The long table was quiet, filled only with the light clinking of teacups and the subtle rustle of papers. I sat near the end, across from my brothers, with my cloak draped around me like a curtain hiding a broken knight.
My father stood at the head of the table. His face carried more years than I remembered. Perhaps I aged too… just in a place no one could see.
He took a long breath, then spoke with a voice that had commanded armies, but now trembled slightly with weariness.
> "You've missed a year, Alein."
> "A long, painful one."
---
He laid several scrolls across the table—sealed reports from generals, priests, envoys, and scouts.
> "After your duel with the Drake… after you fell…"
> "We tried everything. Even the Grand Priest of the High Temple came from the capital. He attempted all sacred rites known to the Church."
> "Nothing worked. It was like your soul… had gone beyond their reach."
I said nothing.
Because he was right.
It had.
---
> "The monster stampedes have weakened," he continued, "but not vanished. Smaller attacks happen often."
> "Villages on the outer rim of Airillesta have been evacuated."
> "Still, we hold the line."
He motioned to Allcrine, who handed me a folded map. Marked in red were expanding areas from the Monster Forest. It was spreading, slowly.
The silence between us was heavy.
Until my father cleared his throat again.
> "There's something else."
---
A strange shift in the room.
My brothers looked away.
The butler stiffened behind me.
And then the king said it:
> "Seraphina Silva… is now engaged."
> "To the First Prince of Dragereth."
---
I didn't move.
The air froze for a moment.
I almost thought I misheard it.
> "It was announced two months ago," he continued gently.
> "A political arrangement. One Duke Zuel and the Dragereth royal family agreed to—"
> "After Seraphina's recovery."
---
My hands slowly tightened on the wooden arms of my chair.
I forced myself to ask:
> "Does… she remember?"
My father's expression dimmed.
> "She has no memories of you."
> "The revival… it came at a price, didn't it?"
---
I looked down.
So she had truly forgotten me.
Just as the orb had warned.
I had saved her life—but she no longer remembered the one who had burned three trillion years just to hold her hand again.
---
My father stepped forward, placing a hand on my shoulder.
> "You don't need to fight alone anymore, Alein."
> "You've given enough. Let us handle the rest."
---
But how could I?
How could I sit still while she smiled at someone else, forgetting the battles we fought… the promise we made… the kiss we shared?
---
> "...Thank you, Father."
> "But I'm not done yet."
I stood slowly, legs still weak but eyes burning with quiet purpose.
> "Let the world forget me."
> "But I won't forget who I fight for."
---
The meeting had ended.
The weight of truth still pressed on my chest, tighter than any armor.
Seraphina… engaged to another.
Her memories of me erased—like I had been a fleeting dream in her past. A whisper that never lingered.
I didn't blame her.
How could I?
She didn't know what we'd shared… what I gave to save her.
But it still hurt.
So, I did what I always did when pain buried itself deep in my chest.
> I walked.
---
The field behind the royal mansion was still untouched by the scars of war.
Waves of white and golden flowers gently danced in the breeze, a thousand little hands reaching toward the sky. Bees buzzed lazily. Birds chirped high above.
I stepped into the field with slow, tired legs, letting the wind touch my face, letting the silence be my medicine.
Each step felt like a reminder I was still alive.
> "So… this is what recovery feels like," I murmured.
I closed my eyes.
And for the first time since waking up…
I reached out inward.
---
> "...Are you still there?"
I sent the thought deep into the realm of my soul.
And as expected…
A familiar, lazy voice returned—like someone had been waiting for a phone call while eating popcorn in another dimension.
> "Took you long enough, dummy."
> "I was starting to wonder if you finally died for real."
---
I sighed.
> "Good to hear your sarcasm again, Goddess."
> "Are you always this rude to the guy you trained for three trillion years?"
> "Only when he's as emotionally constipated as you."
> "Seriously. You look like someone stole your sword and girlfriend at the same time."
---
I gave a dry chuckle and sat in the field.
> "Yeah. About that."
> "She doesn't remember me."
> "Not even a trace."
A pause.
The goddess's voice lowered slightly.
> "...I know."
> "The orb warned you. You still did it anyway."
> "You always were too selfless for your own good, Phoenix Boy."
---
I ran a hand through the flowers beside me, their petals warm from the afternoon sun.
> "Is my soul… alright now?"
> "After all that reconstruction. You said it was shattered."
> "It's stable."
> "Still cracked like old porcelain, but it's whole again. The Phoenix Veil did more than you think."
> "You've finally learned how to use your regeneration… not just for wounds—but for rebuilding."
---
I glanced down at my hand.
No tremor. No pain.
> "I used it earlier. Phoenix Veil. And… there was no recoil."
> "It felt warm. Controlled."
> "Like it knew I didn't want to hurt anymore."
---
> "Because you're not forcing it anymore, genius."
> "The veil isn't a weapon—it's a bond."
> "Your flame only burns when you're trying to protect, not when you're trying to destroy."
---
A long silence passed.
Then—
> "...Also, I may or may not have fine-tuned your soul when you were knocked out drooling for a year."
> "Little adjustments. Nothing huge. Just made your heart less… emotionally dramatic."
I blinked.
> "You messed with my soul?!"
> "Relax! I didn't delete your memories or anything—just gave your emotional circuits some firmware updates."
> "You're welcome, by the way."
---
I sighed again, leaning back onto the flowerbed and staring up at the open sky.
> "Goddess."
> "Thanks. For everything."
---
A beat of silence.
Then her voice grew softer.
> "You're not done yet."
> "But I'll be here. In the soulspace. Watching."
> "Next time you break, I'll bring snacks."
> "...And maybe less sarcasm."
---
I laughed out loud, genuinely this time. The wind blew gently across my face.
> "I'll hold you to that."
---
For a moment longer, I lay there in peace.
My soul, reforged.
My body, rebuilding.
My heart, still aching—but alive.
---
The wind carried my promise back into the sky.
I would stand again.
Even if I had to wait a lifetime—
I'd find my way back to her.
Even if she didn't remember me…
I'd remind her why I loved her in the first place.
Maybe 1 day i will break the rule.....
Chapter 20 end.