Elizabeth blinked back her tears.
She felt confused.
"What? I didn't…"
But his anger only deepened. He raised a hand to press his temples, his expression tightening with sharp disappointment.
"Did you kill another angel? Who told you about this? No—ordinary angel blood can't save me. It has to be a powerful one. How did you even find someone like that…? What have you done? I have lived my life—why do you have to go so far just to save me…"
Elizabeth couldn't process anything.
The relief of seeing Damien awake hadn't even had time to settle properly before her heart was broken by the disappointment in his eyes. Skyler's face flickered through her mind, and she had a hunch—whatever had happened, it was related to him. But before she could speak, before she could begin to explain, Damien forced himself upright.
His movements were unsteady.
In the process, he knocked another glass from the bedside table, sending it crashing to the floor. Finally standing straight with his back to her, he spoke in a low voice.
"Leave. I want to be alone."
Elizabeth scrambled to her feet. In that moment, all she wanted was to hold him.
"Damien—"
However, he interrupted her.
"I said leave!"
Finally, Elizabeth stopped and left.
That very day, Alistair saw his mother—the Queen—finally step out of the section of the castle she had confined herself to for days.
Before he could even ask about her well being, shocked by her state, she suddenly began smashing everything around her. It was the first time he had seen his mother so unstable, so he didn't dare speak. By the time the Queen calmed down, everyone in the area except Alistair had fled in fear.
Her eyes were colder than usual as she stepped toward the throne and sat down, looking down at Alistair from above.
"Tell me everything that has transpired across the continent in my absence. Also, about Argon Steel—has that guy gained control of the divine power he obtained?"
Alistair's expression turned grim at the mention of Argon's name. He set aside everything else and said in a grave tone.
"He collapsed two weeks ago."
Elizabeth's face darkened.
"What?"
***
Simultaneously, in the realm of stillness, a glowing figure slowly crawled out from the violent cracks at the boundary of the realm.
It was so translucent that it seemed it would disappear at the slightest breeze.
The body of light shifted slightly with a trace of difficulty, gradually taking form.
The light then faded. Long, flowing hair spilled into view, followed by pointed ears, crimson eyes that seemed to shine, and pale skin that shimmered like moonlight.
Slowly, the woman drew in a breath—only for it to catch in her chest, swallowed by a wave of pain. The scent of the person who had given her the power to leave the place that had trapped her for so long was gone.
Time passed in a blur before she managed to gather herself again, forcing her body to move as she pushed herself up to her feet.
Dazed crimson eyes scanned the land, heavy with loneliness. Then she slowly stumbled forward into the wilderness.
The realm was perilous—swarming with powerful beasts and obstacles. Yet she endured, her eyes burning with resolve.
She wanted to find that person.
The one who had awakened her. Yet even after a long time, she found no way out of the vast realm. How could she, when she had not entered the realm through its gate and lacked a system—the sole means that could identify her as an outsider?
In the end, she failed to find Skyler.
And her body finally gave out.
It was Suri who stumbled upon her body, drenched in blood. He was taken aback, assuming she had entered the realm but lacked the strength to survive its dangers, and chose to save her. However, when she recovered and he discovered she was not from the outside world, he let out a weary sigh and told her the truth—that she could not leave the realm unless someone from outside with a system helped her out.
Unlike Suri, who was trapped within the realm with no means of escape, she still had a way to one day leave. Years passed, and once again, several people from the outside world finally entered the realm.
But it wasn't Skyler.
Nor anyone Suri was familiar with.
It was a group of powerful angels from Heaven who had accidentally discovered the entrance to the Realm while trying to clear a higher level of the Battle Royale. It was all because the temporary guardian of the gate had been killed by Max, causing the main system to change its location. No new guardian had yet been assigned to the gate—the one who would use the Balance Scale to take payment from those trying to enter. As a result, the group was able to enter the Realm of Stillness with ease.
Suri discovered the group first, before the angels could detect his presence. Thinking of the woman who had been trying to leave the Realm of Stillness for many years, and the misery in her eyes each time she failed, he stepped out from the shadows to speak with their leader—a tall man with gray eyes.
The fallen god cleared his throat.
"I wonder if you all have a moment."
Hearing the voice, the leader of the group turned around, a flicker of surprise crossing his face at having failed to sense him. Suri, too, was momentarily caught off guard by the divinity surrounding the winged man.
The man's eyes, dotted with faint brown specks like scattered starlight, carried a disarming gentleness as they met Suri's gaze. Paired with his short silver hair, he gave off a quiet, unthreatening presence, even welcoming in a way that didn't quite match the terrifying aura he released.
Only after assessing Suri's power did he restrain his aura and offer a nod, a faint, polite smile finally forming on his lips.
"Why not. My name is Sebastian. It's my honor to converse with a fallen god."