chapter-19: Estelle ∬

Aurora Aether — a dimension so rare and distant that even the people of Mirrorworld and Branchworld could barely touch its borders without the system's permission— was considered almost unreachable. It was known as the third most powerful dimension among all worlds, hidden like a secret jewel.

Yet, Estelle achieved the impossible.

By a fate no one could have predicted, she was directly pulled into the ocean of Aurora Aether and discovered by its people. The inhabitants of Aurora Aether, used to their isolated world, were left in awe. Such a phenomenon — a soul from another world finding their way into Aurora Aether — was almost unheard of.

At first, there was hesitation. But slowly, Estelle was welcomed into their society. Her mind, her heart, her talents — none of them lost even when compared to the proud and powerful people of Aurora Aether.

In time, Estelle rose through their ranks.

Not just as a visitor, but as one of them.

She achieved what no outsider had ever done.

She became the number one ranked powerful person across all four dimensions.

Estelle, the girl who once struggled to belong, was now a permanent member of Aurora Aether, teaching and guiding the children of that brilliant world — shaping the future of a place she never even dreamed of.

One evening, after finishing her classes, Estelle noticed something unusual.

Behind the large tree that stood proudly in front of the teaching hall, a small figure was awkwardly trying to hide.

Peeking from behind the trunk was a girl with wild, ginger-red, wavy hair — a red fox.

She was young, far too small to properly conceal herself.

Estelle could easily see her struggle: trying desperately to tuck her large, fox-like ears under her hair, and clumsily attempting to hide her fiery red tail beneath her dress — but failing.

Estelle had never seen this girl before, but in a single glance, she understood.

This child was not fitting into Aurora Aether's society, no matter how much she tried.

The people of Aurora Aether always feared the red fox.

They whispered, they sneered — for in their eyes, a red fox was a curse.

And this little girl, the only red fox in the entire dimension, bore their hatred alone.

Even her own mother had abandoned her the moment she discovered her daughter's true form — the most powerful red fox ever born.

If only someone had taken the time to help her control that overwhelming power, her future could have been different.

But no one ever cared. No one, until that day.

Without a word of judgment, Estelle approached the girl and sat beside her.

She gently asked her name.

It was the first time anyone had spoken to her with kindness.

Her name was Celestina.

From that day onward, Estelle privately began tutoring Celestina, telling her,

"You remind me of an old student of mine... her name was Ludowici."

Bit by bit, Estelle shared her own past — her joys, her losses — with Celestina alone.

And slowly, through patience and trust, they grew close.

Celestina, under Estelle's guidance, became powerful.

Even though the world around them remained harsh, the people of Aurora Aether — trusting in Estelle — had no choice but to finally accept Celestina as one of their own.

Estelle didn't just teach Celestina — she adopted her.

She took care of the little red fox not only as a student, but as her own beloved daughter.

Under Estelle's protection, Celestina grew up happily.

By the time Celestina turned nine, however, peace was shattered.

Aurora Aether broke into war with the Branchworld, aiming to take control over it completely.

As one of the strongest warriors, Estelle was called to fight on the front lines.

Victory came easily for Aurora Aether.

Estelle, unmatched in strength, made it seem effortless.

Until the final battlefield — the moment she was about to end the life of Branchworld's crown prince with her sword.

Until one moment, on a blood-stained battlefield, her sword hovered — trembling — above the heart of the crown prince.

Estelle's hand froze midair.

The boy's face...

The same ice blue eyes, the same Bolayage blonde hair, the same aura she had once loved.

A rush of memories overwhelmed her.

Cooking together, running through fields, soft laughter under the stars.

A whisper bloomed inside her chest.

Ciro...

Her mind didn't even need a second to recognize him.

A whisper, like a family's call, rang inside her chest.

Estelle couldn't bring herself to strike.

Instead, she swiftly cast a powerful spell from her left hand, imprisoning him safely.

When the higher-ups of Aurora Aether arrived, Estelle made her decision clear.

"I have changed the plan. We are taking their crown prince — Tristan — as a hostage."

When they questioned her, Estelle stood firm, her voice steady.

"He will stay at my mansion, under my personal watch, just like Celestina. I will make sure he can never harm Aurora Aether."

Thus, Estelle not only spared a life, but unknowingly opened the door to a new chapter of fate.

After the war ended, Celestina cautiously entered the quiet room where Tristan was imprisoned.

His wrists were bound by shimmering shackles, a magic that only Estelle could forge.

But what caught her attention wasn't the chains — it was his eyes.

"Green eyes..." she whispered, tilting her head in wonder.

He blinked slowly, and in the next moment, the green shifted back into that piercing ice blue.

"Ice blue again..." she murmured. A thoughtful look crossed her face.

"Is the green... your dragon form?"

Tristan said nothing.

His gaze remained cold, unreadable — filled with the quiet fury of a prince wronged.

Celestina knelt a little closer, her voice softer.

"I'm sorry about the war... It was never my intention. Aurora Aether's greed... I can't change it. I'm just a citizen... powerless to defy orders."

Still, he gave no reply. His silence was as sharp as a blade.

She let out a small sigh.

"They planned to kill you, you know," she said quietly, almost bitterly.

"But I spared you. Surely, you could show a little gratitude to your savior?"

At last, Tristan spoke, his voice low and regal, cutting through the heavy air.

"I never asked for your mercy. I would rather die honorably as a warrior... than live under the favor of an enemy."

His words, full of pride and sorrow, struck Celestina like a gust of cold wind.

Estelle, standing behind her quietly, smiled a little sadly and said,

"You will understand one day..."

But inside, Estelle thought

𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦.. 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦. 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘊𝘪𝘳𝘰.. 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶... 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦?.. 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯'𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯.

From that day forward, Estelle treated Tristan with unshakable kindness and patience.

And slowly, Tristan's cold defenses began to crumble.

He couldn't resist the way she cared — not just as a captor, but as something deeper, something fiercely protective.

Against all odds, he, a prince of the defeated Branchworld, fell deeply — hopelessly — in love with her.

Later, after Estelle earned her role as an official informer between the dimensions, her duties often pulled her away.

One evening, Tristan, standing tall and composed, requested

"Release these shackles, Lady Estelle. I swear upon my honor, I shall not betray you. I know well... no force I command could overcome yours."

Trusting his word, Estelle released him.

In her absence, Celestina, now blossoming into her teenage years, often kept Tristan company.

Their strange little family grew — tangled in complicated bonds, but steady and warm nonetheless.

When Celestina turned sixteen, everything between the three of them seemed peaceful.

But even though Estelle shared her old memories with Tristan, even told him of her past life's love story...

Tristan never remembered.

And yet, none of it mattered.

Because, whether it was memory or fate, he had fallen for her again — deeply, irrevocably. ]

"Wait... does that mean Estelle was older than the former crown prince?" I spoke up, curiosity sparking in my voice.

"Well, isn't it obvious that my master is older?" Celestina said, crossing her arms proudly.

"I mean, think about it — my master was already married! And then again, she took care of me until I became a teenager. It's pretty obvious!"

"Ehh... I thought Prince Tristan was older! What the hell!" I blurted out, completely shocked.

Celestina snorted.

"That's probably because you're an idiot, Shin!"

"Ehhh...?? Well never mind so what happened next? " I asked.

[ Working as an informer, Estelle learned countless truths about the dimensions and the hidden system controlling them.

Among her discoveries was a legendary path,if someone could create a portal in the second most powerful dimension, Perennial Pandora, they could escape—to Earth.

But no matter how many years passed, none of her students could even reach Aurora Aether, let alone dream of escaping further.

At first, Estelle felt disheartened.

Yet, just the next year, hope bloomed.

A new group of students, brimming with power, formed. They broke through Mirror World, then conquered Dawn Clown and Arcane Umbra.

Miraculously, they survived — they escaped the traps of those deadly dimensions and entered Aurora Aether itself.

Estelle's heart, once cautious, now truly believed, 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘥𝘰 𝘪𝘵. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘮.

But that hope came at a cost.

Their journey should have ended there — if only Estelle hadn't needed to sacrifice herself.

In the hierarchy of the dimensions, high-ranked beings' hearts were not ordinary, they were made of magic glass stones, a rare, powerful key able to open portals to other worlds.

Estelle, having risen so high, had long been a target.

The Elders of Aurora Aether — jealous and fearful — had tried countless times to kill her with trickery, but they always failed.

Now that they saw their chance, they deliberately corrupted the system's core, trapping the students.

No matter how hard Estelle tried, no matter how fiercely they fought — the portal could not be formed.

Unless...

Unless a high-ranked being willingly gave up their magic glass stone.

Estelle knew the answer immediately.

Without a second thought, she reached into her chest and pulled the shining heartstone free.

The students screamed, begging her to stop, crying uncontrollably.

But Estelle smiled through the blood trickling from her mouth, from her eyes, her soul burning bright even as her body faded.

"I believe in you," she whispered, her voice trembling but fierce.

"Only you can do it..."

Tears blurred the students' vision.

Still smiling faintly, Estelle whispered her last words,

"My journey ends here... but yours must continue."

And with that, she collapsed, lifeless—her heartstone glowing in the students' hands.

Before her death, Estelle had entrusted Celestina with one final promise,

"If one day I die, please protect Tristan from these peoples "

With heavy hearts and the magic stone in their grasp, the group opened a portal.

They fled into the next realm,Perennial Pandora.

But survival was brutal.

They fought, and fought, yet one by one, they fell.

The leader, Aries ,did everything he could to save his comrades, but it was hopeless.

In the end, with death surrounding him, Aries ran away — disappearing without a trace.

No one ever found him again.