.

.

.

.

Aksen felt his mind go blank for a moment.

The magic he had unleashed was returning to him as if about to engulf him.

His eyes widened briefly in the unexpected situation, but Aksen quickly dodged.

His speed was so fast that his movements were nearly invisible.

In an instant, he stood face to face with Alec.

Apart from his slightly disheveled collar, a result of Alec grabbing him by the throat, Aksen appeared flawless.

A dark and cold voice escaped from his lips.

“Do you think you can face me with that level of skill?”

The voice was all the more eerie because it lacked any emotion.

Aksen stared deeply into Alec with a piercing gaze.

He couldn’t help but wonder where this sudden surge of power in Alec had come from.

Could it be that, though distant, they shared the same blood, and his magic had only just now awakened?

***

Alec stepped forward with a fiercer look in his eyes.

“It’s all thanks to you, Aksen. Thanks to you, I realized my power.”

As he clenched his hand in the air, the hilt of a sword suddenly appeared in his grip.

It was a sword he had stored in his inventory.

Currently, Aksen’s power was roughly at level 300.

Alec’s level had surpassed 200.

Ever since he discovered his true identity, his level had been steadily rising.

Now, affection was no longer an issue.

As long as he could gain more experience, his level would rise to match Aksen’s.

However, Alec no longer relied on the system that quantified his power with levels.

The system was merely a means to help him slowly understand how to control his magic, which had been out of control.

Now that he knew that, the level was just a meaningless number to him.

The current Alec was no longer ignorant of magic as he once had been.

His only focus was killing Aksen before the night was over.

That was the only thing that mattered to him.

Alec raised his sword, exuding fighting spirit like the wind.

Aksen’s magic also rose like mist.

“If you want to face me, come when you’re worthy.”

With a grinding noise, as if rocks were colliding, the ruins of the imperial palace began to rise.

Thick smoke blended into the dark night air, leaving no trace behind.

The debris floated into the air on its own.

Like tens or hundreds of thousands of puzzle pieces completing simultaneously, the ruins began to return to their original form.

With a final loud boom, the imperial palace was restored.

Aksen’s gaze turned cold as he stood in front of the perfect scene.

“I don’t fight just anyone personally. If you survive and appear before me again, I’ll face you then.”

“…Coward.”

Alec gritted his teeth and quickly closed the distance between them.

The moment Alec’s sword soared into the air, Aksen disappeared just as swiftly.

Aksen, raising a gust of wind, reappeared in the empress’s bedchamber.

“Y-Your Majesty!”

He slowly scanned the frightened people, unsure of what to do.

Among them, Louise was nowhere to be seen.

It seemed she had taken advantage of the chaos to escape unnoticed.

Aksen left a dry command to Harriet before disappearing once more in an instant.

“Go kill Alec, Harriet.”

* * *

“Hah, hah.”

I found myself gasping for breath.

It was from the anxiety that someone might chase after me at any moment.

But because the imperial palace had collapsed, the people inside were all in disarray, overwhelmed by confusion.

Without even realizing it, I was descending the stairs of the empress’s palace.

I feared that I might lose my footing and tumble down the endless stairs, but I couldn’t stop.

I descended, my weak hand brushing against the railing as if in a trance.

‘Alec… Alec is here. I need to find him quickly.’

Something inside me felt like it was about to burst.

All I could think of was the overwhelming urge to see him.

His words to me flashed through my mind like a reel of memories.

“I also couldn’t understand why I suddenly became your husband after living in a different world.”

“For now, all I can tell you is that I am not Alec.”

“How about we call each other by different names while we’re here?”

“Call me Ian.”

Another world, the name Ian.

Could the other world he was in be just like the one I had originally lived in?

Before we parted, I think I heard someone call him ‘Hunter Ian Jung!’

He clearly had no memory of me.

I needed to let him know that he was my husband, Alec.

How could I help him regain his memories?

‘Alec… It was Alec…’

He must be safe.

At some point, I suddenly felt solid ground beneath my feet. I should have had much further to go, but something was off. I glanced around in shock, gasping.

The stairs I had been frantically descending were gone.

Lifting my head abruptly, I realized everything around me had changed in an instant. Instead of the lavish, radiant interior of the Empress’s palace, I was now surrounded by cold, barren stone walls, with not a hint of light.

My heart sank. I moved hesitantly, looking around.

“H-How… what happened…?”

A sudden teleportation?

Instinctively, I raised one hand to cover my mouth.

Thud, thud.

Footsteps began echoing from somewhere, steadily growing louder as they filled the wide chamber. The sound alone made my skin crawl. I clenched my teeth so hard it felt like they might shatter, my eyes locked on the direction the noise was coming from.

My hands trembled uncontrollably.

A chill ran through my body, as if all the blood had drained out of me.

Finally, a familiar silhouette came into view.

“…Louise.”

“Don’t say my name.”

My teeth ground together involuntarily.

“I don’t want to hear my name from your mouth.”

The emperor halted.

He stood before me, his crimson eyes staring into mine.

There was no trace of emotion in those eyes.

The fact that we were alone in this unknown, enclosed space made me unbearably uneasy.

“What did you do to my husband?”

“…”

Without a word, he raised a hand towards the ground. The stones began to rumble, slowly rising and forming the shape of a chair. It was a stone throne, imposing and dignified.

He approached it, sat down, and leaned back casually.

“…He’ll die soon enough.”

His cold gaze matched the icy air around us.

Each word seemed to echo loudly in the cavern, cutting into my ears.

“Did you really think Alec could so much as draw a drop of blood from me? He couldn’t even enter the imperial palace. I’ve already set up a barrier using my power.”

“…”

“I restored my palace to its original state after he destroyed it. What a pity. He must have thought he was giving his all to provoke me, but that was nowhere near enough.”

“…”

“By now, Harriet’s magic sword will have cut him to pieces. That sword is a thousand-year-old relic, powerful enough to rival me in strength.”

“…”

“No matter how much magic he has, he’s still just a novice.”

The emperor’s eyes gleamed with a newfound interest.

The more he spoke, the more disgusted I felt.

Instinctively, I knew everything he said was a lie.

Ignoring my pounding heart, I gritted out my words, slowly and deliberately.

“Alec will never die.”

“…”

“At least not before you do.”

I pushed the ring on my fourth finger with my thumb, sliding it off.

It was one of the gifts Alec had given me long ago.

I couldn’t quite remember what kind of magic was embedded in it, but I was sure it could buy me at least a moment to attack him.

As soon as the ring slipped off my fingertip, I hurled it at the emperor with all my strength.

‘You’re the one who’s going to die, you bastard.’

I turned and bolted.

I didn’t know what lay beyond, but the moment I dashed into the dark corridor, I heard an explosion behind me, the walls shaking violently.

TL NOTE: More advanced chapter of this story is already up to the site. Visit dusk blossoms for more advanced chapters and stories