Black hair that is said to be that of the night sky. Ruby eyes. A beauty that was known to be hidden from many. Empress Bilwurst was careful with her daughter, Caroline. She was someone whom the Empress trusted, but upon one fine day. She fell unconscious and has slept for years. Empress Eliza Bilwurst was seated by Caroline's side. Holding her daughter's hand, a face that had hope and eyes that spoke of despair.

"Mother." The eldest prince, Skylar called out with a hand on the Empress's shoulders.

"I do hope for my youngest sister to awaken soon but..." Then the Empress felt a tight grip over her hand. Seeing Caroline sweating bullets from her forehead. Her temperature was spiking up, her skin felt like it was lava. The bedsheets began to burn as the Empress let go out of reflex.

"Put out the fire!" Caroline had a smile on her face. Despite the sudden fire that caused the bedsheets to burn up.

"Why is she smiling?"

The truth? Was stranger than fiction. Caroline was inside of a glass castle. Her eyes staring at the stained glass mosaics that formed above her. A white haired man with azure eyes wearing a coat. His eyes were closed. Then glancing around as she saw mosaics. Made of stained glass to form her hair. Each variation seemed to be different. One where she was on fire, one where she had scars over her face with a blade in hand. Peering outside as she saw the white haired man with the azure eyes standing before her castle.

Her thoughts were all jumbled up. A splitting headache as memories began to flood her mind. Each time, the sight of the man would be over her.

"Carol."

"I'm not leaving you!"

"Why? Why did it have to be this way?"

"Haunt me. Even in death."

"I won't remember us will I? I won't... I don't want to forget. I don't want to let you go."

"I'm sorry." The words echoed as visions of many things came to life. Each vision had the man change. From clothes to the appearance. In one vision, the man was older, had a thin beard over his face. An eyepatch and injured as a pistol was waved at her direction. Another instance had seen him wearing a scarf over his face with a bloodied stake in his hand.Vision after vision, all Caroline could understand was that the man's face? It was filled with mixed emotions.

Sorrow. In the eyes as she fell before her eyes. That gaze was painful to meet, but it was one she had met with a brave face.

Love. The tender gaze, the way he held her in his arms as the castle crumbled upon them.

Pain. The eyes that met her which were filled with wrath yet the face had pain written all over it. As stoic as he could be, not one could say anything about the pain that was written there.

Despair. The silhouettes of the man began to appear, the mosaic above began to shatter. Glass falling as Caroline could catch a glimpse into each of them. The many possibilities, the many visions that she had forgotten. Echoing memories that were slowly tearing into her mind. Finding herself in a trance. A headache that took her by storm.The many visions became vivid, playing it out like a movie.

She had seen the man at his highest, then at his lowest. How many hundreds if not thousands of them flow into her mind. A dam that was being torn apart by a great tide. The singular voice that called for her name. Tones from love, sorrow, concern and pain. All of them were as vivid as colors in the world. All of that turned into a deafening silence. Her mind composed, her heart steeled as she thought of the man.

"Raven Ashenworth." With those words the mosaic glass that shattered had reformed to the walls. Forming the different versions of him. Their first encounter, Caroline or as she's known as Carol to the world. They exchanged glances as the world was peaceful. She thought of all those memories. A bittersweet thought as it came into her mind. Then another encounter where Raven was wearing a set of armor. Pushing her into a vault with the other civilians.

"No! Raven!"

"You're the Queen. You have to lead them Carol." Those were the words as she felt the thorn clutching her heart. She could not say it. Not this time. Nor the many times as the visions and memories showed her. A love that would always end in his tragedy. The illusion of happiness by his side. She could see it, the dream that she had longed for.

"Carol." her environment changed into a kitchen where Raven was wearing an apron.

"What's going on? You seem lost." His warm smile but there was an illusionary innocence to that gaze. One that she knew HE would never have.

"No. I'm not. Thank you, Raven. For this wonderful dream but you're not him." In that moment, the Raven with the apron began to crystallize. Shattering into a thousand pieces. So did the kitchen.

You have awakened.

O Everlasting Dream.

Do you remember?

"Eternally. My love is his. But I do not know if his heart is mine. Will I ever be able to be with him? In this one?"

Ytia : He's the War God now.

The dreams that you saw. The many lifetimes you've lived. You must know him well but the current him...

He's... He's broken beyond words.

His only solution is to fight through it.

He is an amalgam of emotions that he had felt.

"It doesn't matter to me, Ytia. I love him and if I have to chase him until the edges of the world, then I will do so."

Ytia : You have grown.

Your love for him is everlasting as you say and believe.

"Can I see him?"

He is dreaming right now. You know your way.

The stained glass formed into a door, where Caroline stood in front of it. Holding the knob with her heart that was racing. Turning it gently as the door wound itself open, stepping through it.

Finding herself in a ruined Euphemia. The sight of a lone man sitting with a cigar, puffing smoke out of his lungs. In that moment, Caroline could not help but see beauty and tragedy. His white hair that reminded her of the moon, his azure eyes that were radiant. She could feel her heart skip a beat or two as she made her step closer.

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"Hello." His eyes met with hers. A gaze that wasn't tender or loving, just a blank one. Something that had been needing a canvass to paint on. For Caroline, this sight was like a memoir of the many lifetimes she has met him. Each time he would be sitting somewhere or be smoking. Be it outside a bar, outside of a school or outside the castle gates.

"Hello. Do... Do I know you?" Just the way those words were spoken, it brought a smile to her face. Butterflies to her stomach. Her heart was spiking in the heartrate, she had to breathe slower to try and keep it low or Raven would notice. But would he notice?

"It's okay if you don't remember, but I know you. Can I sit next to you?"

"Be my guest." Making her way closer, her heels was slowly being buried into the rubble that was beneath her. Nearly tripping but the young man caught her by the hand. She could smell the thick cigar smell, trying her best not to cough as her eyes met with his. Face to face.

"Thank you." He helped her to sit on his side, then dousing the cigar with his tongue and then swallowing it. Carol giggled.

"I'm sorry if I ruined your solo moment. I'm sure you must use this space to think and spend your time alone." Those words were meant to be a form of comfort in a way, because she's always seen Raven spending his nights alone. Like the raven that sits alone on a tree, one that has lost its flock. The lone bird that had nothing to live for, only surviving by the scraps of whatever that it could find. That was how she saw him.

"Oh, it's fine. I could use the company but... You're... You're familiar. You know that?" She slowly leaned on his shoulder. He didn't seem bothered by it, the moon that was split in three was above them. The sight of the time when a Sovereign split it had humanity in a panic. Believing it was the end, yet Raven was the only one who felt anger.

"What's your name?"

"Raven. Raven Ashenworth. What's yours?"

"Caroline Bilwurst." She felt the coat placed over her.

"Carol." He called, where she turned to his face. Seeing tears fall from his cheeks, he took her hand and placed it over his cheek. With those words, she knew. That he remembered her. A curse that she had felt for lifetimes had broken. He was smiling, a bright radiant smile that would make the sun envy of it. Even in such a desolate place, there was a bird that had slowly taken its flight. One that was not meant for scavenging but one that chooses to take flight for its own purpose.

"I'm glad. That I woke up from my dream. You fulfilled your promise."

"The price for me to access the Causalities. It was because of you, wasn't it?" She could feel the trembling in his hands, the so called War God now looked defeated by her touch. The anger, the rage, the wrath and despair had slowly faded away. The Euphemia that was once rubble had slowly turned itself into the glorious city that it once was. The two of them were seated by the castle. Within Carol's room.

"The price of it all. Was worth it." She meant it. Raven could only smile weakly to her, he was awkward at best. But this sight? It trumped the cursed ones she had seen him, the times when all she could see in his eyes was rage and pain. Anguish that would never fade, slowly being turned to embers.

"Was it though? You had to live through so many lifetimes of your love not being reciprocated. Our story was a tragedy wasn't it?" She wiped his tears as he craned to her neck. Hugging him as she could feel his heartbeat. Their hearts were beating as fast as time was passing but that didn't matter. In this castle, in this room. It was just the two of them.

"For me, yes. But for you. It was always a different life. A different time. In the end, you promised me that you would come back to me."

"In all my lifetimes, Raven. You are the one I love the most. The one I could never say the words too. We'd always be torn apart, be it by death or by plots of political schemes. I wish to be free once more, I want to be your sky. I want to see the same horizons as you. To see each new day by your side. To sleep and dream with you by my side." Those were the words that she said, seeing Raven who was left speechless. In a way that had him thinking rather than regret.

"But you know in those Causalities that..."

"I know, they too know who I am. The ones in the Realms In Between. They know me as the one who opened the door, you are the key to their lives. You've changed their fates as you've changed ours. You are my beloved." Raven paused as he shifted back to meet her eyes.

"So what? True love's kiss is needed to wake you up?"

"Yes. But if your heart is not set to it. I don't mind dreaming a little longer."

"Why? Carol, you can wake up. You can live in this new world in peace? What do you mean wait?!" His hands were on her shoulders, she could see it. That ire of powerlessness that had sunken over him.

"Raven. I've waited for you this long. I can wait for you even longer. Even in your fight with the Sovereigns. I watched, each time I felt powerless but I believed in you and your promise."

"But... I. I forgot about you. When the world reset. Carol, this isn't fair to you!"

"Then is it fair for you to suffer just as much, Raven?"

"That's.. That.." He was stumbling in his words but Carol could not help but find him to be cute in this moment. It was a little joy that the pair shared as they giggled. Realizing that they were just at a lost for what to do.

"Be alive with me, Raven. Not as the War God. Not as the Mad Massacre. But as Raven Ashenworth, the human. My beloved."

"Then I will. You know that I've always wondered who am I supposed to be with in this life, but I realize maybe all those times of fighting they were just excuses. I'm not going to run this time. I promise you." A smile crept on her face as she leaned on him.

"Then you know what to do, then. See you on the other side."

"When I do, I'll... I'll make you a ring. Then we'll figure it out from there. I'm diving into Causalities because... My parents and in-laws are alive."

"Then that means Falco's beloved is alive too. But it will take sometime. In my dreams, I've seen her reborn as another person in another Causality. One like ours. When you find her, Falco will know who she is." Raven was confused.

"Why is Laura alive?"

"She has been thrown into the Causalities by the Demigod you had just beaten."

"That bastard. I should've just killed him." The anger however subsided as Carol held Raven's hand.

"Falco's beloved is waiting for him. She has been waiting for a long time. The Causality she's in... I am guessing it's the same as your parents and in-laws."

"If Laura's alive, I'll need to tell Falco too. I'll wake you up soon, just wait for me. I'll make a ring. When you wake up, I'll propose an engagement."

"You want your family back for the wedding. What kind of ring will it be?"

"A ring for you and me. I'll forge it myself. If it's going to be for the woman who can silence all of the voices in my head. The one who can bring me peace in such a way that no words can say. It has to be the best. I love you, Carol. And I swear to you." He held her hands as he got on his knees.

"I swear that I'll be your husband. The best one I can be. The one who will make sure no harm can come to you." She held his cheek.

"But you also forget, that your wife isn't one who sits behind and does nothing. My dreams have been awakened." She said as she snapped her fingers. turning the entire castle into her weapon. It became a longsword.

"That's..." It was a beautiful white longsword that contrasted Abyss Gaze's White.

"Your Causalities, are also where my dreams are from. I am your other half. During my slumber, I practiced to match you. You are the key." She said as she wore a three piece white suit.

"I'll see you when I get back." Raven said as he vanished, leaving Caroline alone. Where she made her walk to the throne, taking a seat. Glancing upwards to the purple sky that turned into a mosaic art. The art was Raven and Caroline, the pair holding hands.

Ytia : You truly love him. Don't you?

"There's no one I love greater than him."

Meanwhile.

Raven woke up, finding himself in his bed. Heading outside to meet Shaw, Black and Max.

"Hey, you alright?"

"Y-Yeah. Thanks, Max. Thanks to you three. She woke up."

"We didn't tell you she was in a coma... How did..." Shaw was curious.

"She found me. When this Causality's done. I'm making her a ring. It has to be the best that I can make."

"A ring?"

"Yeah. I'm going to wake her up in our home. Then I'm proposing to her straight for an engagement." Max began to grin as she nudged his elbow.

"So what did you say to her?"

"Caroline's the source of all the Causalities. She's seen me die and seen me forget her more than once. This time, I'm not fucking it up."

"Good grief, kid. An engagement ceremony with her? You sure about that? What about your other wives?"

"Apparently they know who she is. When this is done, I'll invite you and my students. Just... Expect her to be on my level."

"What do you mean by that? She can use your Personas too?"

"Yep." Their jaws dropped, it was a massive revelation and one that had them thinking about what to do next. This was a whole load of information to process but it was a relief as Raven was able to be honest with himself.

"At least you got to say it. Rather than keep it hidden like before." Shaw said as he poured a glass for Raven. Toasting to Raven's soon to be engagement.