Chapter 106: Even If the Flames Consume Me, I Won’t Let You Face Them Alone

The collapse of Winston Tower shook the entire district.

BOOOOOOOOM!

Thousands of tons of steel, concrete, and glass crashed into the ground.

A massive cloud of dust exploded outward, swallowing entire streets.

The earth trembled.

Nearby buildings shook violently as debris scattered across the area.

People watching from a distance froze in horror.

The once-proud tower was gone.

All that remained was a mountain of rubble.

Amid the collapsing structure, Roxanna desperately forced Life Weaver energy through her injured body.

Green light surrounded her.

The severed stump of her left arm glowed brightly as blood continued pouring out.

Pain nearly made her lose consciousness.

But she endured.

She had to.

The collapsing debris crashed around her while Life Weaver energy pushed her body beyond its limits.

A narrow opening appeared between falling pieces of concrete.

Without hesitation, Roxanna threw herself through it.

BOOM!

A huge slab crashed down only seconds after she escaped.

She rolled across broken concrete before finally stopping.

On the other side, Garrick had also survived.

Still in his werewolf form, he leapt away from the collapsing tower at the last moment and landed on the roof of a nearby building.

His chest rose and fell heavily.

Even from a distance, he looked exhausted.

But Roxanna barely paid attention.

Her own condition was horrific.

She was covered in wounds.

Both legs had suffered numerous fractures.

Her ribs ached with every breath.

Most painfully of all, her left hand was gone.

Roxanna bit her lip until blood appeared.

"Ah..."

Sweat rolled down her forehead.

Her healing power surged again.

Green vines of energy wrapped around the severed arm.

The flesh slowly regenerated.

Muscles.

Nerves.

Bones.

Skin.

The process was extraordinarily painful.

Roxanna trembled violently while forcing herself to endure.

She refused to scream.

Several long seconds passed before a new hand finally formed.

The moment it was complete, she nearly collapsed from exhaustion.

"Healing this much at once..."

Her voice shook.

"I’m pushing myself too hard."

Breathing heavily, Roxanna quickly pulled several healing potions from her storage ring.

The bottles had been given to her by Daemon for emergencies.

Without hesitation, she uncorked them and drank.

One.

Then another.

Warm energy spread through her body.

The fractures in her legs rapidly improved.

The remaining wounds stabilized.

It wasn’t enough to fully recover, but she could move again.

And that was all she needed.

"D-Daemon..."

Immediately, she stood up.

The entire area was buried beneath debris.

Smoke filled the air.

Dust obscured visibility.

Broken steel beams and shattered concrete covered everything in sight.

Yet amidst the chaos, Roxanna heard something.

A voice.

A scream.

"AAAAAAARRRGH!"

Her eyes widened.

She recognized that voice instantly.

"Daemon!"

Ignoring her injuries, she began running.

The scream echoed from deeper within the devastated ruins.

As Roxanna approached, her heart sank.

She finally found him.

In the center of a massive crater formed by the tower’s collapse, Daemon was kneeling amidst the rubble.

Both hands clutched his head.

His body was burning.

Black flames covered him from head to toe.

They weren’t ordinary flames.

They looked alive.

Hungry.

Like they were trying to devour him from the inside.

His skin was cracking apart.

Muscles were melting.

Entire sections of flesh disappeared beneath the terrifying fire before regenerating and burning again.

It was a horrifying cycle.

"AAAHHHHH!"

Daemon screamed again.

Roxanna’s heart tightened painfully.

"Daemon!"

She rushed toward him.

The closer she got, the hotter the flames became.

Even she could feel the terrifying heat.

Without hesitation, she raised her hand.

Green Life Weaver energy surged forward.

"Heal!"

A torrent of healing energy enveloped Daemon.

Normally, her power could soothe injuries and stabilize life force.

This time—

It failed.

The black flames consumed the healing energy almost instantly.

Roxanna’s face paled.

"What?"

She tried again.

More Life Weaver energy.

More healing power.

Still nothing.

The flames continued raging.

As if rejecting all outside interference.

"Daemon!"

She called his name repeatedly.

No response.

His consciousness remained buried beneath the chaos consuming his mind.

Panic gradually appeared in her eyes.

Nothing was working.

Her healing powers couldn’t stop the flames.

Her voice couldn’t reach him.

Every second, his condition worsened.

Then Roxanna remembered something.

A connection stronger than words.

A connection that could reach someone even when everything else failed.

Her eyes trembled.

"There is... one more way."

Roxanna slowly approached him.

The black flames licked against her skin.

Pain immediately spread across her body.

But she didn’t stop.

She knelt beside him.

Then lowered herself completely.

Both knees hit the ground.

Green Life Weaver energy surrounded her body like a protective cocoon.

Taking a shaky breath, she wrapped her arms around Daemon.

The moment she touched him, agony exploded through her nerves.

The flames instantly began burning her.

Yet Roxanna only tightened her embrace.

She pulled his trembling body closer.

"It’s okay..."

Tears formed in her eyes.

"I’m here."

Daemon continued struggling.

His body shook violently.

The flames raged even harder.

But Roxanna refused to let go.

Her voice softened.

Memories flashed through Roxanna’s mind.

The days when despair had nearly crushed her.

The nights when she believed she wasn’t strong enough.

The moments when she felt completely alone.

And every single time...

Daemon had been there.

Supporting her.

Encouraging her.

Refusing to let her give up on herself.

Tears filled her eyes as she held him tighter.

"You carried me through my nightmares."

"You gave me strength when I had none left."

"So even if the whole world abandons you..."

"I won’t."

"Not now."

"Not ever."

"You don’t have to fight alone."

More tears escaped her eyes.

"I’m with you."

The flames burned through portions of her clothing.

Her skin began blistering.

Still she held him.

"No matter what happens..."

She buried her face against his shoulder.

"I won’t leave you."

"If you’re suffering..."

"Then we’ll endure it together."

Inside the darkness consuming his consciousness...

Daemon heard a voice.

A familiar voice.

Gentle.

Warm.

The voice that always calmed him.

The voice that never abandoned him.

"...I’m with you."

His shattered thoughts paused.

That voice.

He recognized it.

"Roxanna...?"

The darkness trembled.

Then cracks appeared.

Light seeped through.

Little by little, his consciousness began returning.

The flames around his body weakened slightly.

His trembling eased.

Then—

Another presence arrived.

Sana finally reached the disaster site.

The moment she saw Winston Tower’s ruins, her face turned pale.

"What happened here...?"

The destruction exceeded anything she had imagined.

Her eyes urgently scanned the field.

Searching.

Searching.

Then she saw them.

At the center of the crater.

Roxanna holding Daemon.

Black flames covering his body.

Without hesitation, Sana rushed forward.

She didn’t care about the heat.

She didn’t care about the danger.

All she cared about was him.

"Daemon!"

Arriving beside them, she dropped to her knees.

The sight terrified her.

Daemon looked as if he might disappear at any moment.

Roxanna’s condition wasn’t any better.

Yet neither of them moved.

Sana’s eyes became moist.

"You idiot..."

Her voice cracked.

Then she wrapped her arms around Daemon from behind.

Holding him as tightly as Roxanna was.

"You don’t get to leave us behind."

The moment Sana embraced him—

Something changed.

The bond between them resonated.

A familiar warmth spread through Daemon’s consciousness.

Roxanna.

Sana.

Both of them.

Their presence reached him through the darkness.

Through the pain.

Through Requiem’s lingering influence.

Finally—

Daemon opened his eyes.

His crimson gaze slowly regained clarity.

The black flames began shrinking.

His regeneration surged into action.

Burned flesh regenerated.

Destroyed muscles reformed.

Cracked bones repaired themselves.

The horrifying damage covering his body rapidly disappeared.

Little by little, Daemon returned to normal.

His breathing steadied.

His mind cleared.

The nightmare was ending.

"Sana..."

His hoarse voice barely escaped his lips.

Sana’s eyes instantly widened.

"Daemon!"

Relief flooded her face.

"You’re back!"

Daemon slowly turned his head.

Then he saw Roxanna.

She was still holding him.

Still refusing to let go.

Then Sana looked at Roxanna as well.

For a moment, neither of them could process what they were seeing.

Her entire body became rigid.

"...Roxanna?"

The color drained from her face.

Slowly, Roxanna’s body slumped forward.

The green Life Weaver aura vanished.

Burn marks covered nearly half her body.

Large sections of her skin were charred black from enduring the flames for so long.

The arm she had painfully regenerated earlier looked badly damaged again.

Blood stained her clothes.

And throughout it all, she had remained conscious only long enough to save Daemon.

Sana covered her mouth.

Her eyes widened in horror.

Because Roxanna was smiling.

A weak, exhausted smile.

Just before her body completely collapsed into Daemon’s arms.

"You’re... back..."

And then her eyes closed.