Journey to Become the Zenith

The Flame Rekindled

The giant black scythe swung down. It was directed at the two little girls.

"No!"

The scream, ragged and painful, pierced the heavy quiet of the house.

In that moment, something in Clara broke. The emptiness within her evaporated, and a wild thirst for life surged in. She moved before she could think, before fear could halt her progress. Her exhausted body lunged between the descending scythe and her sisters.

*Clang!

* Her palms grasped the sharpened edge. The metal bit deep, cutting into flesh. Blood, warm and thick, immediately gushed down the dark blade and splattered the floorboards.

Her fingers screamed in protest. Her arms quivered violently under the overwhelming force. Yet...

She did not let go.

Not one inch, not while her sisters were behind her. Her breathing came raggedly. Every muscle screamed under the increased pressure. Then, slowly, she raised her head.

The listless, dead purple eyes, surrendered to hopelessness, were gone.

In their place blazed a fierce, angry fire. This was rage. This was despair.

This was the refusal of someone who refused to lose everything. Killing intent flooded the room, icy and suffocating. Victor observed her in silence.

Then, almost against all expectation... a smile bloomed.

Not the sneering mockery from before. A real one. "There you are," he murmured softly. "I knew you were still there."

The fire was back.

That indomitable spirit. That refusal to be defeated. This... this was the Clara he was waiting for.

*Just like that... Fight. Hate me. Curse my name, but just don’t succumb to this emptiness.

Before Clara could process his words- Bang!

* Victor’s foot struck her in the abdomen. Every breath left her lungs in a burst, and her body shot backward, slamming through the wooden wall before crashing to the ground outside. The impact was precisely calculated, strong enough to drive her away from her sisters, to leave her gasping and in pain, but nowhere near strong enough to genuinely harm her. As dust swirled, Victor tightened his grip on the scythe shaft.

For an infinitesimal moment... a flash of something flickered in his golden eyes.

"I’m sorry... If this pain is the only thing capable of dragging you back from that abyss... then I will gladly be the monster you choose to hate." Clara coughed weakly, each breath searing her chest. The agony was a constant thrum throughout her body, but she hardly felt it.

None of it mattered. Only her sisters did. She forced herself to her feet and looked forward.

The color drained from her face.

Victor was already standing in front of the two little girls, his fingers wrapped gently around their small necks. He wasn’t strangling them. Not yet. His control was absolute, just enough to induce panic in Clara, never enough to hurt the children.

her expression was inscrutable.

Cold. Calm. Almost... merciless.

"Don’t you dare touch them," her voice echoed through the ruined house, chilling like the decree of death.

Clara shouted as she staggered to her feet, every trace of despair erased by the desperate instinct to protect the people she loved.

Ignoring the pain coursing through her body, Clara forced herself to stand.

Seeing that fierce determination return, Victor silently let out a breath only he could hear.

Good...

You’re finally alive again.

Every instinct screamed at her to attack.

Every heartbeat urged her to rush forward.

She took one step—

Then Victor suddenly spoke.

"Oh..."

His golden eyes narrowed with curiosity.

"This is interesting."

Clara froze.

Victor carefully observed the faint traces of mana flowing beneath the girls’ skin.

His expression gradually became more thoughtful.

"These two..."

"They’re under a curse."

He gently lifted one girl’s wrist, watching the unnatural mana circulate through her body.

"A very powerful one at that."

His voice no longer carried mockery.

Only interest.

Victor had encountered countless spells throughout his previous life as Anos.

Ancient magic...

Forbidden techniques...

Divine blessings...

Demonic rituals...

Yet the flow of mana inside these children was unlike anything he had seen before.

The curse spread quietly through their bodies like invisible roots, feeding upon their life force while remaining almost impossible to detect.

"Interesting..."

He muttered softly.

"I’ve never seen a curse constructed like this."

He continued observing the strange mana pathways.

"The structure is unfamiliar..."

"But based on its characteristics..."

"This is undoubtedly a curse."

Clara’s breathing became uneven.

Hope...

A hope she thought had died only moments ago...

Suddenly returned.

She rushed toward Victor.

This time, there was no hatred in her movements.

No killing intent.

She reached him and instinctively grabbed his hand with both of hers.

Her blood-stained fingers trembled violently.

Tears streamed freely down her cheeks.

Her voice shook as though every word cost her strength.

"Can..."

"Can you save my little sisters?"

She looked directly into Victor’s eyes.

There was no pride left.

Only desperation.

"If you can..."

"Please save them!"

"I’ll do anything you want if you save them."

"I will give you..."

"...my everything!"

She clung tightly to his hand as though it were the only lifeline left in the world.

Victor quietly looked down at her.

Only moments ago...

She had tried to kill him.

Now...

She was begging him for help.

The absurd contrast made him let out a quiet chuckle.

"Hah..."

He found the situation strangely amusing.

Not because of her suffering...

But because of how fragile hope could be.

A single action had shattered her despair.

Another had reignited it.

He studied Clara’s face carefully.

The emptiness that had haunted her eyes earlier was gone.

In its place burned determination.

Fear.

Hope.

The Clara he remembered had finally returned.

That’s more like it.

Victor remained silent for several moments.

His golden eyes met hers.

Deep inside...

He was relieved.

He had hated seeing her broken.

He could accept a wounded warrior.

He could accept someone who cried after losing everything.

But he couldn’t bear watching someone with Clara’s spirit simply surrender to despair.

She wasn’t meant to disappear into emptiness.

She was meant to stand again.

Whether she realized it or not...

That was the Clara he respected.

His expression returned to its usual calm smile.

"Fine."

"Then I accept your offer."

He gently pulled his hand free before looking toward the unconscious girls once more.

"If you grant me your heart..."

"...body..."

"...and soul..."

"Then I have no problem saving your sisters."

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