CHAPTER 17: MY TURN
At an unknown battlefield.
A war is being fought where magical spells and supernatural abilities stand on equal ground.
A century has passed but still, the war shows no sign of ending.
Every spell cast, every ability unleashed, adds another name to the countless dead.
However, unlike every corner of this endless war-torn land, the heart of the battlefield is partially isolated
Within this isolated section of the battlefield stands a colossal black dragon with seven heads. Only two of its heads have their eyes open— the central one, gleaming with cold-shining gray eyes, and the one to its left, with blazing-bright white eyes.
Upon the dragon’s central head stood a two-meter-tall person.
Clad in black armor that shrouded him from neck to toe, he gazed silently at the vast and boundless sky. Then suddenly, he jolted. His head turned sharply toward one of the dragon’s left heads.
The head slowly opened its eyes. A pair of red eyes.
“Success is within my grasp this time. Now only four chains remain. Things will come to an end soon… It's just that…”
The man’s voice trailed off as his left hand clenched his right chest.
He let out a soft sigh and let go of his clenching heart.
“I wonder how they are doing…
I—No, I won't ask for forgiveness from them.
At this point, it won't make any difference.
Besides, there’s no one alive there anymore who could pose a threat to them."
A faint smile hung on his face for a while.
“As for now… the most important of all…”
The smile from before disappeared almost instantly.
He closed his eyes and passed the next few moments in silence. Then he mumbled,
“I was… I am… I shall…”
He opened his eyes.
A pair of eyes so bright, it was impossible to name their color.
…
Kingdom of Juniper.
Jiking City.
Royal Palace.
At the very top of the palace.
Inside a beautifully decorated large bedroom.
A man wearing a golden robe covered in green patterns was standing before a window. His dark green hair was neatly combed.
Behind him, there's a round shaped bed. On that bed, a voluptuous figure of a woman could be seen.
At this moment, she was sprawling over the entire bed and sleeping like a child. Her naked body was covered in a green blanket.
Although it was a very tempting scene for any man. Jord Terra was facing the window turning his back on her. Wearing a thoughtful expression on his face, he seemed to be contemplating something.
His hands clasped behind his back.
Eyebrows furrowed. He thought aloud in a low voice—
“I don't know why but… since yesterday, I have been feeling anxious. But why? Things have been peaceful for more than 1,700 years now… Is any outsider targeting my kingdom? Or…”
He paused and brought his right arm into view as he continued—
“It shouldn't be… right? Then again… the chains are supposed to hold him for at least three thousand years… and it has been 1,741 years. It is simply impossible for the chains to be loosened before 2,400 years have passed…”
He closed his green eyes. After spending a few moments in silence, he decided to let go of the matter for now.
He removed his robe while turning back. Then he went towards his bed. And looking at the scene before him, a satisfied smile bloomed on his face.
…
Kingdom of Coralis.
Corking City.
Inside the vast and grand hall within the Royal Palace.
Carine was sitting on her azure throne.
She has an icy and cold demeanor as always.
As of this moment, her facial expression is unreadable. But deep inside she is thinking about a serious matter.
‘I have been feeling very, very weird… since yesterday. Just what went wrong… is it something caused by that damned Ceniza again? Argh! How can she be like this even after all these years? Why can't she remember the most important thing!?’
She sighed and massaged her temples.
‘Or is it that girl from Nyx? Although, Jord’s words were true… I'm sure he got some hints from that gluttonous old pervert from Aethelgard.’
She tightly frowned.
‘A little over six months left until the event… I have to be more cautious in handling this matter… Maybe the ignorant opposite party is actually targeting this upcoming event to stir up some troubles across this whole place?’
Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.
“Whatever it may be, I just have to make sure that the others don't know about who I really am… or else… if things are actually how I think they are… then I really don't know how am I going to face him, when the time finally comes…”
She took a deep breath and uttered,
“I can only hope that he succeeds this time.”
For a moment, the mask slipped, and her gaze softened. Beneath the stoic exterior, her eyes shimmered with a fragile, fleeting emotion.
…
Nysia.
Under the
The sound of a sharp slap rang in the air.
A two-meter-tall man was sent flying beside the ‘door’.
“You think you can just tease me like that and I’ll accept it!? Do you really think this is funny!? I say—NO! This is not!”
Elestria's voice fumed with fury as she stood and picked up her robe, intending to put it on.
“I swear! It wasn't my fault! It's just that—”
Zalchys shot to his feet and grabbed her right hand, the one holding her robe, with his left hand.
“Hmph! I won't believe you, no matter what you are trying to explain!”
Elestria retorted, though she didn’t actually resist him stopping her from putting on the robe.
Zalchys let out a quiet sigh of relief. Without wasting another second, he grabbed her by the waist.
Elestria didn't look at his face and turned her head into a different direction.
“Elestria… oh, Elestria!
Why must you be like this!?
How about I give you a little kiss?
If you really are that much pissed,
then what if I take out my heart and give you a little piece?”
Zalchys said, wearing a wronged expression. Yet inwardly, he was very pleased with himself for saying those words…
Just like the old days.
Elestria shouted in a low voice as she slowly moved her neck to look at him,
“That ONE PIECE again? Why are you so stingy? Can't you just give me the whole of it?”
As she looked at him, she saw—
Zalchys was holding her like a statue. His eyes were dimmed. His mouth was half opened as if he was just about to say something when he stopped midway.
She fell silent for a moment, her eyes studying his facial expression.
Then she let out a sigh and embraced him gently while coming to a conclusion.
‘He is in the same condition as before. But his heart is still beating… Maybe it's her this time…’
…
A few moments ago.
Zalchys was about to say more to explain his sincerity toward Elestria, but suddenly he stiffened. His mind went blank. Everything around him became cloudy. Some scenes and sounds drew him into unfamiliar yet strangely familiar memories.
…
In the scenes he saw—
…
An empty village road.
A seven year old frail kid is being chased by a giant middle-aged man.
The kid was holding onto something cautiously, close to his right chest.
As if he would protect it no matter what.
The man had a long stick on his right hand and anger written all over his face. He was shouting something, but Zalchys couldn't hear anything from the scene.
After running for a certain amount of time, the kid suddenly came to a halt.
The man almost caught up with him and was about to grab his shoulder while raising his stick. An evil smile covered his face, his intentions were clear, he will beat this kid to death today.
Right at that moment, the kid turned around almost instantly and—
He punched the man with his small left fist. His right hand is still holding that something from before with much care.
The man sneered, parting his lips to say something.
However, in the next moment—
He burst from the inside before a word could leave his mouth.
The area around him turned crimson.
The kid was soaked in the man's gore. He slowly unfolded his right arm from his right chest as an abnormally large cinnabar-egg came into view.
He stared at the egg, his expression unreadable, eyes calm yet distant.
Then he closed his eyes and murmured something.
A bright light encompassed the entire road and enveloped the kid holding the egg. The eggshell trembled as a crack appeared on the surface. With a soft pop, it shattered completely.
A tiny, birdlike creature emerged. It had cute features. The entire chick was covered in soft, downy feathers. A living gradient of Carmine bleeding into Cobalt, blazing and ascending at once.
One of its eyes was red, the other blue. Every detail radiated a strange, captivating charm.
Tilting its head, it fixed its gaze on the kid, eyes innocent yet strangely mesmerizing.
Overall, the sight of the newly born chick was very pleasing to the eyes.
Soon the scene became foggy.
And as Zalchys’s vision blurred, a new scene started to play before him—
…
An unknown place surrounded by numerous mountains.
At the heart of this awe inspiring place where nature existed in almost all of its forms, a man in his late twenties sat cross legged, his eyes closed. Countless wounds were etched into every inch of his body.
He looked like the last soldier, emerging from a battlefield where hundreds of thousands had fallen just moments before.
Beside him stood a woman in her early twenties. A breathtaking beauty of the highest caliber. She wore an elegant golden gown. Her hair color was unlike anything seen before, like molten red lava spilling across a deep blue sea. Each strand seemed alive, catching the light and shifting subtly. It was as if her very essence flowed through it.
At one point, her long hair fluttered in the wind, brushing against the man beside her.
Noticing this, a sweet and warm smile lingered on her face for a moment. Then, in the next, it was replaced by a look of unwavering determination.
As if she would protect him no matter what.
Once again, Zalchys's vision blurred and the third scene appeared—
…
Inside a vast and opulent hall.
More than a thousand dead bodies lay scattered, turning the once celebratory hall into a scene of grotesque contrast.
At the center, on the highest part of the hall, two living figures stood out.
A man knelt on one knee, offering a ring to the woman before him with both hands, his gaze soft and gentle.
The man was clad in black armor.
At his left waist hung a strange, gray-mask.
On his back rested a longsword, its blade still slick with fresh blood.
The woman wore a red wedding gown. A veil had concealed her face until moments ago. Now, as she lifted it, a pair of extraordinary eyes was revealed—one burning Sanguine red, the other shimmering Azure blue, each reflecting a different facet of her soul.
The man spoke something.
As the woman listened, her eyes swollen from tears, she pressed her right hand to her mouth, as if trying to hold back the flood of emotion his words had unleashed.
Then she nodded three times.
Two tears slipped down her cheeks, which was a face that balanced softness with sharpness perfectly.
Slowly, this scene also faded into… Nothingness.
Zalchys found himself surrounded by endless Darkness.
…
This time, he heard a whispering voice.
Uncannily like his own.
It drifted through the darkness, low yet clear—
After the memories ended and the voice vanished, he trembled violently.
Blinking abruptly, he adjusted to his current self and felt Elestria’s warm embrace.
The touch of her bare, delicate skin made him feel comforted, almost cozy. If this had been before everything he’d just experienced, he would have devoured her without restraint.
But now… too many questions swirled in his mind, about too many things.
Elestria felt his changes and asked in a low voice,
“Are you okay now? Was it her?”
She looked up and found him staring into nothingness.
Zalchys had a confused look on his face. His brows furrowed as he asked,
“You… How do you know her? Did I tell you?”
Elestria’s eyes widened as a bad premonition washed over her. She replied in a worried tone,
“What do you mean? Of course, it was you. How else would I know about her? We even have memories together, don't you remember?”
Listening to her words, Zalchys’s eyes widened as well and he was left speechless.
Elestria squinted, suspicion flickering in her eyes as she asked,
“You… you still don’t remember everything, do you?”
Zalchys did a double take, realizing that Elestria had already figured him out completely, before he even had the chance. He had never considered that his memories could be so fragmented, leaving him unable to remember even the most intimate moments with those he held dear.
He released Elestria’s embrace and took a step back. Focusing on his memories, he felt a sudden, stabbing pain tear through his head.
He cried out in pain while tightly grabbing his head with both hands.
“I… I can’t recall what I’m supposed to… my head’s splitting!”
Elestria quickly approached him with hurried steps and hugged him tightly.
“It's okay! Take it slow for now! You have waited for nearly two millennia for this comeback! I will absolutely not let you lose yourself once again!”
She said in a determined tone.
“But… If I want to leave… it's impossible for me to continue like this!”
Zalchys said with an ugly facial expression as he was fighting with his all against this unbearable pain.
“You trust me, right? If you do, then listen to me and take a bit more time to adjust your memories properly. After all these years, even if it takes a few dozen more tries to recall everything, it wouldn’t matter!”
Elestria suggested, her eyes unblinking. But unlike before, there was something subtly off about the way she held that gaze this time.
Zalchys felt the pain gradually fade. After a few minutes, he managed to calm down completely.
He contemplated Elestria’s words and thought,
‘What she says… does make sense. A little longer shouldn’t matter. I’ve already waited so long. In the end, if I can’t reach my prime, it would all have been for naught.’
He closed his eyes and hugged Elestria back, nodding in quiet affirmation.
What he didn't notice though, right when Elestria just did that, her lips were curved into a maniacal grin.
Her white eyes shimmered with twisted delight as she thought inwardly—
‘I was alone for nearly two thousand years… At last,
I am finally with you… For a century,
I shall reign over your heart—not a shard, but the whole.