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The gates were gone.
Not damaged.
Not broken.
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Gone.
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Twisted black energy spread through the remains of the northern wall like rot crawling across reality itself. The explosion had torn through entire sections of the capital, sending knights and debris flying into the ruined streets below.
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Screams echoed everywhere.
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Smoke filled the sky.
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And at the center of the chaos—
The creature entered the city.
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Each step it took made the ground pulse unnaturally beneath it.
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The knights surrounding the wall charged anyway.
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"FOR THE CAPITAL!"
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Magic circles ignited across the battlefield.
Arrows rained downward.
Fire magic exploded against the creature's body.
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None of it mattered.
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The attacks vanished before touching it.
Swallowed.
Consumed.
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"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT THING?!"
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One knight was too slow.
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A black tendril erupted from the creature instantly—
Piercing straight through his chest.
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Blood splattered across the ruined wall.
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Rosy's eyes widened slightly.
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The knight collapsed.
Dead before he even hit the ground.
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The battlefield froze for one terrible second.
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Then panic erupted.
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"FALL BACK!"
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"IT'S NOT HUMAN!"
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"No kidding!"
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The creature didn't even look at them.
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Every eye remained fixed on Rosy.
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"COME."
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Its voice shook the air itself.
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"THE HEART OF THE VOID MUST RETURN."
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Rosy's chest hurt again.
Violently.
---
A strange pull tightened inside her body—
Not physical.
Something deeper.
---
Like invisible chains dragging her forward.
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Azrael grabbed her wrist instantly.
"…Rosy."
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Her breathing became uneven.
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"…It keeps calling me."
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Kael immediately moved to her other side.
Ice spread across the cracked wall beneath them.
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"…Then don't listen."
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Rosy laughed weakly.
"…I'm trying."
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Below them—
The creature suddenly moved faster.
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Far too fast for its size.
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It slammed through an entire line of knights effortlessly, black energy swallowing magic attacks as though they never existed.
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Screams echoed through the streets.
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Kael's expression darkened instantly.
"…Move."
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Cold exploded outward from him.
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The entire battlefield froze in seconds.
Buildings.
Debris.
Even the air itself crystallized around his magic.
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The nobles watching from afar gasped.
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Because this wasn't ordinary ice magic.
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This was catastrophic-level magic.
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Kael raised one hand calmly.
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"Frozen Domain."
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The world turned white.
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A gigantic magic circle expanded across the city streets beneath the creature, glowing pale blue beneath layers of ancient runes.
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Then—
Massive pillars of ice erupted upward from every direction simultaneously.
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BOOM.
BOOM.
BOOM.
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The creature was trapped instantly beneath an entire prison of ancient ice.
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The city went silent.
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Snow drifted softly through the air.
---
Kael stood calmly at the center of the freezing storm, silver-white hair moving gently in the wind.
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Beautiful.
Terrifying.
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One noble whispered shakily—
"…The Northern Monster…"
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Rosy blinked slowly.
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"…That title actually suits you."
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Kael glanced at her quietly.
"…Only because you trained me."
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Rosy froze slightly.
"…I did?"
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Before Kael could answer—
CRACK.
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The ice prison split apart instantly.
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Everyone's expressions changed.
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"…Impossible," Kael murmured.
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Black energy burst from the creature violently.
The ancient ice shattered into glittering fragments across the city.
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The creature emerged slowly—
Completely unharmed.
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And now—
It looked angry.
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All its eyes widened unnaturally.
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"WINTER CHILD… INTERFERES AGAIN."
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Kael's gaze sharpened.
"…Again?"
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The creature screamed suddenly.
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A wave of black distortion erupted outward—
Destroying entire streets instantly.
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Buildings vanished.
Not exploded.
---
Erased.
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Rosy's pupils shrank.
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Because she recognized that power.
---
It was the same thing happening inside her.
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Azrael noticed her expression immediately.
"…Rosy?"
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Her voice came out barely above a whisper.
"…It has my power."
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Silence hit hard.
---
Kael looked toward her sharply.
"…What?"
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The creature laughed again.
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"NOT OUR POWER."
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A pause.
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"YOURS."
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Rosy's chest tightened painfully.
---
Fragments hit her again—
Dark endless skies.
Millions of voices whispering together.
A throne made of black crystal.
---
And herself—
Sitting upon it alone.
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Her head suddenly hurt so badly she nearly collapsed.
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Azrael caught her immediately.
"…Easy."
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But the creature kept speaking.
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"THE SUN LEFT US."
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Its massive body trembled violently.
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"WE WAITED."
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Another step toward her.
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"WE STARVED."
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Rosy's breath caught.
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Because somehow—
The creature sounded…
Desperate.
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Not angry.
Not hateful.
---
Lonely.
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The realization disturbed her deeply.
---
"…What are you talking about," she whispered.
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The creature's countless eyes blinked slowly.
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Then—
"YOU WERE OUR LIGHT."
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Silence.
---
The battlefield itself seemed to stop breathing.
---
Rosy stared blankly at the creature below.
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"…Light?"
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A horrible laugh escaped her.
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"…You clearly have the wrong person."
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The creature tilted its head.
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"NO."
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A pause.
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"WE REMEMBER YOU."
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Its voice softened strangely.
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"THE ETERNAL SUN WHO SPOKE TO THE VOID."
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Another memory struck instantly.
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A younger version of herself standing in endless darkness.
Smiling gently toward countless shadow creatures surrounding her.
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"It's okay."
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"We'll make a place for all of you."
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Rosy's eyes widened violently.
---
"…No…"
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Azrael's expression darkened immediately.
He recognized that memory too.
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"…That was before the war," he said quietly.
---
Rosy turned toward him sharply.
"…You knew?"
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A pause.
---
Then softly—
"…You tried to save them."
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Silence crashed through her.
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Because suddenly—
Things were starting to make horrifying sense.
---
The shadow creatures.
The Void.
The title Eternal Sun.
---
She hadn't ruled them.
---
She had protected them.
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Her father suddenly stepped forward.
Expression colder than ever.
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"…Enough."
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Power surged around him instantly.
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Ancient golden chains erupted across the battlefield, wrapping around the creature's massive body violently.
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The creature screamed.
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"TRAITOR KING!"
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Rosy froze.
---
King?
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Her father's eyes darkened.
"…You should have stayed sealed."
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The chains tightened harder.
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The creature's body began cracking apart beneath the pressure.
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And suddenly—
Rosy moved.
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"…Stop!"
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Everyone froze.
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Even her father.
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Rosy herself looked shocked.
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Because she didn't understand why she said it.
---
The creature looked toward her again.
Every black eye trembling slightly.
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"SUN…"
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Her chest hurt again.
---
Azrael watched her carefully.
Too carefully.
---
Because he knew what she was realizing.
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This wasn't an invasion.
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This was a search party.
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And somehow—
That truth terrified him more than war ever had.
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Rosy looked at the creature helplessly.
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"…Why are you looking for me?"
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Silence.
---
Then softly—
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"BECAUSE YOU PROMISED TO COME BACK."
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The words shattered something inside her completely.
---
A flood of memories slammed into her mind instantly—
Holding shadow creatures gently.
Smiling in endless darkness.
Teaching them language.
Teaching them warmth.
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And promising:
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"I'll return after I fix everything."
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Rosy staggered backward violently.
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"…No…"
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Because she never came back.
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And they waited anyway.
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For years.
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Maybe centuries.
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Alone in darkness.
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The creature stretched one massive trembling hand toward her.
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"COME HOME."
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The world around Rosy blurred slightly.
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Because for the first time since awakening—
The Void no longer felt terrifying.
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It felt familiar.
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And that might have been the most dangerous thing of all.
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End of Chapter 27