Chapter 271

[Third Person's PoV] 

Cid stood atop Kaisel as they soared through the sky, with Celeste perched on his shoulders.

She looked around in amazement as multiple screen-like images appeared around them, displaying what the Shadow Garden members were up to.

*"Woooah! We can see what everyone is doing! That's so cool! Look, there's Mommy and Mama Alpha! It looks like they're heading in the same direction!"* Celeste exclaimed, pointing at one of the screens.

Cid followed her gaze and saw that she was right. Either they were both after the same target, or they were working together. However, they weren't alone—a small squad trailed behind them as reinforcements.

Leading the charge was Beatrix, Alpha's aunt. Her usual stoic, cold gaze was gone, replaced with a look of pure rage and determination.

Cid only spared them a brief glance before something else drew his attention away. He wasn't looking at the screens anymore. Instead, his gaze went past them—toward a single girl who remained where she was while the others had already charged ahead on their dragons.

It was Akane. She stood atop one of Oriana's tallest towers, quietly admiring the city below. Despite having recently fought in a war against celestial deities, the events had passed so quickly that it almost felt like a dream.

She watched the bustling city beneath the night sky with a contemplative expression. Her emotions flickered—fascination at being in a new world, awe at breathing in the unpolluted air, and a sense of surrealism. If she hadn't experienced everything she had in the past month since meeting Cid, she might have been even more impressed.

Cid, meanwhile, wasn't just looking at Akane—he was looking at the string that bound them.

"The strings of fate… They're restless," he observed, watching them twist and tremble as if being constantly plucked.

He sighed. "I see… so she's finally remembering." A soft smile formed on his lips.

*"Who's finally remembering?"* Celeste asked, having overheard him talking to himself.

"The other reincarnator apart from us," Cid replied.

*"Eh?!"* Celeste gasped, standing up on his shoulders and leaning forward to look at him upside down. *"There are others?! Since when?!"*

As she lost her balance, Cid caught her midair and effortlessly placed her back on his shoulders.

"Of course. There are two others," he said.

*"TWO?!"* Celeste pouted. *"And here I thought Daddy and I were the only special ones. Who are they?"*

"One's your Aunt. The other…" Cid trailed off, then snapped his fingers.

In an instant, the strings of fate reacted, pulling Akane from atop the tower and placing her right next to him on Kaisel's back.

*"Seriously? Aunty Claire and Ms. Akane?"* Celeste asked, shaking her head in exasperation.

Akane blinked in confusion before turning toward Cid. "Did you teleport me here?"

"No. I was about to ask why you suddenly appeared. Is something the matter?" Cid replied with a raised eyebrow.

"Wait… You really didn't teleport me here?" Akane asked, looking puzzled. "That's weird…" she mumbled.

Just then, she heard soft giggling. Looking up, she spotted Celeste covering her mouth, struggling to stifle her laughter.

Akane sighed and turned back to Cid with a deadpan expression. "Was lying really necessary?"

Cid merely smirked lazily. "Yes. Yes, it was."

Akane sighed but then turned her attention to the monitors, watching as Alexia flew straight toward her kingdom with a serious expression.

"I believe you wanted to discuss something with me?" Cid inquired, breaking her focus.

She turned to him with a wry smile. "How did—No, that's a stupid question. You're literally a god, and I'm just some angel."

"You do know that Monarchs and Rulers have similar statuses, right? In fact, we're opposites—each other's counterpart. I'm the Shadow Monarch, and you're the Ruler of Light."

Akane snorted. "Similar statuses? Oh, please. We couldn't be further apart." She then smiled warmly. "I appreciate you trying to comfort me, though."

Cid rolled his eyes. "I'm being serious. The reason I got so strong is because I constantly trained and refined my power. The Monarchs were always at war with each other, too focused on conflict to fully explore their abilities. If you keep training, in a few years, you might reach the level I'm at now… Though, of course, I'll have improved even further by then." He shrugged.

Akane took in his words before nodding in acceptance, a small smile forming on her lips.

A comfortable silence settled between them as they continued watching the monitors.

Celeste, meanwhile, moved her gaze between the two, then rolled her eyes dramatically.

'Ugh, get a room, you lovebirds. I'm still right here, you know.'

The silence lingered for a few moments before Akane finally broke it.

"I'm having these strange dreams… They're different from the ones I had before, when flashes of memories about the Genesis Knight would come to me," she admitted.

She hesitated before continuing, her expression troubled. "But unlike those memories—where I knew they were mine—this feels different. In these dreams, I'm not myself. It's like I'm watching a scene from a movie unfold from someone else's perspective. The same scene just keeps repeating over and over in my head."

She turned to Cid, uncertainty clouding her gaze. "I'm not going crazy, am I? Why am I having these dreams? And… what do they mean?"

Cid regarded her calmly. "Can you tell me the details?"

Akane nodded solemnly. "There's a man who keeps appearing in my dreams… His name is Sung Jin-Woo. I could tell right away that he was different from the others. There was something about him… something that set him apart. He was incredibly strong, yet not arrogant. He seemed cold at times, but deep down, he was kind."

Cid smirked playfully. "If you keep talking about another man like that, I might just get jealous, you know~"

Akane blushed. "S-Sorry… Anyway," she continued, regaining her composure, "in my dreams, I knew that he was someone important to me—someone dear. But then… everything changed for the worse."

Her hands clenched into fists. "A massive portal appeared. Everyone believed a great battle was coming—one that could potentially wipe out an entire continent. Everyone from all over the world was gathered as they prepared to face what came out of it… but…" 

She swallowed hard, her voice unsteady. "What came out of that portal was… horrifying. A suffocating presence that threatened to crush us all. It was Antares. But he didn't come alone—the other Monarchs were with him."

Cid's expression darkened slightly, but he remained silent.

"Before they could attack, Jin-Woo acted first," Akane continued. "He looked panicked, but he didn't hesitate. He used his strange power to teleport everyone away—to a desolate battlefield, far from the cities."

Her eyes widened slightly as a realization struck her. "Now that I think about it… his powers were similar to yours. But… weaker."

She shook her head, pushing that thought aside as she returned to her story. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears.

"It was horrible. Everyone was dying. We tried to fight back, but the dragons… There were too many. They were too strong. People screamed. The stench of burnt flesh filled the air. Cities were reduced to rubble."

Her body trembled as she gripped her arms tightly. "We were completely helpless."

She swallowed the lump in her throat before continuing, her voice raw. "I was badly wounded. I had lost an arm… I could barely walk. But I kept moving, searching—desperately hoping that Jin-Woo would return, that he would stop the ones responsible for all this."

Tears spilled freely from her eyes as she looked down, her breath shaky. "I found him in the end. But it wasn't… it wasn't how I wanted."

She choked back a sob.

"I watched from a distance as Jin-Woo was overwhelmed—attacked from all sides. He was losing. And then… before I could even process what was happening, I saw Antares' hand pierce through his chest."

A strangled sob escaped her lips. "He ripped out Jin-Woo's heart… and laughed."

Her legs trembled as if the memory itself was too much to bear.

"I collapsed. I watched his lifeless body hit the ground."

She squeezed her eyes shut, her voice cracking. "Then Antares transformed—he became a dragon far larger than any that had come before. He roared, his laughter echoing across the battlefield, and then… he turned his gaze to Jin-Woo's corpse."

Her fingers dug into her arms as her voice wavered. "He burned him. He burned everything. Flames consumed Jin-Woo's body. And with him gone… there was no hope left."

She let out a shuddering breath. "I gave up. I closed my eyes and stretched my arms out, surrendering to the Flames, letting the fire wash over me, knowing that the world I knew and loved was doomed."

As she spoke, the memories became more vivid—each emotion, each sensation, burning fresh in her mind. She crouched down beside Cid, sobbing uncontrollably.

Celeste, who had been listening intently, was pale. Her small body trembled at the horrific tale. Then, suddenly, she noticed something odd—she was higher up than before.

A large, rough hand gently rested on Akane's head. Her sobs quieted as she heard a deep, melancholic voice—one that resonated with something deep within her soul.

"Don't worry, Cha Hae-In," the voice said softly. "It's alright. There's no need to cry anymore… It's all over, isn't it?"

Akane's body reacted before her mind could process it. The power of her Ruler abilities subconsciously activated. Her body shifted—her features changed. Her hair shortened into golden locks that barely brushed her shoulders, her eyes turning a beautiful shade of gray.

She froze.

Slowly, she turned her head, her breath hitching as she met the gaze of a familiar face. He knelt beside her, his sharp features slightly older, his presence overwhelming yet comforting.

Her lips trembled.

"Jin-Woo…?"

The man before her smiled faintly, his deep voice carrying a warmth that sent her heart racing.

"Hey~ It's been a while, hasn't it?"

Shatter.

Memories surged—flashing through her mind like an unstoppable flood, of another her, of another life. 

Tears spilled over once more, but this time, they weren't just of sorrow.

With a choked sob, she lunged forward, wrapping her arms tightly around him as she buried her face into his chest.

And she wept—this time, without restraint.