I'm sorry, my love. I have to do this. Ember's thoughts echoed in her mind, each word heavy with regret. I have no other way out. I didn't betray you… I'm not like the others.
Her violet eyes remained fixed on Ray, her face as calm and cold as a frozen lake. But beneath that unyielding mask, her heart was breaking.
Please… don't call me a disappointment, she pleaded silently, her chest tightening. Don't look at me with those empty, emotionless eyes. It's all true… I did love you. Only you. Always you.
Her mind was a storm of emotions guilt, sorrow, and an unbearable weight of helplessness. Yet, on the surface, she was a perfect picture of composure. Her expression betrayed nothing, as though Ray's words hadn't reached her.
Ray's silver eyes bore into hers, unblinking, emotionless. They pierced through her defenses, leaving her feeling stripped and exposed despite her carefully constructed facade.
You don't understand, Ray, she thought, her inner voice trembling. I had no choice. The burden of my family's mission… the deal they made… it left me with no way out. I couldn't protect you and keep your trust at the same time. I couldn't save us.
Her gaze flicked to his trembling hand, frozen mid-air between them, as though it couldn't decide whether to pull away or reach forward. The sight of it broke something inside her.
Even now, you stand there… enduring this pain… holding yourself together for me. For someone who doesn't deserve it.
For a moment, her lips parted, and her voice wavered in her thoughts. I'm sorry, Ray. I'm so sorry. You don't know how much I wanted to protect you from all of this. I didn't betray you not in my heart. I loved you… I still love you.
But she said nothing. Not a word.
Her lips pressed into a firm line as she forced the emotions swirling inside her to retreat. Her hands trembled at her sides, but her face remained a blank canvas, betraying none of the chaos within.
Ray's gaze lingered on her a moment longer before he turned his head slightly, as if already dismissing her from his thoughts. That small, dismissive movement shattered her more than any words could have.
Her violet eyes flickered, the barest hint of sorrow flashing through them. She fought to bury it. She had to.
It's almost over, Ember, she told herself, her resolve hardening. Just a little longer. Finish the mission. Complete the deal. Then… then maybe I can make it right.
She swallowed hard, her throat tightening. Once he becomes useless to them, I'll take him back. I'll give him his cultivation again, even if it costs me my life. I'll let him hate me. I'll let him punish me. Whatever he wants, I'll accept it.
Her gaze drifted to his silver eyes again, her heart aching. But don't look at me like that, Ray. Please… don't let me be the one who destroys you.
Despite the storm of emotions consuming her, Ember stood silent and unmoving. Her face was unreadable, her inner turmoil hidden behind a mask of cold indifference. The battle raging within her would remain hers alone.
Ray's silver eyes met Ember's emotionless gaze, his own unreadable, but the weight of despair in them was unmistakable.
"Honestly," Ray began, his voice quiet and hollow, "now that I think about it… I don't have any reason to live anymore, do I? My family doesn't love me. I don't have my cultivation. And the one reason I held onto life… you… turned out to be something that never should've happened."
Ember's heart clenched at his words. No… no, don't say that, she prayed silently, panic rising within her. It's over, isn't it? His cultivation is gone. The judgment should be over. Why is this still happening?
Ray's hand, which had hovered mid-air, finally moved. Gently, softly, it came to rest against her cheek.
Her eyes widened, trembling.
His hand… Ember thought, her mind racing. Even after everything I've done to him… he's still gentle. He's still so soft… The overwhelming flood of emotions nearly broke through her mask. Her eyes trembled, but her face remained still.
Ray's touch was tender, yet his voice was devoid of life. "Maybe this life isn't worth living anymore," he murmured. "What's the point of continuing? And, most importantly…" He paused, his silver eyes locking onto hers. "I don't want to live, at least not hating you. I'd rather… die."
Ember's pupils dilated in shock. "No…" she whispered in her thoughts, her panic spiraling. But before she could react, before she could move even a fraction of an inch, her body froze.
She couldn't move. Not even her pupils responded.
Ray's hand, still resting on her cheek, began to glow. A brilliant silver light emanated from his palm, spreading rapidly across his entire body. His hair, once still, flowed as if caught in an ethereal wind, glowing with a divine, radiant silver aura that illuminated the entire hall.
It wasn't just his hand or his hair Ray's entire presence changed. The light emanating from him was otherworldly, precious, and impossibly pure.
The green-haired maid, standing just behind Ember, trembled uncontrollably. Her body wasn't reacting out of fear, but from sheer, overwhelming excitement. The others behind her, seasoned warriors and cultivators alike, found themselves shaking as well.
From his throne, Aetherion's smirk vanished. His fingers crushed the armrest of his throne as his eyes widened in shock. His body, for the first time in eons, betrayed him with a slight tremor.
"Talent…" Aetherion's voice, usually commanding and confident, now faltered. "Sacrificing… talent…" He swallowed hard, his lips trembling. "You… you're insane. The craziest person in the known cosmos."
His voice grew louder, tinged with incredulity. "Boy, I've seen countless fools, but you've reached a level of stupidity I never thought possible. You're the biggest disappointment I've ever encountered. And yet…" He chuckled darkly, his body still trembling. "What you've done is… unprecedented."
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