Chapter 154: ¹⁵⁴ The Person Who Saves The World Is Usually Not The One Who Whants To Save It

?Ethan descended from the balcony without a sound.

?From the stairs, he could still hear Asrof in the backyard, giving instructions to the villagers in a voice he forced to remain steady. Ethan did not stop.

?His leather boots treaded against the cracked wooden floorboards. His dark coat still bore dried bloodstains from Zenithar, and his black shirt was rumpled. Yet his posture was erect, his presence denser and more solid than before. His Sin Mana had stabilized.

?He stepped into the main hall.

?Every pair of eyes locked onto him. Isolde stood near the extinguished hearth. Lilith leaned against the wall with arms crossed. Miya sat on a small stool, clutching her medical bag tight against her chest. Caelum stood in a corner, his gray coat still caked in dirt. Valera sat on a wooden chair wrapped in fresh bandages, her Zweih?nder propped beside her. Kaelia stood by the window, a small, dim flame flickering in the palm of her hand.

?Ethan stopped in the center of the room, looking at each of them in turn. There was no grand speech.

?"I’m heading to Astrea."

?"When?" Isolde asked.

?"Now."

?Silence descended. Outside, the wind rattled the hanging debris of the shattered roof.

?"I expected as much," Isolde said. "I’m ready."

?Ethan offered no verbal reply, but he took mental note of it.

?Isolde was the first to step forward, her platinum-blonde hair swaying gently. "I’m coming with you."

?She said it without a shred of hesitation, as though she had made up her mind long before Ethan entered the room.

?"Me too," Lilith chimed in from the wall. A subtle smirk touched her lips, her small fangs glinting faintly. "You didn’t even ask if I wanted to."

?"You’re coming anyway."

?"Fair enough."

?Miya stood up from her stool. She hugged her medical bag tightly against her chest, her pointed ears twitching nervously. Her face was pale, yet she did not back down. "I-I will go as well, my Lord."

?"No."

?Miya froze.

?"You’re staying," Ethan continued. "Cornelius hasn’t regained consciousness. Valera and Kaelia are still wounded. Elara is still asleep. You’re the only one who can keep them alive."

?Miya lowered her head for a long moment before nodding faintly. "I understand, my Lord."

?Caelum stepped out from the corner. "I’m going with you."

?Ethan turned to him. "You barely survived."

?"I’ve slept for two hours. That’s enough. I have nowhere else to go." Caelum’s blue eyes locked directly onto his.

?"Do you want to be king?"

?"I want to make sure the kingdom doesn’t fall into the wrong hands."

?Ethan stared at him for a long moment. Then, he gave a subtle, almost imperceptible nod.

?Valera stood up, her face pale. The bandages around her right arm were still damp with blood. "I’m going too, Master. I can still fight with one arm."

?"That’s precisely what concerns me. You’re injured. You’ll only be a liability."

?Valera fell silent, her jaw clenching tightly. She wanted to argue, but the words were far too cold to contest.

?"I need you here," Ethan added. "Protect Elara. Protect Cornelius. Guard the house."

?Valera bowed her head deeply, accepting the order.

?Kaelia stepped forward, the flame in her palm flaring brighter. "I’m not just sitting here doing nothing."

?Ethan looked at her. His gaze wasn’t angry or cold; it was simply a quiet request.

?"If they come again, don’t fight them. Take Elara and Cornelius and run. Isolde’s seal will hold them off long enough."

?Kaelia bit her lower lip. The flame in her hand shrank before snuffing out entirely. She turned her face away and muttered a low curse.

?"If you die out there, Ethan, I’ll personally bring you back to life just to kill you myself."

?"I know."

?Yet she accepted it all the same.

?Fifteen minutes later, Ethan changed into a clean black shirt. His coat was brushed clean, and his damp hair was combed back with his fingers. On his shoulder blades, two points throbbed with a slow, heavy pulse. Azhyrael was waiting.

?Isolde had swapped Berta’s borrowed dress for travel robes, her hair tied back neatly. She had erected a concealing seal around Elara’s room so the golden glow wouldn’t be visible from the outside.

?"This will only mask the light," she informed Ethan. "It won’t protect her from actual harm."

?Ethan nodded. He then penned a brief message for the surviving instructors at Zenithar.

?Lilith concealed her black fingernails inside her gloves and tightly folded her membranous wings against her back.

?Before leaving, Ethan paused in front of Miya.

?"Take good care of my sister."

?Miya nodded rapidly. "I-I will guard her with everything I have."

?Ethan acknowledged her response. "Thank you."

?Miya’s fingers trembled as she let go of her hold. "My Lord... please return safely."

?"Watch over them."

?"I will protect them with my life."

?He walked past Elara’s room, pausing briefly at the threshold.

?He did not enter. Isolde’s seal glowed faintly along the doorframe, dimming and obscuring the white-gold light within. His sister remained lying in bed, her breathing calm and steady.

?"Wait for me, Elara," he whispered softly.

?He turned around and didn’t look back again.

?Out in the front courtyard, Asrof stood before the twelve surviving villagers. They were thin, pale, and trembling despite the warmth of the late afternoon sun. Yuna stood beside him, clutching a tray of untouched water cups to her chest. Berta wept quietly at the doorway. Valera and Kaelia stood right behind her.

?Ethan stepped out without a sword or a weapon, bearing only the two pulsing points on his back. Isolde, Lilith, and Caelum followed close behind.

?Asrof stepped forward, his voice raspy. "I will guard the house, Young Master. Lady Elara. Everything."

?Ethan looked at him for a brief second. "I trust you."

?Asrof bowed deeply, his shoulders quivering. Behind him, an elderly man among the survivors stared at Ethan for a long moment without saying a word. There was no hatred in his eyes—only a profound, nameless exhaustion.

?Ethan looked across their faces. Twelve people out of more than three hundred. He couldn’t bring back those who were lost. All he could do was ensure no one else followed them into the grave.

?Yuna stepped forward hesitantly, hugging the tray of water tightly against her chest. Her eyes were swollen, her lips trembling. "Young Master... please come home."

?Ethan looked down at her. "I will."

?He turned away.

?The two points on his shoulder blades detonated with power. Azhyrael unfurled—pitch-black at the base, shifting into a deep crimson toward the tips. The burst of wind swept across the courtyard, sending dust and lingering ash swirling through the air. A few villagers recoiled in shock, while Berta let out a stifled gasp.

?"Get on."

?Isolde stepped forward without hesitation and wrapped her arms around Ethan’s neck. Lilith spread her membranous wings wide and hovered beside them with a subtle smirk, carrying Caelum in her grasp.

?"Hold on tight."

?Azhyrael beat the air.

?BOOM!

?They shot into the sky. The Valen courtyard shrank into a speck within seconds. Asrof remained bowed low. Yuna was still clutching her tray. Kaelia stood at the threshold with a tiny flame flickering in her hand, Valera standing firm right beside her.

?Ethan glanced down once. Only once.

?Then he set his eyes straight ahead.

?Several dozen minutes later, Cornelius opened his eyes.

?A wooden ceiling. Cracked, with a small hole in the corner. Late afternoon light filtered through the gap in the curtains.

?He tried to move. His left arm was wrapped tight in bandages, throbbing with pain. He turned his head slowly.

?Valera sat on the chair beside his bed. Her golden eyes were dull, yet she remained alert and awake. Only now did Cornelius realize how frail his own body felt on that mattress, and just how long Valera must have been sitting there watching over him.

?Cornelius cleared his throat, his voice scratchy and faint. "Ethan?"

?Valera remained silent.

?Cornelius closed his eyes. "He’s gone?"

?"Just left."

?Cornelius opened his eyes once more and looked toward the window. An amber sky. Dusk.

?"Zenithar?" he asked.

?"Lady Isolde sent a message to the surviving instructors."

?Cornelius gave a weak nod. "And Elara?"

?"Still asleep. Lady Miya checked on her a moment ago. Her breathing is calm."

?"Good."

?Silence stretched between them.

?"I may not see him again."

?Valera gripped the edge of the blanket tightly. "Don’t talk like that."

?Cornelius offered a faint, tired smile. "I’m old, child. I’ve lived a long enough life. And only now have I come to understand something."

?Valera waited.

?"The person who saves the world is usually not the one who wants to save it."

?Valera stared at him for a long moment. "Then who is?"

?Cornelius closed his eyes. His breathing was shallow yet steady. "They only do it because they have no other choice."

?"And the price?"

?"They’ll either pay it, or refuse to pay it." His voice faded into a faint whisper. "I don’t know which is more dangerous."

?Valera lowered her head, her fists clenching atop her lap. She said nothing more.

?Outside, the sun sank below the horizon.

?The night sky stretched out, vast and endless.

?Ethan flew through the biting chill of the spring breeze. Isolde was positioned before him, her arms tightly locked around his neck. Lilith hovered to his left, her membranous wings half-spread against the night air.

?No one spoke.

?He thought back to the room he hadn’t entered, and the faint seal humming along its frame.

?Astrea was still far away—hundreds of miles off. Yet Ethan could feel its presence like a magnetic tug in his chest. The Vampire Queen was waiting.

?Below them, the sprawling pine forest gave way to a river shimmering under the moonlight, followed by quiet little towns as yet untouched by the ravages of war. The people down there slept peacefully. Ethan felt no envy.

?He stared toward the west. On the horizon hung a subtle red glow—the lingering trace of the Crimson Night.

?"I can smell Astrea from here," Lilith murmured from his left. "A sweet, sickening fog. Like a freshly opened grave."

?The wings of Azhyrael throbbed in perfect unison with his heartbeat. His circuit flowed tight and dense, entirely free of cracks. For the first time since Zenithar, this body felt truly his own.

?He flapped his wings with greater power. Astrea drew nearer with every passing moment, and within his chest, something hardened. It wasn’t hatred. It wasn’t rage. It was something far colder. Resolve.

?He hadn’t heard Cornelius’s words, but he had long understood their truth. He didn’t care whether he saved the world or not. He didn’t care whether he was a hero or a monster. He cared about only one thing.

?No one was going to die.

?Not Elara. Not Isolde. Not Kaelia. Not Valera. Not Miya. Not Lilith. Not Laras. Not anyone.

?He would return to Astrea. He would face the Vampire Queen. He would find another way.

?Or he would die trying.

?"Astrea," he whispered to the wind.

?Azhyrael beat the air, and they flew straight into the gathering storm.