Journey to Become the Zenith

The Path to Saving Her Sisters

She smiled faintly.

"So, from now on..."

"This is where I’ll sleep."

She slowly walked toward it.

Each step made her soul feel lighter than before.

The exhaustion she had ignored until now suddenly washed over her.

She carefully sat on the edge of the bed.

"...I’m really tired."

A quiet laugh escaped her lips.

She looked upward, as though she could somehow see Victor beyond the darkness.

"Victor..."

"Thank you."

"You’ve given a dying mother more than I could ever ask for."

She lay down gently.

The golden blanket of spiritual energy naturally wrapped around her.

Its warmth reminded her of sunlight.

Just before her eyes closed...

A faint smile appeared on her lips.

"Even if this is only a bond between souls..."

"I leave my children in your care."

"I know you’ll protect them."

Outside, Victor faintly sensed her thoughts through the newly formed spiritual connection.

He didn’t answer aloud.

Instead, he simply smiled.

"I’ll keep my promise."

Within the Spiritual Domain, the woman’s consciousness slowly drifted into a deep, peaceful sleep.

The golden light surrounding the bed became steady and calm.

Her breathing softened.

Her soul entered its long-awaited rest.

Victor could still faintly sense her presence.

Stable.

Peaceful.

Safe.

Back inside the house, Clara noticed Victor’s expression relax.

"...Victor?"

He opened his eyes.

"It’s done."

Clara instinctively looked around the room.

"...Where’s my mother?"

Victor looked at her calmly.

"She’s asleep."

"In the safest place I can offer."

Clara placed a hand over her heart and let out a long, trembling sigh.

For the first time since returning home...

She truly believed her mother hadn’t disappeared forever.

-------------------

After what felt like an eternity, the suffocating silence inside the house finally eased.

Clara stood quietly before her mother’s body, her crimson eyes still moist with tears. She took one last deep breath before wiping her face with the back of her hand.

The grief was still there.

The guilt hadn’t disappeared.

But her mother’s final words...

Her smile...

And the knowledge that her soul was now safely resting within Victor’s Spiritual Domain had given Clara the strength to stand once again.

She slowly turned toward Victor.

The man stood a few steps away with his usual composed expression, as though preserving a soul was merely another ordinary task.

For a brief moment, Clara simply looked at him.

If he hadn’t appeared today...

She would have lost everything.

Her sisters...

Her mother...

Even herself.

She lowered her head.

"I’m sorry about my sudden outburst..."

Her voice was much calmer than before.

"...but I’m alright now."

Victor observed her quietly.

The despair that had consumed her eyes earlier was gone.

In its place burned quiet determination.

The corners of his lips curved upward ever so slightly.

"Good."

"I prefer this version of you."

His calm words carried no mockery this time.

Only approval.

Clara couldn’t help rolling her eyes.

"You’re unbelievable."

"I just poured my heart out..."

"And that’s all you have to say?"

Victor shrugged lightly.

"What else should I say?"

"You cried."

"You accepted reality."

"Now you’re standing again."

"That’s enough."

Clara stared at him for a second before letting out a helpless sigh.

He really doesn’t know how to comfort people...

Yet...

For some reason...

His straightforward attitude made her feel strangely at ease.

Victor folded his arms behind his back.

Humans truly are fascinating...

Their emotions shift faster than the wind.

One moment they’re drowning in despair...

The next... they find a reason to keep moving.

Weak...

Yet unbelievably resilient.

Even after countless years...

Human emotions continued to surprise him.

His thoughts ended there.

He looked toward the two sleeping girls.

"Now."

"Let’s return to the real problem."

Clara’s expression immediately became serious.

Victor walked over to Kary and Nira before crouching beside them once more.

After examining the curse again, he slowly stood.

"I’ve already finished analyzing it."

"There are only two realistic ways to save your sisters."

Clara instinctively stepped closer.

"What are they?"

Victor raised one finger.

"The first option."

"I wake them up."

"The sleeping spell disappears."

"The curse immediately takes control."

"They’ll lose all reason and attack everyone nearby."

Clara’s face became solemn.

Victor continued.

"During that time..."

"You and I restrain them."

"We keep them from hurting themselves or anyone else."

"Then we wait."

"Wait?"

Clara frowned.

"For what?"

"For them to overcome the curse through their own will."

Victor looked toward her mother’s body.

"Your mother managed to do exactly that."

"It took years."

"But she succeeded."

Clara lowered her eyes.

She now understood why her mother had fought until her final breath.

Victor calmly continued.

"Your sisters may eventually succeed as well."

"But..."

"It could take months."

"It could take years."

"No one knows."

The room became quiet.

That option...

Was far too uncertain.

Victor then raised a second finger.

"The second option."

"We find the one who cast the curse."

His golden eyes narrowed slightly.

"The caster should be able to remove it."

"If they refuse..."

His voice remained perfectly calm.

"...then we eliminate them."

Clara blinked.

"...You’re saying it so casually."

Victor looked at her.

"I’m stating facts."

"If someone threatens people under my protection..."

"They lose the right to mercy."

His tone was so matter-of-fact that Clara couldn’t even argue.

After a brief silence, Victor continued.

"There’s another possibility."

Clara looked up hopefully.

"What is it?"

"If the curse’s creator dies..."

"There’s roughly a fifty percent chance the curse disappears with them."

"A fifty percent chance?"

Victor nodded.

"It depends on the structure of the spell."

"Some curses vanish with their caster."

"Others continue existing independently."

"I won’t know until I examine the caster personally."

Clara slowly processed everything she had heard.

Neither option guaranteed success.

Neither path was easy.

She looked toward her sleeping sisters before clenching her fists.

"What would you choose?"

Victor answered without hesitation.

"The second option."

"We find the caster."

"My instincts tell me this wasn’t a random attack."

"Someone deliberately targeted your family."

"And until we discover why..."

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