Darkness. Stillness. Silence.
Reyon's breath was shallow, his thoughts murky. But something had changed.
The black mana that had once dominated his mind no longer showed him those haunting memories. The cycles of death and regret had faded. Now, all that remained was a throbbing void, an ache lodged somewhere deep in his chest.
Then... a flicker.
Reyon's eyelids fluttered.
His fingers twitched.
With a groan, he slowly opened his eyes. The soft glow of the room's crystals blinded him for a moment. He raised a hand—only to yelp.
"Ouch...!"
It felt like his entire body was screaming. Each movement sent jabs of pain through his bones, as though every muscle had been sleeping for years.
"It hurts... like I've been... dormant."
He tried sitting up, but his torso refused to obey. With trembling arms, he pushed himself upward—and collapsed off the side of the bed with a dull thud.
The sound echoed through the halls.
Footsteps. Fast, panicked.
"Reyon!"
Evelyn and Serena burst into the room. Their eyes widened at the sight of him sprawled on the floor.
Reyon groaned, his face twisted in pain as he gritted his teeth and tried again to rise.
"I said... stand... damn it."
Both rushed to his side.
"Reyon!" Evelyn dropped to her knees, lifting his shoulders.
Serena knelt too, her arms wrapping around his waist to help him sit up.
Their eyes trembled. Tears spilled without restraint.
"Idiot... stupid child..." Serena mumbled, voice breaking.
Reyon stared at them, dumbfounded. He had never seen either of them cry before.
Especially not Cold Sword.
"Ugh... ow, ow... why are you both squeezing me?" he gasped.
Even twitching a finger was torture.
"Please let go... I think even blinking hurts."
Realizing, they quickly released him and gently laid him back onto the bed. Serena fetched a pillow while Evelyn fixed the sheets.
Reyon winced and turned to them.
"Aunt... what happened to me?"
He touched his chest, the soreness settling deeper now that the adrenaline faded.
"My body... it feels like it's been dysfunctional for a long time. But it couldn't have been that long, right? I only remember seeing those memories two or three times."
Evelyn sat beside him with a sigh, brushing back her hair.
"For you, it might feel like not much time passed..."
She paused.
"But Reyon, you've been asleep for two years."
"Two... what?"
Reyon's eyes widened.
"Two years? No... no way! It couldn't have been more than three months!"
The door opened again.
Edward and Ray stepped in, both pale from the earlier commotion.
Ray rushed over and grabbed his brother tightly, nearly lifting him.
"You idiot! Just who the hell do you think you are? You shouldn't have gone on the Wyvern raid!"
"Ahh! Ouch! It hurts! It hurts!" Reyon wailed.
"I'm sorry! Let me go! Do you want to kill me!?"
Ray flinched, letting go instantly.
Edward took his place beside the bed.
"The reason you believe you haven't been asleep for long... is because you weren't aware of your unconscious state."
He placed a hand on Reyon's forehead, mana gently flowing.
"Two years ago, I began injecting my mana daily to suppress the black mana. But even so, the corruption settled very slowly. It was only three months ago that most of the black mana finally dispersed. That must be when you started regaining your senses."
Reyon closed his eyes, exhaling slowly.
"Haa... I can't believe it... two years... I've lost so much time."
He opened them again.
"So... what happened while I was asleep?"
Evelyn's expression darkened. She looked down.
"Mother... is no more."
Reyon's breath caught. He knew she didn't have long, but still...
"I... I wanted to say goodbye..."
His voice cracked. Tears blurred his vision.
Edward continued, giving Reyon time to absorb it.
"Not long after her passing, a Blue Dragon appeared in the capital."
"What!?"
Reyon bolted upright—and immediately regretted it. He clutched his side and slumped again.
"How can that be?! The dragons shouldn't have appeared so soon. And how... how are we even alive if one came?"
He gritted his teeth.
Damn it. If only he could use Vector Eyes right now.
If he could, he'd—
A faint glow flickered in his eyes.
And then he saw it.
His father—Edward—had reached the 9th Circle.
Ray... was now an 8th Circle mage.
He gasped.
That was faster than even in his previous life.
"Wait... only one dragon appeared?" Reyon asked, confused.
Edward tilted his head.
"Yes. Only one. Why do you say 'only'?"
Reyon blinked. He muttered under his breath.
"Must be... my interference. Originally... it was a Silver Dragon. It was supposed to kill father... but maybe because of me, things shifted. The plan was likely hastened. They didn't raise enough dragons to adulthood yet."
Ray leaned in.
"But that dragon... was definitely an adult."
Reyon's mouth parted slightly.
"Then... we were lucky. If it had been the Silver Dragon... Dad wouldn't have survived. Even at 9th Circle, that one would've killed him."
Edward stepped forward.
"Tell us everything you know, Reyon."
Reyon nodded slowly.
"I will. But first... what else has happened?"
Ray sat down beside him.
"After the dragon's subjugation, a match was held between Alice and Sylph for the 7th Circle Elite position."
He chuckled lightly.
"They fought like mad. Alice was on the verge of losing but pulled off Absolute Zero at the last second. Still... she was only a beginner 7th Circle, so it wasn't strong enough to win. It ended in a draw."
Reyon listened intently.
"So they gave both of them the 7th Circle Elite position."
Ray nodded.
"Three months later, Sylph broke through. She became the youngest 8th Circle mage of our generation."
Reyon raised a brow.
"But I assume that didn't last?"
Ray grinned.
"Of course not. Six months later, Alice reached the 8th Circle too. Two new marquises were enthroned as well, assigned under your name to manage your lands. You, after all, own half the empire."
Reyon whistled.
"And you?"
"One month after Alice... I reached the 8th Circle."
"Impressive," Reyon muttered.
Ray's expression grew serious.
"Many presents came from neighboring nations. But then..."
He paused.
"Elise Kingdom sent something that shook the entire continent."
Reyon furrowed his brows.
"What did they send?"
"A marriage proposal," Ray said slowly. "Between you and Queen Julie."
"...Eh?"
Reyon blinked, dumbfounded.
"Every noble... and Marquis Derox supported it. But Sylph, Alice, Mother, and Aunt Evelyn opposed it strongly."
Ray continued.
"There was division in the court, but the opposing side was stronger. Two marquises, the duchess, and the empress all rejected it."
"Then why didn't it get dismissed?" Reyon asked.
"Because Queen Julie made it clear—if rejected, she'd cut all export routes to us."
Reyon clenched his fists.
"She threatened economic warfare?"
"And attacking her would brand us as tyrants. So Father agreed. No one could oppose him after that."
Ray sighed.
"Mother and Aunt Evelyn backed off... but Sylph and Alice didn't."
Reyon's eyes narrowed.
"They stood against Father?"
Ray nodded.
"I told them... the final decision should come from you. You're the Archduke. With your strength, you won't listen to any of us if you don't want to."
Reyon gave a small nod.
"And?"
"In the end, everyone agreed. Father announced to Elise that you were engaged to Queen Julie, but the marriage would be postponed until you emerged from closed-door training."
"Julie accepted?"
"Yes. But Alice... she was devastated. She left the empire and returned to her family—Brook."
Reyon's heart sank.
"No one has heard from her since."
Ray's face darkened.
"I was furious, too. Father made the decision without your consent. And Alice... she really broke."
He looked at Reyon.
"I almost destroyed the palace trying to find you. Then Father brought me here... and when I saw your condition, I understood everything."
The room fell silent.
And Reyon closed his eyes.
He had lost two years.
Alice had vanished.
And now, even his heart... ached in ways he hadn't expected.
End of Chapter 95