After being in this world for quite some time, one thing I've learned is that there's no such thing as a coincidence in this novel. Every encounter are ripples that come crashing back to you later on.

Right now, I came across a deadly ripple.

And it almost felt like a monster had circled its claws around my feet, pulling me underwater.

It was that feeling, like I'm going to die soon.

"Oh, if it isn't our useful bait!" Lilith chirped.

Even in the dark, her pink hair stood out in the forest. More than that, her crimson eyes were glowing like a pair of small yet brilliant rubies.

"I am here to collect my heart, you see." Lilith, who was in the body of Ingrid as usual, giggled childishly. "And you? Are you going somewhere?"

I didn't answer and kept a defensive stance.

"Hmm." For some reason, she kept looking at my stomach. "I made an oath that I won't kill you."

A sinister grin appeared on her face.

"But I never said that I won't hurt you, did I?" She laughed. "So if I wound you deep enough and you bleed to death, it won't count as me killing you!"

Fear crashed down on me. This crazy bitch...

"Ha, Grand Duke Averill is so foolish." Lilith shook her head. "How could he make such a vague deal with the devil? He should've been more specific."

Her incessant laughter filled the forest.

"Or maybe he shouldn't have trusted the devil in the first place!" Lilith tottered towards me. "How would he feel if I kill his beloved and his heir?"

Huh?

Her words had me puzzled. What does she mean?

"Eh?" When Lilith noticed the questioning look on my face, she tilted her head innocently. "Are you saying you don't know that you're with child?"

I inhaled sharply at the devil's words. What?

"The existence is a bit faint and it's still growing, but I definitely feel another life within you." She took my hands. "Yay! You're going to be a mom!"

I shot her a horrified look. How could I be pregnant? I only did it with Alistair twice!

I didn't know how to take that news. This is the worst time for me to discover the existence of a child in my womb. I'm alone with Lilith in a desolate forest. She could kill me anytime now!

While the devil incarnate was rambling in front of me, I took a deep breath and tried to clear my head. To be honest, I was already prepared to die when I saw her... but bearing a child is different.

It's not just me now. I'm not alone anymore.

If I want this child to live, I need to survive.

"Shall I tell you the little one's gender?"

In any case, Lilith seems to be in a pleasant mood right now and she's acting amicable to me. If I use her flippant attitude to my advantage, I might be able to make it out of here alive and unscathed.

I have to be careful not to provoke her ire.

"C-Can you do that?" I hesitantly inquired.

"Of course! There's a small flame in human souls, an indicator of their sex at birth." Lilith explained gleefully. "Blue if it's a boy and pink if it's a girl."

She took a closer look at my stomach.

"Let's see. The color of your child's flame... Wow, as red as blood! Do you know what that means?"

I shook my head. "What does it mean?"

Lilith stood straight and looked me in the eye. In an instant, her demeanor changed and her face was shrouded with spite. It was the face of evil.

She smiled. "It means that it's going to die soon."

Horror registered on my face. I was a fool for even thinking that the devil incarnate would spare me.

"Now, now." Lilith sneered at me while patting my back. "Why do you look so terrified? I won't kill you, okay? I made an oath to His Grace, after all."

If I remained oblivious of the truth, I would've tried to risk it all and outrun her. But knowing that there was a delicate life within me, I just couldn't get myself to fight one losing battle.

It was pointless to run, anyway. The woman before me is a fallen god who practices black magic. I wouldn't be able to escape from her.

"It feels stuffy on this spot. Let us relocate somewhere more open." Lilith went into the direction where I was supposed to be headed.

I have a bad feeling about this.

Even so, I had no choice but to follow her as she led the way. I kept glancing on our trail behind, contemplating if I should make a run for it or not.

"Don't even think of running away." Lilith blurted out, as if she read my mind. "I'm going to kill you."

Her warning sent shivers down to my spine.

After minutes of blindly walking through the dark forest, we finally arrived at a precipice. The devil continued walking until the edge of the cliff, but I hesitated to join her. That's a very dangerous spot.

Is she planning to push me from there?

"Come here." Lilith commanded.

My lips dithered. "Please spare me."

"Come here, wizard." she reiterated with a smile.

I held my breath as I joined her on the edge of the cliff. As soon as I invaded the space beside Lilith, she caught me off guard by grabbing my neck.

"Just a precautionary measure," As I struggled to breathe for air, she placed her free hand on my tummy. "I know you can use healing magic."

The devil incarnate mumbled some incantations while focused on my tummy. Shortly, it felt like something hot had formed inside my stomach, something that was ready to explode anytime.

"If you try to use even a little of bit of your own magic, the core I formed within your body will explode." Lilith said, grinning from ear to ear.

My chest heaved. Yes, this body is abundant with magic, but what is the point of having it when I can't even use it on the most critical moments?

If only my companion hadn't died from a single blow, I would've been able to resuscitate him.

Now, whatever happens from here on, I can't use healing magic to cure myself even if I wanted to.

I was useless from the beginning until the end.

The midnight breeze somehow comforted me when it touched my skin. But it didn't take long enough till the wind blew on a certain direction.

"Now," Lilith smiled sweetly. "Jump."

It was blowing towards my death.

My voice cracked. "What?"

"I said, jump." The devil motioned her head below the cliff, where a sundry of trees stood erect. "If you don't jump, I'm going to rip out your insides."

"But you made an oath to His Grace that you won't kill me no matter what!" I shouted with frustration. "Please! Why are you doing this?!"

"Well, I could care less about that oath." Lilith shrugged it off. "At most, I would only suffer a small penalty for breaking it. I can manage."

Her crimson eyes landed on me.

"Also, why am I doing this?" She leaned her face to mine. "Because it's fun to see humans despair. The helpless look on your face just gives me pure joy."

I shook my head as my eyes rimmed with tears.

"Come on, it's not even that high. This is me being merciful to you." Lilith encouraged me. "Think about it. If you jump, the trees can break your momentum and you might survive the fall."

Black magic then engulfed her hands up to her forearms. She showed it to me with an eerie grin.

"On the other hand, what are the chances of your survival if these hands end up in that tummy of yours? They crave for human flesh right now."

I broke down into tears. "I beseech you."

"I'll give you three seconds." Lilith's face darkened as she spoke. "If you don't do it, I'll rip that unborn child from your womb. Both of you can go to hell."

My lips trembled. "Please don't make me do this."

"Three."

"I'm begging you!" I screamed desperately.

"Two."

My tears fell and I couldn't string any more words.

"One." Lilith giggled. "Time's up!"

Upon hearing those words, I did as she ordered.

I ran. I ran for our lives. And then I leaped. My vision was bleary from my own tears, so that lessened my fear quite. Still, I was terrified.

When I threw my body on thin air, only the dead silence accompanied me. Just as Lilith predicted, the trees broke the momentum of my fall, but it didn't save me from getting hurt and wounded.

Every time I landed on the rough and sturdy tree branches, I winced in pain. When I finally reached the ground, my whole body ached and I was full of broken bones. I couldn't even get myself to stand.

Still, I'm alive. And I hope that my child is, too.

"Oh, my goodness!" I could hear Lilith's manic laughter from the cliff. "That was incredible!"

I wanted to run away from her that instant, but my body refused to listen. I helplessly laid on the ground, with the devil and the moon as my view.

"Too bad my beloved Ruth isn't here to watch this spectacle with me!" Her voice echoed throughout the forest. "Anyway, I applaud you for surviving!"

My mind went blank. I couldn't think straight.

It felt like there's a thorn piercing my chest each time I took a breath. My ribs must be broken.

It hurts. It hurts so much. I'm so tired.

When my consciousness was about to slip away, Lilith's next words drove my heart wild in fear.

"Despite your commendable efforts, I cannot let you live, though!" She laughed like a maniac on top of the cliff. "You're going to die here tonight!"

My heart was torn asunder by those words.

From the start, the devil never intended to let me live. She was only toying with me and my emotions. The moment our paths crossed, she made up her mind to kill me here and now.

She just wanted me to beg in despair.

To struggle in vain.

And it shattered my heart into pieces.

"Brave wizard," Lilith smiled to me. "Farewell."

The female lead manifested her dark mana and engulfed the cliff with black magic. Upon doing so, she toddled away from that spot, completely disappearing from my sight. Soon after, the cliff shook violently, and it collapsed almost instantly.

The next thing I knew, large rocks were falling.

To me, it felt like the end of the world.

There I was, laying helplessly on the ground like a fool waiting for her death. In a matter of seconds, a massive rock landed on my body and crushed it.

Despite the excruciating pain, I couldn't even find my voice to scream. I could only cry in silence.

Miraculously, my head remained unscathed.

And I didn't die right away.

It felt like the gods were giving me this moment to mourn. Because even though I may have survived that humongous rock, I'm certain that it crushed the sprouting life inside my body to its death.

"M-My poor baby," I said weakly. "I'm sorry."

Tears streamed down on my cheeks.

"I'm sorry that you couldn't even live to see the world just because your mommy isn't the main character of this story." I broke down into tears.

I felt the warm pool of blood underneath my body.

"I'm sorry." I burst into sobs. "If only I wasn't your mother, you would've had the chance to be born."

At that moment, an illusory image appeared on my mind. It was the perfect picture of a family. Alistair and I were standing on both sides of a faceless child. It was such a wonderful dream.

But dreams aren't real.

I knew that.

And I hate myself for even thinking of Alistair when I declared to myself that I don't love him anymore. Still, I had no fondness left for him.

There was only regret.

That was the only thing I felt towards him now.

I regret meeting him. I regret loving him.

If only I could turn back time, I would choose not to love him knowing that we will both turn into monsters because of this deep and wretched love.

"Alistair," I whispered to the wind. "I hate you."

With all my remaining strength, I spent my final moments humming a lullaby for my unborn child.

That night, the moon witnessed me take my last breath with my crushed body under that pile of rocks. It was also the day my heart steeled itself after losing two important people in my life.

Thus, my third role finally ended that summer.

When I woke up, it was already autumn.

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