Chapter 1

The massive and steadfast fortress that had protected the North for countless years was now engulfed in bright flames. Even though it was still early dawn and the sun had not yet risen, the blazing castle lit up the entire city.

Inside the burning walls, screams and the clashing of weapons echoed in chaos. The air was filled with scorching heat and the eerie sound of a flute. There were groans of pain and screams that sounded like something was being torn apart.

At the center of it all stood a woman, completely still, with her sword plunged into the chest of a man.

“Herna…”

The man’s face twisted in unbearable pain. It was unclear whether it came from his body or his heart. His eyes, filled with confusion and agony, were locked onto her.

“Herna… why…”

Once again, the flute cried out, long and sharp, a sound that seemed to pierce the ears and shake the soul.

At that very moment, the woman called Herna twisted the blade and pulled it out.

“Ugh…”

Unable to endure any longer, the man’s body finally collapsed.

Herna, her eyes still vacant and unfocused, took a step back, slowly moving away from him. Her blurred gaze stared into empty space as she raised the bloodstained dagger toward herself.

“No!”

Seeing this, the man, despite his wounded body, limped forward desperately. With all the strength he could muster, he grabbed her and pulled her away. Their bodies collided and fell together to the ground.

“Herna! Snap out of it!”

Thud. The impact of their fall made Herna’s eyes tremble faintly.

“Herna!”

As the man’s voice called her name once more, Herna’s eyes slowly regained focus and turned toward his face.

“Killail? Why am I… here?”

The noise around them, Killail’s pale face, and the dagger in her own hand quickly brought her back to reality. She sat up suddenly and pressed her trembling hands against his wound to stop the bleeding.

Her eyes, where her emotions showed the most, were filled with tears.

“I’m sorry…”

Killail looked quietly at her shaking hands and tear-streaked eyes, then gave a faint smile. Her tears, shed for him, felt like a gift.

“Don’t smile. How can you smile right now?”

The blood flowing from his wound looked strange. It was nearly black, a clear sign that he had been poisoned. In the middle of the chaos, everything began to feel unreal.

Was this a dream? It had to be a dream.

But the thick, hot blood seeping through her hands as she tried to stop the bleeding pulled her back into reality. The trembling of her hands, as she applied pressure to the wound, reached him as well.

He placed his hand gently over her small, bloodstained ones and spoke.

“I’ll be fine. Go through the gate. Leave the empire, quickly.”

At his soft words, spoken as if to comfort her while moving her hands away, tears finally began to fall from her eyes.

She shook her head, pressing down her sobs as tightly as she could.

“Don’t say things like that. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Please… listen to me.”

He had welcomed her tears when they were for him, but seeing her cry now still made his heart ache.

As he lifted his hand to wipe away her tears, he saw the blood covering his fingers and slowly pulled his hand back. Instead, he gently placed his hand on her back and spoke with care.

“Leave the empire and never come back. Morius and I will take care of everything here.”

It was a lie. He knew it.

He would not be able to fix anything. The pale, bluish tint on his lips was already showing that he did not have much time left.

“I’ll find a healer. I’ll bring someone who can help.”

Fear tightened around her chest as she watched his life slowly fade. She moved quickly, trying to stand and run. But he reached out and held her back.

There was no way a healer could get through the chaos that surrounded them.

As he looked at her, still unwilling to leave, he let out a quiet breath and wiped the blood from his hands onto his clothes. His wounded body was screaming in pain, but he gritted his teeth and forced himself to endure it.

His large hand, still stained with blood but slightly cleaner now, gently cupped her tear-streaked face. He touched her as if she were the most precious thing in the world, with care and aching tenderness.

“I love you. I’m sorry I can’t go with you.”

As those words left his lips, Killail drew in a strained breath and suddenly coughed up blood. There was so much he wanted to say, but his body was weakening too quickly to let him speak.

There was no time. Not for him, and not for her escape. In the middle of this chaos, he had to get Herna out as fast as possible.

His hand, filled with regret, slipped away from her face and gave her a gentle push.

“Go. Now.”

“No. If I go, I’m going with you.”

She refused the hand that tried to push her away. Instead, she kept looking at him, as if trying to hold every detail of his face in her memory.

“This is all my fault. I’m sorry.”

Her eyes, unsteady and full of pain, wandered to the dagger lying nearby. It was surrounded by a dark, threatening aura, its power surging out of control.

Sensing the dangerous thoughts in her expression, Killail spoke with firm resolve.

“Don’t think about anything like that. You have to survive and must be happy.”

Before he could finish speaking, he coughed up blood again.

Herna. My Herna. There was still so much he wanted to say.

His hand lost all strength and slipped from her grasp.

“Killail?”

Her hands shook as she caught his body, now limp in her arms. She had forgotten how to breathe. She didn’t even realize how many tears were falling as she looked over his face and body with trembling hands.

“Killail!”

She felt along his body and shook him, begging him to wake up. She told him over and over that it was all her fault, and pleaded for him to open his eyes.

“Say something. Please. This isn’t real, right? Try to wake up. Just open your eyes. Look at me, just once. Please.”

Holding him close, she buried her face in the curve of his neck. The overwhelming sense of loss didn’t feel real. He was still in her arms. He was still so warm. There was no way he could be gone.

But no matter how many tears she cried or how desperately she begged, his eyes remained shut.

“It’s my fault. Please, I’m begging you.”

Please save him. This is all my fault. I’ll do anything if you just let him live. Please, just let Killail live.

Though she had no god to believe in, no one to pray to, she begged with everything she had, crying out into the void.

How long had she stayed like that? Would crying like this bring Killail back from the dead?

Her empty, hollow eyes suddenly landed on the dagger. She reached out, picked it up, and let out a bitter laugh.

“What was it all for?”

What was something like this worth, that it caused so many deaths? What was it worth, that she spent all those long years by that woman’s side, driven by nothing but revenge? What was it worth, that it led him into danger?

It had once been a gemstone of the Forest’s Essence. Now, the dagger pulsed with strange, unstable power. Her grip on it tightened.

As her energy flowed into it, the dagger began to hum and tremble in response.

Where had it all gone wrong? No, what did it matter now? None of it mattered anymore. She had already killed Killail with her own hands.

Suddenly, a legend Aaron had once told her long ago came to mind. If you offer your heart, you can make a wish that brings the dead back to life.

It might have been just an old tale with no truth behind it.

But none of that mattered anymore. If dying meant she could beg for his forgiveness, if death was the only way to see him again, then she would accept it without hesitation.

I, who carry the name of Aaron, offer my life to save another. Take the life of Aaron and return the life of Deterium. Please, I beg you, bring Killail back.

She asked for nothing else. Just to bring him back. Just to let him live.

The dagger reacted to her sincere and desperate plea. The violent green energy surged around her, wrapping her entire body in its light.

Without a second thought, she raised the dagger and drove it into her own heart.

In that instant, a powerful burst of green light erupted, swallowing the flames that had surrounded the fortress and covering everything in its glow.

That day, she killed Killail.

And Herna, also known as Lunia Aaron, ended her own life.