⏳ Twelve Months of Nowhere
They traveled across dead empires and cursed lands.
From the ice-blasted wastes of the Northern Ruins to the scorched bones of the Ashura borderlands. From collapsed portals to decaying towers once humming with forbidden magic.
Every lead felt like hope.
Every destination…
…just another dead end.
At first, they moved with fire.
Then — with discipline.
Then — with quiet desperation.
What began as a hunt for truth became something else:
A long, slow unraveling of hope.
🔎 No Trace, No Trail
The Ashura Princess vanished like mist.
Every mage who might've known of the transfer spell was either dead, missing, or had their memory scorched by Ashura's own failsafes.
They searched ancient temples for dimensional records.Interrogated survivors of the Dominion.Even visited collapsed sanctums buried under centuries of ash.
Each time they came close…
…it slipped away again.
"Too much magic was lost," Queen Alira whispered once."We're chasing smoke."
🌘 The Demon King Changed
He barely spoke anymore.
He didn't sleep.
When he closed his eyes, he saw it — again and again.
Aira lying in the bloodied grass.His mother shielding her belly.His father roaring in helpless rage.
And the pull of the spell.
Ripping him away.
"Not now…"
"Not yet."
"Not when they needed me."
He would jolt awake every time he drifted off, breath sharp, fists clenched.
Alira never asked what he saw.
But she knew.
Because her tent was always lit with candlelight.
She hadn't slept in months either.
🏹 A Bond Forged in Silence
They fought together.
They bled together.
They buried allies. Saved villages. Destroyed abominations left behind by Ashura's dying breath.
And through it all…
They never once said what they were both beginning to understand:
"We're the only ones who still believe this is possible."
🌒 One Night, One Question
A storm fell over them in the ruins of what once was the Fortress of Glass.
They sat near a dying fire, backs against crumbling pillars.
No guards. No aides.
Only them.
Alira was sketching something. Mapping possibilities.
The Demon King finally broke the silence.
"You still think we'll find a way?"
She looked up.
Her eyes were tired. So tired.
But they were still sharp.
"If I stop believing…"
"Then I'll have nothing left to fix what I broke."
He didn't argue.
He just nodded.
And turned his gaze back to the rain.