I awoke in the hospital within Albatross Castle hours after I passed out.
Immediately, I jumped out of bed and looked around for Isabella.
I found her sleeping a few beds down surrounded by medics, the King himself, and Walter. I rushed over to her and pushed my way through the crowd.
Her arm was wrapped in a cast and her hair was somewhat singed from the explosion that I caused. But otherwise, she looked completely normal.
I was amazed at how few injuries she actually appeared to sustain from the incident. She breathed softly as she remained unconscious.
"Mizik, you're certainly quite active considering what you've just been through. Perhaps you should lay back down," the King said as he looked over to me.
I didn't want to. I needed to be at Isabella's side while she recovered.
Unfortunately, this man was the King and the father of my fiance.
"Is that an order, your Majesty?" I asked.
He smiled weakly as he looked at me.
"No, it's a simple suggestion. I might be a King, but I'm still a human being like any other, you know?"
The rumors were true. King Ronald is very humble.
"Of course, your Majesty," I said.
The King looked around and waved the medics out of the room. At this point, it was just the King, Walter, and myself, along with Isabella.
"Walter, guard the entrance to the room. Don't let anyone enter," the King said.
"As you wish, sire," Walter said with a bow, and left the room.
I stared at Isabella as she lay in the bed and King Ronald brought two chairs over for us to sit down by her side.
After having a seat, the King began talking to me again.
"Mizik, I believe the story that Walter told me about what happened here. However, I want to hear your side of things. I need you to tell me everything that happened," he said.
I sighed and looked over to him.
"Your Majesty-"
"Ronald. Just call me by my name for now. I want you to talk to me not as the leader of a nation, but as the father of my child. This will go much more quickly if we just forget about all of that for now."
"Ronald, then... I tried to stop her. She just kept insisting on going with me..."
"She's always been very strong-willed. She got it from her mother. Did you know that Isabella is the most stubborn and skilled negotiator in the kingdom? She's a prodigy. But it also makes it hard to refuse her. Now, let's hear it."
"Yeah..."
I began to recount every detail of the story to the King as far as I could remember.
Once I finished explaining, Ronald placed his hands over his face and sighed deeply.
"Mizik, I want to say first off, that you're a good man. Without your strength, Isabella would have died. And I'm forever grateful to you for that..."
I could hear the relief in his voice as he spoke.
"Unfortunately, I cannot allow Isabella to continue adventuring with you."
There it was. Exactly what I had expected to hear.
Honestly, I could say that I was sad to hear it but also relieved.
As much as she had trained, as much as we had grown together, Isabella wasn't on the same level as I was.
If she was incapable of defending against attacks from a monster like that, how could she help me fight the Source?
The only way I could see her safely helping me destroy the Source, was by leading people and granting me any resources necessary to win this war.
"Are you upset by this?" Ronald asked.
"Not at all. If you hadn't said it, I probably would have. She's precious to both of us, you know? She's your daughter...and my fiance. I want her to be safe no matter what happens. Even if she's a little unhappy with it..." I replied.
"I'm glad you see it my way, Mizik. You're very mature for your age, you know?"
"I'm not really in a position to disagree, to be honest. And you can thank my father for that... Although, my circumstances probably had a hand in it," I said.
"Of course. But aside from that, Isabella is the heir to the throne. And at this point, the only one we have. At least, that the people would accept. If Isabella did perish, we would have to train Cassandra to take her identity permanently. And that would be beyond troublesome..."
There were things I wanted to ask him about Cassandra, now that I thought about it, but I figured it could wait.
"Are you curious about my abilities? How I was able to save Isabella?" I asked.
"Based on what you've said, I can only assume it to be divine intervention. And I'm quite aware that you don't have full control over your special power yet. Still, I am curious. But we can talk about it later on," Ronald said.
"Yes sir, I'll keep you updated on my progress."
"Well then, I have some things to attend to. Please, keep watch over her for me while I'm away. If her condition worsens, heal her until she recovers again," Ronald said.
The King stood up and left the room.
After that, I was alone with Isabella.
Honestly, I was sure she'd be pretty upset about some of her hair being singed the way it was. Luckily, most of her body was covered in armor when the explosion happened.
I stared at her face and tried to find any signs of the Black Ooze, but found none.
It was an immense relief.
I watched over her for a while longer before laying my head down beside her and drifting off to sleep.
* * *
As I slept, I could feel as if someone was calling to me.
Over time, the voice eventually became louder and I found myself standing within the temple of the Oracle once again.
The blue flames flickered around me and a familiar shape appeared on the throne.
"Oracle?" I said.
"Yes, Mizik. It is I," she said.
"Why have you brought me here? What's going on?"
"You seem to have twisted the threads of fate in your favor, so I am here to tell you what that means."
I wanted to just leave, in all honesty.
I didn't care about any of this.
Isabella was alive and that's all that mattered to me.
"I'm sorry, Oracle, but I really don't care," I said.
"Unfortunately for you, tampering with the threads of fate is a grave offense in the eyes of the Creator. You have defied the plan previously set for you and broken free of the chain of events that could have led to your victory. Now you will suffer the consequences," the Oracle said sternly.
I gritted my teeth in rage as I glared at the Oracle.
"Your actions have altered the futures of so many people across all of creation. You cannot fathom the repercussions of your actions. If you had just let her die-"
"TO HELL WITH THAT!!!" I screamed.
The Oracle went silent.
"Who the hell decided what I would be doing with my life when I was born!? Who said that I had to suffer? To be miserable!? Is that really my lot in life? My mother died after childbirth, my father was likely eaten by a dragon, I was made homeless, watched my uncle get eaten alive, I was nearly tortured to death, and now....my fiance was supposed to die too? Why not just take the whole damn world!? Why not just kill me as well!?"
"Please calm yourself, Miz-"
"Screw you! How bitter and hateful do I have to be to achieve my 'destiny' of stopping the Source? And what's stopping me from joining him in that case? Compared to you, he might not be such a cruel master!" I continued.
"..."
"If I have nothing to live for, I won't want to live at all. Let me keep her at the very least. If nothing else, I demand that Isabella be allowed to stay."
"Arrogant little...ugh... Truly, that path is more comforting. But it is ultimately pointless. You are merely grasping at straws, you foolish boy!"
"I DON'T GIVE A SHIT!!! IF YOU KEEP BOTHERING ME WITH THIS NONSENSE, I'LL JUST {BURN EVERYTHING TO THE GROUND!!!}"
The Oracle seemed shocked for a moment.
For some reason, my voice sounded strange.
But I meant it.
"This is unprecedented... An error...? No matter..." She said quietly. "I have decided not to grant you any assistance until you do as I say."
"That's fine by me. And while we're on the subject, you know I'm not the one that stopped time, right?" I said.
It seemed weird for me that I was suddenly being blamed when it technically wasn't even my fault.
Sure, I was the one what wanted to save Isabella, but I couldn't stop time.
"What are you talking about?" The Oracle said.
"There was a voice that spoke to me. It stopped time so that I could think and gave me instructions to win," I replied.
"We have no documentation of any of these events and I saw no such tampering. I'm inclined to believe that it may not have happened. From our standpoint, it appears as though you got lucky and your own stubbornness won the battle for you. All because you refused to let her die. Whatever the case, you're stuck with her now. I hope you can make the most of it considering how weak and fragile she is. But I still strongly believe that she would be better off dead," she said.
"Go to hell. You're supposed to be my caretaker, right? You're pretty terrible at your job, Oracle," I said.
"Wretched little mortal! Leave at once and never return! And know that one day, I will enjoy watching you fail!" The Oracle said angrily.
At that moment, before I could give a sarcastic response, everything went completely dark.
* * *
I slowly opened my eyes and felt someone stroking my hair. I looked up and saw Isabella looking at me with a content expression in her face.,
"Isa-"
She placed her hand over my mouth to quiet me immediately.
Isabella leaned closer and whispered in my ear.
"I don't want anyone to know I'm awake yet, if that's okay with you."
"Okay," I whispered.
Luckily, we were still the only ones in the hospital.
The sun had gone down a long time ago and the only thing illuminating the room was a small lantern on the desk next to Isabella's bed.
"Are you alright?" I asked quietly.
"I think so... It seems like my arm might have been broken from that monster. And something about me feels...off..." She said.
"How so?" I asked.
"Like a part of me is damaged. A part that isn't in my body, but somewhere else. It feels like something important is missing."
If memory served correctly, the voice I heard during the battle with the behemoth monster said that Isabella's soul would be scarred
"It feels strange, but I think I'm okay otherwise..." She continued.
"I'm just glad you survived," I said.
"Me too. I wouldn't be able to see that cute face of yours if I had died back there," Isabella said playfully.
I couldn't help but smile at the comment, but my heart still felt heavy.
I had to tell her what her father said.
"Isabella, I have a message from your father."
"I can't go adventuring anymore, can I?" She said suddenly.
I had to admit, she was very smart.
I cast my eyes away and heard her sigh.
"I knew that one day I would nearly lose my life and have my privileges revoked forever. I don't like it, but I don't have a choice. Especially if I really am to take the throne someday..." Isabella placed her hand on my cheek and smiled at me. "I can't leave you alone either, now can I?"
I placed my hand on hers and held it between both of mine.
"Thank you for understanding. I thought you would be harder to convince..." I said.
"I can be pretty stubborn sometimes, but even I know when I'm beaten. Besides, you were on his side too, weren't you?"
"One hundred percent," I said.
Isabella gave me a sad smile.
"In that case, I'll resume my studies and try to help you out as much as I can from here. If you'll let me, of course..." She said.
"Absolutely. We're still a team, Rose. Red River isn't going anywhere, it's just changing shape for now." I said.
Isabella chuckled quietly to herself.
"Oh Mizik! I can't wait to marry you!" She said just before grabbing my shirt and pulling me to her lips.
As I leaned into the kiss, I felt tears streaming down my face.
I almost lost her. The relief that she was alive was overwhelming.
If I hadn't gotten help from that voice, I would be screaming from the pain of losing her.
As I pulled away from her, Isabella looked away and released me.
"S-sorry...sometimes you make it hard for me to control myself, Mizik..."
"I don't mind. I just hope your father would allow at least the occasional kiss," I said.
"We do share a bed. I hope he would allow that. As long as it remains pure, of course."
"Right. But...are you sure that you're okay?"
"I think so. I feel mostly normal. Why do you ask?"
"You were infected. I was really worried. Although...how did that feel? I asked.
"That's quite the question. Let's see if I can answer it properly..." Isabella said.
She began to recount the details of her experience to me.
* * *
Chapter 31.5: The Infection
As Isabella lay on the ground in front of the massive behemoth monster, she was covered in the horrid gas that came from its mouth.
She had already been stunned from the impact on her shield, the pain in her arm, as well as the blow that knocked her to the ground.
She gazed up in horror as the gas flooded her lungs, unconcerned about the strange substance, but terrified of the monster that seemed to be filled with a murderous rage aimed at her.
As Mizik tried valiantly to defend her, Isabella suddenly felt a horrible sensation spreading out through her entire body.
Incredible pain coursed through her as she began to violently convulse on the ground.
Moments later, her consciousness began to fade as a bright light, followed by the sound of a faint explosion erupted in front of her.
But at that point, she could no longer think.
* * *
Isabella felt herself floating in an endless void of white.
She looked around frantically as she tried to figure out what had just happened.
"W-what...what's going on here!?" She shouted.
She was met with silence at first.
Then everything around her began to change.
She continued to look back and forth as the creeping darkness overwhelmed the white void she had been in. Fear flooded into her mind when she saw her own body being consumed by the darkness.
"Mizik!? Where are you!? Please help me!!!"
She screamed as hard as she could, but again only heard silence.
As the darkness closed in around her neck, she began to hear something. A distorted voice of some kind began speaking.
Don't try to resist, dear. You belong to me, now.
"Unhand me! Let me go!"
And why would I do that? Because you said so? No. This entire world is mine. Soon, everyone will be consumed along with it. You are but a tiny particle of sand in an endless desert to me.
Isabella squirmed and tried to break free from the darkness, but it only enveloped her deeper.
Soon she began to hear screaming.
The screams of not hundreds, nor thousands, but of billions of souls in agony.
"What is this!? What's going on here!?" She cried.
The symphony of my victory. The souls of dead worlds cry out in vain to be free from my grasp. And in mere moments, you will be no different. You are but another corpse to the grave that all of creation will soon dwell in. Give up your mind, your body, and soul. They belong to me, now.
"You won't...have me!!!" Isabella screamed as she struggled with all of her might.
I already do. You were infected with my power. And soon, your body will rise again to slay that precious boy of yours. After that, you'll finally be reunited. Isn't that wonderful? No more expectations of you, no more worrying about marriage, no more of life's troubles keeping you down.
After hearing this, the proposition didn't seem so bad to Isabella.
As long as Mizik would be there, how much of this could be considered suffering?
The man she loved more than anything would suffer the same fate... He would join her in the darkness and never be separated from her ever again.
It was all she could ever wish for.
Isabella relaxed herself.
Then...she felt the power of the Source of the Black Ooze.
From where she was, it seemed truly bottomless.
How could they have ever hoped to kill such a person? Truly, such an entity would be called a supreme being...
"As long as...my beloved Mizik joins me...I suppose I..."
Suddenly, Isabella heard something in the distance.
It sounded like someone had called her name.
Excuse me!? HE ACTUALLY MANAGED TO KILL IT!? What the hell...my warrior... Huh. That's new. Damn pest...
Isabella felt a pulse of some kind of energy reverberate throughout the void that she resided in.
Again and again, the wave of energy shot through the darkness. Soon, and to Isabella's shock, the darkness began to shrink away.
Alright then. Fine. Let's see what happens!
The screaming stopped and eventually she could no longer hear that man's voice.
At last, she could hear the voice of the one she loved calling out to her in the distance.
"Greater heal! Greater heal! Greater heal! Please! Don't die on me! Isabella!!!"
Isabella felt tears streaming down her face as she reached out towards the sound and cried out.
"MIZIK!!! HELP ME!!!"
With each pulse of energy, the darkness shrank more and more until it disappeared completely.
A great relief washed over Isabella as she felt a tremendous weight lifted from her. There was a terrible pain all over her body in place of the darkness, however.
She looked at her arms and could see parts of her had eroded as a result.
But she was alive, regardless.
Isabella closed her eyes and everything went dark again.
* * *
The next thing she remembered was moving slowly up the tunnel the group had arrived in. She couldn't move a muscle, but she felt secure as she could feel the presence of someone dear to her.
Mizik was carrying her on his back.
With every heavy step that he made, Isabella could almost hear the creak of his bones. She felt his exhaustion.
"Without a doubt, he must have resorted to that skill of his..." She thought.
She wanted to call out to him. To thank him for saving her life, but she couldn't make a sound.
"Isabella...I love you more than anything in this world. I'll die before I let anything happen to you," He said suddenly.
Isabella could feel her heart leap in her chest at the words he spoke.
Soon after, her consciousness began to fade once more.
Later, she awoke just as Mizik collapsed on the ground.
Moments later, she heard the sound of armored footsteps approaching... And before they reached the two of them, she passed out again.
* * *
Much later, Isabella opened her eyes slowly.
The room around her was dimly illuminated by a lantern, but she had spent enough time here with Mizik to know that it was the castle hospital.
She slowly looked around and saw Mizik asleep with his head down next to her on the medical bed.
Isabella slowly reached out a hand and began gently stroking his hair.
"I love you too, Mizik," she said quietly.
She continued to gently stroke his hair for what seemed like an eternity.
"Of all the men I've ever been engaged to in the past few years, you're the one I want to keep... I'll do anything to make that happen. And even if I can't help you fight your battles, I'll be here to support you always," Isabella thought to herself.
Eventually, Mizik began to stir and opened his eyes.
Isabella smiled warmly at him as his eyes met hers.