Part 2 Chapter 73
David tossed Bania’s corpse to the ground like worthless trash before Ryan.
Thud…
Ryan froze.
“Release him.”
At David’s order, the guards let Ryan go. His legs buckled and he collapsed. Trembling violently, he crawled on hands and knees until he reached the fallen body, pulling her into his arms.
He pressed his ear to her lips, as if to check for breath—an empty, meaningless act.
David watched in silence.
He had never intended for Bania to live. She had been marked by imperial blood. Whatever the court’s purpose in using her, by executing someone tied to Valencie’s name, he had sent a warning.
The price for daring to touch the Gifted. The responsibility for such arrogance.
“You were fond of her,” David observed.
“……”
“You should never have entangled yourself with the palace. I know you resent Father, but you should have kept your rebellion to something you could actually bear.”
Ryan buried his face against Bania’s throat, his expression vacant. David almost sounded pitying.
“Was provoking Father’s temper so amusing? Fool.”
“……”
“In any case, recover quickly. And…”
He stripped off the gloves that had tortured her, tossing them beside her body as if in token mourning.
“Gather your knights, your soldiers, and even the mercenary beasts the palace entrusted to you. Bring them to my lands as swiftly as possible.”
Slowly, Ryan raised his head. His eyes were hollow.
David smirked.
“You wagged your tail for the court, betrayed the house, yet I’ve spared your life. You’ll repay that mercy.”
“……”
“Do not protest. You were born Bassenberg. The loyalty you wasted elsewhere, you will return here, where it belongs.”
He pointed out the window—to Ryan’s domain. The broad fields. The countless people.
“Remember: more lives than hers still rest in your hands.”
More dirty threats.
Ryan gave a broken laugh.
“Brother…”
“……”
“Even a worm will twist when crushed… You’ve done this, and you feel no fear?”
In Ryan’s empty gaze, David glimpsed lethal intent.
“You and Father—you abandoned me. Left me alone. But she… she called me family.”
“……”
“So I lived. Even as a beggar, even as a criminal, I lived—because she was there. Because I had someone to protect. Someone who made me try to live like a man.”
He clutched Bania’s corpse tighter.
“When you killed her, you didn’t just kill my sister. You killed my life.”
David listened quietly. He could afford such patience for a broken boy’s rant.
“I’ll never forget this moment. And so—I’ll give you the cruelest death imaginable. Even if you beg like a dog, I won’t forgive you.”
Tears spilled from eyes already gone mad. The words shivered with hate.
“And when you’re dead, I won’t let you rest. I’ll tear your body apart until nothing remains. I’ll chew you into dust.”
“Very well.”
David nodded, his tone almost gentle as he turned away.
“If you can.”
***
She’s dead.
Alexander could only stare as Ryan entered the chapel crypt.
He carried Bania’s limp body in his arms. His eyes were vacant.
…Yes. She was dead.
Alexander had known she might die. He had prayed she wouldn’t.
“Alec. If I die, your role becomes important. Take care of Father.”
He remembered her earnest plea.
“His mind may shatter. If he lashes out, it will be disastrous. Calm him. Don’t let him act rashly…”
He ought to do as she asked.
But he couldn’t speak.
Why?
Because he was afraid.
Ryan laid Bania gently on the bed, then sank to the floor beside her.
Alexander realized something then:
That just watching another’s expression could feel like a noose around one’s throat.
Ryan’s eyes looked empty—yet they weren’t.
They were brimming, so full of rage and bloodlust that the light itself had been drowned out.
Alexander forgot his own grief. He could only gasp for breath under the weight of fear.
That day, Bassenberg had made a mistake.
An irredeemable mistake.
In the last timeline, at least Ryan had been left with a body to bury. This time, even that mercy had been stolen.
A blunder beyond foolish.
***
…Warm.
Like sinking into a bath.
At first, there were no thoughts. Only white light. Slowly, awareness returned.
I was dead.
And yet—strangely, I couldn’t recall the pain. It was gone, erased.
Ah. Of course. A Gift that restored even the mind. Trauma could never remain.
So. Now that I could think again, I began to worry.
Ryan had held on until my death, but afterward?
Did he endure? Or did he snap and kill David?
If he had—then it was all over.
“Are you Gifted?”
“That’s why Father wanted you brought back. He suspected it.”
When David asked that, I nearly shrieked.
Father’s instincts were too sharp. This was why the final hunt had to be all at once. Not piecemeal.
One Gifted disappearing might be overlooked. But many? A man like Father would never ignore it.
That was why we had baited him with Diana and Gabriel—so he would gather them all in one place, for slaughter.
It was perfect.
Unless Ryan lost control and killed David prematurely.
If he did, Father’s vast network would know instantly. His countermeasures would crush us.
And Ryan’s ability—Instant Death—required sight. If Father simply stayed hidden, using humans as shields, the Gift would be useless.
Worse, the Empire’s parasites would massacre innocents to force Ryan’s hand.
They would shout to the palace: Kill him, or gouge his eyes, or make him die by his own hand—if you want the people spared.
Yes. A nightmare.
Which meant—though I shouldn’t say it—my death had helped us.
By keeping silent, Ryan had proved himself powerless. Just another useless mortal.
Father’s suspicions would ease. Our task would grow easier.
If… if Ryan endured.
But even if he hadn’t—I wouldn’t blame him.
He’s my lion. Who could fault him?
We could always rewind. Mistakes happen. I’d die a thousand times for him if I must.
…Though, really, being tortured again terrifies me.
What if Ryan fails on the second try? The third? Infinite loops?
Damn it. Will I die a thousand times over?
Aaagh!
If only—if only when I woke, Ryan was right there.
Then everything would be perfect.
Please. Don’t make me die again.
〈Mirror’s Eye — Blood of the Undying〉
My eyes opened.
And there he was.
Ryan.
Sharper jawline. Hollowed cheeks. Starved for three days.
So handsome it hurt.
“Ta-dah! Resurrection complete!”
I bolted upright.
Ryan didn’t speak. He only stared.
“Ha, are you stunned by my dominion over death?”
“……”
No answer.
Now I understood why Alec had acted so cheerful after his own revival.
The dead might return unharmed, but the living bore wounds.
Bright laughter was a kind of medicine—for their broken hearts.
“What, not happy? Why that face—”
Ryan pulled me into his arms.
No, not just into them—he crushed me to his chest, pressing my heart against his.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Alive.
Alive.
I felt it. He felt it.
He only wanted proof. That I still lived.
“Hello. I’m back.”
I whispered gently.
Ryan pulled away just enough to meet my eyes. His own were wet.
Then he leaned close, cupping my face, pressing his brow to mine. His voice broke as he whispered:
“…Yeah. Hello.”
😭