"To give Fyar magic?" Zaefal murmured softly, his voice nearly lost in the silence of the forest. "Could it be that his power can never truly return? In the previous timeline, did he really live without any magic at all?" The question hung in the cold air as the figure of the pink-haired woman vanished completely from his sight, leaving Zaefal alone with a demon’s corpse and a truth that weighed down his soul.
Zaefal let out a long breath, a thin white vapor escaping his lips. He looked up, letting his eyes gaze upon the expanse of glittering stars in the dark night sky. The stars were so beautiful, so calm and eternal, seeming to care little for the chaos that had just been thrown into his life.
An unfamiliar sadness began to creep into his heart, mixed with a shock that made his entire body feel cold.
Wife. The future. A deal. Humanity annihilated. The words spun in his mind, feeling so real. It had all come too suddenly. He leaned his weary back against the rough tree trunk again, letting his turbulent thoughts drift. In the midst of his reverie, however, something else emerged.
A new memory fragment seeped into his mind. This time it was not painful. On the contrary, he felt a painful warmth, a longing so powerful and a sorrow so deep it took his breath away.
He remembered now. He remembered the woman with black hair.
The memory came in soft, gentle pieces.
He remembered when she sat beside him all night, comforting him with a gentle touch on his shoulder when he had lost both of his parents.
He remembered how stubborn she was, always refusing to leave him alone, even when Zaefal pushed her away and told her to go.
She was the one who always held him close, whispering words of encouragement when he felt like a failure and was drowning in despair.
She was the one who always patiently listened to every complaint and every foolish story without ever judging him. When Zaefal had no money at all,
she was the one who quietly paid for all of his adventuring gear, dismissing zaefal shame with a warm smile.
He remembered how she always believed in his dream of becoming a great adventurer, even when all his friends laughed at him and thought it was impossible.
He remembered her bright laughter, which always sounded so genuine every time he told a joke that was not funny at all.
She was also the one who would scold him with teary eyes whenever he came close to giving up and wanted to quit being an adventurer.
That woman. It was always that woman.
Without realizing it, tears began to stream down his cheeks.
They were warm at first, then grew cold as they touched his skin in the night breeze. He remembered most of the moments he had spent with her, and each memory felt like a dagger twisting in his heart.
A name that had been buried so deep now surfaced, feeling so heavy and precious on the tip of his tongue.
With a trembling voice that was barely a whisper, Zaefal spoke
"S-Sera. Seraphina."
The name was finally spoken. In that instant, his defenses crumbled. Zaefal began to sob, his shoulders shaking violently. He felt a paralyzing longing and a sorrow so thick, mourning the loss of someone he never even knew he had, until just a few moments ago.