❤️ Chapter 31: A Promise Amid Uncertainty

Dusk fell gently over Aerthalia. After the Thirna Hollow expedition and her vision in the in-between dimension, the world continued to turn... as if unaware of the cracks beginning to form.
On the eastern wing balcony of the academy, Angeline stood alone. The wind carried the faint fragrance of Voidlace flowers — ones Myra had planted in the lower garden.But her mind remained in turmoil.
> "I'm… not myself anymore," she whispered."Or maybe, for the first time… I truly am."


Soft footsteps approached. Real.

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💬 A Confession
Without preamble, Real stood beside her. Silence settled between them.
> "I saw you in Thirna Hollow," he said quietly."In that place... even when you were on the verge of breaking, you chose to come back. You chose to stand."


> "So… if I don’t say this now, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life."

He gently took her hand.
> "I love you. Since the first time you kicked the training dummy…Until you stood there, bleeding, protecting this academy."
> "I know you’re not an ordinary human. And I… don’t care."
> "If this world survives, if this all ends in peace… I want to propose to you."

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💔 Angeline’s Answer: Honest and Painful
Angeline lowered her gaze. Her hand trembled. The Void within her pulsed softly — a sign of internal conflict.
> "Real… don’t give me dreams I may never reach."


> "I don’t know if I’ll still be myself tomorrow.My Voidstep… it could erase me, little by little.Or all at once."


> "What if I can’t come back?What if I lose control… and become the enemy you have to cut down?"


Tears nearly fell, but she held them back.She forced a small smile.
> "I want to say yes.But I can’t. Not yet."

🌠 A Promise Beneath a Cracked Sky
Real didn’t answer with words.Instead, he reached around his neck and removed a small pendant — a dimensional stabilizer stone, a gift from his late mother.
> "This isn’t a proposal.It’s just… a marker."


> "If you survive. If the world holds together.If you still want me..."
He fastened it gently around her neck.
> "I’ll wait for you. No conditions."
> "Because my love… isn’t for the ‘Void Heir’."
> "It’s for you —The girl who eats two portions,Who refuses help when she’s training,Who dares to charge into a falling sky."