SUPREME ARCH-MAGUS - Chapter 1011: Price of Love!

Chapter 1011: Price of Love!

That evening, she dined with her family for the first time in months.

The elders were cautious, but respectful. She poured wine for her brother, shared a joke with her cousin, and even accepted a new hairpin from her youngest niece — a phoenix feather carved from white jade.

Everyone was surprised. Her laughter was music, her mood full of grace.

None could see the ghost in her smile. The time spent happily and she went back to her room with all smiles.

–

The moon floated high in the sky, casting a pale, silvery glow across the quiet halls of the Lan Manor. Outside Manuka’s chamber, the wind rustled gently through the garden she had nurtured for years — now blooming in full, as if nature itself was bidding farewell.

Inside the room, scented candles flickered faintly. The faint aroma of moonlotus petals lingered in the air. Manuka Lan sat on the edge of her bed, her fingers trembling slightly as she touched the jade comb in her hair for the last time.

She had worn a pale violet robe embroidered with silver phoenixes — her favorite. Tonight, it wasn’t for a banquet or ceremony. Tonight, she would give everything she had.

There was a soft knock on the window. Her heart skipped.

She walked over, unlatching the wooden frame gently.

Phillip slipped inside like a shadow, closing the window behind him. His robes were covered in light dust — evidence of him rushing straight from his training ground. But his eyes… they lit up at the sight of her.

“You look…” Phillip paused, the usual calm in his tone replaced by something more reverent. “…like a dream tonight.”

Manuka smiled faintly. “Then stay in the dream with me, even if only for a night.”

He stepped forward and cupped her cheek. “You know why I’m here…”

“I know.” She took his hand and gently led him toward the low table, where a jug of plum wine and two cups waited.

As they sat, Phillip glanced around. “You set this up just for me?”

“No, for us,” she said softly. “To celebrate… the end of one path, and the beginning of another.”

They shared a cup. The silence was warm, not awkward — like two souls that had merged beyond the need for words. After a moment, she stood and walked to the small chest beside her bed. With a quiet exhale, she opened it.

Inside was a scroll bound with red silk and a delicate crystal orb wrapped in starlight cloth.

She turned around, holding them close. “The ’Heart in Sword’…”

Phillip stood, his eyes narrowing slightly. “So it’s not an actual Manual?”

Manuka chuckled. “No… it’s something far more dangerous.”

She placed the items on his palm. As soon as he touched them, he felt a warmth — not from fire, but from something deeply human, deeply spiritual. The crystal sword treasure pulsed like a heartbeat.

“This is not just a thing or treasure, Phillip,” she whispered. “This is a legacy that turns mortals into sword deities. It fuses your emotion, will, and sword intent… and transforms it into a path of no return.”

“I see…” he nodded slowly, examining the ancient calligraphy glowing faintly on the scroll’s surface. “Why are you giving this to me so easily?”

“Because I promised.” Her voice trembled for the first time. “And… because I love you.”

Phillip looked up. Her eyes shimmered with tears.

He took a step closer. “Manuka… is there something I don’t know?”

She looked away. “Some treasures in this world require… a sacrifice. Not of gold or spirit stones — but of one’s own soul.”

His heart thudded. “What are you saying?”

“I am the ’Heart in Sword’.” Her fingers pressed gently over his chest. “This technique… this power… was sealed inside me by my family when I was a child. The only way to transfer it, to awaken it, is…”

Phillip stepped back, horror flooding his face. “No. You can’t mean—”

“It’s okay,” she whispered. “I made this decision. I lived with it for years. But I never thought I’d give it to someone I loved willingly.”

“You can’t!” Phillip grabbed her shoulders. “We’ll find another way. I don’t need it anymore. Not like this.”

“But I want you to have it!” she cried. “You don’t understand… For years, I thought my life was only meant to serve this curse. But you—” she clutched his shirt, “—you made me feel alive. Loved. I want this… my final gift… to go to you.”

He didn’t speak. His heart clenched so tight, it hurt to breathe.

“Please,” she whispered. “Let me do this. Let me live on… in your sword.”

His lips trembled. “I didn’t know… I didn’t come here for this…”

She reached up and kissed him — slow, deep, filled with everything she never got to say.

Then, gently, she placed the crystal sword back into his hands and laid her head on his chest.

A soft glow enveloped her body. Faint runes began to form in the air, circling them. The scroll trembled, then slowly dissolved into rays of light that entered his chest.

“Promise me,” she whispered. “Become the greatest sword master this world has ever seen. And when you raise your blade… remember that I’m always by your side.”

“No—please—wait—!” he tried to hold her, but her body began to fade, not like death, but like starlight breaking at dawn.

“I love you,” she said with a smile… and vanished into his arms.

The room fell silent.

Phillip stood frozen in the middle of the chamber, the crystal orb still warm in his hand, and the taste of her kiss still on his lips. His robe was damp with her tears, and his heart was heavier than ever before.

The ’Heart in Sword’ had passed to him — but at a price he never asked to pay.

But Phillip did not move.

He knelt on the stone floor, arms wrapped around nothing — the empty space where Manuka had disappeared. His face was twisted in agony, silent tears flowing like a broken river. He clutched the last remnant of her scent clinging to the air, as if he could bottle it, preserve it… live in it.

Then came the scream. Heart-breaking, sky wrecking and world-bending scream.

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