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Louis found himself standing in an endless garden of beautiful flowers.
In this garden of flowers, which he couldn't identify whether they were roses or some other species, Louis gazed toward the distant horizon.
The sky was a clear blue, the wind cold and refreshing. The sun shone just right, neither too hot nor too faint. He felt good walking barefoot across the endless fields of blossoms.
As he moved forward, Louis noticed a tall figure standing far in the distance: a beautiful woman with pale blue skin and long silvery-white hair.
White scales adorned her arms, legs, and neck, and a pair of wondrous golden horns rose toward the sky like a crown declaring her status.
Yet that was not the most striking feature. Three pairs of white feathered wings graced her back, giving her the appearance of an angel, yet crowned with the horns of a devil.
Some might have mistaken her for a Nephilim because of her mingled traits.
But this beautiful giantess was a dragon.
"Mother...?"
Louis felt confused. This was the first lucid dream where his mother had appeared. It was no longer a memory; he had no recollection of ever meeting her like this.
"..."
She turned to him with a warm smile. Louis ran toward her.
However.
"Huh?"
The farther he ran, the more distant she became.
"M-Mother?"
No matter how fast he moved or how far he pushed himself, Louis could not reach her.
Worse, she grew more distant with every step he took.
"Wait..."
Her figure seemed to shrink along the horizon, growing smaller with each of his strides.
Whenever Louis believed he had finally closed the gap, she appeared impossibly far again.
"Wait!"
He screamed, desperate for her to stop walking away, even though she stood motionless in place.
And then...
Louis saw her face, her expression.
She looked profoundly sad.
"I'm sorry, Louis... I cannot hold... any longer..."
"Eh? M-Mo...! Wait...! Mother!"
Darkness suddenly poured from the sky. From that darkness, gigantic arms covered in red eyes descended.
The flower field withered instantly. All life died on the spot.
"You...! YOU!!!"
Louis screamed in fury as he watched the countless arms seize his mother and lift her into the blackened heavens.
"Stop...! STOP!!!"
He tore open his own back, sprouting a pair of skeletal wings, destroying muscle and spine in the process.
He flew upward, leaving a trail of blood behind him.
"Mother! MOTHER!!!"
His mother wept black tears as a gigantic face slowly emerged from the sky, taking the form of a beautiful woman.
So perfect in beauty that the face seemed artificial, like a mask or the visage of a doll.
Cracks spread across it until it shattered, revealing a monstrous, aberrant jaw lined with dozens of sharp teeth.
"No, no, no! Stop that! Stop!!!"
Louis ripped apart his own left arm and transformed it into a spear of bone and ashes. Infusing it with his own soul, he fired it at the creature.
The ashen bone spear pierced one of the monstrous arms, forcing the being to stagger for a moment.
Louis roared, climbing higher and higher, dodging countless abyssal hands.
But eventually they caught him, dragging him back and restraining him.
Forcing him to watch.
As his mother's entire body was torn to shreds and devoured piece by piece.
"AAAAHHHHHHH!!!"
♢♢♢♢
"...!"
Louis' eyes snapped open. His heart pounded violently. Cold sweat drenched his body as he gasped for breath, glancing around in panic, hands trembling.
"T-That... that was a nightmare...?"
Slowly he realized the horror had been only a dream, not reality. His breathing steadied. He exhaled deeply, relaxing as he took in his surroundings.
He was in his own room, half his body wrapped in bandages, connected to machines regulating nutrition and breathing.
"I'm hospitalized in my own room. Was I out for that long?"
He sighed, realizing that if he remained here instead of in the Salt Forest, they must have won.
The last thing he remembered was that monstrous arm dissolving into dust after he unleashed the beam infused with his mother's power.
"How long has it been? Hello? Is anyone there?"
Louis dragged himself to the door and knocked.
Moments later, footsteps hurried closer. The door opened. It was Catrise.
"Y-Young Master! You're awake!"
"Catrise, how long has it been—Ugh?!"
Louis groaned as Catrise threw her arms around him tightly, refusing to let go, sobbing against his shoulder.
She had clearly been terrified while he remained unconscious for days.
"Answer me, Catrise... I'm fine."
"You've been out for a whole week... I was so worried you would never wake up, like your mother!"
"Calm down. I just needed rest. It was an exhausting battle. I assume we won, right?"
"I... yes, we... technically won."
"...Technically?"
"Soma was defeated and the Abyssal Mother could not destroy our country, but... so many people died..."
"...How many?"
"Around... four hundred."
"...What?!"
Louis' eyes widened as the staggering cost of victory sank in.
Four hundred brave knights, agents, and civilians caught in the chaos had perished that day.
Catrise nodded through her tears.
"Fernand... and Elises... Belladine too... Even the Knight Captain... Lady Tisha, she..."
"...No."
"Yes... they too... they... they couldn't make it... Ahhh... Your majesty!"
Catrise cried harder as she clung to him. Louis stood shaken.
His loyal retainers... all gone.
"Zorba and Mirai...! Are they okay?!"
"Yes... they're fine. They woke up a few days earlier..."
"Haaa... at least... at least they're okay."
Though relief touched him, the deeper grief remained. Those he had trained and cared for had died so cruelly.
Elises, once a coward in the previous timeline, had fought bravely this time. Perhaps he was changed by the training.
Fernand too had fallen. Perhaps the two friends had died side by side. Louis could only wonder.
The beautiful Belladine, a noble Elf from a prestigious family and a powerful Spirit Knight... lost as well.
Countless agents, maybe even some of the doctors he knew.
And above all, someone that was irreplaceable to the kingdom.
Tisha, the Eternal Frost Blade, the strongest swordswoman in the country, had died sacrificing herself to halt Soma.
"This is the power of a Tier 4 or 5 Spiralwalker..."
Louis breathed in disbelief.
The country had survived, yet even with all its efforts, the loss remained devastating.
He sighed, accepting responsibility as a ruler.
"Their families... how have they taken their loss?"
"Very badly... Elises' wife and children came to the castle to protest, along with many family members of the fallen knights. It has been difficult to hold them back..."
"Has my father not made any official statement about what happened?"
"There have been reports online on various news sites, but... he has remained silent. I think he was waiting for you to wake up."
"I see... Well, here I am. Are the people still outside?"
"Some have left, but half of them are still there protesting."
"Okay. I'll take a bath and eat breakfast, then I will address everyone."
"W-What? Are you sure?! But they're furious!"
"I know... As the prince, as the ruler of this country, and as the one these people sacrificed their lives to protect, this is my duty, Catrise."
"Your majesty..."
"I know my mother would have wanted this of me, so I will do it... but not only for her. This is also my pride as a prince, as a man, and as a dragon. These people who gave their lives for my country... I will never forget them."
"T-Thank you..." Catrise nodded, hugging him once more before releasing him. "I shall prepare your breakfast swiftly then. Lady Mirai and Sir Zorba might come to visit though."
"That's fine. I would like them to stand with me when I give the speech," Louis replied, stepping into the bathroom.
He took a warm bath to relax, adding salts and herbs to speed regeneration and heal the ugly scars. Though Louis sometimes seemed indifferent to his appearance, he did care.
He washed his long white hair carefully, deciding to trim it slightly because it had grown too long, then polished his horns with attention while looking in the mirror.
Once finished, he dressed in a prestigious white-and-gold military uniform fit for a prince and stepped out.
Zorba and Mirai waited outside.
Their eyes brightened the moment they saw him fresh from the bath; he was literally dazzling.
"P-Prince Louis...! I-I am glad y-you're a-awake..." Mirai stammered, her heart suddenly racing.
"Ahhh! Master Louis! You are as glorious as ever!" Zorba exclaimed without restraint, calling him a glorious being.
"Zorba, stop praising me," Louis groaned. "Mirai, stop stuttering."
Yet despite his sharp tone, he remained kind to those he cared about.
He sat down as Catrise brought breakfast.
"Come and sit down. Let's eat together."
But beneath the gruff exterior, his care showed clearly.
"It would be an honor!" Zorba nodded eagerly, sitting close to Louis.
"Move aside! Don't get too close! You know I don't like people near me," Louis complained after taking his pills and drinking cold water.
"My apologies!" Zorba moved back quickly, though his eyes glowed bright red. Louis noticed something in his aura.
"Zorba, you... you're Tier 8," Louis said, realizing Zorba had ascended.
"Indeed! During our battle a week ago, my Desecrated Soul Spiral fulfilled its conditions and I ascended midway through. Now I have finally stabilized my Realm," Zorba said with a smile.
"So what were the conditions?" Louis asked.
"Enslave one hundred souls!" Zorba replied.
"Ah..." Louis nodded. "I see. I suppose that was an easy task for you."
"Yes!" Zorba agreed. "But without your help it would have been impossible! Each soul had to be different, and they had to be sacrificed to count."
"Hm..." Louis nodded. "Mirai, sit down. What's gotten into you?"
"I-Is it okay?" Mirai asked, glancing at the lavish spread.
"You're treated like a noble in this castle, and now you hesitate to sit beside me? Come on," Louis rolled his eyes. "Or should I force you?"
"No, no, I'll sit on my own..." Mirai hurried to take her seat, eyeing the delicious breakfast.
All sorts of colorful, cream-filled pastries filled the table—Mirai's favorite.
"Well, enjoy your breakfast, your majesty," Catrise said.
"Come sit with us too, Catrise," Louis told her.
"E-Excuse me?" Catrise blinked in confusion. "Is it okay?"
"Of course it is okay! I demand you sit down and eat with me!" Louis declared. "Do I not make myself clear?"
"Yes!" Catrise giggled, amused by how Louis showed kindness in his own way. "Thank you, your majesty..."
As everyone began eating, an awkward silence settled. Louis broke it.
"I've been asleep for a week. What has happened in my absence?"
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