Elysia's POV
That night, Kaelen barged into my chamber, his cloak of red sweeping behind him like a storm, billowing with fury that mirrored his own. Without a word, he seized my arm, dragging me across the halls. The cold grip of his anger tightened around me as he stormed towards Lillian's quarters.
"Elysia!" he growled, his voice laced with fury.
The force of his anger was palpable. Kaelen's hand, tight on the collar of my gown, felt like the wrath of a thousand storms. His veins stood out like cords of fury, and I knew at that moment that this wasn't just an angry man. This was a man lost, consumed by grief and rage.
"The one thing I despise above all else is a two-faced nature," Kaelen spat. "I thought you were preparing to be a gentle, devoted wife. And instead, you hide such poisonous intentions in your heart."
"You deliberately provoked Lillian's heart condition, didn't you?" he accused. "Made her suffer to the point where death would seem like a mercy—all to ensure she wouldn't ruin your precious wedding, didn't you?"
Kaelen's words strangled the breath from my lungs. The pain curled around me like smoke, leaving my face tinged in blue, violet, and black.
He didn't know. He had no idea.
In my past life, shortly after Kaelen and I had wed, Lillian's condition had worsened.
She had been one of the Twelve Flower Fairies, pure and bright, but her divine power was weak, and her fragile, mortal-like body could not withstand the strain placed on it.
Her heart ailment, worsened by worry and grief, had drawn her closer to death with each passing day.
By the time Kaelen realized that my divine core could save her, it was too late.
She had already died.
And now, here we were again.
The third fixed point had come sooner than I expected.
Tomorrow was the third day.
If I could save Lillian and change this, then Kaelen would live this time.
Kaelen finally released me.
I stumbled, struggling to speak. "So, you've come to force me to give her my divine essence?"
His gaze flickered, uncertainty flashing in those dark eyes. He hadn't expected me to be so blunt.
"Don't be ridiculous," he snapped. "You've already fallen from being a goddess, your essence nearly drained as it is. If you keep burning through it, how much longer do you think you'll last?"
I lowered my eyes. Before I could speak again, a scream rang out from across the hall.
It was Lillian's maid.
"Lord Nightfall, Miss has coughed up blood again! If we can't find a restorative elixir, Miss will die for sure!" she informed in agitation.
Kaelen's hands clenched into fists. His eyes locked on me.
"Kaelen… please don't make this harder than it already is," came Lillian's voice, soft, pitiful, from behind the bed curtains. "Lady Frostborne is your wife. I'm… a flower spirit. If I die, I die. It's nothing."
Lillian, pale as a ghost, lay on her sickbed, her breath shallow and ragged. Her suffering twisted something deep within me, but my heart sank further as I watched Kaelen's torment.
Kaelen hesitated the weight of his decision pressing on him.
The physician, looking desperate, urged him, "My Lord, make a decision quickly. Miss Ravenspire can't hold on much longer. Yes, a high immortal's essence is rare, but what's a few years of life compared to saving someone now?
Kaelen gritted his teeth. "But…"
"There is no 'but,'" I said firmly, meeting his gaze.
I could see the conflict inside him—the love he had for her, the duty he felt, and the guilt that would never release him.
So, I made it easier for him.
"If you're worried about me, then just prepare a few elixirs. That should be enough to restore what's lost. We're immortals, Kaelen. Even losing part of our essence, we still live long enough to see the stars die," I spoke lightly as if trying to ease his burden, but it was a lie.
There was nothing light about this. Kaelen's entire world was about to come crashing down, and I couldn't bear to see him break.
I watched his shoulders relax a little, a heavy sigh escaping him. "Elysia, this time... I owe you."
He paused for a moment, and his tone softened, just for a moment. "Last night, I spoke too harshly. I'm sorry."
As my divine essence was drawn out, I struggled to maintain control as my body began to transform. It felt like the very essence of my existence was being torn away. I sensed myself fading, my body longing to revert to its original shape.
The agony was unbearable, and at that moment, my mind spiraled.
I remember the day I became a goddess, the day I transformed into a sky full of snowflakes, casting my gaze across the three realms.
Some trampled on me. Others swept me into the dirt.
Only Kaelen, out of all, gathered the snowflakes in his hand gently as if I were the most fragile thing in the world, just like he did for the next thousand years.
If we were never truly meant to be, then let me turn into snowflakes once more, falling upon his shoulder.
That may be enough.
Enough for us to live together until the end, even if only as fleeting memories.
...
When I woke again, it was already the evening of the third day. I felt weak, my body drained, but I could hear Kaelen's soft voice in the next room, speaking to Lillian.
"Kaelen, if I take Elysia's essence, will I kill her?" Lillian's voice was weak, full of concern.
"Don't overthink it," Kaelen replied, trying to calm her. "Elysia has been jealous of you for a long time. I missed the wedding yesterday to remind Elysia where she stands. Even with Emperor Alistair and Cassian's support, she can't surpass you. Losing that bit of essence might even teach her a lesson. Besides, I will find some elixir to help her recover. You overthink, Lillian. You need rest. Don't dwell on these things."
There was a long pause before Lillian spoke again, her voice soft but laden with doubt. "Kaelen, you've endured centuries of trials with her. You've risked your life for her again and again. How could that not be love?"
Elysia's POV
Kaelen was silent for a long moment, his gaze distant, as though he were searching for something he could not even find.
The weight of Lillian's words hung between them like a storm cloud, heavy and unyielding.
When Kaelen finally spoke, his voice faltered. "That's true. We've faced countless trials together—floods, raids, plagues that wiped out whole towns. To say I didn't feel anything would be a lie."
He paused, then continued, more quietly, "But if it had been someone else—if anyone else had gone through all that with me—I still would've saved them. I still would've cared. But that's not love. If I had a choice… I would've wanted that person to be you."
Then, almost tenderly, Kaelen whispered, "Sleep now, Lillian."
I felt nothing.
Not anger. Not sorrow. Not even surprised.
Only an ache so deep and still, it might as well have been death itself.
I didn't even notice when Kaelen came to my side.
Without looking at him, I whispered, "Kaelen… when we were mortals, I made so many wishes there, and none of them ever came true. But this time, Kaelen… I want your wish to come true."
In this life, he could stay with the one he loved. Forever.
There would be no more torment, no more sacrifices.
He wouldn't have to die for me on the Execution Platform.
And maybe that was what I wanted for him, too.
Peace. A life that was finally his own.
He could live. Truly live.
Kaelen didn't answer right away. With every passing second, his face grew paler, as if the weight of everything we'd been through was finally bearing down on him.
His silence stretched between us, heavy and unspoken.
Then, he asked quietly, "Did you hear something?"
Before I could answer, a scream echoed from the room next door.
Lillian had coughed up blood again.
Kaelen's expression darkened immediately. His gaze flicked toward me for the briefest moment, looking conflicted and unreadable before he turned and ran from the room without another word.
"I'll explain tomorrow," he called over his shoulder.
I smiled faintly. But the ache in my chest only deepened as I watched him disappear.
My body felt weak, and my strength was slipping away like sand through my fingers. I tried to stand, legs trembling beneath me. The last of my divine essence had nearly burned out. Still, I pushed myself forward. I had to.
I left the room.
On the desk, I placed a single letter, hurriedly written but filled with quiet resolve.
It was time.
...
Kaelen's POV
By the time I'd managed to calm Lillian, it was already the next day.
I opened the door to the room with a heavy heart, expecting to find the familiar sight of Lady Frostborne resting, yet my eyes met nothing but emptiness.
A chill crept up my spine, my pulse quickening as dread began to take root in my chest.
"Where did Lady Frostborne go?" I muttered under my breath, my voice betraying the panic that simmered beneath the surface. "She's injured. How could she leave like this?"
Before the maid could answer, the Judge of the Underworld, Jael, burst through the door. His clothes were heavy with dust, and his expression was twisted with urgency.
"My Lord, something's wrong!" Jael exclaimed, his voice thick with panic. "The Well of Rebirth, which links to the mortal world, has exploded. The souls about to reincarnate are mostly unharmed, but one lonely soul was far too weak and disintegrated into ash! She just looked like Lady Frostborne."
