Evelyn guided her mother through the grand corridor, leaning on her arm.
"Rest now, Mother," Evelyn whispered, voice trembling despite her steel resolve.
Min Hee offered a faint smile. "I will… thank you, Evelyn."
Within minutes, the fierce clash of Mana—the violent echoes of corrupted and purifying energies—ceased in Reyon's body.
Alice and Ray, lingering in the doorway, heard the sudden stillness.
"grandmother…" Ray murmured, stepping back.
alice held her breath.
Reyon's eyelids fluttered. Ten seconds passed. Then he opened his eyes.
alice and Ray sprang forward, hearts soaring with relief.
"Reyon!" Alice called, reaching out.
But they froze.
His eyes—once silver pools of warmth—were now obsidian voids.
A chill unlike any winter gale washed over them.
Reyon tried to shift his fingers, to form his signature Vector spell, but faltered—his left hand gone, the void where it should have been.
Ray swallowed hard, stepping back. "E–He's still… not himself."
For two days, Reyon's madness surfaced in violent flashes.
Though weakened, he still poured raw Mana into simple spells.
When Ray offered him a bowl of steaming soup, Reyon's hand shot out, blade hidden in his sleeve slicing toward Ray's face.
Ray twisted, the spirit barely leaving his eyes as the tip nicked his cheek.
Blood blossomed, and he stumbled back, sobbing.
Evelyn's calm cracked. "We keep watch, every moment. Nobody goes unguarded."
Guards formed a circle around Reyon's bed, swords drawn, eyes vigilant.
[Beyond the Castle Walls]
One dawn, Edward received word of a delegate from Elise kingdom arriving.
He and Evelyn exchanged a solemn nod as duty called.
Ray heard he was needed at the Horizon border—Min Hee's condition had worsened, and the barrier there began to flicker.
Before departure, Edward placed a hand on Reyon's shoulder. "Stay safe," he whispered.
Reyon's void eyes stared blankly.
Alice lingered behind, tears in her eyes. She carried a tray of medicine for Min Hee.
"Be careful," she mouthed to Ray.
He nodded, eyes red. Then all three—Edward, Evelyn, Ray—left the castle in a rush of cloaks and determined steps.
[Silence at the Castle]
Only Min Hee, frail on her bed, and Alice remained.
Alice sat by her side, cradling her hand.
"Drink," she urged softly, raising a spoon of herbal broth.
Min Hee sipped, her eyes distant.
Nearby, Reyon rose. His movements were jerky—like a marionette with broken strings.
He stood before the empty hall, one arm and one leg missing, swaying.
[ Shelf]
At the far end of the hall stood an ornate mahogany cabinet.
On its top shelf rested a single vial: a high-class healing potion, gold-rimmed and glowing faintly.
Ancient runes of protection surrounded it—gleaming barriers of pale blue.
Reyon's hollow gaze fixed on the vial.
('Potion… limbs… life…')
He might lack a hand, but his raw Mana still flowed.
He gulped. Then, with a guttural growl, he forced his will outward.
A surge of dark Mana pulsed from his body, rippling the air like ink spilled on water.
The protective runes cracked—shattered in a scintillating cascade.
Glass splintered. Runes fractured.
Alice, startled by the crash, dropped her spoon.
She sprinted for the hall.
[Reyon's Renewal]
But she was..
Too late.
Reyon seized the vial, uncorked it, and drank in one desperate gulp.
Golden liquid surged through him.
His missing arm and leg grew flesh, muscle, bone—restored in seconds.
He stood whole again, his pale lips turning red with life.
He turned.
His eyes gleamed black—savage, ravenous.
He stalked toward Alice like a predator closing in on prey.
Alice's breath caught. She raised trembling hands.
"Please come to your senses now," Alice whispered, channeling mana into her palms.
She cast Blazing ice—the misnamed 7th-Circle spell that formed a small tide of radiant ice below her feet.
A frosty wave, crackling with cold, surged forward.
Reyon flicked his wrist.
Fire Spear.
A beam of crimson flame pierced the tide, melting the ice in a hiss of steam.
Alice's heart hammered.
('I'd die if I don't… use my strongest spell…')
She closed her eyes, summoning every ounce of resolve.
Ice Age.
The room froze.
Frost coated the walls. Icicles formed on chandeliers.
Alice watched as the entire hallway stiffened in crystal silence.
Reyon advanced. Each step shattered ice beneath his boots.
He raised a hand—the Abyssal Void orb shimmering at his fingertips.
He absorbed the frozen tides with ∞, devouring her spell without slowing.
Alice's eyes widened.
('Is this my end? Will I die before I can even… tell him my feelings…?')
Reyon closed the distance. He gripped her throat with renewed strength.
[The Flash of Memory]
Alice's vision blurred.
His abyssal gaze bore into her soul.
She gasped as a flash seared through reyon's mind—a memory not of this life, but the one before.
He saw Alice—dying in his arms, tears streaking her pale face, the same wide eyes, the same helpless fear.
His heart quenched
Pain surged within him.
His grip slackened.
In that moment, the black fog receded from his eyes.
The void retreated—snapping shut like a bursting seal.
Reyon staggered back, trembling.
Alice fell to her knees, gasping for breath.
Tears streamed down her cheeks.
He sank beside her, voice hoarse.
"I'm… so sorry, Alice…i won't let the same thing happen"
His eyes were once again those familiar silver pools, filled with warmth and remorse.