I awoke to the numbing cold, my body sluggish as I gathered my strength. Blinking away the haze, I scanned my surroundings. This place... it felt eerily familiar.

Memories of the battlefield rushed back. I recalled the clash of steel, the cries of war—yet when I hastily examined my body for wounds, I found none.

Then, the door creaked open. Kaysilia stepped inside. I lay motionless atop the bed, my breath catching at the sight of her—the woman I loved, alive and well before me. Was this a dream? A final, fleeting illusion before death took me?

Before I could find my voice, Kaysilia's hand struck my face with devastating force. The impact sent me flying across the room, my body crashing into the stone wall, the force burying me within it.

She then shouted, "The hell?! Why the hell did you eat my goddamn cake, you feeble human?!"

I barely had time to process her words before she advanced, her fist tightening with each step. Her presence alone sent a chill down my already aching body.

Sensing the commotion, a green-haired boy with golden eyes and silk-like skin rushed toward us at an alarming speed.

"He hasn't... re-re-recovered yet!" Reyn stammered, his voice trembling with concern.

This scene... it felt awfully familiar. And yet, the pain coursing through my body was all too real.

Kaysilia grabbed me by the collar, her eyes narrowing—sharp, intense, menacing.

"WHY. DID. YOU. EAT. IT?"

"I-I think you went a little overboard, Li!" Reyn stammered, his voice thick with concern.

"Oh, come on, it's just a scratch. Besides, he deserved it," Kaysilia said, crossing her arms.

Reyn's gaze darted toward the ruined hall, where Reid stood in stunned silence. His voice wavered. "I-I think we need to pay for the damages, though..."

Kaysilia blinked, then let out a sigh. "Oh yeah... I hadn't thought of that." Her tone was almost too casual, as if the destruction didn't matter in the slightest.

Reyn carefully lifted Reid's unconscious body onto the bed, his hands glowing faintly as he cast reversal magic to undo the damage Kaysilia had caused. He worked in utmost secrecy, while Kaysilia erected an Aether barrier around them—both to conceal his spellcasting and, more importantly, to avoid paying for the destruction she was responsible for.

"When do you think he'll wake up?" Kaysilia asked, arms crossed.

Reyn let out a sigh. "I don't know... but with that punch? Probably in a year." His tone was laced with irritation.

Kaysilia scoffed. "I didn't hit him that hard," she argued, glancing at Reid. He lay motionless, his face pale and lifeless—almost like a zombified corpse.

"We can only wait," Reyn said coldly, his gaze fixed on the window across the room.

Within the darkness, a warm light engulfed me.

I saw it—a battlefield littered with bodies. Amid the carnage stood a woman with flowing black hair, her white battle dress adorned with golden runes, now tattered and soaked in blood. Though wounded, she did not falter. With a determined gaze, she raised her sword high before swinging it toward the shadowy figure looming above—a being that floated atop a mountain of corpses.

It extended its arms forward, Aether crackling in its grasp.

"EXTERMINATIA."

The word echoed through the void.

Then—light.

I gasped awake, consciousness slamming back into me. My head rested on something soft. Kaysilia.

We lay on the bed, her lap serving as my pillow, her fingers absentmindedly caressing my hair. The room was dim, its wooden interior warmed by the flickering glow of lanterns. Stone walls framed the space, and above us, a marble ceiling stretched in elegant contrast.

Across the room, near the window, Reyn sat slumped in a chair, fast asleep.

I basked in the warmth of my lover's embrace, the gentle caress of her fingers easing the lingering ache in my body. And yet, my mind refused to rest.

My thoughts drifted back to the battlefield—to the moment I stood at the edge of death. It had all felt so real. Too real.

Had we truly survived? Had we escaped? Or was it all—
The war.
The deaths.
The endless fighting...

Nothing more than a dream?

I searched for answers, but no matter how hard I tried, my racing thoughts found no logical conclusion.

Reyn stirred awake, stretching as he blinked the sleep from his eyes. His sudden movement startled Kaysilia, who hurriedly shifted into a more dignified posture, tucking her knees onto the firm bed.

"I-It's not what it looks like!" she blurted out, her voice a mix of panic and indignation.

Reyn smirked, a teasing glint in his eyes. "I fall asleep for a couple of minutes, and you take the opportunity to caress him?"

Kaysilia's face turned a deep shade of red—so red she almost looked like a ripe tomato. "SHUT UP!!" she snapped, her voice cracking slightly.

I couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of them. There was something oddly familiar about this moment... It brought back memories.

Memories? Of what?

My quiet laughter didn't go unnoticed. Reyn's sharp eyes flicked toward me, a knowing expression crossing his face.

"If you're gonna pretend to sleep, you shouldn't giggle, you know."

Caught, I sighed and sat up, stretching slightly. "My bad... that wasn't my intention."

Kaysilia's eyes widened in horror. "Wait... you were awake? The whole time?!"

I shook my head. "No, just now."

"AHHH!!!" Kaysilia shrieked, her face now buried in her hands as she stared down at the floor, utterly mortified.