In the midst of a massive crater spanning kilometers from what seemed to be the aftermath of a fight between Gods, a floating soul invisible to the naked eye was anxiously watching a fight happening near her.
She watched as the grand paladin clashed with her assailant, witnessing the raw intensity of their confrontation. As the grand paladin knelt down, vowing to avenge her and tearfully muttering her name, a wave of sadness and anxiety washed over her.
She experienced a mix of sadness and anxiety. On one hand, she felt anxious to convey to the grand paladin not to pursue the blue masked man or seek revenge on her behalf. After all, the masked man had essentially liberated her from suffering. Moreover, merely seeing the masked man evoked a profound sense of awe within her. In her soul form, she perceived something others couldn't: gazing upon the blue masked man felt akin to beholding the vast expanse of the cosmos, where stars twinkled like scattered jewels against the velvety canvas of the night sky. The sheer grandeur and incomprehensible immensity of the cosmos transcended her understanding, evoking the concept of infinity itself.
Yet, she also recognized the intricate entanglement of fate between the grand paladin and the masked man. Following the threads of destiny, she found herself gazing into the sky, where the dense tapestry of the world's fate unfolded before her in all its complexity.
Perhaps their meeting had been predetermined by fate, entwining the grand paladin's destiny with that of the masked man from the start. Yet, she couldn't decipher the fate of these two men, nor that of the world. All she could do was try to mitigate the grand paladin's risk of perishing.
Approaching him, she enveloped the paladin in a warm embrace, gently patting his back. She wanted to convey that she harbored no resentment in death and wished for him to find happiness in life. Whether it be falling in love, experiencing success or failure in his endeavors, what mattered most was his happiness.
The paladin seemed to sense her presence, his tears ceasing as he looked up in astonishment. "Clarice? Clarice, Clarice!" he exclaimed.
She continued to pat him reassuringly, eliciting another wave of tears from him. Yet, amidst his emotional turmoil, she watched him with a tender gaze. This was the least she could do for the one person who still remembered her as more than just a saintess—a simple girl from a countryside orphanage.
Reluctantly, she knew she couldn't linger any longer, as the pull from the warm light grew stronger, tugging at her essence.
As she withdrew from the embrace, she sensed the paladin's acknowledgment, his tears momentarily halted as he struggled to stand before bowing in her direction. It was a silent farewell, a gesture of gratitude for her presence in his life, however fleeting it may have been.
As she drifted towards the warm light, she couldn't help but cast a glance in the direction where the masked man had vanished.
"O wizard, I thank you for your unwitting aid," she murmured silently, her words carried by the winds of fate. "Though you may never know it, I still wish to express my gratitude. And if you should encounter Reginald, that snotty brat from our past, please tread lightly. Lastly, I wish you happiness for the remainder of your days."
She knew not whether her prayer would reach the masked man, but she held onto hope nonetheless. As she surrendered to the pull of the light, embracing the unknown journey ahead, she placed her faith in the possibility of redemption and forgiveness—for him, for the grand paladin, and, most importantly, for herself.
*** Zack POV ***
The day after he arrived in the tower, or about five days since his run-in with the saintess, he woke up feeling refreshed. Taking in the peaceful sight of the face nestled in his arms, he couldn't help but feel excited about what the future held for them living together.
Each day, well, more like every week, waking up with his beloved by his side made him feel like he finally had a place to call home. A place to rest his weary heart after battling the world's challenges.
He knew he kept up the routine of sleeping once a week to keep his human facade intact, but now he realized he truly needed that sleep to mend his soul. As he gently brushed his thumb against Fannie's cheek, he pondered, ‘What does she think about all this? Does she see our relationship the same way I do? Or is it just a way to stave off loneliness? Meh, either way, it doesn't matter.’
All he knew was that her love was as pure as the first snow on a winter's day and as fiery as the eternal flame atop the northwestern mountains. But he wanted to introduce another kind of love, the kind his parents had taught him—the love of companionship. It might not be as fiery as her passion, but it was tender and enduring. It was built over years of simply enjoying each other's company, forged through the little moments of their everyday lives—like now, waking up first, gazing at each other's faces up close, and...
Fannie's eyelids fluttered open, initially blurry but quickly sharpening as she realized it was him before her. With a radiant smile that could light up the whole damn world, she chirped, ‘Good morning, handsome!’
Zack couldn't help but return her smile. It was these little moments, like smiling and greeting your partner first thing in the morning, that he hoped to stack up until their companionship love rivaled their passionate love. That way, even if the flames of passion dimmed, they could still stick together and maybe even reignite that spark. As long as their companionship love stayed strong, nothing could tear them apart. ‘Only death... could do us apart,’ he thought.
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Heading to the kitchen on their floor, which used to be closer to the research labs but Zack had relocated it nearer to their bedrooms and living area, they found everything sparkling clean thanks to the tower's enchantment with the [Clean] spell. Despite being devoid of people for decades, the place looked pristine.
Together, they tackled meal prep—Zack lending a hand in cutting meat and rinsing veggies, opting for manual work over magic. It was almost like an unspoken agreement between them, not about the hassle, but about savoring their time together. For Zack, it was also about grounding himself in the present and letting go of future worries.
After enjoying Fannie's classic steak, they split off to do their own thing. Fannie headed to the library to pick up some books, while Zack made his way to the 90th floor. Lady Evangeline had sent him a notification via his badge two days ago, mentioning an emergency meeting among the heads of the wizard towers regarding the saintess's disappearance.
Since the heads of the towers were mostly level 2 powerhouses, Zack and the other department heads, who were level 2 powerhouses, were also invited to the meeting to keep them in the loop.
When he arrived at the floor, a staff member was already waiting to guide him. As they walked, the staff introduced himself and briefed Zack on what to expect at the meeting. Throughout the conversation, the staff maintained an excessively respectful attitude, unlike anything Zack had experienced even after he became a level 1 wizard and earned the title of professor. Well, reaching level 2 wizard was truly something special, wasn't it?
"Professor will use a device to connect your mind to a virtual space where you can interact with the heads of other magic towers as if you were meeting them face to face," the staff explained. "This device is cutting-edge technology in the wizarding world— an alternate reality device."
"Unfortunately, building, using, and maintaining this device requires a lot of resources, so we can only keep six of them in the tower, and they can't be made available to the public. Right now, they're used solely for communication between the heads of the magic towers." As the staff explained, there was a proud gleam in his eyes.
Entering a different room from before, one he'd entered after advancing to level 2 wizard, Zack found himself in a corridor reminiscent of those in the practice hall. The staff respectfully gestured to the rooms lining the corridor.
"Each room contains one AR device. Professor Zack, please enter one of the rooms inside except for room numbers 2 and 3. They're already occupied," the staff instructed.
Entering room 4, Zack found the space packed with tubes, magic formations, and all sorts of high-tech-looking devices, each covered in intricate magic formations. Some of the patterns and symbols resembled those in level 3 spells, causing the formations to resonate with the mana around them.
Hundreds of these formations adorned the devices, creating a slight vibration in the air that gave off an oppressive aura. Zack figured only a level 2 wizard could handle being around this machine. Perhaps that was one reason why it couldn't be made public.
Looking at the room, he now understood why building and maintaining such a device was no small feat, after all. This machine was the culmination of peak technologies in formations, spell patterns, artifacts, and perhaps alchemy as well. It was understandable that they took pride in it.
Despite the room's size, there was only enough space for a person to walk around. Zack made his way to the center as instructed, where he found a chamber resembling something out of a sci-fi movie—a sleeping pod. The staff followed him and helped him close the chamber.
Their voice echoed from inside the chamber. "Professor, please be ready. You might experience slight discomfort at first, but it will be temporary. Have a pleasant journey, Professor."
As the machine lit up, Zack felt a force gathering around his head, gently pulling at his mind. Honestly, he was scared. He was putting his life entirely in the hands of the machine and the staff. If the staff had evil intentions, he wouldn't stand a chance.
So far, Zack couldn't sense any malicious intent from the staff, trusting his instincts. And hey, don't underestimate his instincts—they were even sharper than those of a level 2 wizard. He jokingly thought they were on a main character level.
Closing his eyes, he surrendered his mind to the machine.
SWOOSH!
Suddenly, the space around him went dark, then light flooded back in. He found himself in a strange room, reminiscent of a colosseum but smaller. He was seated in one of the "thrones" on the spectator side, with Sir Cedric and Sir Archibald beside him.
Behind them, there was an empty throne that stood out with its flashy appearance, lightning flickering around it and the symbol of the Lightning Magic Tower emblazoned on the seat. This had to be reserved for the head of the Lightning Magic Tower, Lady Evangeline.
In front of him, Sir Cedric, and Sir Archibald, a large floating symbol of the Lightning Magic Tower crackled with lightning, exuding a majestic aura. Glancing around the room, Zack spotted five other symbols floating majestically in front of similarly flashy thrones. Unlike on the Lightning Magic Tower side, however, there was only one throne on each side, and each throne already had someone sitting in it.
On the Fire Magic Tower side, a kid with dark red hair sat on the throne, grinning like a maniac. Zack couldn't help but wonder why he was smiling like that—there was nothing funny going on. He seemed like a nutcase, for sure.
On the Earth Magic Tower side, there sat a bald, muscular guy—either a bodybuilder or a monk—arms crossed and eyes closed. Zack couldn't help but notice formations tattooed on his shiny bald head and all over his mostly bare body. How did Zack know about the tattoos? Well, because the guy was practically half-naked! Not a good sign—this guy seemed like another nutcase.
Across from him, on the Water Magic Tower side, lounged a woman with light blue hair and a curvaceous figure, seemingly dozing off in her seat. Wait, was she actually asleep? It wasn't doing much good trying to hide her eyes like that; Zack could practically hear her snoring echoing around the room.
Meanwhile, on the Ice Magic Tower and Wind Magic Tower sides, a young woman and man sat nervously. Zack could sense their peak level 1 aura, and he understood why they were on edge. Being surrounded by level 2 powerhouses in this room must have been overwhelming for them. Plus, the pressure from the device itself—maintaining their connection to this place must have been a real struggle for the heads of the Wind and Ice Magic Towers.
As Zack observed, he realized why they were peak level 1 wizards, not level 2 wizards like the others. Their tower heads had perished during the Great War ten years ago, assigned to the same city as the head of the Lightning Magic Tower. The city had been unexpectedly attacked by both the Pope and the Southern Great Warrior, resulting in everyone losing their lives.
With that realization, Zack momentarily forgot about the nutcases from the other magic towers and offered a silent condolence to those who had lost their lives in that city.
Soon after, Lady Evangeline arrived, and the meeting kicked off without delay.