25. A promise of death

A full month had passed since Seiito's disappearance from the outside world, and three weeks of resting within the eerie yet tranquil castle. As much as he tried to adapt to his new routine, there was one unexpected development—Irene's relentless affection.

Seiito found himself in the lounge one morning, sitting across from her as she brought a spoonful of food toward his mouth with a playful smile.

"Say 'ahhh,'" Irene chimed sweetly.

He blinked, completely thrown off by the intimacy. "Why is she doing this...?" he thought in disbelief. Though he wanted to protest, he reluctantly opened his mouth, too dumbfounded to react otherwise.

But that wasn't the end of it.

She'd been unapologetically bold in other ways too—small gestures that kept him on edge. At times, Irene would nonchalantly invade his personal space, leaving Seiito more flustered than he'd ever been in his life.

One day, he tried to find solace in a warm, relaxing bath, thinking he could finally have a moment to himself. That hope, however, was swiftly shattered when the door flew open with no warning.

"Let me wash thy back, Seiito!" Irene declared cheerfully as she stepped inside, her azure hair flowing behind her.

"Wh-What the—?! AT LEAST KNOCK FIRST!!" Seiito yelped, his entire body jerking in shock as he scrambled to cover himself. His heart pounded in panic, heat flushing his face—though whether it was from the bath or Irene's boldness, he wasn't sure.

Then, one evening, Irene approached him with an innocent smile.

"Come walk with me outside," she requested.

"...Why?" Seiito asked cautiously.

"It's a date!" she beamed, clasping her hands together.

He was left speechless, forced to accompany her out into the dark, cavernous expanse surrounding the castle. As they strolled side by side, Irene activated one of her devastating abilities. Without a hint of hesitation, she unleashed deadly magic that reduced anyone who dared cross their path to nothing but corpses littering the ground.

Blood painted the cavern, and charred remains lay scattered like decorations along their path. Irene smiled as if oblivious to the carnage around them.

"How romantic..." Seiito thought sarcastically, his eye twitching in disbelief. Wait—when did I even agree to this!?

A sudden, pained gasp escaped Irene as she crumpled to her knees, clutching her chest. "Argh...!"

"Irene?" Seiito's hand hesitated in mid-air before he rushed to help her up, concern flickering in his eyes. "Did you drain that much mana? That was overkill, you know."

A faint glow radiated from Irene's skin, dimming as quickly as it had flared. She coughed, regaining her balance and shaking off the strain. "I'm... fine," she managed, her voice a touch unsteady. "Just... used a little too much mana."

Seiito's eyes lingered on her as the glow faded completely, something about it unsettling him. But he chose not to press. "If you say so. Just... don't push yourself too hard."

"Yeah… okay…"

Later that night, Seiito tried to regain his composure by burying himself in a book within the library. Yet even there, Irene didn't leave him alone. She sat beside him, leaning close enough that her presence was impossible to ignore.

Her hand slipped into his, her fingers intertwining softly.

Seiito stiffened, his focus faltering as her warmth spread through his palm. His heart raced against his will. He stared down at their joined hands, completely distracted.

Why... are we holding hands? he thought, frustration creeping in.

He shifted uncomfortably, pretending to read, but his thoughts swirled with irritation.

Are we... a couple now?!

The question gnawed at him, and despite his inner turmoil, Irene remained serene, resting her head against his shoulder.

Seiito grits his teeth. How did things end up like this...?

That evening, Seiito couldn't hold it in any longer. Irene's constant affection, her subtle touches, and bold gestures—he needed answers. It was driving him mad. He found her alone in the dim glow of the lounge and confronted her, his voice calm but resolute.

"Irene... why are you being so intimate with me?"

The question felt heavy and awkward the moment it left his lips. Part of him assumed the obvious—maybe she had fallen for him. But what came next shattered that simple expectation.

Her cheerful expression faltered. The light in her eyes dimmed as sorrow crept over her features like a cloud swallowing the sun. For a moment, she looked vulnerable, almost lost, as if struggling to form the words that weighed on her heart.

"The reason..." she began softly, her voice trembling, "...is because I won't be here much longer."

Seiito's heart stopped for a beat.

"I used up all my mana just to remain here," Irene continued, her smile thin and bittersweet, "After a millennium...my time has come."

He took a step toward her, his chest tightening painfully. "You're...going to die?"

Irene nodded slowly, her blue hair falling gently over her shoulder. "Yes. This body won't last much longer. I just... wanted to experience love—" her voice cracked, "—at least once... before I disappear."

Seiito's breath hitched, guilt washing over him like a tidal wave. His hands trembled at his sides. She had spent centuries alone in the castle's cold silence, waiting for someone, and now, at the very end, she had chosen him.

If he had known... if he had realized sooner...

He clenched his fists tightly. "Irene... if only you had told me sooner..."

Her sad smile deepened. "I thought... if I did, you'd pity me. I didn't want that. I just wanted... to feel close to you, even if it was just for a little while."

Seiito lowered his gaze, frustration and regret twisting inside him like a knife. He thought back to the moments they had shared—the quiet conversations, the handholding, the walks through the cavern. He thought she was teasing him, playing around. But all along, she was grasping for something real, something meaningful, in her fleeting final days.

And I... he thought bitterly, I pushed her away.

"Thank you, Seiito… for being with me… in my last moments," Irene whispered, her voice fragile, like a delicate thread about to snap. Her radiant smile betrayed the tears slipping down her cheeks, and the sight of it made something inside Seiito twist painfully. It felt like his very soul was being torn apart, thread by agonizing thread.

"If there's a chance… I wish to meet you again… in another life."

Her words were a gentle farewell, but they struck Seiito with the force of a dagger to the chest.

"Irene…" he whispered, his voice cracking as he reached for her, he immediately tried to inject his own mana into her, trying his utter best to stop the impending fate.

"Hold on! I will save you!!" Seiito's voice creaked, still holding her, trying to use as much mana as possible.

"Seiito...it's...too late. There's no stopping it...my fate."

"Screw fate!! I will not let fate take you away!!"

Her body shimmered with ethereal light, disintegrating into countless motes that floated into the air like fireflies in the dark. Her smile lingered for one final, fleeting moment—then she was gone.

"I guess… this is… goodbye… my love..."

"Wait...I don't want to be alone...not again...please..."

The last of the light scattered; with it, Irene was no more.

Seiito stood frozen, staring at the empty space where she had just been. It was too quick, too fast for him to process. A suffocating silence enveloped him, a hollow void filling the pit of his stomach. His hand hovered in the air as if her presence still lingered, as if—by some miracle—he could grasp her again.

But there was nothing. Just emptiness. Loneliness. Again.

He clenched his fists, trembling, unable to stop the flood of emotions crashing into him. The walls he had built around his heart cracked, splintering into pieces. The first person he had allowed himself to care for—truly care for—was gone. Just like that.

Could I have saved her? Was there another way? The unanswered questions gnawed at his mind. Will she come back? Will I ever see her again?

The weight of regret dragged him down, and Seiito fell to his knees. Silent tears streaked his face, burning as they traced paths down his cheeks. He pressed a hand to his face, trying to hold in the sobs that clawed their way out of his throat—but it was useless.

For the first time in years, Seiito wept for someone else.

Raw, gut-wrenching sobs tore through the silence, each one heavier than the last. There was no one here to hear them, no one to witness his anguish. But it didn't matter—he cried anyway, his pain a storm that refused to be contained.

And then, amid the sorrow, anger surged.

Seiito's tears slowed, but the ache remained—a cold, heavy thing nestled in his chest. Slowly, his expression shifted, the softness giving way to a cold, unforgiving rage. His heart, once full of grief, now burned with fury.

His mana stirred, coiling around him like a raging storm, thick with hatred. The air around him shimmered with raw power as if the universe itself was responding to his wrath. He could barely breathe through the rage suffocating him. His teeth gnashed together painfully, his fists clenched so hard his knuckles turned white.

The ground beneath him trembled, fissures spider-webbing across the stone floor as cracks snaked up the walls, mirroring the fractures splintering through his heart. The air grew thick, pressing down like the weight of despair, and the entire tower seemed to shake with violent fury, as though it, too, could sense the turmoil within.

His despair seeped into the castle, unsettling the very bones of the ancient structure, which groaned and quivered, caught in the same agony tearing him apart.

"Zudeus..." Seiito growled, his voice low and venomous, barely audible but brimming with fury.

It was him. That bastard. He was the one who caused Irene's suffering. He was the one who sent her into isolation and trapped her in a prison of loneliness for millennia. It was Zudeus, the King of Santizimo—Valorian—who was responsible for everything.

And he would pay.

But...was that what Irene would want? Will it truly make justice for her lonely life?

Seiito recalled the chilling softness of her hand, how it had slipped into his own with a quiet, tender care that lingered in his mind like a ghostly echo. That touch—a memory too warm, too real—dragged him to the edge, his mind shattering under its weight. His eyes, once dulled by sorrow, now blazed with a murderous intent. A deadly crimson light flickered within them, piercing through the darkness, sharp and unforgiving.

His breath came in harsh, uneven bursts as he rose to his feet, his aura pulsating with murderous resolve. Every fiber of his being screamed for vengeance, demanded justice for what Irene had endured.

"I will kill you..." he whispered, his voice cold and final, as though he was declaring a sentence already carried out.

There was no hesitation, no second-guessing. Zudeus had crossed a line that could never be forgiven, and Seiito would see to it that he was eradicated from this world. No king. No god. No Lord of War would stand between him and vengeance.

This wasn't just anger—it was a promise. A promise born from pain, rage, and loss.

A promise of death.

Seiito had found a new goal. Not just survival. Not just power.

Revenge.

And the first step on that bloody path would be the head of the one who had taken everything from him.

"Valorian..." he muttered under his breath, his eyes dark and filled with wrath. "Your days are numbered."

He began to search for a way out, Irene must've prepared something...anything to leave this hell hole, he explored the whole castle, nook and cranny.

Until he stepped into Irene's throne room, there laid a grandiose desk, with papers and what looks to be an artifact.

Seiito stood next to the desk and saw that the artifact was a gold ring with a purple gem embedded on it, and a letter remained under it.

Dear Seiito, I apologize for never telling you about my certain death, it was inevitable, but rest assured, I know in my heart that I will be remembered, at least by someone I love, right dear? You won't forget me? Or else I'll hunt you in your dreams, hmph!

Also, don't hold yourself back from loving someone else. I want you to be happy, so fall in love for me.

Know that even in death, I shall always be watching, supporting you, and who knows? Maybe you'll find a way for us to meet again...

I really wished to travel to your world...one day.

This is goodbye, dear. Thank you for spending these past few weeks with me.

I truly felt love for the first time...and last time.

And I'm happy it was you.

The letter trembled slightly in Seiito's grip as he finished reading. His jaw clenched tight, a storm brewing inside him.

She knew. She had known all along that this moment would come—that she would leave him, that he would be left behind to carry on alone.

And she had still smiled. Still fought beside him. Still offered him a future he wasn't even sure he wanted without her.

"Damn it..." Seiito whispered, his breath ragged.

His eyes burned, but he refused to let the tears fall. Crying felt like defeat—like giving in to the aching emptiness spreading through his chest. He hated the way her words lingered in his mind, soft and gentle, like a goodbye kiss he could never return.

His fingers brushed against the ring. It was warm, as if it carried the last remnants of her presence. He slipped it onto his finger, feeling a strange pulse of mana resonate within him. The artifact hummed with quiet power, waiting to carry him away from the tower she had saved him in.

Instead of relief, Seiito felt anger.

"This isn't how it's supposed to end..." he whispered bitterly, gripping the letter tightly in his hand. His knuckles turned white as he fought the wave of emotions threatening to swallow him whole.

He slammed a fist on the desk, the sound echoing across the empty throne room. "Irene... you selfish idiot..." His voice cracked, frustration bleeding through every word. "How could you leave me like this?"

The anger twisted inside him—an unbearable mix of sorrow and helplessness. If only he had been stronger, faster, smarter. If only he could have saved her. If only there were more time.

Seiito bit his lip so hard it bled, the coppery taste grounding him. But it wasn't enough to stop the memories—her voice, her laughter, the warmth of her presence—all slipping further and further away, like sand between his fingers.

He sank to his knees, clutching the letter to his chest, his breath coming in uneven gasps. "Why... Why did it have to be you?"

For the first time in years, Seiito allowed himself to break. The walls he had built around his heart shattered, and grief poured out in waves. His shoulders shook, silent sobs escaping him as he pressed his forehead against the cold desk.

And in the quiet, amidst the sound of his grief, he whispered:

"I'll make it, Irene... I swear. I'll make it out of this tower and live, just like you wanted."

His hands curled into fists, the resolve slowly hardening within him. He would survive, not just for himself—but for her. He would see the world she had dreamed of visiting, carry her memory with him no matter where life took him.

And if fate was kind enough... maybe one day, in another life, they would meet again.

With a shaky breath, Seiito stood. His expression was grim, but there was a flicker of determination in his eyes—a spark Irene had reignited before she left.

He glanced at the ring one last time, feeling the weight of both freedom and loneliness pressing down on him.

Then, with a final whisper that no one else would hear, Seiito murmured:

"Thank you, Irene. I will not fail you."

And with that, a radiant light exploded from the crystal embedded in the ring, engulfing everything around him.

The light was overwhelming—blinding and all-consuming. He felt his body grow weightless as if he were no longer bound by gravity or the physical world. His senses dulled; sound faded, and the cold floor beneath his feet vanished into nothingness.