Chapter 191
The sky had become so distorted that its original form was nearly unrecognizable.
Its appearance, as if it might collapse onto the earth at any moment, was far beyond merely grotesque.
From the sky, eerie sounds occasionally emanated, inexplicable and ominous.
The wails, seeming to rise from the depths of hell, foretold impending doom.
As a fairy, Cheshire could sense it immediately.
‘This is the day.’
The day Rose died, and the day the Fairy Queen crossed time once more.
If she didn’t leave today, Rose would transform the east into a barren land of death where no life could take root.
Rose knew this fact better than anyone else.
“……”
Lacking even the strength to rise, she lay on the bed, gazing out the window.
The one who drew back the curtains smiled faintly.
“The weather’s nice today, isn’t it? The sky is so clear.”
The past Kierne said, forcing a smile.
But the clear sky Kierne spoke of was invisible to Rose.
In her eyes, only the omens of destruction were apparent.
Nevertheless, Rose smiled back, echoing him.
“Yeah. The weather’s good.”
The past Kierne bit his lower lip.
His face pallid and ashen, he slowly approached and sat by the bed.
The man and woman gazed at each other.
Their interlocking eyes were filled with poignant love.
Unable to contain the surging emotions, the past Kierne poured out his confession.
“I love you, Rose.”
“I love you too.”
“…Then don’t leave.”
He carefully took Rose’s hand.
Interlacing their fingers, he gazed at her with bloodshot eyes and pleaded.
“Please…. Die by my side, okay?”
“……”
“I… Rose… Even your corpse would be fine, as long as I can be with you……”
He gently kissed the back of her hand.
Clasping it with both of his, he begged as if praying to a god.
“You have to leave me something. If you just go like this, I……”
It was a plea so heart-wrenchingly pitiful that it made the listener’s chest ache.
But in the end, Rose gave no response at all.
Soon, silence descended upon the bedroom.
Cheshire glanced at Kierne with anxious eyes.
It would be stranger to remain sane in this situation.
He was already unstable enough, so she couldn’t help but worry.
However, Kierne was composed.
With eyes utterly calm and serene, he simply watched his past self and Rose.
As she gnawed at her lip in concern, Hailon pressed down on it with his hand from beside her.
The pressure from his long fingers naturally made Cheshire part her lips again.
Hailon silently raised one eyebrow.
Cheshire quietly stopped tormenting her lip and turned her gaze back to Rose and Kierne.
Finally, Rose spoke.
“I’m sorry, Kierne.”
“…At least tell me why.”
Kierne’s face contorted. A faint anger tinged his voice.
“Just give me a reason I can accept.”
“It’s all my fault. I’m sorry. You did nothing wrong. It’s just me, I’m the one who’s truly awful……”
Rose couldn’t reveal her secret.
Cheshire knew why she was hiding everything.
‘She wouldn’t want to show him her broken state.’
She had seen Rose wandering as a mad fairy.
No one would want to reveal such an ugly sight to their beloved.
And probably another worry played a part as well.
Having been close to him, Rose knew exactly what kind of person Kierne was.
‘She must have been afraid he’d come looking for her.’
She was going to travel back in time to her original place, but if Kierne chased after her there.
In an era where he didn’t belong, Kierne would suffer and meet a miserable end no different from Rose’s.
Kierne was the type who would do just that.
And he had the power to achieve what he desired.
In fact, considering the things Kierne did after Rose’s death to revive her, her concerns were far from unfounded.
“I’m sorry. Do you hate me a lot?”
“……”
“Resent me and hate me. I’d be happy if you forgot someone like me and lived happily. Of course, it’ll be hard, but still……”
“What about our children?”
He gripped Rose’s hand tightly and shouted.
“You know Belzeon and the twins can’t live without you. You have to think about the baby in your belly too. Why are you trying to give up so easily? We have to find a way together somehow!”
But Rose had no other choice.
The moment she clung on without giving up, driven by greed, everything she loved would crumble.
To protect them, she had to leave.
It was while she gazed at Kierne with wavering eyes.
Wooong.
A massive rumble echoed.
Followed by a sharp cracking sound.
The sky began to fracture.
The time had finally come when she had to depart.
Along with the collapsing sky, Rose’s mind started to crumble rapidly as well.
Her body trembled finely from the mental collapse.
Sensing the anomaly, the past Kierne said coldly.
“Don’t go. No, you can’t go.”
Crimson mana surged from him.
The red mana transformed into chain-like shapes, binding Rose.
Kierne glared at her with blazing eyes.
“You think you can escape?”
But Rose only smiled faintly.
“Kierne, I’m sorry. That’s all I can say, I’m sorry……”
Trailing off weakly, Rose let out a short groan and clutched her head.
An ominous black light flickered over her body.
At the same time, the surroundings melted like paint, transforming into the fairy’s illusion realm.
Kierne’s eyes widened.
The grotesquely distorted illusion was abnormal.
While Kierne faltered, encountering this illusion for the first time in his life, Rose screamed.
“No, Kierne!”
She finally burst into tears.
Weeping, she forcibly suppressed her own power that threatened to rampage.
“You can’t be here.”
Thanks to her final desperate effort to hold it down, the illusion receded for a moment.
The instant reality returned, Rose quickly embraced Kierne and whispered.
“I’m sorry, I love you, Kierne.”
“Rose!”
The past Kierne hugged her back.
But he embraced nothing.
Rose had turned to flowers and crumbled away.
In the spot where she had lain moments ago, only withered petals were scattered.
“…Rose.”
Behind Kierne, whose face was etched with futility, the sky gradually regained its original form.
Just as Kierne had said, it was a truly clear and pristine, vividly blue sky.
Kierne watched his past self, frozen in a daze, with no particular emotion.
With cold eyes, he simply waited for a new past to emerge.
The world shattered once more, and this time, a vast plain unfolded.
As the wind blew, the tall grass and flowers swayed gently.
Rose plummeted into the plain teeming with vibrant green.
“Agh……!”
Wherever she tumbled, flowers bloomed and then withered repeatedly.
Rose clutched her body, gasping for breath, and screamed in agony.
How much time had passed?
“……”
When Rose slowly rose once more,
Her eyes were completely devoid of focus.
Rose began to laugh slowly.
Giggling, she staggered forward.
Wherever her footsteps touched, life withered away.
Watching the scene where everything turned into a land of death, Kierne smiled for the first time.
He whispered with utmost delight.
“So this is where you went, Rose.”
