Chapter 21: A Wish Too Heavy to Bear
Ethan saw the tears.
And before Ellie could even think of hiding them, he was already in front of her, wiping them away.
His touch was gentle. But his emotions—
They burned.
Even higher than when he had chosen Mei.
It may not have been obvious, with the way he acted with Ellie.
But Ellie was his soft spot.
She had been with him since the beginning. Since his rebirth into this world.
How could she not be the one he felt the most for?
And the fact that she was crying—
It made his chest tighten painfully.
"Why are you crying?" he asked softly.
So soft.
So tender.
The room instantly mirrored his emotions, as if the world itself responded to his feelings.
A gentle atmosphere.
Ellie's breath caught.
She hadn't expected him to see her.
Hadn't expected him to notice.
"W-Whaat? N-Nothing," she stuttered, flustered, stepping back to put distance between them.
But Ethan didn't let her escape.
He grabbed her hand, holding it firmly.
"Are you crying because I didn't choose you as a partner?" he teased with a smirk.
Ellie's face turned red.
Ethan chuckled softly. His eyes, so often unreadable, were warm now as he watched her look away in shame.
He lifted her chin with his hand, forcing her to meet his gaze.
His green eyes shone faintly, the light flickering with something deep—something that hurt.
"Do you really think I've forgotten you?"
"Do you really think I'd forget the one who's been with me since the beginning?"
"The one who stood by me when they mocked me for being untalented? When they called me worthless?"
Mei and Julie, standing at the back, clenched their fists.
They envied this.
They envied her.
They wished they could have been with Ethan since the start.
But Ellie had that place.
She was the one who had witnessed his weakest moments.
The one who had never turned away.
Ethan wasn't finished.
"I didn't forget, Ellie."
"I only wanted to give you something… special."
[Ding! Host's emotions are overflowing.]
[The woman, Ellie, is not worthy enough. Her aptitude is lacking.]
'I don't give a fuck.'
Ethan's thoughts cut through the system's cold logic like a blade.
He had waited. He had planned. He had intended to elevate her before taking this step.
But waiting—
Waiting would only hurt her now.
'System, accept it.'
[You do not have enough karmic points for what you plan to do, Host.]
Ethan stilled.
His jaw clenched.
And then—
He spoke words the system could not ignore.
'Then I will wish it.'
Karmic points? The sole currency? Bullshit.
The system thought he was blind. But he wasn't.
When he had chosen Mei, he hadn't paid in points.
He had wished for it.
And in return, he had been bound—if he died, Mei would die too.
A consequence.
A burden.
Now, he would make another wish.
More outrageous than the first.
'I wish for Ellie to be my eternal partner. I wish to bestow her a name—her True Name.'
He paused.
'Her affinity is shadow. She has protected me from the darkness since the beginning. And she is my lucky star.'
'So she will be… Umbra Fortunae.'
BOOM.
The room shook.
The entire world trembled.
[Host, a wish is an equivalent exchange. If you continue, the burden you bear will be more than what you can handle.]
Ethan exhaled slowly.
He had hoped to avoid this.
But there was no turning back now.
'Continue.'
Silence.
And then—
Far, far away.
In a place where even gods would lose their minds if they dared gaze upon it.
A realm beyond comprehension, where time and space did not exist as mortals knew them.
At its center, amidst a sky of endless swirling galaxies—
She lay bound.
A woman.
A woman so breathtakingly ethereal, so terrifyingly beautiful, that no words could ever describe her.
A beauty so devastating, so all-consuming, that it could drive even a supreme being to madness.
Pink hair, cascading like threads of divine silk.
Eyes—
Pink, but not truly pink.
For within them, entire worlds flickered. Living, breathing worlds. But shackled like her.
Shackles bound her slender wrists and ankles, wrapped around her body like cruel vines, pressing against her skin with the weight of a ten thousand galaxies.
She watched Ethan through a screen.
Watched as he wished.
And she—
Sighed.
"What a foolish boy I have chosen."
Her voice was soft, filled with something indescribable.
Something like fondness.
Something like pain.
She knew what would happen if she accepted his wish.
The burden would be too much for him.
If she granted it, he would suffer. It would slow him down.
And she could refuse.
She could stop this now.
But…
She didn't want to refuse him.
She never wanted to refuse him.
Her lips parted. A whisper.
"…I'll do it. Just this once."
She lifted her hand.
And paid the price herself.
CRACK.
Her shackles—
Tightened.
Sank deeper into her skin, binding her even further.
She gritted her teeth as power surged from her.
And then she cursed.
"Fuck. That fucking hypocrite bastard. Just wait till I break free."
A smirk curled her lips, despite her chains. As if anticipating what she will do him.
Her gaze softened as she looked back at Ethan.
"Be fast, Ethan."
"Be strong."
"Climb this wretched Tower."
Her voice dropped to a whisper.
"…Find me."
"…And free me."
"And when you do Ethan…be ready to face the most dreadful things ever."
…
[Ding! Your wish has been granted.]
[Ellie Yagami is now your eternal partner.]
[Ellie Yagami's True name has been given. She is now Umbra Fortunae.]
[As your lucky star, she awakened the talent Hand Of Fortune (SSS grade)]
[Her affinity to shadow had evolved.]
[Her talent Mask Of Shadow( B-rank) has evolved to Rightful Heiress Of Shadow (Supreme grade).]
The shaking stopped.
The world stilled.
And Ellie—
Ellie fell to her knees.
Dark energy surged around her, twisting, reshaping.
The shadows in the room trembled as if sensing the birth of their master.
They moved toward her, merging into her, completing her transformation.
Her body trembled, consumed by the force that had been poured into her.
She gasped looking at Ethan "Master…"
And Ethan—
Ethan watched all this unfold with amazement.
He watched as she became something more.
Umbra Fortunae.
His eternal partner.
His lucky star.
His…
…Shadow.
—End of Chapter 21—