CHAPTER 55: THE PROMISE AND THE ASHES

Dominic gathered every bit of strength in his body. His core—deep in his stomach—burned hot like fire.

—Anyone who gets in my way, disappear!

He could feel flames start to wrap around his body. His magic broke free, spinning out of control and running wild.

—Burn it all down! Everything in the way—gone!

"Captain!"

With a voice that sounded almost like a scream, Louis struck him hard in the pit of the stomach. A sharp, crushing blow knocked the wind out of him, bending his body in two from the pain.

"I’m sorry, Captain," Louis said.

Then came a sharp strike to the back of Dominic’s neck.

And everything went dark.

...

When Dominic opened his eyes, he found himself lying in his private room at the fortress. He had no memory of how or when he was brought back. He shifted slightly, sensing someone nearby.

"Captain Dominic. You’re awake?"

It was Sayu who is leaning over to look at him. Dominic tried to sit up, but a sharp, heavy pain in his stomach made him wince. The moment that pain struck, everything came rushing back.

"Are you all right?" Sayu asked with concern in his voice.

"...Yeah. I’m sorry."

Dominic covered his face with his hand. He couldn’t believe what he’d done. He had completely lost control, he let his magic run wild, and in the end, Louis need to knocked him down.

Shiao... His Shiao...

A crushing sense of loss gripped his heart. It felt as though all the blood, warmth, and willpower had drained out of him completely. There was nothing left. No matter what he did, he couldn’t fill the deep, aching emptiness inside his heart.

He had lost the one person who meant everything to him.

...

On the other side of the desk in the fortress’s office, Louis was continuing his report. Two full days had passed by the time Dominic regained consciousness.

Louis explained that the summoning magic circle had vanished completely, leaving behind only a massive crater in its place.

He reported that most of the mages who were caught in the blast had suffered injuries, ranging from light to severe, but thanks to the healers’ swift work, they were all recovering steadily.

The swarm of magical beasts had been mostly taken care of.

The knights and soldiers who are stationed at the fortress had been split into units and were now continuing operations to track down and eliminate the remaining monsters that was still scattered in the surrounding areas.

Red and Amal, who had been undercover in the Germasythe Village, were now also participating in the monster-slaying operations.

Mr. Vundo and Segoy were working together with the mages to construct a purification magic circle, cleansing the land that had been tainted by the blood of the magical beasts.

The final report of the operation stated that there had been no fatalities.

However, there were 173 seriously injured and many others with minor wounds.

Among the severely wounded, 56 people had injuries that couldn’t be fully healed with healing magic alone and had been sent to the city’s hospitals for further treatment.

"What about Commander Quintus?" Dominic asked.

Louis answered with an apologetic look on his face.

"He returned to the capital just earlier, sir, using a teleportation circle with two hundred knights from his unit."

"I see... I couldn’t even see him off, let alone help with organizing the cleanup. That was careless of me."

"I’m sorry, Captain. I couldn’t hold back. Your magic was so out of control and powerful that I didn’t have time to think. I had to go all out. Afterward, Mr. Sayu scolded me like crazy—asked if I was trying to kill you."

Louis, despite his massive frame, hunched his shoulders in shame. Dominic placed a hand over his stomach. The broken ribs and ruptured organs had already been healed by the medical team, but the pain still pierced through him with every small movement.

"No... I should be thanking you for stopping me. Thinking about what would’ve happened if I had kept going is terrifying. I wasn’t in my right mind at the time."

"Captain... are you giving up?" Dominic asked, hesitantly.

The big man bent forward awkwardly and looked up at Dominic with worried expression.

"What do you mean by that?" Dominic asked.

"Well, Aaron said Shiao Yi make promise that he would survive. So he’s sure that Shiao Yi’s still alive. He said there’s no way he’d die. Apparently, the two of them had made some kind of promise. Shiao was going to teach him chemical formulas or something. And according to Aaron, Shiao’s not the kind of person who breaks promises. That’s why he’s convinced that he will come back. I mean... it’s Aaron we’re talking about. It’s hard to believe, right? But people do change, I guess."

"Aaron?"

A sharp pain struck Dominic’s chest.

Aaron—the alchemist with silver hair. A handsome man who is famous for his striking green eyes, the eyes that said to have captivated countless hearts.

Dominic didn’t believe Shiao Yi had betrayed him or fallen for Aaron. Still, just knowing that Aaron continued to believe Shiao Yi was alive stirred something violent inside him. It was deep jealousy and growing frustration.

—Aaron believes in Shiao... so why couldn’t I? I was supposed to be the one who meant the most to him—his one and only.

Dominic stood up suddenly and rushed out of the office. He didn’t say a word. He could feel his aide’s eyes watching him from behind but didn’t turn back.

...

He opened the door to his room.

The afternoon sunlight slanted in through the window, casting long shadows.

The room—stone walls overlaid with wooden panels—was always cold, even under the clear light of a bright autumn day.

The soft, fading light reached across the room, landing on the surface of a chest.

Dominic walked toward it. A familiar bundle sat there.

It was the set of clothes Shiao Yi had been given—the ones Dominic had prepared for him in the royal capital.