Sinyata's expression changed instantly. She grabbed Elena's arm.
"No! Elena, don't do this. You cannot risk the bloodline of Azaveria.
Don't go… it's a trap!"
But Elena's mind was no longer here.
She saw only Ryo's smile, his warm eyes. Every moment wasted felt like theft—like being denied the chance to ever see him again.
In a single instant, Elena vanished, dissolving into nothingness, leaving Sinyata trembling in terror.
The weight of danger pressed against her chest.
Elena's death would mean the end of Azaveria itself.
In desperation, she sent flashes of light directly to Rash, transmitting everything that had happened.
Then, in a voice heavy with urgency, she added:
"Rash… act."
Rash stood in the middle of a golden wheat field, its stalks swaying gently beneath a sky as clear as a mirror.
His bare body shimmered under the sunlight, the markings etched into his skin glowing faintly, pulsing as though alive.
The circle carved into his back slowly expanded as he tilted his head upward, eyes closed, gathering every fragment of energy the sky might grant him.
Suddenly—
Flashes of light pierced through the worlds.
A message from Sinyata.
Rash responded, his voice tense with concern:
"Yes… I can feel her resonance. She's close.
Tell no one. I'll bring her back. Don't be afraid."
Sinyata's voice trembled through the thread of light:
"Do the impossible…
You know how precious she is. She is the last bearer of the royal bloodline."
Rash cut the connection. His body swayed, the glow of his markings dimming. He focused, locked onto her location—then vanished in a flash.
Far away, on Earth, in a corner of a British hospital, Elena stood frozen.
The walls were pale, heavy with the scent of medicine.
Inside the intensive care unit, Ryo lay motionless. His body—burned, lifeless—barely recognizable.
He looked like an empty shell, a charred corpse stripped of all humanity.
Elena's eyes widened in disbelief. Her knees trembled, her chest rising and falling rapidly as tears poured endlessly, soaking her gray shirt.
Her voice cracked into a whisper:
"Why… why did they do this to you, Ryo?"
Every step toward him was heavy, as though the ground itself resisted her. With trembling hands, she took out the small device Sinyata had given her and gently placed it on his chest. Two firm taps.
At once, a wave of light burst outward—transparent currents sweeping through his body.
Elena's eyes widened, her breath caught, as she watched every cell within him regenerate from the inside out, rebuilding flesh, restoring life. His burned skin was reborn.
Fate had granted Ryo life once more.
The first time, when he was a fragile infant struggling against death, her wish had saved him.
And now, once again, she had risked the fate of an entire universe—
for him alone.
Elena exhaled, her sobs melting into a trembling smile.
Ryo moved. His eyelids fluttered open. Slowly, he sat up, confusion written across his face.
"Elena… is that you?"
A faint smile formed on his lips.
"Did you get glowing tattoos?
Your mom is going to punish you."
She couldn't hold back anymore. Elena threw herself into his arms, her tears soaking his chest. Between sobs, she said:
"I'm sorry… forgive me… did it hurt a lot?"
Ryo raised his hand to her face, studying her deeply—her hazel eyes where light danced like stars.
"Are you wearing lenses now too?" he asked softly, teasing.
She smiled faintly without answering.
His voice grew more fragile:
"Are you real?
Months have passed…
Why didn't you come back?
I wished for just one moment to see you again."
Her reply came broken, filled with sorrow:
"They did this to you… because of me.
I'm so sorry. I realized it too late."
Ryo gently ran his hand through her hair, as he always had.
And his warm smile returned.
"It's okay."
Without warning, Rash materialized. His eyes narrowed at the sight of Elena in Ryo's arms. Something ignited in his gaze—jealousy, concern, perhaps pain he had never acknowledged.
Ryo turned suddenly, startled, his voice sharp:
"Who are you?
How did you get in here?"
Elena quickly grabbed his hand.
"Don't be afraid, Ryo… he's a friend.
This is Rash. From Azaveria."
Ryo whispered cautiously, trying to make sense of it:
"Elena… you're not human, are you?"
Rash cut through the tension with a firm, merciless voice:
"The truth?
No, she isn't. And right now, she's risking all of our fates… for you."
His eyes locked onto Elena.
"We need to leave. The Shadows of Darkness will appear at any moment. This was a trap to lure you to Earth.
I can feel them. They're coming."
Elena tightened her grip on Ryo's hand, her voice steel:
"I'm not going anywhere without Ryo."
The two men stood in silence, their eyes clashing, tension burning between them like fire.
Ryo didn't care what kind of blood ran in her veins—
he just wanted her.
But jealousy had already ignited in both their hearts, unspoken yet alive.
Deep within Rash's heart, one question echoed relentlessly:
So this is… Ryo.
The one she never stopped talking about.
And within Ryo, another truth cut deep:
Elena feels something for this man—something I've never seen in her eyes for anyone else.
Rash spoke, his voice laced with bitterness:
"It seems you won't move without him.
Fine."
He pulled out a small black device and pressed it against Ryo's neck.
Ryo shouted, struggling violently as he pushed Rash's hand away:
"Get your hands off me!"
Rash replied coldly, sharply, his eyes flashing with anger:
"I don't enjoy taking you with us… just stay still."
Elena turned to Ryo, her tearful eyes soft with reassurance:
"Ryo… trust me."
Then to Rash, firmly:
"Do it."
Rash activated the device. A transparent layer of shimmering light spread over Ryo's body, clinging to him like a second skin.
"This," Rash said with cold indifference, "is a protective suit. It will keep you alive during dimensional transfer."
But before they could move, the air grew heavy with suffocating black energy. The walls trembled under a presence of pure malice. Four figures appeared—
the Shadows of Darkness, their forms twisted like manifested nightmares.
Their leader stepped forward, his presence drowning the room in terror. His name was Rabiras.
His voice dripped with venom as he smirked:
"Well, well, Elena… haha.
I see you swallowed the bait.
Your human side clouded your judgment."
Rash moved instinctively, shielding Elena with his body.
Ryo's heart pounded violently, his face pale:
"Elena… what is this? Am I dreaming?
What are these… monsters?"
Rabiras silenced him with a gesture of contempt:
"Silence, bait. When greater beings speak, insects like you do not interrupt."
Elena's voice came sharp and defiant:
"You're wrong, Rabiras. Your kind crawls at the bottom of creation—not him."
Rabiras laughed harshly, a booming sound that shook the air.
His eyes gleamed with malice.
"King Tibar has prepared a grand welcome for you, Elena.
Will you come willingly… or shall we add a bit of entertainment?"
His smile twisted as his gaze slid toward Ryo.
Rash growled thunderously:
"That's enough, Rabiras! Do you wish to be devoured by your own darkness?"
Rabiras chuckled darkly:
"Oh… risking your life for her, Rash.
And she risks her world… for a human.
What a deliciously unfair equation."
He leaned closer, whispering near Rash's ear like a dagger:
"And I see it… Azaveria is pulling at you.
You are unstable.
Earth has poisoned your light.
You are on the verge of breaking."
Then, louder:
"Ah… now I understand.
Elena, do you know?
He is doomed to die—just like his parents!"
Rash's eyes flared, his voice breaking with fury:
"Silence!
Do not speak their names with that cursed tongue!"
Rabiras smiled mockingly:
"Ah, thank you, Rash. I'll take that as a compliment."
Elena stepped forward, her resolve unshaken:
"I will be fine. Don't worry, Rash.
Take Ryo to Azaveria. He can endure it."
Rash's jaw tightened.
"Elena… don't do this."
Her reply was sharp, commanding:
"That's an order. Do it!"
Ryo cried out, lost and afraid:
"Elena, what is happening?! I want answers!"
She looked at him, her voice gentle yet firm:
"We will all be fine."
Then she turned to Rash, her tone final:
"Go now. Don't look back. And don't tell anyone what happened."
Rash's heart twisted in pain. His eyes lingered on her, silently begging her to change her mind.
But Elena smiled—a small, brave smile—and stepped toward Rabiras and his shadows.
In the blink of an eye, they vanished into darkness.
Inside Rash's home in Azaveria, the walls shimmered with a soft silver light, their smooth surfaces radiating an unnatural calm.
Ryo, still staggering from the violent dizziness of dimensional transfer, opened his weary eyes. He blinked rapidly, confusion overwhelming him as he looked around. His voice came out weak and disoriented:
"Where… am I?"
Rash replied coldly, a faint but unmistakable trace of disdain in his expression.
He looked upward, addressing the house itself:
"House… give me a simulation of London streets. Ensure it continuously adapts to the current time, as if we are truly there."
Slowly, the walls began to change. Silver melted into transparency.
The space around them transformed like a painted canvas.
In an instant, Ryo found himself standing in the streets of London exactly as he remembered them.
Rain-soaked cars gleamed beneath streetlights. The sounds of horns and human chatter blended into a chaotic harmony. Fog swallowed neon reflections. The wind was cold against his face, carrying the scent of roasted coffee from a nearby café.
Ryo's eyes widened, his chest tightening. He turned in place, lost between belief and denial.
"Where… am I?"
he repeated, his voice trembling.
Rash answered, watching Ryo's reflection in a café window, his tone flat:
"I don't know how your fragile human body will endure the energy of Azaveria… but Elena believes you can."
Ryo clenched his jaw, anger rising with the weight in his chest:
"Why do you talk to me like that?
As if I disgust you?"
Rash turned slowly toward him, his face unreadable, and said calmly:
"I apologize. But I cannot pretend.
I don't like you.
I cannot lie about that."
The words were ice. Beneath the rain, Ryo's frustration erupted:
"Am I that disgusting?"
he shouted, his voice full of bitterness.
Rash looked away without answering. The silence hurt more than words.
"Look at me!" Ryo shouted, anger breaking his voice.
"I see it now—your body is different than before.
You looked almost human, if not for those markings."
Rash's voice cut through the storm, cold and detached:
"I was disguised.
The skin on parts of my body can extend to cover the rest… for a human appearance."
Ryo spat bitterly:
"At least back then you looked better.
Now you're something else entirely…
A body of black void carved with glowing patterns.
You look like a night sky filled with stars."
A faint laugh escaped Rash—devoid of joy, laced with harsh, weary mockery.
"I am a shadow of light.
Are you mocking me?
I existed before humans even dreamed of existence.
If it weren't for your importance to Elena…
I would have left you to rot on Earth."
Ryo's voice broke, heavy with despair yet burning with determination:
"I don't care if you're a shadow of light…
or the shadow of a broken lamp.
I just want to know… where is Elena?"
For the first time, Rash's voice faltered, weighed with resignation:
"You cannot leave.
I have already broken the laws of Azaveria by bringing you here—
only because of Elena."
He took a deep breath, then gestured to the scene around them:
"You can wander this simulation as you wish. It is your home… a reflection made just for you. If you grow tired of it, ask for something else. The house will obey your voice."
Then, as if murmuring to himself, he added—half resentment, half surrender:
"Poor human…"
What will become of you—
and of us?