CHAPTER 469: CHAPTER 469 - AFTER THE TRIAL

"So let’s wait, shall we? Until then... dream, my son. Dream of the day you’ll walk beside him, and fight beside him once more... I think it’s time, Thank you for accompanying me for a while, it was short but fun...see you again someday, My Child~"

The light dimmed.

The world faded.

And Askara’s consciousness slipped away like a falling ember into the dark.

---

When his eyes opened again, a familiar ceiling greeted him. The faint scent of sandalwood and the soft glow of morning filtered through white curtains.

’My room?’ he thought sluggishly. ’So... the trial has ended? How long was I unconscious?’

A dull ache rolled through his body the moment he tried to move.

"Ughh..." he groaned, clutching his ribs. Pain flared everywhere, sharp, throbbing, and real. His head was the only part untouched by bandages; the rest of him looked like a mummy.

"Well..." he muttered with a dry laugh, voice hoarse, "it was THAT bad I think"

He swung his legs off the bed, each motion a negotiation with pain. His muscles trembled under his weight, and for a moment, the floor seemed to tilt beneath him. After a few failed attempts, he finally managed to stand, breathing heavily, hand pressed against the wall for support.

Even the simple act of walking toward the door felt monumental. Every joint protested, every breath burned. The bandages pulled tight around his chest and arms, restricting his movement, making him feel like he was trapped inside a cocoon not yet ready to break.

The door creaked open slowly.

In the corridor, a few maids were tending to their duties, dusting shelves, arranging flowers, whispering softly among themselves, until their eyes caught sight of him.

Their expressions froze.

"P-Prince Askara?!" one of them gasped, nearly dropping the vase she held.

"Your Highness, please!" Another hurried forward, eyes wide with alarm. "You shouldn’t be out of bed! I’ll call the physician right away!" She turned and sprinted down the hall before he could answer.

The remaining maid reached for him gently, voice trembling with worry. "Prince, please, let me assist you. You shouldn’t strain yourself. Let’s go back to your chamber"

Askara shook his head faintly, though he didn’t pull away. "No need. I can feel my body slowly mending itself." His voice was soft, but steady. "Just... help me see my siblings"

The maid hesitated. "My Prince, your brothers and sisters are all well. Only you suffered such severe wounds." Her voice softened, almost pleading. "Please, rest first. I’ll send word for the Queens and your siblings to visit you"

Askara fell silent. A quiet relief washed over him, warm and fragile. Knowing his family was safe eased something heavy in his chest. But another thought quickly shadowed it.

"...What about that girl?" he asked quietly. "The one those cultists took?"

The maids exchanged uneasy glances.

"This..." one finally murmured, "We don’t know, Your Highness"

"...I see." Askara’s reply was calm, but the faint tremor in his tone betrayed the ache beneath. He had expected that answer, he already knew the chances, yet hearing it still carved something deep inside him. His shoulders slumped, his gaze falling to the floor.

"Then what about her brother?" he asked again, softer this time, almost as if he didn’t want to hear the answer.

The maids looked at each other again. One finally spoke with a gentle firmness, "First, let’s return to your chamber, Prince. You’ve only just awakened, and your body is still weak. We’ll explain everything there"

Askara hesitated, his lips parting as though to argue. But the exhaustion in his limbs and the dull throb in his chest reminded him that he wouldn’t get far even if he tried.

"...Alright," he murmured at last.

The maids stepped closer, slipping their arms under his to support him.

--------

- Back to Death Chamber.

After watching Askara’s soul shimmer and vanish from her chamber, Death exhaled softly. The endless dark around her throne pulsed faintly, like the world itself held its breath.

"Father and son..." she murmured, reclining against the ivory armrest. "Always chasing death as if it were their destiny. What a headache"

"Hmph~ You talk like you were the one who actually saved him," a melodic voice teased from behind the throne. "You do remember it was me who pulled him back, dear Sister"

From the darkness stepped another figure, radiant and breathtaking, her very presence painting color across the void. Where Death was serene and pale, this woman was warmth and bloom incarnate, Lady Life, her eternal counterpart.

Death tilted her head lazily. "Yeah, yeah~ and I already said thank you, didn’t I? Besides, I never asked you to save him. You volunteered yourself the moment I brought his soul here, remember?"

"I-I only did it because he’s Taufik’s son!" Life stammered, her golden eyes darting away. "There’s no other reason"

Death’s eyes narrowed, a sly smile curling on her lips. "So what if he’s my DARLING’S son?"

"W-Well," Life flustered, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, "You know, we all still owe him for what he did back then, silencing Fate for a while, remember? I was just... repaying a favor!"

"...Only that?" Death asked, her tone deceptively soft.

"O-Only that, I swear!"

"Hmph~ Like I’m going to believe that," Death muttered, crossing one leg over the other. "You always have some hidden motive"

"I do not! Anyway, forget that, what about Taufik himself?" Life quickly changed the subject. "Still wandering between worlds?"

Death gave her a knowing look but sighed, letting it slide. "Still the same. He drifts from one universe to another, chasing the way home. But he can’t sense me the way I sense him... nor can I reach him. He’s just moving blindly, hoping by chance he’ll step into this reality again"

Her gaze softened, distant. "He needs a tether, something powerful enough to echo through worlds. A call from this side... but there’s none. Not yet"

"I see," Life murmured. "Still, it’s impressive how freely he moves across universes. The laws of creation don’t even bind him"

Death chuckled quietly. "That’s why he’s called the Defiant, isn’t it?"

"True," Life nodded, then tilted her head curiously. "But how has he avoided Fate’s gaze all this time? Even though he struggles to track his threads, Taufik walks unseen. And you can still find him whenever you want?"

Death smiled faintly, eyes gleaming like starlit voids. "That’s what you call a bond between husband and wife. Something you’ve never had... and never will, my dear sister"

Lady Life froze, then pouted, crossing her arms with a soft hmph! "You’re insufferable"

Death smirked. "And you’re predictable"

"Whatever!" Life huffed, turning sharply. "I’m leaving!"

"Yeah, yeah~ take care of the living, will you?" Death waved lazily as her sister vanished in a cascade of light petals.

Silence returned.

Her smugness faded.

Death leaned back, pressing a hand to her chest, her expression softening into something fragile, ancient yet human.

"Darling..." she whispered into the dark, her voice trembling with both yearning and fear. "Come back soon. I can feel it... Fate is planning something again"

Around her, the chamber of Death flickered, the shadows deepening as if the universe itself shivered in response.

--------

- Back to Askara’s room.

Askara sank into the soft embrace of his bed, the silken sheets cool against his skin.

The scent of fresh herbs and candle wax filled the air, the familiar calm of the D’Archy residence.

The maids moved quietly around him.

Now that everything had settled, the silence pressed in. His heartbeat was steady again, but his thoughts were anything but.

As he stared at the canopy above, the memory returned, that endless void, the throne of bone and light, and her voice.

Soft. Playful. Divine.

He didn’t even try to convince himself it was a dream.

He knew it was real.

Lady Death. Or... Mama Death, as she’d called herself with that teasing smile.

The maids whispered quietly as they worked, breaking his reverie. One of them, after a hesitant glance, finally spoke.

"Prince Askara... there’s news about the boy, Mukhlis"

Askara turned his head slightly. "What happened?"

The maid hesitated before answering. "After the cultists took his sister, Lady Ayana... he seems lost his will to live. The Prince and Princess feared he might harm himself, so they brought him with them to the Saranjana Kingdom. And now he’s waiting for his tribe to escort him back to the Dai-Yak lands"

Askara closed his eyes for a long moment. "I see..." he whispered, voice heavy with quiet grief.

He didn’t blame Mukhlis, anyone would break after seeing something like that.

A silence settled again.

Then, out of nowhere, Askara muttered, "...But Mama Death is my father’s wives? What the hell did he do in the past?"

The maids froze mid-motion, exchanging quick, wide-eyed glances.

None of them dared to answer. One coughed nervously, bowed deeply, and then hurried out. The others quickly followed, mumbling something about fetching his mothers and siblings.

"Wait, I was just-" The door shut. "...kidding"

Askara sighed, staring at the ceiling again. "Great. Now they’ll all think I hit my head too hard"

Moments later, the door burst open, so hard it rattled the frame.

"ASKARA!"

He barely had time to sit up before Kiara stormed in, Litani followed right behind, eyes blazing but with relief written all over her face.

Anggana and Anindha came after them, their expressions a mix of exhaustion and worry.

Askara blinked, caught halfway between guilt and amusement. "...Oh. Hi, everyone"

"’Hi’?" Kiara echoed incredulously. "You died!"

Litani crossed her arms. "And came back calling Death as Mama Death? Care to explain that, brother?"

Askara groaned, covering his face with a pillow. "I knew I should’ve kept my mouth shut"

Anggana chuckled under his breath, shaking his head. "Welcome back, Askara. You’ve got a lot of explaining to do"

Anindha smiled softly. "At least he’s alive to explain it"

Askara lowered the pillow just enough to peek out, a tired grin tugging at his lips. "You’re all loud, you know that?"

Kiara smacked him lightly on the shoulder, tears forming despite her scolding tone. "And you’re reckless! Don’t ever scare us like that again!"

He didn’t argue. He just looked at them, the family he thought he’d never see again, and for the first time since that Mama Death chamber, he truly felt alive.