[POV Liselotte]

  The roar of the air tearing apart under the pressure of dark mana was still vibrating in my ears. In the throne hall, the atmosphere had turned frigid, and not because of my presence. The darkness that had just erupted on the horizon was tangible, an invisible tide that suffocated the senses. King William remained standing, his jaw tense and his eyes fixed on the shattered windows, while Leah squeezed my hand so hard her knuckles had turned white.

  The sepulchral silence was broken by the sound of frantic footsteps. A group of court mages—men and women who usually wore their robes with unshakable academic dignity—stumbled into the hall. Their faces were twisted by primal panic; some had torn robes, and others clutched their heads as if the surge of energy had triggered an unbearable migraine.

  "Your Majesty! Your Majesty, it is the end!" shouted the apparent leader of the group, falling to his knees before William. "It has happened! The readings... the ancient mana sensors... they all exploded!"

  William lowered his gaze toward them, his voice resonating with an authority that tried to anchor the chaos.

  "Calm yourselves. Breathe and speak clearly. Who has awakened? What do you mean the sensors exploded?"

  The mage looked up, his eyes dited with horror.

  "That signature... that frequency of dark mana... there is no doubt. There is only one historical record that matches such a level of malevolence. Your Majesty... the Demon King has awakened. The entity that was sealed centuries ago has returned to walk upon the earth. And this burst was not an accident; it is a signal, a call to arms for all the legions of the abyss. The demons are pnning something massive, something that will erase humanity from the map."

  A shiver ran through the hall. Leah moved closer to me, seeking the comforting cold of my magic to counter the oppressive heat of the news. My thoughts flew to what Tiara had told me about the maniputed conflict. If the Demon King—or another pawn of those goddesses, as I suspected—had returned, the goddesses’ board was about to burn.

  "Where are the heroes?" I asked suddenly, breaking the tension. "The Church was supposed to send a group to stay in the kingdom and be ready for such events. If the Demon King has returned, they should be the first to step forward."

  King William let out a tired sigh, a mixture of disappointment and bitterness.

  "They are there, Lotte. They’ve been there since the sky turned red."

  William nodded toward a shadowy corner beside the great double doors of the hall. My eyes adjusted to the gloom, and I was stunned. There were no proud warriors or legendary figures. There were five people huddled against the wall, forming a human knot of white armor that now looked like ridiculous costumes. They were shaking violently, and the sounds they made were muffled sobs and gasps of pure terror.

  I approached slowly, with Leah and Chloé close behind me. As the torchlight illuminated their faces, I began to recognize them. It was them. More of my former cssmates from Terra. My mind started working, retrieving names Edward had tried to forget: the boy who always sat in the corner, the athlete who only knew how to shout... and then my gaze stopped on the st figure.

  It was her. Mizuki.

  In my past life, in my existence as Edward Celium, she was the sun around which my entire world orbited. She was the girl I fell deeply in love with, the one who rejected me and whose rejection unleashed the tide of mockery and isotion that destroyed me. She was the reason Edward felt inadequate.

  I froze, waiting for the emotional impact. I expected to feel a stab of pain, bitterness, or perhaps a twisted joy at seeing her so reduced. But, to my absolute surprise, I felt nothing. No sadness, no happiness, no resentment. When I looked at her, I only saw an unfamiliar, frightened, broken girl who held no power over the woman I had become.

  It was like looking at an old photograph of someone you no longer knew. Edward’s shadow had finally dissipated. I felt light, almost euphoric at my own indifference. Leah, who had been watching me closely from the side, noticed the change in my aura. She saw my expression soften and that the cold emanating from me was no longer defensive, but protective. Leah gave a small smile, understanding without words that the ghost that had tormented me had finally died.

  "You can’t stay like this," I said, softening my voice as I approached the group of heroes. "If the people of the kingdom see their supposed saviors in this state, the chaos already ruling the streets will turn into a fire we won’t be able to extinguish. Please, stand up."

  I crouched in front of them, ignoring the dark pressure still hanging in the air.

  "It’s normal to be afraid. What we just felt shook even the most veteran mages. But you are Gaia’s Heroes, right? You have power that others don’t. Breathe. King William is organizing the defenses, and we are here with you. You are not alone in this unfamiliar world."

  My words, charged with a warmth Edward could never have projected, began to take effect. The friendly, comforting tone, free of judgment, helped the heroes regain their composure. One by one, they stood up, wiping their tears and adjusting their cloaks.

  They introduced themselves with still trembling voices before Princess Leah, who received them with the dignity of a sovereign. They named their titles: the Shield Hero, the Wind Hero... but when it was Mizuki’s turn, she couldn’t fully stand. Her face was gaunt, with deep dark circles that spoke of nights of nightmares in the Church’s territory, and a sadness so deep it seemed to have stolen her soul.

  "I... I am..." she tried to say, but her voice broke. She was the only one who couldn’t calm down. The Demon King’s burst seemed to have triggered a trauma that went beyond simple fear of death.

  I stepped closer and pced a hand on her shoulder. I felt Leah, a few meters away, tense slightly, a fsh of natural jealousy crossing her fiery eyes when she saw me so devoted to another woman. However, when Leah saw the purity of my intention—a compassion that sought nothing in return—her expression rexed, and a small proud smile returned to her lips. She knew her Lotte was simply like that: warm toward those who suffered.

  "Mizuki, look at me," I said softly, using her first name for the first time, though she had no idea why I knew it. "You don’t have to be a legend today. You just have to be yourself and breathe. Fear is just mana reacting to the unknown. I’ll help you stabilize."

  I let a small, very gentle current of ice mana flow through my hand into her. It wasn’t to freeze her, but to cool the panic burning through her nervous system. Mizuki looked at me with misty eyes, lost in the beauty and security I projected. She didn’t see Edward, she saw Liselotte, an angel of frost pulling her out of the abyss.

  "Thank you..." she whispered, clutching my arm. "Really, thank you..."

  Leah then stepped closer, positioning herself beside me and wrapping an arm around my waist, marking her territory subtly but firmly, which made me blush slightly.

  "Lotte is right," Leah said, looking at the heroes with authority. "Whirikal doesn’t need trembling martyrs, it needs allies who can stand on their feet. My father will give you rooms and expin the situation. But remember: here, strength doesn’t come from a divine title, but from the will to protect those who cannot defend themselves."

  The heroes nodded, visibly calmer thanks to Leah’s leadership and the warmth I had given them. As the guards guided them to their quarters, I remained watching the closed door, feeling the weight of the past finally turn into dust. The sky was still red and the Demon King had awakened, but as I felt Leah’s warmth at my side, I knew there was no darkness that could make me return to being that boy of misfortune again.