CHAPTER 94: CHAPTER 93. WHAT ELSE DO YOU HAVE?

Fenclade Dominion

The return to the Erengard Empire is delayed by two days because of Vivianne’s worsening morning sickness. The Fenclade royal physician insisted she rest completely, forbidding travel until her body could recover.

During that time, Undine refused to leave her side, gently bathing her in streams of healing energy that shimmered faintly around her body like mist. Tempest, always sensitive to Vivianne’s comfort, filled the air with her favorite scents: rose, lavender, and a trace of pine that lingered like the air after rain.

"The baby is exceptional," said the owl physician, her large dark purple eyes blinking slowly as she finished her examination.

Roxanne, sitting beside the bed, raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

The doctor placed her feathered hand lightly over the small curve of Vivianne’s stomach. "I can feel their energy. Even though they are still forming, their presence is strong. This child will not be ordinary."

Vivianne’s eyes widened slightly. Roxanne, however, only laughed, her tone both proud and teasing. "Stronger than me, then?"

The owl gave a faint nod. "It could be, Your Grace. The one growing inside her is meant to rule; the world will move when they do."

That made Roxanne’s chest swell with a fierce, wordless pride. "Then we’ll make sure both mother and child are ready for it," she said.

The doctor smiled gently. "She needs more protein and water. The baby is taking a great deal of her strength, but she’ll recover well if she keeps eating. Don’t let her skip meals."

"I’m not skipping anything," Vivianne murmured tiredly, though her lips curved in a soft smile.

To make their journey easier, Leonhart had gifted them one of the finest beastman-built carriages, large enough to hold a small bed yet light as air thanks to its framework. It moved smoothly even across uneven ground, crafted by the best spirit bearer craftsman in beastman dominion.

He also provided them with a secret route, known only to the beastmen—a hidden path that could shorten their journey from two months to just three weeks. The route wound through ancient forests and lands unmarked by any map, places where the air itself felt alive with danger. High-level monsters roamed freely there, far stronger and more intelligent than those in Dreadfang or the wild forest that divided Fenclade from Erengard.

"We’ve been living surrounded by monsters all this time, and we’re still not united? That’s the most idiotic thing our ancestors ever did," she muttered, shaking her head in disbelief.

It isn’t the monsters that worried her. It’s the length of the journey, three long weeks of bumpy roads, and the strain it might put on Vivianne’s already fragile body. Roxanne isn’t afraid for herself, nor were her knights. They had faced worse than any beast could offer. What gave her peace was knowing that wherever Vivianne went, the four Spirit Kings—Undine, Tempest, Afrit, and Terranova—followed close behind.

The others in the room could only stare, the air shimmered faintly with their presence. Each spirit circled Vivianne protectively, their forms barely visible but their energy unmistakable.

Undine’s calm blue light pulsed gently around her, while Afrit’s fiery aura flickered in the corners of the room. Terranova’s golden warmth flowed through the floor, steady and grounding, and Tempest’s faint wind stirred the curtains, carrying the scent of pine and rain.

Leonhart crossed his arms, his expression caught somewhere between awe and disbelief. "No one would ever believe this unless they saw it themselves," he said quietly, his sharp eyes fixed on the spirits that flickered in and out of sight.

The owl physician nodded in agreement, her feathers puffing slightly in nervous amazement. "It was never written in history that any mortal could bear the bond of four Spirit Kings," she murmured.

Roxanne leaned casually against the bedpost, her tone matter-of-fact. "Chronos gave her the power to remember."

The room fell silent. Leonhart turned sharply toward her, his amber eyes wide. "Chronos?" he repeated, disbelief heavy in his voice. "That’s impossible. Chronos is just a myth—a story to scare children who tamper with forbidden magic!"

But Marvessa, standing near the window, shook her head slowly. Her face was pale, her eyes distant as if still haunted by the memory. "He’s real," she said quietly. "I saw him."

Leonhart stared between the two women, his throat tightening. "You expect me to believe that?"

Before Roxanne could answer, Vivianne spoke softly, her voice calm yet filled with quiet power. "I can show you," she said.

She raised both hands, her palms open toward Leonhart and the owl physician. A faint golden glow began to gather between her fingers, warm and steady. "Take my hands," she said gently.

Vivianne closed her eyes, and the world around them seemed to dim. The air in the carriage thickened, humming with a strange resonance as golden light began to bloom from her palms. "You wish to see him?" she said softly. "Then remember with me."

Leonhart and the owl physician exchanged a quick glance but obeyed, each reaching to take one of her hands. The moment their skin touched hers, warmth flooded their bodies, a pulse, steady and rhythmic, like a second heartbeat that isn’t their own. The air vibrated. The walls blurred.

Then, time bent.

The world shifted into another night entirely, one that isn’t now but a memory made real. They stood on a moonlit balcony, where the cold wind carried the scent of roses and rain.

And then he appeared. Chronos.

They can’t hear anything, because it wasn’t their memories, but Vivianne’s. The memory from the night she first met Chronos: Roxanne standing next to her and Marvessa already kneeling on the floor. The four king spirits stand around Chronos in their majestic figures, bantering and complaining to Chronos.

The power from that moment flooded through the vision, pure, ancient, and crushing. The sensation of time stopping, not slowing, but halting completely, wrapped around Leonhart and the owl like an invisible wave. Their lungs froze. Their minds screamed. Every sound ceased.

Then Chronos turned his gaze toward them.

Even through the echo of memory, it’s still unbearable. The sheer weight of his existence pressed them down to their knees. Leonhart’s heart pounded painfully; the owl gasped for air, trembling violently as tears streamed down her feathers.

Vivianne’s voice lingered softly in their minds, calm yet filled with something ancient and unshakable. "This is the power he gave me, the power to remember." Her words drifted like a melody that refused to fade, echoing faintly long after the light had dimmed.

When the glow around her finally disappeared, they found themselves back inside the room, breathing heavily, still kneeling on the polished floor. The world seemed smaller now, quieter, as if afraid to disturb what they had just witnessed.

Roxanne stood nearby, one arm crossed loosely while a slow, knowing smile curved her lips. "Do you believe me now?" she asked, her tone both amused and proud.

Leonhart and the owl doctor didn’t answer. Their throats were dry, their minds still spinning from what they had seen. Terranova’s presence had already shaken them to the core, but Chronos, seeing Chronos, had gone far beyond anything they could comprehend. The image of him lingered behind their eyelids, too vivid to be a dream, too heavy to be forgotten.

Leonhart’s chest rose and fell as he tried to catch his breath. His armor felt heavier than before, as if the air itself pressed down on him. He had faced battles, monsters, and even death, but nothing compared to the weight of eternity that had stared back at him through Chronos’s eyes. He glanced at the owl beside him, who’s still trembling, her feathers slightly ruffled, her wide eyes filled with disbelief.

Finally, he looked up at Vivianne. The glow in her eyes had softened, but there’s still a depth there, something infinite that neither man nor beast could easily face. His voice came out quieter than usual, careful, almost reverent. "What else do you have, your grace?" he asked.