at the time this was happening. But yeah, I had a few years of experience under my belt—I was pretty strong.

Michael rolled his eyes, regretting even asking. However, as Meph approached the wooden hut that was previously in the distance, Michael could feel a very faint tinge of mana coming from it.

As he twisted the doorknob, he saw a being unfamiliar to Michael, unsurprisingly.

It was some kind of child—one with short black hair and eyes that felt as though they were staring through his very soul.

But that did not seem to be the case for Meph, as he grew even more joyful upon seeing her and walked up to her, picking her up and lifting her into the air.

"You didn't use mana, did you, Lilith?" Meph asked teasingly, to which the little girl innocently swung her head side to side, denying the claims. Discover hidden tales at empire

Hmm... well, shit.

Michael was startled by the system's sudden comment and asked, 'What? Is something wrong?'

It's nothing... Just keep watching. You might see something interesting soon.