CHAPTER 336: WHERE THE LOST FINDS THE LIGHT

A figure moved through the silent, snow-blanketed corridors of the Eclipse Castle with a predator’s grace, their form a blur against the obsidian stone. Their pace was swift, eating up the distance to the private training grounds with unnerving efficiency.

They arrived at the exact spot where Amaniel had lain just moments before, the air still humming with the faint, chaotic residue of clashing elemental auras.

Crunch-!

The figure sank into a low squat, a gloved hand extending to touch the dark stain of blood that had melted a small patch of snow. The fingertips came away stained crimson.

A frown formed beneath a sleek, black mask that covered the lower half of their face. With a frustrated sigh that was unmistakably feminine, Cassandra reached up and tugged the mask down, revealing features tight with worry.

’Where did he go?’ The thought was sharp, laced with impatience and a thread of concern. ’System, where is he? Are you sure you gave the right coordinates?’

There was a moment of silent communion with her interface, then a single, definitive impression formed in her mind. ’Yes.’

Cassandra’s frown deepened, her brows creasing. The evidence was clear: a violent struggle, blood, and then... nothing. No trail, no spatial rift he could have created himself in such a state, no sign of a fight. He had simply vanished from a warded castle ground without a trace.

Then, an idea crystallized, cold and unsettling. A presence that could bypass all of the castle’s security and her own system’s tracking so completely.

’Could it be... her?’

The woman who introduced herself as Lady Nisha, Amaniel’s supposedly ’mother-in-law’.

’...Yeah. It must be her.’

Cassandra had already used considerable system resources to probe that woman’s identity after their first encounter. The results had been both terrifying and awe-inspiring.

She was a primordial being — the Empress of Ashen Night.

A creature whose dominion encompassed the deepest darkness and flames that burned black as the void itself. The system had identified her as some form of avian primordial, though the exact classification remained frustratingly vague. What was clear was that her powers couldn’t be fully fathomed, even by her system’s advanced analysis capabilities.

The system had warned her that attempting deeper scans would likely be detected and could provoke a response that would end very badly for everyone involved.

Cassandra clenched her fists, ice crystals forming around her knuckles as her worry manifested physically. The thought of Amaniel in the hands of such a being, injured and vulnerable, sent spikes of anxiety through her chest.

But then she forced herself to calm herself and take a deep breath, and remember.

He had told her Nisha was trustworthy. He had spoken of her with a respect that almost bordered on awe. And if anyone could have pulled him from... whatever incident happened, it would be a being of that magnitude.

She could only hope her guess was correct and that Amaniel was safe in the care of the primordial being.

Because if he wasn’t, there was precious little she—or anyone else in this world—could do about it.

With a final, lingering look at the empty training grounds, Cassandra turned and vanished back into the castle’s shadows, her worry a cold, sharp stone in her heart.

’Please, be safe,’ she thought, the silent plea echoing in the stillness she left behind.

However, unknown to Cassandra, she was being watched by the very individual she suspected, observed directly from a realm even her system couldn’t track.

’...’

In her domain, Lady Nisha’s gaze shifted from the psychic impression of the worried young woman fading into the castle.

’You’re a natural lady killer, aren’t you~’

She glanced down at the young man sleeping on the black mattress.

Despite being dirty, bloodied, and pale from exhaustion, he looked peaceful. The lines of strain and pain had finally smoothed away, leaving an almost youthful vulnerability.

A faint, almost maternal smile touched her lips. With a mere thought, she willed it.

Tendrils of silent, black flame, cold to the touch yet fiercely potent, coalesced around Amaniel’s body. They did not burn, but cleansed, weaving over him like a dark tapestry.

In their wake, every speck of dirt, every stain of blood, and every trace of physical exertion vanished. His complexion lost its pallor, returning to a healthy hue as the flames subtly bolstered his drained vitality without ever disturbing his deep sleep.

Then, she turned her head slightly to her right, addressing the figure with a soft, knowing chuckle.

"It seems like he’s not the only one who has to compete for his love, my little princess. You’ve got a very serious rival too." Her eyes glinted with ancient amusement. "And... if I’m not mistaken, you’re currently on the losing side."

There was no response.

Shaking her head, Nisha turned her gaze back to Amaniel’s now-clean, resting form, her expression turning contemplative. "It seems like I need to speed up your meeting..." she mused, a dangerous glint in her eyes. "Should I just go and take care of that little obstacle by myself...?"

She was silent for a long moment, weighing the option. Then, she gave a slight, almost imperceptible shake of her head.

"No," she murmured to herself, the decision made. "Let’s not. That would spoil all the fun, wouldn’t it? Some seeds must be allowed to grow on their own."

A wry thought crossed her mind, accompanied by an internal eye-roll. ’Big br-, I mean, his master also thinks like that~’ she mused, thinking of Virion’s notorious hands-off approach to mentoring. It seemed they still shared a common philosophy about not coddling their disciples.

She then glanced to her right again, a more serious yet playful glint in her eyes. "Alright, I’m going to sleep in my room," she announced, stretching languidly. "You can watch over him if you want." Her tone was light, but it carried an undercurrent of steel. "Just... don’t cross the line."

The figure, previously just a suggestion of deeper shadow in the corner, shifted slightly. A pair of striking silver-gray eyes became visible, staring at Nisha with an intensity that was utterly emotionless, neither acknowledging nor rejecting her instruction.

Nisha chuckled, the sound like soft bells in the quiet room. "Alright, alright, I was just joking," she said, waving a dismissive hand as she turned to leave.

But as she faded from the room, her voice echoed back, a phantom whisper that seemed to coil directly into the listener’s mind, laden with implication and ancient knowing.

"...You can do it if you want..."

The words hung in the air long after she was gone, a tantalizing and dangerous permission.

For a long moment, nothing changed. The silver-gray eyes in the shadow remained fixed on Amaniel’s sleeping form.

Then, a shift. The shadows coalesced, and the figure drifted soundlessly forward until she stood beside the divan.

She looked like a statue given life, her presence a void that absorbed the dim light. Her silver-gray eyes, now holding a single, flickering ember of awareness, scanned his face. They traced the lines of exhaustion that even sleep could not erase.

A single, silent tremor ran through her hand where it hung at her side.

She did not lift it. She did not reach out. She did not cross the line.

Instead, her lips parted. The sound that emerged was not a whisper, but the soft, dry rustle of ancient parchment, a voice unused for what felt like centuries shaping itself around two simple, monumental words.

"...Thank you."

A pause. The air itself seemed to still, listening.

"...And sorry."

The words were not loud, but in the profound silence of the vast domain, they were as clear as a bell. An apology for being unable to help, a thanks for a future she could now almost see.

Then, she fell silent once more.

A sentinel under the low light, her watchful gaze the only sign that the world had truly, irrevocably, changed for them both, no matter how small.

In the profound silence of the primordial’s domain, under the gaze of his unknown watcher, Amaniel slept on, unaware that his peace was now guarded by the very abyss he had somehow, impossibly, given light.

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Volume 2 - End.