Yizhe was genuinely shocked. Everyone knew Ares usually pretended to be weak, indifferent to the affairs of the realm. Yet now, for a human he had known for only a few years, he had shed his mask of apathy and was ready to fight them to the death, with no regard for the safety of his clan.
Regardless, how could one possibly stand against so many? Ares had stormed out of the clan to fight Yizhe without preparations after learning what had happened to Kyle, determined to avenge him. He hadn’t even called for the aid of the powerful allies he had connections with. In the end, the leader of the Golden Guardians clan was subdued and thrown into a specially designed prison to reflect until he regained his lost senses.
Obviously, the Rulers didn’t dare to kill him. After all, unlike Kyle, ruining the reputation of someone like Ares, who had stood in the realm for thousands of years, was far from easy. Ares wasn’t that powerful, but his clan had great influence, supported by multiple old clans. On top of that, the realm was still reeling from Kyle’s sudden death—so they dared not ignite another conflict so soon.
Still, that didn’t mean Ares would escape punishment for attacking them. Thus, they decided to imprison him without targeting his clan and make an example of him, so no one else dared challenge them again.
Guardian Zami, who later learned of Ares’ actions, gritted her teeth. If she could, she would have done the same. But with Ares gone, she knew the Rulers hostile to them and the older people within the clan would try to take advantage of the situation. Not to mention, unlike Ares—who had regained his strength after awakening from the ice thanks to the power the ice held—she had lost a major portion of her former power.
She cursed Ares’ recklessness.
Still, despite the immense fury simmering within her, she chose to stay put for now and protect the clan. Gradually, she could plan to gather forces to aid Ares and one day stand against Yizhe and his faction.
As for Cassian, who was still encased in the ice, Zami had mixed feelings, knowing what he had done in the Layer of Ancients.
Regardless, Kyle had saved Cassian, and Cassian’s madness was linked to Azazeal, who was already dead. So, Zami resolved that if he had regained his senses when he woke, she would let him decide whether to stay in the clan to help her or leave. It was up to him. And if Cassian hadn’t recovered his senses even then, hardening her heart, she would just cast him out of the clan.
Fortunately, all of her worries regarding Cassian proved unfounded, for when he finally woke up, he met everything with a calm, almost detached expression. There was just a faint hollow feeling within him, knowing Nathaniel was dead and that he hadn’t been the one to kill that evil man.
But there was also relief—relief that gave him the courage to finally stop, something Azazeal couldn’t do even until the very end.
Maybe it was because of the ethereal cold power that had encased his damaged soul for so long, mended the broken parts, and allowed him to perceive everything clearly.
So, he began to think about finding a new purpose in life. He exhaled softly, recalling how, in the Layer of Ancients, he had cried and begged Kyle to kill him, saying if it were him who did it, he wouldn’t blame him. Even then, Kyle had still saved his pathetic self.
Cassian still vaguely remembered what Kyle had uttered before sealing his soul within the ice: to come find him when he regained consciousness if he still sought revenge. But now he didn’t want revenge.
He only wanted an ordinary life where he would no longer destroy himself. And to begin that life, he wanted to see Kyle and resolve the lingering burdens in his heart.
To do that, he had to find him. Even when he was told Kyle was dead, Cassian didn’t believe it—how could he? That silver-haired man had the kind of luck that could cheat even death itself. So how could Kyle, who had even defeated Azazeal, die so easily? And because of a weakling like Yizhe?
Ultimately, although he was angry at what Yizhe and the elders had done, instead of confronting them like Ares, he simply set his mind on searching the realm for Kyle.
Cassian believed Kyle was the only one worthy of delivering the punishment that Yizhe, the Rulers, and the elders—who had harmed him—deserved. While searching for him, he began a new life with no ties to the past. He decided to hope one last time—to give this world another chance. After all, there were people like Kyle, Ares, and his friends. Not everyone was like Nathaniel.
And it was all thanks to one person—
Who had called him an idiot.
He wandered far and wide. Still, every year, he made a point to stop by a familiar shop where he, Jolie, Tai, and Owin had met Kyle before entering the Layer of Ancients. Now, with his heart settled, his power was slowly but steadily increasing with time. Although he was still a dark Celestial, he felt calmer—even grounded. Determined, he resolved to continue his search until the end. One day, he passed the Bridge of Divinity, where he had first seen Kyle. Seeing the place filled with countless new Celestials, he hummed.
"Eleven years... It’s only been those few short years since we crossed this bridge and entered the realm. And yet, so much has happened. It’s almost unbelievable."
His words were true. After all, who could have imagined that a young human would enter this realm and become so strong—no one, not even the Rulers, could defeat him?
Kyle had even reached the End, a feat no one had achieved since the first Ancient Celestials. Even now, no one had reached that level of power. As for Azazeal, he was dead. And Nathaniel? Cassian disdained even to think about that piece of garbage.