Chapter 56
“Damn it, we’re screwed.”
Muttering quietly, Wendy picked up a broomstick and leaped lightly into the air.
She aimed the broomstick as if it were a bow.
The broomstick bent so sharply under tension that it seemed like it might snap at any moment.
Her target was clear—Mother.
“Stop!”
Instinctively, Lyria threw herself in front of Wendy, blocking her path.
“I can’t forgive you, not even you, if you harm Nanny.”
Wendy looked momentarily surprised at her bold action.
“…The protagonist?”
What happened next is a blur in Lyria’s memory—so much happened in such a short span of time.
The only thing she clearly remembered was that they survived.
Wendy had grabbed her hand, leading her through the mansion.
[Time remaining until the portal closes: 5 seconds.]
With a last-second burst of ingenuity, they barely managed to leap into the portal.
“Your necklace!”
Lyria almost died due to her foolish mistake.
“This is… a gift.”
“This is…”
“I know this can’t replace your necklace, but I hope it can offer you some comfort…”
Wendy handed her a small necklace adorned with a simple rose gemstone.
“Wendy!”
Though it was completely different from her mother’s keepsake, Lyria was genuinely delighted.
It felt as if her mother had come back to life.
Afterward, there were many events—Wendy being struck by an arrow in the Forest of Spirits,
returning late one night on Xenon’s back after being injured, and Xenon asking her what kind of gifts girls liked.
There were countless big and small moments like these.
“It’s going to be okay, Lyria. Everything will turn out fine.”
As always, Wendy’s bright and reassuring voice gave her hope that the Black-White War would end well.
But now…
“Help me!”
“Agh, the fire!”
Flames roared violently, consuming everything. Screams of agony filled the air from every direction.
What was beneath her feet? Was it a severed arm from a fallen comrade? Or just a cruel hallucination born from her fear?
But what tore her apart wasn’t the screams or the burns on her arms.
It was Wendy’s reckless actions.
“I’ll do it.”
Wendy’s words of becoming a sacrifice herself.
Those words made Lyria feel as though her heart had plummeted into an abyss.
“Lyria.”
Her sister’s determined gaze shone brightly, silently asking for trust.
‘I guess it’ll be fine; she’s always managed before,’ Lyria thought simply.
After all, Wendy always seemed surrounded by a mysterious glow.
Though intangible, the light would occasionally swirl around her, trembling playfully in midair.
Sometimes it would gather together, only to dart away mischievously.
Lyria trusted that light.
The countless warm and radiant lights that always surrounded Wendy.
At first, everything seemed to go as expected—the battle was tilting in their favor.
But then…
“Everyone, run… cough!”
Lyria froze in shock at the sight unfolding before her.
‘Why…?’
Wendy, who had shielded her teammates from the Phoenix’s desperate final attack, was now coughing up blood.
She had said everything would be okay. She had promised she’d be fine.
But now…
“Run, if you don’t want to die, please!”
Her sister, now left alone after sending everyone away, was telling her to flee.
‘Run.’
Telling her to leave and save herself.
A piercing ache spread through Lyria’s chest.
As she looked at Wendy, her final moments overlapped with her mother’s.
“Lyria, run away.”
The memories she had buried in the deepest recesses of her mind began to surface.
“Run, Lyria…”
‘Why…?’
“Lyria, go now!”
Why was everyone saying the same thing?
“Lyria!!”
Why did they all wear faces as if she’d never see them again?
‘Why…?’
Why, why, why?
“No!”
She couldn’t take it anymore.
She was tired of this—so tired.
Why was it that everything she loved always left her so easily?
Why did they always tell her to run?
She was still here. She didn’t want to leave.
“I said no!”
It was the first time in her life that Lyria, who had always lived compliantly, truly rebelled.
And at that moment, something changed within her.
“Lyria…”
Her sister’s trembling voice reached her as Wendy embraced her.
“I love you.”
“…”
“I love you… so much.”
The embrace was so warm and comforting.
“Hic… Hic… Waaaaah!”
Just being held like this made Lyria feel as though she had the whole world.
She sobbed uncontrollably, like a child, casting away any embarrassment.
But it was only for a fleeting moment, as though that warmth was just an unattainable dream. The ground beneath them began to tremble again.
“Let me go, Eden! I said let me go!”
Without hesitation, Eden scooped her up and began running, narrowly avoiding the collapsing debris.
Far away, under the crumbling ceiling, Lyria could still see a glimpse of her sister, Wendy.
“Lyria.”
“Yes?”
“Don’t worry. This will become your grandest stage.”
That’s what Wendy had said.
When Lyria had been despondent, afraid of becoming a burden, Wendy had reassured her, promising that this place would become her grandest stage.
But now…
She was running away like a coward.
“Sister! Sister!”
Lyria could feel Eden’s trembling hands gripping her waist tightly, his body shaking like a leaf.
She knew. She wasn’t the only one struggling.
She knew it too well… but still…
“This must have been the best she could do.”
Eden mumbled softly, as though speaking only to himself.
“It’s over now. It’s really over.”
He kept repeating the same words like a mantra, as if stopping might cause him to crumble.
…But what if it wasn’t over?
What if leaving Wendy behind now only led to more tragedies in the future?
How many more loved ones would she lose then?
Would she truly not regret this moment later?
Would she…?
“Lyria, what do you want for dinner tonight…?”
“Ugh! Stop joking around!”
“Haha, what was that even supposed to mean—!”
Her sister’s voice echoed in her ears.
The laughter she shared with her comrades, the kind voice calling her name, the soft voice that once sang her lullabies.
Voices, voices, voices…
And then—
Crack!
“…Lyria?”
A searing pain shot through her spine.
Eden, sensing something was wrong, called out her name, alarmed.
But she couldn’t respond.
“Hah… Hah…”
She could only gasp for air, struggling against the pain that felt as though her heart was splitting in two.
“Lyria!”
Eden’s voice sounded distant, like an echo in the background.
Fwoosh!
Suddenly, large feathers began sprouting from the center of her spine.
“Hah… Hah…”
The feathers, growing along her back, split into two massive wings.
A radiant glow enveloped her body, gently soothing her.
Her hair, once flowing, transformed into an elegant plume.
Her limbs grew into powerful legs, capable of supporting a grand form.
It all happened in an instant.
She had transformed into a Phoenix, the primordial bird of life itself.
Swoosh!
With a light motion of her golden wings, radiating divine brilliance,
Whoosh!
A warm flame rippled outward like a wave.
The flame pushed back the falling pillars.
No, it didn’t just push them back.
Fwoosh!
It turned everything that threatened Wendy into ashes.
Lyria, still shocked by the transformation, stood there for a moment, staring at her new form.
Then, carefully, she extended her wings toward the altar where Wendy stood.
It wasn’t because someone had told her to.
It wasn’t because of any command.
It was something deep within her, urging her to act.
Telling her this was what she needed to do.
[Absolute Domain]
As she whispered the activation phrase, a blinding light burst forth, spreading in a perfect dome from the ground to the ceiling.
The enormous sphere embraced both Lyria and Wendy, shielding them completely.
After a while, Wendy opened her eyes.
“…Huh?”
Her face was a picture of utter astonishment.
And understandably so.
Her sweet little sister had suddenly turned into a giant bird.
But at that moment, Lyria felt pure happiness.
She felt overwhelmed.
The face she thought she would never see again was now right in front of her.
There were so many things she wanted to say.
Why had Wendy been so desperate?
Why did she keep telling everyone to run away?
Why did she push herself so hard?
But right now, in this moment,
There was only one thing Lyria wanted to say.
[I’m sorry I’m late, Sister.]
And.
[I love you.]
As though savoring the weight of her words, Lyria gently ran her feathers across Wendy’s face, her expression tinged with a bittersweet smile.
—
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