The cold winds howled in the far north, brushing against the icy peaks and frost-covered pines. Snow crackled underfoot as Reyon knelt silently before a freshly dug grave. The marker was simple, carved with his own hands, and bore a single name: Ray Phoenix.
He stared at it, unmoving.
His breath formed white clouds, but he didn't feel the cold. Not anymore. Not after everything.
Behind him, Alice stood in silence, her arms crossed, eyes softening as she watched his still frame.
"It's time," she said quietly.
Reyon didn't move.
So she stepped forward and tugged his cloak.
"Reyon, come with me. Please. You can't stay here forever."
Still no answer.
Without waiting, she grabbed his arm and pulled.
He stumbled, weak, lifeless.
His eyes—empty. Like all light had been drained.
The man who had fought against dragons, who had defied death itself... looked like a hollow shell.
She dragged him through the snow.
Days passed. Then weeks.
Alice created a home out of nothing—walls of insulated magic, warm hearths crafted with elemental flame. A haven against the deathly cold.
She force-fed him, brought him outside for walks, held his hand even when he didn't respond. She sat beside him when he stared into the fireplace for hours. Sometimes, she'd cry in secret when he wouldn't even look at her.
Until one day—when he didn't resist the spoon she brought to his lips.
Then, a week later, when he whispered, "...thank you."
That night, she sat beside him in the quiet living room. The fireplace crackled, casting dancing shadows on the walls. She looked down at her folded hands, then slowly began speaking.
"You know... I used to love you, Reyon. Since we were kids."
He blinked. Slowly turned to her.
Alice didn't meet his gaze. Her voice was soft.
"Being a royal meant I could visit the Phoenix household all the time. And... you were the one I always looked for. The boy with messy hair and a bright smile. The one who'd give me flowers from the garden even though he wasn't supposed to pick them."
Reyon swallowed. His lips trembled.
"When our families arranged our marriage, I was the happiest girl in the palace. I moved into the Phoenix household just to be with you."
Her hands clenched.
"But as we grew older... you became a disappointment to them. They expected you to be the next Leywin. The next Vector Magician."
A bitter smile crossed her lips.
"You couldn't even gather mana. Your aptitude was awful. They started to treat you like you were a burden. So... they abandoned you."
Reyon looked down.
"And our engagement... was called off."
A pause. Then Alice turned to face him fully.
"I blamed you. I thought... maybe you were just lazy. Maybe if I treated you badly, you'd fight harder. So I mocked you. I pushed you. I hoped you'd finally stand up and prove them wrong."
Tears welled in her eyes.
"But... it just hurt you more. I knew that. I knew, and still... I didn't stop. Eventually, I gave up on you."
She wiped her eyes quickly, looking away.
"I tried to move on. I told myself I wouldn't feel anything anymore. That I'd never love again. But I lied. I always loved you."
Her voice cracked.
"When the royal family tried to marry me to Ray... I refused. I trained, climbed to the 8th circle, just so I could free myself from them."
Her hands trembled.
"Then... the dragon came. It destroyed everything. Phoenix. The Brook royal family. My father... my mother..."
She turned and grabbed his face gently, forcing him to look at her. Her eyes shimmered.
"Please, Reyon. You're the only person I have left. If you die like this... I wouldn't have any reason to be alive either. Can't you live for me? Please... I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I treated you like that. But please... live. For me."
Reyon's body shivered.
His shoulders sagged.
He hugged her.
Tightly.
And then he cried.
The dam of grief, of sorrow, of guilt and rage all burst at once.
He mourned. Deep, guttural sobs ripped through him.
Alice stayed still.
She wrapped her arms around him, her head on his shoulder, gently patting his back as he let everything out.
Three months passed.
Reyon's complexion brightened.
His face regained color. He walked beside Alice with small smiles. They laughed. Cooked meals together. Slept side by side.
He held her hand now.
They lived like a couple, secluded from the world.
Peaceful.
Almost like a dream.
But fate had different plans.
A shadow loomed in the skies.
A dark screech echoed across the horizon.
The black dragon had arrived.
Neither Reyon nor Alice knew that just a few days after the fall of the blue dragon, the black one had appeared.
Its wrath had spread like wildfire, reducing kingdoms to ash. The entire continent had fallen.
Only the North remained.
And now, the last land was under siege.
Dark clouds gathered above their cottage.
Winds turned sharp. Magic pressure suffocated the air.
Alice stepped out first.
Her eyes widened.
"...No."
Reyon followed.
He looked up.
A beast of death. Massive. Infinite.
The black dragon descended with wings that eclipsed the sun.
Its body pulsed with dark energy. Its presence alone sinked everyone's hert in fear.
Alice grabbed Reyon's hand.
"Not again... Reyon."
He clenched his jaw.
His smile vanished.
His eyes sharpened.
The peaceful days were over.
The final calamity had arrived.
✦︿End of Chapter 93︿✦