Breathing deeply, my spasms subsided. As I stood up, a thunderous pain rushed through my body, dropping me to my knees. My hand instinctively reached for my solar plexus. With gritted teeth and the support of the debris, I managed to stand back up and remain on my feet.

Exposed to so much quint in such a short amount of time, my sensitivity increased to the point where I could feel the phoenix's and three relatively smaller quint signals. With the assistance of the pillars, I increased my speed and slowly adapted to the pain.

Near me, to my right, quint was gathering, and immediately, I changed my trajectory. Walking around the broken debris of a pillar, Daniel was fighting Sebastian close to the exit of the lair. Sebastian unleashed a blast of fire similar to the UniQue's first attack, and Daniel held his shield strong, slowly advancing.

Once Daniel was in close quarters, Sebastian ceased his fire and instead rose a fire guardian to combat with Daniel, which had let go of his shield, opting for his hummer instead. Augmenting the hummer, an earthen spike grew at its head that cut through the fire guardian, as Daniel lept and crushed on top of Sebastian, pressing with his elbow at Sebastian's staff, choking him.

Gurgling, Sebastian struggled, kicking, punching, and spitting at Daniel to free himself, however, the strong augmenter remained stoic.

Suddenly, a white shine outlined the crimson smoke, and behind it, white flames revealed themselves. In that fleeting moment of distraction, Sebastian wriggled free from Daniel's chokehold and pushed him away, gasping for air.

As the flames closed in, Daniel reached for his shield, but Sebastian, summoning chains of fire, ensnared him before he could grasp it.

Then the flames engulfed them both, and from my vantage point, I couldn't discern what happened next; the last thing my eyes caught was Daniel reaching out with his lone hand.

When the flames subsided, only Daniel's shield remained.

Suddenly, Daniel's -now scalded- shield moved and bounce like rubber, steam erupting from within like an explosion. As Sebastian stood back up, drenched in sweat, his skin had turned red.

With every attack the phoenix did, more and more parts of the crimson veil were dissolved and with the smokescreen so thin and rapidly dispersing, Sebastian drew another red gem. Before he could throw it to the ground, however, I jumped and snatched the egg from him. Rolling to the ground, the radiating pain from my core intensifying.

As Sebastian aimed his staff at me, the crazed twist in his face transformed into one of outer horror. A cry erupted, and a whirlwind revealed the Phoenix standing atop a half-destroyed pillar, its glaring suns for eyes piercing daggers fixated on us.

The sound of footsteps turned my attention to Sebastian, who was drifting backward for the exit. The phoenix let out a howl, and from its beak down its throat, white flames billowed forth, rising and spiraling into the air.

Glancing one last time at Sebastian, the colors in the surroundings began to change as his figure faded into the darkness outside the lair.

In front of me, brilliant white light expanded, growing larger and larger, as the perception of color snuffed before my wide-open eyes. Time slowed down as the crimson smoke, the debris, the pillars, the bottomless darkness - everything vanished in the illumination of whiteness.

My hair stood on end as the radiant flames slowly reached closer. My eyes widened, as I remember and experienced it all over again...

The hunger of having to starve for days... The cold of the frosty nights in the winter. The tingles of quint in my awakening… The warmth of a fireplace and the fullness of my stomach... The manifestation of fire and water in my fingertips… The excitement and anticipation of the adventure… The countless battles I faced in the dungeons and the success, fame, and glory that came with them…

Every memory. Every experience. Everything. What defined the me of today, all of it, unfolded before me in a continuous stream, mixing my past with the present. But there was no future. The future was white. The future was now.

My eyes twitched, but couldn't close. How could they, when my life was flashing before them?

But I wanted them to.

I wasn't ready to die yet. Not here. Not now. I had so many things to live for.

A watery sensation touched my cheek.

I couldn't tell how far away I was from dying. My eyes couldn't discern anything in the blinding brightness. Only a small shadow stood before me.

The shadow distracted me from the brilliance, and for a second I closed my eyes. The burning of having to keep them open for so long made me open them quickly. My pupils dilated. It wasn't a shadow.

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"What are you doing?"

My blood froze in my veins.

"No…"

He turned and revealed the same smile he gave to Daniel. "Please do me a favor and keep donating money in my stead. I don't want the children there to starve."

A barrier of wind enveloped me, and the fire reached.

"No! Seth!" I screamed and yelled as he stood there defenseless, the flames ravaged him. Despite the unimaginable pain he was feeling, his smile never wavered, not even a little bit.

Desperately, I tried to move, to absorb the flames, even if it meant my core would explode, but my body refused to listen. Tears streamed, mingling with the scorching heat that surrounded me. The only person in the world I could truly call family was dying right before my eyes, and I could do nothing to save him.

My grip around the egg tightened, its pulsing becoming more apparent. For a moment, the thought of shattering it right then and there came to mind, but I couldn't do it. Instead, I shakily raised it as high as my arms would allow for the phoenix to notice it.

The fire calmed down and was eventually silenced. Gradually, color returned, the crimson smoke vanished, and the lair descended into darkness.

Gritting my teeth, I inched towards the phoenix. The slightest movement sent pulsating waves of pain coursing through my body. With every step, I felt like I was made of fragile glass, ready to shatter at any moment.

A sudden gust of wind made me flinch, and the phoenix stood before me. Raising my hands, it extended its wing, taking the egg.

The phoenix let out a piercing screech, and the heat radiating from its body intensified. With the overwhelming pressure and the internal pain, I collapsed to the ground, my mouth wide open, trying to scream, but no sound came. Before losing consciousness, a gentle white flame enveloped my body, and my eyes closed shut.

When I woke up, there was no Phoenix or light in the lair, and all the remaining pillars had returned to their dormant forms. It was silent, and I was the only one there.

Standing up, there was no pain running through my body, but the moment I tried to augment myself, I felt it. The damage my core sustained was permanent.

What was I supposed to do now? Seth's last words… I didn't know what to do… And what about Sebastian? Under different circumstances, I would hunt him down, to pay for everything he had done and then some, but I couldn't. And, even further, if he figured out I survived, he would try to silence me, either by offering money or…

Measuring my options, I lost track of time, and by the time I was back to the human kingdom, the sunset shined on the outskirts of the village. The picture was truly magical; the colors mixed in gold, red, and purple through the scenery. Such a scene would bring a smile to anyone's face, but my smile was filled with pain.

I swore never to set foot in this place when I left.

"Hahaha, hahaha!" I couldn't help but laugh.

If someone saw me, they would think I went mad, but who cares? No one was here anyway. And how could I not? The very place that once cast me out would one day become my lifeline! What a twisted fate!

"Hahahahahaha!" my laughs echoed.

***

I waited at Kelvester City for a few days to ensure I wouldn’t come across Sebastian before returning to Malberk. The city was as bustling as ever. Dressed in a gray back coat and tilting down the brim of my top hat, I made my way to my… house.

Just as I was about to enter the estate, I froze in my tracks. Beneath the shade of the tree, the young girl with beautiful black hair I had once kicked out was sleeping, waiting for the return of her teacher. She clanged to the raper her teacher gifted her in both hands in reverence, as if someone would snatch it away from her while she slept, patiently awaiting his return to get to the Ranger hall for her exams.

Someone slumped on top of me. "Watch where you're going, scoundrel! Some of us have important matters to attend to!"

Nali's eyes twitched.

The guy that bumped into me stood up and wiped his over-the-top clothing. "Do you even know who I am!? If you knew, you would be begging on your knees for forgiveness. Hey, are you listening to me!?"

Nali's emerald green eyes opened. Confused she turned towards where all the noise came from.

I'm sorry Nali…

Clenching the pain in my chest into tight fists, I lowered my hat, bowed slightly, and vanished before the situation could escalate.

I couldn't face her in this state. She was already stronger than me, and I could barely be considered an Elemancer now. What was she going to think of me? And then Sebastian would know of my existence…

"Yeah, that's the right decision," I muttered aloud, trying to convince myself.

She didn’t need me anymore.

"Nali, one day, you'll be a great ranger."

I was led to the graveyard. There, five new tombstones were present, each bearing a different name: Yena, Daniel, Samantha, Seth, and… Twinlight. Below the names of the rest, there was an epitaph containing information such as their full name, date of birth, and a brief summary of their life. To me, who used an alibi, choosing to keep my information hidden, they didn't know what to write, so instead they wrote some of my achievements and then added the same line they do for those too poor to afford it.

"You will not be forgotten. May your soul rest in peace."

My fist shook violently.

Taking deep breaths, I slowly unclenched it. No, this was for the best. If Sebastian believed I was dead, so be it.

***

The moment I stepped into the Asmit's End, everyone seemed to lose their breath. Stopping whatever they were doing, all eyes turned to me. Moving through the 'streets' if dirt trails could even be called that, I listened carefully, trying to pick up snippets of the many conversations happening simultaneously.

"-Isn't that Zephyr the-"

"-It's been years-"

"-I heard he became a renowned-"

My eyes twitched as the hatred for this cursed place resurfaced within me.

From the corner of my eye, I spotted a small child, curled in the corner, hungry, cold, and afraid. As I approached, she shrank into a ball, hiding behind a rag, the whispers gradually fading until the time I bent over to the child, when they silenced completely.

"What's your name?"

She didn't answer. Trembling, she peaked through a hole in the rag.

I tried to give her Seth's smile.

She opened her mouth, quivering. "Ly-Lydian." She murmured in a raspy voice no child should possess.

In that instant, a shiver ran down my spine. It wasn't her quivering voice or her fragile form that caused it. It was the look in her eyes—an empty, hungry gaze that mirrored the one I had once known.

‘Seth… I understand now…’

Taking off my cloak, I wrapped it around her tiny frame in an impromptu blanket and carefully lifted her into my arms.

Turning, I addressed the crowd. "Listen to me carefully. Starting today, every orphan of Asmit's End will be under my protection."