Crystal always had chaos. She just wanted to kill Noah before dying.
Blood fell like rain. Not the blood of the fallen this time — but hers.
Her body twitched, her eyes shot open, and the world that had dimmed came back with a violent pulse of power. Her once-dark eyes now glowed a deep, venomous green — slit like those of a serpent. The cliff trembled under her as the air rippled with pressure.
The snow around her hissed, melting where she stood.
Crystal's hand moved slowly to the sword buried in her abdomen. Her fingers wrapped around the hilt. Then — with a sharp, wet sound — she pulled it free.
Her breathing was ragged, uneven. The pain was dull now, numbed by the heat surging inside her. Chaos stirred — wild, hungry, alive.
She looked around and froze.
Shapes moved through the mist of red snow — soldiers. Her soldiers. The Asura Guard. Every one of them had their blades drawn, circling her like predators around a wounded beast.
Her face went still. Only her eyes moved, scanning their faces — men and women she had trained, fought beside, trusted.
Then Noah's voice came, steady and cold. Did you really think I'd leave after stabbing you?" He stepped forward, the snow crunching under his boots. "I just needed time."
Crystal's expression didn't change. The glow in her eyes flickered dangerously. "Noah…" she whispered, her voice low. "You planned this."
"Of course." His tone was almost casual. "You've always been too sharp to kill in one strike. But poison—" He smirked faintly. "Poison works on everyone."
Crystal blinked. Then the dizziness hit. Her vision blurred, her heartbeat slowed. Her sword slipped slightly in her grasp.
"Poison…" she muttered. Her hand moved to her side, where the wound was still leaking warmth — but that wasn't it. It wasn't spreading from the stab. It was already inside her.
And then she remembered.
The water. The flask.
The Asura soldier who'd handed it to her — the same soldier who'd said, "The king seeks your presence."
Her mind blanked for a moment, then filled with white-hot rage.
"You…" she whispered. "You poisoned me."
The surrounding soldiers didn't answer. They just tightened their circle, their eyes avoiding hers.
Her hand trembled. Not from fear — from fury. "After everything I've done for you…" She glared at Noah, her voice shaking. "Why?"
He tilted his head slightly. "Why?"
"Yes, why?" Her voice cracked. "I fought for you. I conquered kingdoms for you. I buried men and women under my sword — all for you!"
Her vision blurred again, but she forced herself to stay upright. "Do you have any idea what I sacrificed to put you on that throne?"
Noah's expression didn't change. "You did what you were born to do, Crystal. To fight."
Crystal's breath hitched. "Born to fight?"
"You were never meant to rule," he said quietly. "You're a weapon, not a queen."
She laughed bitterly, blood trickling from her lips. "A weapon, huh? Then you really are your father's son."
Noah's eyes narrowed. "Careful, Crystal."
"Why?" she spat. "Going to stab me again?"
The soldiers shifted uneasily, the air thick with killing intent — hers, not theirs.
She stumbled slightly, then caught herself, forcing her legs to stay steady. "You… you used me."
"I did what I had to," Noah replied calmly.
"For what?!" she demanded. "For power? For your damn throne? I was your queen, Noah. Your wife."
He didn't answer. He didn't have to. His silence said everything.
Crystal's lips trembled. The fury in her chest twisted with something heavier — grief. "All this time… I thought I was fighting for us."
Noah's expression softened just a little — and that hurt her more than any blade.
"Don't look at me like that," she whispered. "Don't you dare look at me like you pity me."
She took a step forward. The guards instantly raised their weapons.
Crystal's vision dimmed again, but she didn't stop. "You know… I always wondered why you married me. The general's granddaughter. The perfect war asset."
The words came slowly, each one heavier than the last. "My grandfather gave you troops. My family gave you backing. And I… I gave you victory."
She chuckled weakly, shaking her head. "And all you ever gave me was this scar."
Her fingers brushed the mark on her cheek. The reminder of the first war she'd fought for him.
The scar she once wore with pride.
Her voice broke. "You didn't love me, did you?"
Noah's silence was the answer she'd feared.
A tremor ran through her body, and suddenly she remembered — flashes of her younger sister's smile, her grandfather's stern voice, their bodies lying among ruins years ago.
Her heart froze. "You… killed them."
Noah's eyes didn't move. "They were threats."
Crystal's vision blurred again. She could barely breathe. "My sister… she was fifteen…"
"She was loyal to your grandfather," Noah said, tone cold. "And he would have never let me rule freely. I couldn't allow that."
Something inside her broke.
For a long moment, there was only the wind — quiet, heavy, and cruel.
Then Crystal laughed.
It wasn't mocking this time. It was broken. Desperate.
"You took everything from me," she said softly. "My family. My home. My heart."
Her grip tightened on her sword. The veins on her hand pulsed green, the poison mixing with the chaos energy inside her. The ground trembled faintly.
Noah stepped back. "Crystal. Don't—"
"Too late," she whispered.
Her eyes flared with emerald light as chaos energy surged from her body. The snow around her ignited in eerie green flame, and the air grew hot enough to shimmer.
Several soldiers cried out, backing away as the fire licked at their armor.
"Get her!" Noah shouted.
They charged.
Crystal raised her sword. "Cycle Sword Art… Fourth Form—"
Her body moved in a blur. Green fire trailed behind her blade as she spun, the sound of wind slicing through air like a serpent's hiss.
"—Serpent Slash!"
Three guards fell before they even realized she'd moved. The snow around them melted into glowing embers as she charged again, the world spinning from poison and fury alike.
She aimed for Noah.
He met her halfway, his own sword drawn — gold clashing with green, sparks flashing in the cold.
The force of the collision sent ripples across the cliff, but Noah was ready. He twisted, deflecting her strike and stepping aside.
Crystal coughed blood, staggering but refusing to stop. She raised her sword again, screaming —