My Living Shadow System Devours To Make Me Stronger Chapter 1287 - 1288: Someone Who Is Loved

"Iris, you so desperately want to believe a truth that doesn’t exist. It won’t change the fact that I killed your father." Damon spoke calmly, tapping his fingers against the shadows that made up the table.

She didn’t seem to mind. She merely nodded.

"I’ll be the judge of that."

Damon sighed. He hadn’t thought a day like this would ever come, but here it was. The worst of it seemed to have passed.

"When I was much younger, I went beyond the academy barrier and encountered an entity that fused with my shadow. However, this entity demanded that I feed it the flesh of races affiliated with the Goddess. Refusing to do so would cause me to starve and might even lead to my death."

Damon decided to tell Iris the truth from his perspective.

"I didn’t end up in that forest because I planned it, nor did I intend to kill him. I was just so hungry, and he happened to be there. He saw me alone in the woods and offered me a helping hand. He shared his food and listened to my story. He gave me advice, good advice, and then I lost control of my shadow and killed him."

Damon told Iris everything, every last detail of that day. He didn’t hide anything. When she heard how her father had died, she smiled as tears streaked down her face. It was a confusing sight for Damon, seeing tears and a smile on her face at the same time. He no longer understood her mind any better than he understood his own.

She cried for a short while before wiping away her tears.

"I’m glad... I knew you wouldn’t kill my father on purpose."

Iris looked up at Damon and wiped the remaining tears from her cheeks with her hands.

"Accidents happen all the time. My father could have died for any number of reasons. He could have been run over by a loose carriage, crushed by a falling tree, or accidentally shot by another hunter. It was all part of the risk. Getting killed by an out-of-control shadow was just an accident. You didn’t want it any more than he did."

Damon shook his head, then placed a hand against his temple.

"Some things could have been avoided."

"You couldn’t have avoided this, though. It was beyond your control. I’m sure you didn’t want to kill my father, and I can see that you’ve tried to live with the guilt. If you were someone else, you wouldn’t have encouraged me or even been there for me."

Damon’s expression darkened.

"That doesn’t change anything now, does it?"

"You’re a survivor, Damon. You’ve always been one. You were here for me and for Luna." Iris reached out and held his hand.

"Yeah, except I’m sure Luna can’t forgive me for becoming a demon and betraying everything she believed in her whole life."

He touched his chest, where his own sister had impaled him with a sword.

"I doubt that. I don’t think Luna would have been able to bring herself to kill you... I just know it."

Damon closed his eyes, tilting his head slightly.

"Your words are comforting, Iris, but there’s no need to worry about me."

"No, no, that’s not it. Luna may have been angry about you being a demon, but I think the real reason she attacked you was because of me. I think she was angry on my behalf..." Iris pressed her hands together and lowered her voice to a whisper. "Whether you’re a demon or not, I’m sure Luna would never want to leave your side. I know that because I know how much you mean to her. And because you mean so much to her, she can’t let herself be biased when she wants to protect me, too."

Damon touched his chest, where she had stabbed him. The wound was physically gone without leaving a scar, but the emotional impact of being stabbed by his own sister still hurt.

"You’re the most important person to her. I know she couldn’t live without you..."

Damon smiled, and a single tear slipped from his eye.

"I know. She was probably thinking something along the lines of, ’I’ll kill my brother, then myself.’ She’s such a stupid girl. Then again, a terrible temper and bad judgment do run in the family."

Iris looked at Damon, then punched him on the shoulder.

"Don’t be so mopey. The Damon Grey I know is an absurdly ridiculous person who does and says whatever he pleases. He’s a bit narcissistic, edgy, and very shameless."

Damon smiled, unsure of how to respond.

But Iris wasn’t finished. She closed her eyes for a moment before speaking again.

"I thought this would be harder, but it came easier than I expected. Who knew forgiveness could be this easy and this delightful? Now I’m sure I have nothing more to worry about, because I forgive you, Damon, and I love you, big brother."

Damon’s eyes widened, and he pinched her cheeks when she called him her big brother.

"That’s Master to you, damn brat."

He didn’t want to show it, but her words left him shaken. Hearing her call him her brother made Damon feel something akin to joy. Deep in his heart, a faint spark began to glow once more in the darkness of his despair, and that spark remained bright.

"Don’t call me a brat! I’m an adult woman now. See? I’m not a child anymore." She stood up as if she wanted him to see just how much she’d grown.

Damon glanced at her, his eyes widening slightly. She was no longer the same girl he’d seen training alone in that courtyard all those years ago. She was no longer the spitfire young girl he’d worked half to death while neglecting her in favor of Lilith most of the time.

Iris had grown into quite the woman. Her long pink hair was braided behind her back, and her sword rested at her side. Her eyes were still as sharp as he remembered, but now she had grown into a woman.

"When did you grow so much...?"

"I’ve always been like this. You just weren’t looking."

"When I wasn’t looking?"