CHAPTER 75: END OF VOL. 1: NEW CHAPTER

"Are you ready, Emily?"

The gentle voice reached her ears, and the girl gave a soft nod.

She was sitting on the stone steps of the church, quietly tying her shoelaces.

A carriage stood waiting outside, ready to take her to where her new life would begin.

"You’re sure you don’t want me to pack anything else?" asked a nun with worry in her voice. Emily hadn’t taken much food with her.

"Anna, stop fussing. She’s already packed more than enough—most of it needless, though," came a dry laugh from an older nun who had asked Emily previously.

"But still... most of the things she’s bringing won’t even help her," Anna muttered.

And she wasn’t wrong. More than half of Emily’s luggage had nothing to do with daily needs.

Not clothes. Not food. Not tools.

Instead, what filled most of the space were—

"Paintings... and scribbles," Anna sighed. "I don’t understand your attachment to them."

Her eyes drifted to the carriage, where the driver had carefully placed a row of neat frames.

Each frame held sketches made by Emily.

And in each sketch was the figure of a single person.

The older nun let out a quiet breath. "That person... is her idol. The reason she’s still alive. It’s no surprise she’s so devoted to him."

Emily didn’t respond. Not because she was ignoring them—she rarely replied to what people said about her.

But because, deep down, she agreed.

She was devoted to him.

It was the only reason she was headed to the Obsidian Spire.

With a new name... and a new identity... she was chasing the chance to meet him again.

"Do you really think he’ll meet you there?" Anna asked, her voice filled with doubt, just like always.

Emily, for the first time, spoke, "He promised."

The young priestess felt trouble. Promises are made, especially between strangers, at a very feeble certainty.

He could have lied to her, or he might be unable to reach the stage where Emily surely will. There are hundreds of possibilities, and even if one of them becomes reality, Emily would be heartbroken.

"Go ahead and check your room if you have taken everything." The older Priestess ushered the young girl.

Emily nodded and silently walked inside the church.

Turning toward Anna, the bespectacled woman said, "Don’t make such a face when she is leaving. She is well aware of how bleak her chances are to meet him once again."

Anna protested, "Then shouldn’t we try to convince her not to pursue a person who we actually don’t know that even exists."

They heard the story more than ten times from the young girl. It was the only time Emily ever spoke more than a few words. When she talks about him and the day when she lost everything but gained a new and prominent reason to continue with her life.

The older one shook her head, "He is the sole reason she looks forward to a new day. If not for him, she might have lost all her motivation to live long ago. To stop her from pursuing the man she idolizes...would be unfair."

Anna turned silent, her eyes drawn to the ground.

She was feeling helpless.

Emily has become a part of the family and someone Anna wants to protect.

However, just as her senior said, if not for that man she wouldn’t have survived for this long.

During those lonely nights when she coiled up in a corner of the room...she always clung to the sketch of her savior and found the strength to fight against every nightmare.

Soon, Emily appeared before them, holding two flowers made from paper, before she said, "Did not have any idea for the gift. I hope you will like this." She extended the pink and blue flower she made to the two of them, with a bow of her head.

The two ladies felt their eyes turning moist as they glanced at each other before pulling the little girl in a hug.

"We will miss you, Em. Please be safe out there." Anna sobbingly requested.

She has grown up under their care but now it was time for the girl to take her life choices and walk on the path she has chosen for herself.

"I will be good. Thank you for taking care of me." Hearing her speak so many words filled their heart with countless emotions, and they continued to weep for some more time.

Is this how it feels to send a child off to her husband’s house after marriage?

*******

"All set, Grace?" her father asked warmly.

She gave a small hum in response, checking her bag one last time. Today was the day she left for the assessment trials—the first step to getting into the Obsidian Spire.

Her mother stepped closer, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "Are you nervous?"

"Why would she be?" the Duke said with a proud grin. "If Gustav made it into that academy, my daughter would walk in with the top rank."

There was no hesitation in his voice. He believed in her completely. And honestly, he had good reason to—Grace wasn’t just brilliant with her studies. She had awakened a rare blessing and could hold her own in a fight better than most adults.

Even so, Grace let out a soft sigh. "Father... you really underestimate Brother. And you’re giving me a little too much credit."

She wasn’t putting herself down—far from it. But this was the Obsidian Spire. The best academy in the world. Everyone there would be the best of the best.

And standing out among them wouldn’t be easy.

"I don’t care about the results, child. I don’t care whether you make it into the Academy or what rank you get," Hayden said gently, his voice warm and steady.

Grace turned to look at him, drawn by the kindness in his tone.

He placed a comforting hand on her head. "Just be happy in whatever you choose. My whole life... it’s been about seeing that smile on your face."

A soft smile curved Grace’s lips. "If it weren’t for my own happiness, I wouldn’t bother putting myself through the stress of joining such a prestigious academy."

Celia glanced at her husband, a knowing smile playing at the corners of her mouth.

But Hayden’s heart stirred with unease.

Could Celia have been right?

Was Grace going to the academy... not for herself, but for him?

....

"You really seem excited." His father’s voice drifted in, and Eric’s smile grew a little wider.

"Well, I’ve been preparing for this for so long."

His bags were already packed for the academy. It wasn’t far, but he had no plans to commute—he wanted to stay in the dormitories.

His friends often said that people only get three short years to truly enjoy their youth, to live freely before being swept into the current of society and the weight of responsibilities.

Eric wasn’t the crowned prince, but being part of the royal family came with its own share of duties.

And that’s exactly why he wanted to live at the dorms—as just another student.

"Son," his father said, resting a hand gently on his shoulder, "tell me something. Are you really excited about joining the academy... or about meeting him again?"

Eric didn’t answer right away. He didn’t look up either, but after a pause, he spoke quietly, "All these years of training... every bit of experience I’ve pushed myself to gain—it was all for him. To defeat him... or at least, to be someone he’d acknowledge as an equal."

Devon let out a wry smile. "With the strength you hold now, I doubt that brat stands a chance."

Eric chuckled. "You forget—it wasn’t just me who’s been improving." His gaze sharpened, eyes narrowing. "I’m sure he’s grown stronger too."

Devon warmly smiled at his son, "I hope you find new motivation when you meet Arthur again. And don’t forget to make a girlfriend or two."

Eric turned blank...romance...and him?

He might need to take a few extra classes for that...if the academy offers them.

*****

"Ahhh... this is frustrating," Arthur groaned, stretching his arms wide inside the carriage.

He was on his way to the capital—by carriage, of all things—even though he easily had the money to use a teleportation portal.

Why?

"You’ve got to spend some time with your old man before you abandon me," Aston insisted with a grin.

Arthur sighed, poking his head out the carriage window and gazing up at the sky.

"It’s not going to rain, right? You know I hate it."

Aston chuckled from the driver’s seat. "Coming from someone who uses water magic more than anything else, that’s kind of hilarious."

Rolling his eyes, Arthur pulled his head back in and slumped into his seat.

For a while, he sat there in silence, letting the gentle rocking of the carriage carry his thoughts.

Eventually, he reached into his bag and pulled out a folded sketch.

Four people.

His family.

He stared at it for a moment, then let out a quiet breath.

"Haah... never thought I’d actually feel this emotional about leaving someone behind..."

A new Chapter of his life was about to begin.

The toughest part of his life, that would decide his fate.

And the fate of this world.

*******

A/N:- Thank you for choosing my book.