Chapter 26: Dreams and Nightmares

Darkness.

That was the first thing I noticed—so complete it felt heavy, like a blanket pressing down over my face. There was no sound, no breath of wind, not even the faintest echo. Just black.

Then—two beams of light, sharp and sudden, cutting through the void.

One fell over me. The other illuminated a figure sitting in a plain wooden chair. No throne, no gold, no adornment. Just a chair.

And her.

The Goddess of Death.

She didn’t speak at first. She just stared at me, her eyes unreadable—too deep, too still.

“…Am I dead?” I asked finally, my voice echoing strangely in the emptiness.

She rose from the chair without a sound. The moment she stood, the chair simply… vanished.

“You think you’re dead, huh?” Her tone was calm, almost casual. “Not quite.”

“Then where am I?” I asked.

“This place is the world that’s in between.”

“…In between what?”

“The world of the living,” she said, stepping toward me, “and the world of the gods.”

Her presence was strange—comforting and suffocating at the same time.

“This place is more like a waiting room,” she continued. “A place where souls rest to find out where they go.”

“Where they go?” I asked slowly.

She nodded. “Whether you go to the world of the gods… or back to the world of the living.”

I frowned. “So I am dead, then.”

“Yes… and no.”

She circled me now, each step soundless. “Your body is severely damaged. The nurses at your school are doing everything they can to keep you alive. Stitching your wounds. Forcing your body to keep going.”

I swallowed hard. “…So why are you here?”

“To guide your soul to wherever it belongs.”

My jaw tightened. “Don’t you have… other people to guide? Why sit here and wait for me?”

A faint smile touched her lips. “I have people who do the guiding for me. I only guide those I have an interest in.”

“And… why me?”

Her gaze sharpened. “Because you have an aura of death surrounding you.”

My brows drew together. “…An aura of death?”

“The greater your aura of death, the greater the number of people who will die around you,” she said simply.

I clenched my fists. “Why would that interest you?”

Her smile widened, but there was no warmth in it. “Because some of those deaths… haven’t happened yet.”

A cold knot twisted in my gut. “What do you mean?”

“As you have infinite choices to make,” she said, “so too are there infinite outcomes—some that let a person live longer, some that lead to their earlier end. Some of those choices are theirs to make… others are decided for them.”

Her words weighed heavy, though I wasn’t sure if she meant them as a warning or a prophecy.

“Now…” She straightened, glancing off into the distance like she could see something I couldn’t. “It seems your body has been stabilized.”

She raised one pale hand, snapping her fingers.

The light around us fractured—splintering into nothing.

And everything went black.

The first thing I felt was… weight.

Not pain—at least, not yet—but the heaviness of my own body, like I’d been buried in stone. My chest rose in a slow, uneven breath. The air was warm, laced with the faint smell of herbs and alcohol.

A soft tug at my arm drew my attention. My eyelids fought me, but they lifted, revealing the blurred shape of someone leaning over me. A nurse—her hands careful as she unwound the bandages from my shoulder and chest.

When our eyes met, hers went wide.

“You’re—!” She didn’t finish the sentence. Instead, she bolted for the door, skirts swishing, her voice ringing down the hallway. “He’s awake! Arthur’s awake!”

I blinked, trying to piece together where I was. My body felt stiff, my mouth dry. I pushed myself up slowly—too quickly, apparently—because my ribs screamed in protest.

A low movement at the edge of my bed caught my attention.

“…Sköll?”

The Dire Wolf lifted his head from where he’d been curled against the wall, his eyes locking onto mine. He rose onto his hind legs, leaning his massive head gently against my lap. His fur was warm beneath my hand as I reached out to touch him.

He let out what could only be described as a sigh of relief—deep, rumbling, and soft.

The door opened again, and the nurse from before returned, this time with an older woman in a dark green apron and a posture that spoke of authority. Her hair was bound back in a severe bun, and she carried herself with the kind of precision that came from years of running a ward.

“Good morning, Mister Arthur,” she said, her voice calm but tinged with relief. “I am Head Nurse Aldira. It’s good to see you awake.”

I tried to clear my throat, but my voice came out rough. “How… long?”

She stepped closer, eyes sweeping over me in a quick, practiced assessment. “You’ve been unconscious for a month. Your wounds were extensive—nearly fatal. Frankly, it’s a miracle you woke at all.”

A cold knot formed in my stomach. “And… my magic?”

Her expression darkened. “That’s where the trouble lies. While your body is healing, the strain you placed on your mana veins… was severe. You’ll be lucky to use magic again without pain. Whether your veins recover fully is… uncertain.”

Her words settled over me like lead.

“I see…” I murmured.

She hesitated, then continued, “For now, you must rest. Pushing yourself will only worsen the damage.”

I nodded slightly, my mind already moving elsewhere. “Elaris. Where is she?”

Aldira’s gaze softened, but it didn’t ease the tension in my chest.

“She remains unconscious,” she said gently. “Her physical wounds are fully healed, but she has yet to wake. Count Halia has taken her home, where she will be cared for until she wakes… or passes.”

The last word twisted something deep inside me.

“For now,” the head nurse went on, “you should focus on your own recovery. Hopefully, in time, your mana veins will mend.” She straightened. “I will send a letter to the Duke to inform him of your condition.”

I barely heard the last part. My hand rested on Sköll’s head, his steady warmth anchoring me as my thoughts spiraled toward a single truth.

Elaris was still out there. Still silent.

And I wasn’t there with her.

The room was quiet again. Too quiet.

Head Nurse Aldira had left, the other nurse trailing behind her. The door clicked shut, and for a moment, it felt like the world had closed me in.

Only Sköll remained, lying beside my bed like a shadow given flesh. His breathing was steady, but his blue eyes never left me. Always watching. Always guarding.

I let out a shaky breath and sank back against the pillows. The thin blanket over me couldn’t hide the truth—my body was a wreck. Bruises still mottled my skin. Bandages wrapped almost everything from my ribs to my forearms. And beneath it all, the ache in my mana veins throbbed with each heartbeat, a painful reminder of the price I’d paid.

A price that still might not have been enough.

The head nurse’s words echoed in my skull. She will be cared for until she wakes… or passes.

My throat tightened. I closed my eyes, but it didn’t help. Every time I blinked, I saw her—Elaris—lying still, her golden hair matted with blood.

I pressed a hand over my eyes, but the thoughts wouldn’t stop.

How many more?

How many more people would get hurt simply because they were near me? Because I was this so-called “heir” that people wanted dead? I wasn’t ready to rule anything. I barely knew what it meant to be a leader. I had no power worth speaking of—not without risking my life every time I pushed myself.

I thought of her laugh, her stubborn smirks, the way she could cut me down with a single look and somehow make me grateful for it.

Now, all I had was silence.

A warmth pressed against my arm. I glanced down to see Sköll’s massive head resting there. When I didn’t react, he huffed softly… then leaned up and licked my face.

Once. Twice. Slow and deliberate.

The tears I hadn’t realized were falling smeared into his fur, but he didn’t pull away.

My chest heaved. The memory slammed into me—another time, another place. Rias screaming in the cellar as the Cryall’s claws raked across her face. My body frozen. My cowardice stealing her sight.

This time… it hadn’t been fear.

It had been my limits.

Limits that meant the only way to protect the people I cared about was to nearly kill myself in the process.

I clenched my fists, nails biting into my palms. “I can’t… keep doing this,” I whispered. “Not like this.”

The door slammed open.

“Arthur!”

Rias’s voice cut through the heavy air like a blade. She was already crossing the room, Geri padding at her side. Behind her came Seraphine, Caelan, Marza, Orrin, and Toren, their steps hurried, eyes scanning me as if expecting the worst.

I froze, my tear-streaked face still damp where Sköll had tried to erase the evidence.

And for a moment, I didn’t know whether to feel relieved… or ashamed.

Rias reached me first.

Her hands found mine before I could say a word, her grip warm and trembling.

“You idiot,” she whispered, her voice caught between relief and scolding. “You’re awake.”

I tried to smile, but it felt brittle. “Guess I’m too stubborn to die.”

She let out a shaky breath and lowered herself onto the edge of the bed, Geri sitting at her feet. The others lingered by the doorway, quiet, as if they knew this wasn’t a moment they should intrude on.

Her scared eyes searched me—not with sight, but with that strange mana-sense she used, the one that always made me feel like she could see right through me.

“What happened to you out there?” she asked softly.

I looked down at our joined hands. “I… failed.”

Her fingers tightened. “Arthur—”

“I tried, Rias.” My voice cracked before I could stop it. “I gave everything I had. But it still might not have been enough. She’s still… she’s still not waking up.”

Silence stretched between us, filled only by the faint ticking of the clock on the wall.

“To me…” I swallowed hard. “Elaris isn’t just someone I fight alongside. She’s… different. Special. And when Kael—” The name burned my tongue. “When he hurt her… I thought I could stop him. I thought I could save her.”

I shook my head. “But all I did was end up here. And she’s still…” My chest ached. “What if this is all I’m good for? What if no matter how hard I fight, I’ll always be too late?”

Her other hand came up, cupping the side of my face. Her touch was steady, grounding.

“You’re not a god, Arthur,” she said firmly. “You can’t save everyone. But you did save her. She’s alive because of you.”

“Alive, but barely.”

“Alive,” she repeated, her voice unyielding. “You think she’d care how close it was? You think I care? You came back to us, Arthur. Both of you did. That matters.”

I closed my eyes, letting her words sink in, even as doubt gnawed at the edges.

She pulled me into a careful hug, mindful of my bandages. “Stop carrying this like it’s all your fault. Because if you don’t… it will break you.”

For the first time since I’d woken, the crushing weight in my chest eased—just a little.

I didn’t answer. I just let myself lean into her, holding onto the only family I had left, while Sköll and Geri kept silent watch at our side.

And in the back of my mind, one truth burned brighter than the rest:

Elaris was special to me.

And I wasn’t going to lose her.

Not to Kael.

Not to anyone.