Chapter 117:
"And in the crack left by sacrifice...hope began to seep through."
The ground was still trembling. The last particles of Sanathiel's light slowly dissolved into the air. A crushing silence blanketed the battlefield, as if the world itself had paused—holding its breath before the inevitable.
Aisha knelt, clutching the medallion that still glowed faintly, tears streaking her blood-and-ash-stained face. One silver particle brushed her cheek like a final caress.
She felt it.His hand.Her white wolf.
"Sanathiel…" she whispered, closing her eyes as if she could see him again.
Salomon approached slowly, his face hardened by rage and despair.
"He didn't have to do it," he muttered, hands gripping the remains of the spear.
Aisha looked up at him, her eyes full of quiet resolve.
"He did it because he knew no one else could. You don't understand, Salomon… Sanathiel believed in something greater than all of us."
Elsewhere, Dimitri Snova knelt beside Lionel's lifeless body. He exhaled deeply, sorrow etched into every line of his face.
"Lionel… in the end, you found your purpose," he murmured, gently closing his friend's eyes.
Beside him, Skiller placed a hand on his shoulder.
"It wasn't in vain. But this isn't over… She's still out there. And the wolf's presence hasn't left this plane—it's overwhelming."
"Then we need to leave this place."
The brothers exchanged a look of understanding, then turned toward the horizon, where the sky still glowed with an ominous red hue.
At the heart of the devastation, the demon that had taken Rasen's body remained standing, cloaked in darkness. Though Sanathiel's sacrifice had shattered its shields and weakened its power, it still radiated menace.
Salomon stepped forward, fangs bared.
"I won't let you keep destroying what's left!"
The demon slowly turned its head, smiling wickedly.
"And you, Salomon? You think you can stop me with a force you don't even comprehend? You're just broken pieces in a game you've already lost."
Still holding the medallion, Aisha rose to her feet. Her gaze held not fear, but defiance—and hope.
"We're not your pawns. Not as long as we can still fight."
The medallion shimmered with golden light, like a sun refusing to stay hidden.
"If Sanathiel taught me anything, it's that sacrifices are never in vain. You can steal our lives… but never our purpose."
The demon laughed, but its voice had grown weaker.
"You think you can destroy me with that, dear Aisha?"
"I don't need to destroy you… Just seal you away."
Aisha's body trembled, her strength nearly gone, but her soul still burned.
With the last breath of will, she raised the medallion.
It answered her—drawing in the demon's darkness like a heart beating in reverse. As she stepped forward, a golden vortex tore the sky in half.
"NO!" the demon roared, its form unraveling in agonized screams.
And then, in the midst of chaos…
Rasen.His eyes lifted at last—and met hers.There was no rage, no death.Only humanity.
"Aisha…" he whispered, voice laced with pain and tenderness. "Forgive me."
She bit her lower lip, trembling under the pressure the medallion exerted, but did not cry.
"It's not your fault, Rasen. It never was."
The medallion flared brilliantly one last time, then exploded in light, clawing the darkness like talons catching prey. In a single instant, the shadows vanished.
Silence fell—like a blessing.
Rasen's body dropped from the sky, crashing into the shattered earth, unmoving.
Still gripping the medallion, Aisha sprinted to the crater where he had fallen. Strangely, his body was intact—warm to the touch, shielded by black wings that crumbled into dust.
Then she felt it.A warmth brushing her skin—as if he was still with her.And deep within her mind… a voice she would never forget.
"Aisha…"
Her breath caught.
Kneeling closer, she saw the strange mark on his neck—like a coiled glyph.
"Be careful, Aisha... for the time we shared—though it wasn't enough.Don't let my sacrifice be swallowed by despair.Live… and fight.But watch Rasen. Something in him has changed."
Aisha shut her eyes tightly, gripping the medallion like a heartbeat.
"I will. I promise."
When she opened them again, the golden glow of the medallion began to fade.But deep within it… a silver spark flickered.
The silence deepened—until a breath escaped Rasen's lips. Faint. Fragile. Alive.Like the echo of a promise refusing to die.
He returned.
Aisha held her breath.
Rasen's eyelids fluttered open—revealing the eyes she had longed to see once more.
"Aisha… I came back," he whispered. Barely a breath. But pure truth.
A sob of joy burst from her as she wrapped her arms around him—never wanting to let go.
"I'm no longer the one who waits," she said, voice steady, eyes glowing.
"Now… I am the one who decides."
The medallion, resting gently on Rasen's chest, released one final glow.A warm and quiet light… like a silent blessing.
Then it dimmed slowly—its purpose finally fulfilled.
From a shadowed corner, Skiller watched with a bittersweet expression. Relief washed through him, but so did loneliness. The bond between Aisha and Rasen was unbreakable. And he was not part of it.
He looked away toward the horizon, where the sun had just begun to rise.
"Maybe it was never my place…" Skiller whispered, turning his back.The shadows embraced him as dawn painted a path that was never meant for him.
Aisha, still cradling Rasen, looked up into the dawn.The world remained broken.But for the first time in so long… her heart brimmed with hope.
"This is a new beginning, Rasen," she said, her voice full of love and conviction."Together… we'll rebuild what was lost."
The first ray of sunlight caught the lunar medallion in Rasen's hands,sealing the vow that—though the road ahead was uncertain—they would walk it together.