"Leca!!!"
Mia stood frozen before the great black lake that had swallowed Leca whole.
An eternity seemed to pass in that fleeting instant.
No—this can't be happening! I can't just let him die! He's a fire spirit—he'll die if he's submerged in water…!
Without another thought, Mia dove in.
But then—Wait. What was this?
It felt… comfortable. As if she had become a mermaid. Being underwater felt easier than being above it.
She didn't need to hold her breath. She didn't even need to swim. Her body moved effortlessly, as if it belonged here.
The water wasn't pitch black as it appeared from the outside. It was radiant—like the palace of a sea god.
Schools of brilliantly colored fish swam by in gentle waves.
Mia swam downward, toward the sinking figure of Leca. His eyes were closed as if he were dead.
Leca, no… Please, you can't be gone yet…
She placed a hand on his chest—his heart was still beating. Thank goodness!
Mia wrapped his arm around her shoulder and began to move upward.
Just then—
A tiny white fish with a large tail appeared before them. It was unlike anything she'd ever seen before.
The fish moved gracefully, hovering before them as if waiting.
…?
It gestured—clearly telling them to follow.
Mia, half in disbelief, decided to follow it. The fish darted ahead, weaving through the water with surprising speed.
Along the way, they passed enormous fish and strange, monstrous creatures—
but none of them paid Mia or Leca the slightest attention.
They simply drifted past, as if blind to their presence.
How long had it been? An hour? Two? Five? Time lost all meaning in this surreal underwater world.
Though she had been swimming for what felt like ages, her body never grew cold or weary.
Still, the weight of uncertainty gnawed at her—she just wanted to return to the surface.
At last, the white fish began swimming upward.
Mia followed, still carrying the unconscious Leca. Above them, blinding white light shimmered into the depths.
Dawn? Was it already morning outside?
Finally, Mia broke the surface. And what she saw took her breath away.
A brilliant, lush landscape bathed in golden light. Flowers bloomed all around them, and birds chirped sweetly in the branches.
Mia gasped for air as she pulled Leca out of the water. A soft golden rabbit twitched its nose and approached them cautiously.
Leca still hadn't moved.
Panicked, Mia placed her hand on his chest again. If his heart had stopped—
Her heart tingled with fear.
Then—
"Yo! Long time no see."
A familiar voice called out behind her. No way—
"Mithys!"
She spun around. There stood Mithys, alive and well. Her long iridescent hair and beautiful pink-and-green wings were just as Mia remembered.
But instead of a shimmering silver mini-dress, she now wore a casual vest and long trousers.
"You… YOU—!"
"Yeah, yeah, I know. You probably hate me right now."
Mithys took a small step back, laughing nervously as Mia glared at her like she might breathe fire.
She scratched her head and gave a sheepish grin.
"But technically, I kept my promise. You didn't even spend a full six months in Sibareth, and I'm about to give you your compensation, too."
As she spoke, she opened the sack on her back and pulled out three massive objects.
In the sunlight, they sparkled transparently—each the size of a newborn baby's head.
"Diamonds. Top grade. If you bring these back to your world, you'll never have to work another day in your life. Just like I said."
Mithys chuckled again.
But Mia wasn't amused. She clenched her fists, trembling.
"What good is any of this?! Leca's dead! I almost died too! And Sibareth is—"
"Oh, that."
Mithys stretched her arms high with a yawn.
"Long story short, everything's been taken care of. You remember that verse Leca mentioned from the scripture?
'The noble death of the sacred human shall save all life and protect the kingdom from ruin.'"
"...No... don't tell me..."
Mia couldn't finish her sentence. Surely she wasn't saying it actually happened that way?
"Yep. Turns out the scripture was right. Thanks to both of your sacrifices, the dying land of Sibareth was restored. Now, the war and reparations—well, Julius and the two kingdoms will have to work that out together."
"But Leca..."
As Mia's voice trembled with grief, Mithys shrugged. She pulled aside Leca's wet robes, revealing his bare chest.
"Wha…?"
The rune markings that had once covered his chest were gone—completely.
"The runes are gone! Why?!"
"Hmm. Why do you think?"
Mithys grinned playfully. Mia couldn't make sense of any of it.
"Those runes were etched into Leca's body from birth, as a mark that he was a spirit of fire. Now it's your turn—look at yourself
With a flick of her fingers, Mithys summoned a large hand mirror from the air and handed it to Mia.
Mia looked into the mirror. There, staring back at her—was her old self. Before the fairy transformation.
Short black hair. Brown eyes.
"Gasp…!"
Mia reached behind her. Her wings were gone.
"This is—!"
"Well, the death mentioned in the scripture was indeed literal. But the demon god's ring—the ancient treasure hanging around your neck—brought you both back to life. It's the same treasure the elders sent you to retrieve from the demon god."
"Then… Leca's really alive?!"
Mithys placed her hand on Leca's chest and murmured a short incantation.
Leca let out a gasp and opened his eyes wide.
"Lady Mia?"
He shot up and pulled her into a tight embrace.
"You're safe... You're really safe… Thank the gods..."
"I should be the one saying that! What were you thinking, doing something so stupid?!"
Mia sobbed as she pounded on his back. Leca murmured softly.
"It… it all feels like a long dream. Ever since I gave my heart to the djinn to reach the demon god and find you… everything after that… it was like a dream."
"You gave your heart to the djinn? Just to find me? What are you talking about?!"
Mithys giggled again.
"You two can catch up on all your unfinished love talk later. For the record, the 'noble death' mentioned in the scripture meant Leca lost his powers. He's no longer a fire spirit. In other words, he's now just a regular human."
"That's actually perfect. We don't need magic in our world anyway."
"But without magic… how can I protect you, Lady Mia?"
Leca looked genuinely worried, his beautiful dark eyes full of concern. Mia couldn't help but laugh at how adorable he looked.
"Leca, you're insanely strong even without magic. In our world, that's more than enough."
"Welp, guess that's my cue to vanish. Now then..."
Mithys snapped her fingers. From the distance came the sound of a whinny.
Two beautiful horses—one white, one chestnut—trotted toward them.
"Ride these two. They'll take you to the Path of the Gemstone, the route to your world. No wings, no teleportation—you'll have to ride. Leca knows how to use the path from there."
"It doesn't feel real."
Mia whispered.
"Also, the demon god's ring grants three wishes. You already used one to come back to life, so choose the next two wisely."
"Ah… thank you, Mithys."
Mithys burst out laughing at Mia's awkward gratitude.
"You probably cursed my name a hundred times, huh? But in the end, you got the ring and the guy. Talk about bonus rewards."
"Then what about you? What happens now? Don't tell me you're going to become Julius's wife?!"
"As if! Idiot! You think I went through all this mess just to end up like that?"
"Then what will happen now…"
"Julius will probably marry Shamanaz."
Leca cut in without hesitation.
"Exactly. I'm going back to my happy, peaceful kingdom of Muria. Everything's back in its place. Now off you go! And hey—if I miss you, I'll pop into your world for a visit. Next time, let's party properly at a club!"
With a final wink, Mithys spread her beautiful green wings and soared into the sky.
Leca helped Mia onto the white horse, then mounted the chestnut one himself.
As soon as they were on, the horses began walking slowly.
The sunlight was warm. Birdsong filled the air. Everything was so perfect, it felt unreal—like a dream.
Mia spoke quietly.
"Hey… Leca, are you sure you don't want to go back to Sibareth or Naizman?
If you're only coming to my world because of me…"
"Wherever you go… that's where I want to be. Because you are my master."
He smiled beautifully under the morning sun. Mia laughed.
"Leca, you're not a spirit anymore. You're just a regular human now. We're not master and servant anymore!"
"...Understood. That's fine, too. Just a regular human..."
Leca looked up at the sky and murmured. Even for him, this moment felt like a dream.
He placed a hand over his chest. It was warm. The hollow, gaping hole he'd felt was gone.
His heart had returned—reborn along with his new life as a human.
"You gave your heart to a djinn for me…Is that why you were so cold earlier?"
Mia asked, riding beside him. Leca gave a sheepish smile.
"I'm sorry…It really did feel like a dream..."
"If you ever go cold like that again, next time I really won't forgive you."
Leca chuckled softly.
It hadn't even been that long ago—but it all felt like a memory from a far distant past.
"From now on, we'll be each other's heart. Okay?"
"Lady Mia..."
"No more 'Lady'."
Their laughter echoed across the wide, clear sky.