CHAPTER 266: CHAPTER 265 - A THIRD OF HER LIFE IS GONE.

The divine realm shook.

Not metaphorically—actually, shook.

Arietta’s pristine divine palace trembled under her feet, glyphs across the ceiling flickering in panic.

She appeared with a whoosh.

Her usually calm face was pale, her wings half-spread, and her fingers were clutching at the hem of her gown as if it could anchor her to reality.

"No... No, no, no, no..." She whispered to herself, her fists clenched as she stared down at Lia, able to sense everything the girl could through her. "I—I can’t do anything to help him. I can’t do—"

She whirled on the group.

"Go."

"What?" Selena’s brows lifted.

"I said go!" Arietta’s voice cracked, panic bleeding through her usual tone. "You are the only ones who can even do anything. So, go!"

"Yes, so send—" Clara nodded, but before she could complete her words—

"NOW!"

Golden light exploded beneath them before anyone could argue, and the divine realm dissolved.

..........................

The first thing they heard was the wind.

Cold. Sharp. Whispering against the stone walls of the cave.

The second was the drip.

Drip. Drip.

Slow and steady.

Then the smell hit—copper and burnt ozone.

The group materialized in the cavern... and froze.

There he was.

Raven Von Vaise.

Flat on his back in a pool of his own blood, silver eyes closed, skin pale and still.

Myria’s voice broke first.

"Mister Angel?" She whispered.

No answer.

Selena didn’t run—she strode, her calm mask unbroken, but her clenched fists gave her away.

Clara moved with her, her breathing shallow, hands trembling.

Graye’s armor clinked as she dropped to her knees beside him, staring like she couldn’t understand what she was seeing.

"...No. No, he’s fine. He has to be fine."

"Raven..." Clara’s voice cracked, the first tear spilling down her cheek.

Selena crouched, pressing two fingers against his neck. She stayed like that for a long, heavy heartbeat... then slowly pulled her hand back.

Her eyes closed.

Myria’s scream tore through the cavern.

"NO!"

She flung herself toward him, shaking his shoulders like she could rattle the life back in. Clara caught her, holding her tight as the girl kicked and cried.

It was Lia who moved next.

Slowly. Deliberately.

She stepped forward, her expression carved from ice, but her eyes... her eyes burned.

Her hand glowed faintly, pale gold runes curling up her arm.

"Step back," she said.

Selena’s eyes snapped open. "Yes. You can bring him back."

Everyone’s eyes snapped toward her as they realized it.

Lia’s power was to grant all of her teammates an extra life.

Lia nodded once. "... I can."

The moment everyone heard it, they moved back, giving her some space.

The runes brightened, wrapping her in threads of light as she knelt beside him. She laid a hand over his heart—or where it should’ve been.

A pulse of magic rippled outward... and stopped like it hit a wall.

Lia’s brow furrowed.

"It’s not working."

"What do you mean it’s not working?!" Graye demanded, leaning forward like she could punch the problem.

Lia gritted her teeth. "The energy that killed him... It’s too potent. It’s poisoning his body. Ten years won’t push it out."

Her hand shook slightly. "I’ll need more."

"...How much more?" Selena asked, her voice like glass about to shatter.

Lia swallowed. "Over a hundred years."

Silence fell.

Only the drip-drip of blood and Myria’s muffled sobs remained.

"...How much has your life increased?" Rufus asked quietly.

"Around three hundred years," Lia said. "All thanks to my recent ascension."

Everyone’s life expectancy increases as they grow stronger, but how much it increases is determined by their talent and powers.

All of them, who had grown at the same pace, had similar life expectancies.

But the thing was that now, Lia needed to burn her lifespan to revive Raven.

"That’s a third of your life," Jake said, voice low.

He wasn’t stopping her—no one was.

They all wanted Raven back, but as they looked at Lia, who was going to lose one-third of her life and was signing her death warrant a hundred years before them, they felt frustrated.

One might not think of it, but the truth was that Lia was giving a hundred years of her possibly happy life away with a smile.

She was accepting the fact that she would die a hundred years before them, missing out on all the fun they could have in that time.

Looking at them all, the princess’s lips curled into something that wasn’t quite a smile. "The man who taught me how to reach this power... is the one lying here. If he hadn’t been there, I’d be weaker. I’d be dead. Those extra years? He gave them to me."

Her voice softened—but not her resolve. "So if he asks for them... even without asking... he can have them. I won’t regret it at all."

"Big sis, no!" Myria broke from Clara’s hold, grabbing her sister’s arm with trembling hands. "That’s a hundred years! You... You won’t..."

Lia looked at her sister, her expression melting for just a moment. She brushed a hand through Myria’s hair. "What use are a hundred years if the person I—"

She stopped herself, just barely. "...If the person I want in my life isn’t there?"

Myria’s eyes filled with fresh tears. "Please... please don’t..."

But Lia was already channeling the magic.

The light around her flared, burning so bright it painted the cavern gold. Her own life force surged from her body like a river breaking a dam—rushing into Raven’s corpse, colliding with the black, divine poison that had hollowed him out.

She hissed through her teeth as the backlash struck, blood dripping from the corner of her mouth.

Myria tried to move forward, but Selena’s hand shot out, gripping her wrist.

"Don’t," she growled, her eyes cold. "If you break her focus now... he’s gone for good."

Myria stiffened, sobbing.

The golden glow wavered once. Twice. Then steadied.

Lia’s breathing grew ragged, her shoulders trembling, her face pale.

Graye’s fists clenched. "Come on, Raven. Don’t make her waste this."

Myria was openly crying now, clutching Selena’s waist like she could anchor her to the ground.

The lingering dark divinity screamed. The magic roared.

Then, beneath Lia’s hand...

A heartbeat.

Once.

Twice.

The cavern gasped as one.

Raven’s chest rose.

His eyes snapped open—confused, groggy, but alive.

The light died, leaving Lia swaying on her knees, pale and trembling. Myria caught her, sobbing into her sister’s armor.

Raven blinked slowly, looking around at them. "...The hell... did I miss something?"

Selena’s calm mask cracked, just for a heartbeat, into a trembling smile. "You idiot."

Clara laughed softly through the tears streaming down her cheeks. "You scared us to death."

Graye wiped at her eyes, then grinned. "Next time, die less dramatically."

Jessy still hadn’t taken her hand away from her mouth.

Jake just nodded once. "Welcome back."

Rufus was wiping his tears, or at least trying to, but with the visor on, he couldn’t.

Alex and Nibbles, on the other hand, were... twerking?

"What the fuck are you two doing?" Raven almost felt a shiver down his spine as he saw that.

Nibbles was fine. He looked rather cute doing that, but Alex...

That dumb and huge guy twerking while crying was way too weird for Raven—or anyone else—to digest.

"Well," Alex, still twerking, smiled. "I’m—"

Raven scrunched his nose. "Stop doing it."

"What?" Alex paused. "This is my welcome dance!"

Nibbles also squeaked in agreement, making Raven turn toward the little guy. "You can continue, buddy. Thanks for the welcome."

The squirrel beamed and continued twerking, but before Alex could do the same, Raven rubbed his head. "Jessy."

One word, and the next second, Alex was wrapped like a taco with metal sheets, unable to move.

But before the guy could protest—

Thud.

Everyone’s heads turned.

Lia, still on her knees, had pitched forward, catching herself with one trembling hand. The golden glow that had clung to her was gone, leaving only the sickly pallor of skin drained of warmth.

Her braid had loosened, strands sticking to her sweat-soaked cheek.

"Big sis!" Myria broke from her stunned trance and bolted toward her, skidding across the stone to grab her shoulders. "No, no, no—you just saved him, you can’t—"

Lia managed a small smile, though her lips were colorless. "It’s fine, Myria. I just... need a little rest. My body will heal itself in time."

She reached up, brushing her sister’s cheek with a thumb. "Lifeforce, though... that doesn’t come back. You understand?"

Myria’s bottom lip trembled. She understood far too well.

Selena was already there, one hand on Lia’s back, the other scanning for wounds with precise, practiced magic. "Her channels are intact. But she’s... empty. Like a cup with no water."

"That’s because she poured it into me," Raven said quietly, stepping closer. The rest of them finally noticed—the red in his eyes gleamed brighter, his posture was straighter, and there was a hum of raw strength in the air around him.

Graye glanced between them, her head tilted. "Did you get stronger? How much stronger?"

Raven flexed a hand, feeling the ease of motion in every joint. "Stronger than I’ve ever been."

His gaze dropped to Lia, his tone hardening. "...At her expense."

"She chose," Rufus said gruffly from the back, though his voice lacked conviction.

"That doesn’t mean I like it."

Myria pressed her forehead to Lia’s shoulder, her tiny hands clinging. "Please... don’t get up. Just rest. I’ll... I’ll protect you."

That made Lia chuckle softly, though her breath caught halfway. "You’re still too small for that, Myria."

"Then I’ll grow faster," the girl said fiercely.

Raven knelt in front of them, his shadow stretching over both sisters. "Then I’ll make sure you live long enough to keep that promise."

For a long moment, no one spoke.

The cold drip of the cave was the only sound.

Then Raven stood. "We’re leaving. All of us. Now."

It was time for them to go back.