Jarek watched the entire exchange unfold, disbelief tightening in his chest. The Sacaler and Vorthis empires—once bitter rivals—were now poised to become allies. One thing was clear: this alliance threatened his perfect life. The Vorthis Empire would grow stronger, and his path to power would vanish.
He'd already dealt with Raven. That problem was behind him. Now, only the Vorthis royal family stood in his way. If the empires truly united, he would have to face both of them combined.
As his thoughts focused on Aeren, Emperor Baltazar exited the hall. Jarek noticed something peculiar: the Empress and the rest of the royal family were absent. A slow smile crept across his face. This is it. Perfect timing. I just need to make Sacaler believe Aeren is worthless. That'll destroy this alliance.
He turned to Nil, who stood nearby watching the proceedings. "Wait here," he said confidently. "I'll return with good news."
Nil blinked, puzzled by his sudden self-assurance. She watched him stride purposefully toward Aeren, curiosity gnawing at her. Despite his instructions, she decided to follow.
Aeren was preparing to leave when Jarek appeared, blocking his path. His eyes burned with barely contained fury. Aeren met his gaze calmly, though exhaustion weighed heavily on him.
"It's been a while, Jarek."
The hall fell into expectant silence. Nobles, young ladies, and even Princess Olivia turned to witness this confrontation. Jarek studied Aeren's face, noticing the forced smile that didn't reach his eyes.
Does he see me as a threat now? Jarek thought with satisfaction. Too late, Aeren. You should've feared me earlier. We could've been allies, but you chose to eliminate my people. That was your fatal mistake. Now you'll witness the true power of someone who's lived multiple lives...
Just as Jarek prepared to strike—whether verbally or physically—the hall froze in stunned horror.
Aeren was bleeding.
Not from any visible wound, but from everywhere at once. Blood seeped from his eyes, scalp, and palms. It poured like crimson sweat, rapidly staining his pristine white robes.
Jarek stumbled backward, completely stunned. I didn't even touch him...
The nobles recoiled in shock. Confusion rippled through the crowd like wildfire. Princess Olivia, standing closest to Aeren, stared in horror as his white garments became completely soaked in red.
She looked around desperately. No one moved. No one spoke. Everyone seemed paralyzed by the terrifying spectacle.
Should I call for a healer? Before she could shout for help, someone rushed forward.
Aeren felt the warm blood coating his skin, flooding his eyes, filling his mouth. He couldn't see clearly. He couldn't breathe properly. His thoughts became increasingly blurred. It's been a week since my realm shattered... and the bleeding hasn't stopped. New blood regenerates constantly... but it just keeps pouring out... and I can barely stay conscious. My eyes are struggling to remain open...
His legs gave way, and he began collapsing toward the floor when someone caught him before he could fall. Startled by the unexpected help, Aeren struggled to see who had aided him—and found himself gazing into soft blue eyes filled with genuine worry.
That expression of concern made Aeren smile despite his condition. He could guess who she was. "Quella..." he whispered to himself, but his words reached Nil's ears.
In that moment, even though Aeren collapsed into Nil's arms, she didn't feel uncomfortable holding him. From the very first time she had seen him when she was working as a maid, she had felt an inexplicable attraction to him. Nil had always harbored a secret desire to connect with Aeren, but she'd consistently suppressed those feelings, convincing herself he was merely a bully.
But after the second world awakening, everything had changed. All of them had gained something from their transformation, and Nil was no exception. She had acquired new colors and recovered memories of her past life, learning everything about Aeren's true nature. Those recovered memories helped her understand her desire for him and why she had always found him attractive despite their conflicts.
Nil observed his bloodied body but didn't attempt to heal him. She knew that if she tried to use her healing abilities on Aeren in this state, his body would likely explode from the internal pressure. Healing would be far too dangerous for him right now.
Princess Olivia noticed that Nil was taking no action and approached her with growing concern.
"Hey, what are you doing?" Olivia couldn't understand Nil's apparent inaction while Aeren's blood continued pouring from his body like sweat and he remained unconscious.
Jarek was equally shocked by Nil's reaction to Aeren. He had never seen her behave this way and wanted to question her, but Princess Olivia spoke first, leaving him silent though he remained where he stood.
Nil lifted her head to study Princess Olivia, taking in her frightened expression. The princess wore an elegant brown dress that complemented her hair perfectly—anyone who saw her would be mesmerized by her beauty.
After studying Olivia carefully, Nil couldn't determine whether the princess truly cared for Aeren or was simply shocked by the situation. Unable to decide if she could trust her with information about Aeren's condition, Nil felt that explaining would be useless and returned her attention to the unconscious prince.
Lifting Aeren carefully in her arms, Nil ignored Princess Olivia completely and turned toward his chambers, leaving behind a single cold statement: "This does not concern you."
Princess Olivia couldn't comprehend Nil's motives. She couldn't tell whether this girl had some special relationship with Aeren or was simply a healer taking him for treatment. That curiosity consumed her, and she began following them when a new voice interrupted.
"Where are you going, Nil?" Jarek spoke with an uncertain voice, unsure whether to stop her or not. He sensed something different about her—she no longer gave him the warm attention she had before her second awakening. She rarely smiled at him anymore and barely seemed to value their relationship.
Jarek had tried desperately to see glimpses of her previous kind and beautiful nature—the innocence and compassion he had rarely encountered in people of this era. She used to help others willingly without being asked, but after her second awakening, she had become detached from the world. She had grown distant from him, speaking less and less, rarely helping anyone anymore. In fact, she wouldn't help people even when they specifically asked.
Jarek began doubting whether she was the same person he had admired, or if she had become someone else inhabiting Nil's body. But he shook his head, unable to believe such a thing.
Jarek's first instinct was that Nil had been possessed—that someone else now inhabited her body. But he quickly rejected this idea. When someone takes over another's body, they bring their own personality traits with them. Nil, however, hadn't developed new characteristics; she had simply lost all trace of who she used to be, becoming a hollow shell with no defining features whatsoever.
His second thought was that she might have lived multiple lifetimes, becoming so jaded by repeated experiences that nothing in this world could spark her interest. Yet this explanation didn't satisfy him either. Even the most world-weary soul who had lived through countless existences would still yearn for something they hadn't discovered—some unexplored emotion, relationship, or experience that had remained elusive across all their lifetimes. Nil's complete emotional detachment went beyond even that kind of weariness.
Yet she had specifically wanted to attend Aeren's birthday celebration. Jarek had felt hopeful when she expressed this desire, thinking she might be seeking social interaction to find something that could rekindle her interest in life. He hadn't wanted to attend Aeren's birthday himself, but he had decided to accompany her because she seemed genuinely excited about the festive atmosphere.
But Jarek never could have predicted that Nil would rush to protect the very person who had tormented her—someone she had never once defended herself against before. He was so stunned by Aeren's horrific condition that he had momentarily forgotten about Nil's bewildering behavior. She had appeared relatively normal during the earlier celebration, but now the joyous birthday had transformed into a bloody catastrophe.
Jarek began remembering everything that had happened a week ago, realizing that something about Nil felt fundamentally wrong. That's why he had spoken to her, though he couldn't tell whether she wanted to harm him or had some other plan for Aeren's body.
Nil didn't turn toward Jarek, didn't respond to him, and ignored him completely without any regard for his reputation. She continued walking toward the stairs leading to Aeren's chamber.
Suddenly, Ellie positioned herself directly in Nil's path, forcing her to stop. The two young women stood opposite each other, their eyes locked in a tense stare.
The knife that Aeren had given Ellie materialized in her hand while her gaze remained fixed on Nil.
"What are you doing?" Nil questioned Ellie, sensing the killing intent hidden in the princess's eyes—concealed from others but clearly visible to her. She could see that Ellie wanted to eliminate Aeren.
Ellie's eyes remained focused on Nil with confusion and determination. "I could ask you the same thing. What are you doing?" She prepared to attack, knowing she would never get another opportunity like this to eliminate Aeren if she let him escape now.
As both young women faced each other, the silence in the hall became increasingly intense. All the nobles watched the situation with bated breath, but no one had the authority to interfere with the royal family. Though they admired Nil's courage in challenging the princess, none dared raise their voice in support.
Olivia and Jarek stood side by side, ready to witness this confrontation unfold, feeling the weight of the suffocating silence that had descended upon the hall.