The Battle of Personality, The Battle of Will

"Who—who are you?!"

Eleya desperately fought to regain control of her body, shouting furiously at the other presence, "Get out! Stop manipulating my body!"

"You already know who I am, child."

Eltuga sighed softly. "I thank you for everything you’ve done. Reaching the Abyss must have been unimaginably dangerous for you. But now, it’s all over."

"I changed my mind! I don’t want to become you! And I won’t help you revive!" Eleya screamed in rage. "You vile, filthy dark sorcerer—stay here and sleep forever with the Mother of Abundance!"

"Dark sorcerer? What’s that?" Eltuga frowned slightly.

Clearly, she had no idea that, thousands of years later, mages had become outcasts, hunted and reviled.

"Child, why are you so agitated?" Eltuga asked, puzzled.

"You are a part of me. You are me. Everything we’ve strived for is to bring light back to this world. Shouldn’t you feel honored? Shouldn’t you be excited?"

"I feel nothing of the sort, you false god!!" Eleya’s face twisted with fury. "And I am not you! Stop spouting nonsense!"

"But you are me." Eltuga shook her head with a faint smile. "Eleya, this identity of yours is but a fleeting moment in my long existence. Not just you—every fragment scattered across this world is me. Yet, you’re the only one who didn’t disappoint me. You’re the only one who made it this far."

Eleya froze.

Eltuga’s words plunged her into confusion and doubt...

It was true. Her body originated from Eltuga. She was just a fragment of her. There was no denying that.

And compared to Eltuga’s endless lifespan, her own twenty years of memories seemed insignificant—like a single grain of sand in the vast ocean.

So...

I am her?

I am Eltuga?

"I understand your resistance and doubt. After all, everyone is the protagonist of their own story. But you must remember—your life was a gift from me."

Eltuga’s voice was calm, almost indifferent. "And since it was given by me, it can also be taken back. After all, the reason I created you was for that grand and beautiful ideal."

"You are merely another facet of my personality. I’ve given you ample time to reflect—a courtesy for the hardships you’ve endured."

"Now, I will reclaim you."

"Eleya! Don’t give up!" Luo Wei stared desperately at the figure before him. Eleya’s consciousness was fading—she seemed ready to surrender.

He shook her slender shoulders, trying to rouse her.

"You’re not her! Have you forgotten what you said? You wanted to find the true light! But Eltuga is not the true light!"

"A high-ranking black-robed mage?" Eltuga studied the frantic young man with mild curiosity. "How did someone of your strength even reach the Seal of the Abyss?"

"Shut up, you old hag!" Luo Wei snapped. "A ghost who’s been dead for thousands of years should stay buried! Stop haunting the living!"

The insults didn’t faze Eltuga. She merely smiled and pushed him away.

"So, you’re an enemy."

A divine spell—far more terrifying than anything Eleya had ever conjured—materialized in an instant. Luo Wei barely dodged, stumbling back in panic.

"Oh? It seems I’ve grown rusty after so long without casting."

Eltuga mused to herself, stretching slightly before turning her cold gaze back to Luo Wei.

In the next moment—

A blinding white light erupted, an unfathomable power surging through the air. Luo Wei’s heart skipped a beat as the scent of death washed over him.

He had no doubt—Eltuga could obliterate him effortlessly.

After all, this was the being who had sealed away the Old Ones. Compared to her, even the formidable Witch Queen paled in comparison...

Luo Wei braced himself, ready to reset the timeline once more...

But then—

Eltuga froze.

Luo Wei’s eyes widened. A flicker of panic flashed across Eltuga’s face.

It was Eleya.

"Don’t you dare hurt him, you wretched false god!!"

"False god?" Eltuga chuckled. "I’ve heard that insult for millennia. A fragment will always remain a fragment—you still don’t truly understand me."

"And I never will!" Eleya sneered. "Your so-called ‘truth’ has long been corrupted! You’re nothing but a stubborn, delusional fanatic! Your resurrection will only bring disaster!"

"Because the truth has been corrupted, my return is all the more necessary," Eltuga countered with a sigh. "Just as you were called, so was I. This is my destiny."

"You’re unworthy!"

"Whether I am or not is not for a mere fragment to decide. You’ve wasted enough of my time. Now—disappear."

In the battle for control, Eleya was losing ground fast.

Luo Wei watched helplessly as her presence dimmed. Desperate, he cried out:

"Eleya, wake up! If you merge with her, you’ll cease to exist!"

This was no battle of strength—it was a war of wills.

"Remember the days we spent together! Didn’t you always cherish them?"

"This is your only chance! If you surrender now, you’ll never get them back! Every memory—every moment—will vanish!"

Eleya’s eyes snapped open.

The pure white world blurred. Fragments of the past surfaced—the lively warmth of the old mansion, the family she had silently watched over.

She hadn’t spoken much, but she had always smiled, content to protect them in her own way...

She remembered how she’d tried, time and again, to persuade Tilis to embrace the Holy Light—only to be met with eye rolls and mocking laughter.

But she’d never been condescending, never looked down on witches like the church did. She hadn’t meant to offend Tilis...

She remembered Ophelia, the proud imperial princess who’d constantly complained about the cramped, shabby rooms.

But to Eleya, that house had been palatial compared to her tiny village home...

Such a spoiled noble...

Then again, Ophelia was royalty, born with silver grace in her veins...

And Helena—sweet-faced, sweet-voiced Helena, with darkness coiled in her heart.

That girl...

Every time she saw others alone with his older brother, those restless blue eyes would flicker about, clearly brewing some mischievous scheme in her mind...

No one else could detect Helena's little thoughts, but she knew—though given the girl's timid nature, she'd probably never dare confess them to her brother outright...

As for Luo Wei...

Eleya's gaze shimmered faintly as she stared intently at the man she loved deeply.

Happy memories with him? There were far too many.

To Eleya, every moment spent with him was a cherished memory...

"What on earth are you thinking?! Stop invading my mind!!" Eltuga's usually indifferent expression finally cracked. "A mere twenty years of memories and personality, and you dare try to claim this divine body that was never yours? Go back! Return to where you belong! Disappear!!"

"Twenty years or not," Luo Wei scoffed at her, "those memories are still precious and beautiful to us, no matter how fleeting."

"If Eleya's personality vanishes, what good are those millennia of memories? They'd be worthless to us!"

"Shut—!"

Before Eltuga could finish her outburst, Eleya seized control of the body again.

"Not insignificant, not insignificant..."

She muttered incessantly, her expression growing more fervent and elated.

"Yes, that's it, that's it..."

What did it matter if she was as small as a grain of sand in the ocean? She wasn’t Eltuga—she was herself!

Without those cherished emotions and memories, what meaning was there in becoming a god? None at all!!

"Life is always brief yet brilliant," Luo Wei recalled a line from a book. Watching Eleya regain her humanity, he smiled in relief. "She is your past, but not your entirety. The light you chase is far more genuine than Eltuga. Eleya, I’m willing to walk with you in this life to find that light."

"That light..."

Tears welled uncontrollably, quickly blurring Eleya’s vision.

Yes, that light.

At the most desperate moment of her life—

Amid the ruins of a village, when sunlight pierced the clouds and fell upon him, he had reached out his hand to her.

Eleya would never forget that scene.

That light... she had already found it long ago.

"Disappear!!" Eltuga grew increasingly agitated. For a long time now, she hadn’t been able to assimilate this personality, and it was making her nervous.

"I’m not your possession! You have no right to erase me!" Eleya roared in defiance.

"You’re just a fragment of me!"

"No! I am me! I am Eleya!!"

The chaotic energy—whether divine or magical—grew more unstable, more violent. Luo Wei tensed, his eyes darting to the sky as the pristine world began trembling again.

"This won’t do... the Bountiful Mother will awaken..."

If She woke again, all his efforts would be for nothing!

"Eltuga, stop! You’ll destroy the sealed realm! If the Mother escapes, it’s the last thing you’d want!"

But Eltuga ignored him, the power around her body surging wildly.

"Damn it!" Luo Wei realized he’d overestimated her. "Selfish wretch! I thought you were noble, but you’re just afraid to die!"

As the two personalities wrestled for control, Luo Wei glanced at the Bountiful Mother. Was it his imagination, or had that mountain-like form twitched slightly...

"Screw this! I’ll deal with you two later!" Luo Wei sprinted toward the Mother, scrambling to fulfill his duty as the "Administrator."

"Eleya, hold her off! Don’t let her ambush me from behind!"

Then he stretched out his hand, muttering in frustration, "How the hell do I use the Primordial Force? Couldn’t you at least leave a manual? How am I supposed to patch the breach?!"