Chapter 134: Until the Sun Takes You Away

Chapter 134. Until the Sun Takes You Away

[Eclipse Light Manipulation]

Several delicate threads of light appeared around my fingertips. I directed them toward Elena. The threads settled gently around her shoulders, arms, waist, and legs, connecting to the joints and muscles beneath her skin.

Elena’s body had already passed through rigor mortis long ago. Whatever stiffness remained was a result of the parasite’s preservation magic and the unnatural deterioration of her tissues. That made the process easier. With sufficiently precise magical control, I could move her limbs without placing unnecessary strain on them.

It was similar to controlling a puppet.

Although Eclipse Light Manipulation wasn’t a puppeteering skill, I could use those threads to support and guide a lifeless body.

Theo gasped when her body suddenly became lighter in his arms. "My lord...?"

"Keep walking," I said quietly.

He looked at me. His lips trembled. "Thank you..."

I didn’t answer. I simply maintained the threads as he slowly carried her toward the obsidian altar.

Theo carefully placed her before the altar. I adjusted the threads, guiding her into a standing position beside him. Her feet settled against the polished obsidian, her shoulders straightened, and her hands rested naturally before her waist.

Lord Veymont took his position before them.

The ceremony began.

I remained near the cave wall, manipulating the threads with small movements of my fingers. Whenever the ceremony required Elena to turn toward Theo, I guided her. When he reached for her hand, I raised it just enough for him to hold.

He spoke his vows alone, his trembling voice occasionally breaking beneath the sound of the waves. Lord Veymont listened with reddened eyes, struggling to maintain the dignity expected of someone officiating a wedding.

I watched them silently.

Then came the rings.

I looked around and noticed several seashells scattered along the rocky edge of the cave. One was particularly beautiful, with a smooth, pearlescent interior that reflected faint shades of silver and blue. I picked it.

[Arcane Item Creation]

The shell floated above my palm as its shaped two simple rings with delicate seashell patterns along their surfaces. I handed them to Theo.

He took the smaller ring and carefully slipped it onto Elena’s finger. His hands trembled so badly that he needed several attempts. Then he placed the other ring on his own finger. Tears fell onto their joined hands. Lord Veymont was crying too.

I said nothing. I had always considered myself a logical person. Even before becoming Rey Valen, I preferred explanations, evidence, and conclusions that could be supported by facts. Yet here stood a man marrying someone who could never return his affection.There was no practical benefit. No future together. Watching him reminded me of my wives.

I missed them. More than I expected.

By now, the others should have left the estate to attend to their own affairs. Only Ariel or Liora was likely still home. I wondered whether either of them was awake.

Lord Veymont declared their marriage complete, his voice barely steady. Theo leaned forward and gently kissed Elena’s forehead. I released the threads. Her body began to sag, but Theo immediately caught her, holding her against his chest.

Afterward, he carried Elena toward the edge of the cliff, where the sea stretched endlessly beneath the moonlight. They sat together on the smooth stone, her head resting against his shoulder.

Theo began talking. Their childhood, the years he’d spent studying in the capital, how excited he’d been to return to Lumenford and how his heart had broken when he discovered that she no longer remembered him. It was as though he’d spent years collecting words he never had the courage to say, and now he was desperately trying to give them all to her before dawn.

"Seems like it’ll be a while." Lord Veymont approached me quietly.

I glanced toward Theo. "Yeah. It’ll be a while."

The lord followed my gaze. "Should we...?"

"Let him have his time." I leaned against the cave wall again, folding my arms as the sea breeze brushed against my face. For several moments, neither of us spoke.

I noticed Cassian glancing at me. He seemed to be considering something. I sighed. "If you want to tell me something, just speak."

He looked slightly embarrassed. "Is it that obvious?"

"You’re not particularly good at hiding your thoughts."

Cassian lowered his gaze before looking toward the sea. "You know about the rumors surrounding you, don’t you?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Which ones?"

There were too many to count. What I didn’t know was how many new ones had appeared while Rey isolated himself from the outside world.

Cassian hesitated. "They say you’re mad. And that you practice forbidden magic."

"Oh, those." I nodded. "Yeah. I’ve heard them."

Cassian looked at me with an expression I couldn’t quite decipher. "To be honest, I believed them."

I turned my head toward him.

He didn’t look away. "When His Majesty informed me that one of the five heroes would investigate the disappearances, I was relieved. I thought perhaps Sir Darius would come, or Sir Garr." He paused. "But then I heard he was sending you. I didn’t understand why." His voice grew quieter. "Among all five heroes, why send the one everyone calls dangerous? Why send the man rumored to have lost his mind?"

I studied his face. He wasn’t accusing me. He was simply telling me what he’d thought.

Cassian smiled faintly. "Now I understand."

I tilted my head. "The rumors, or why the king sent me?"

"Both." Cassian looked toward the ruined cave. "You’re fast, Rey. Much faster than I expected." He gestured toward the remnants of the destroyed ritual. "Twelve women disappeared over an entire month. My guards searched everywhere. Chief Marr investigated personally. Theo spent countless nights looking for clues." His expression darkened. "And none of us found anything."

I listened without interrupting.

"When you arrived, I thought this investigation would take at least a week. Perhaps longer. We didn’t even know whether the victims were still alive." He looked directly at me. "But you solved everything in less than a day." Cassian continued. "And about the rumors... I think I understand those too."

I glanced at him.

He smiled sheepishly. "I mean, the way you killed that monster earlier..." He swallowed. "You cut it into pieces and arranged its organs across the courtyard as though you were examining something. Your expression didn’t change. Even when everyone else was horrified, you looked completely calm." His smile faded. "I can understand why people who witnessed something like that might call you mad."

He wasn’t wrong. From an ordinary person’s perspective, dissecting a monster in the middle of a battle probably looked disturbing. But I’d needed to examine its corrupted core. And the arrangement had been deliberate. It was much easier to study individual organs when they weren’t scattered randomly across the battlefield.

Cassian looked toward the shattered runes. "And your knowledge of forbidden magic..." He paused. "You recognized the ritual immediately. You understood how it worked, what it required, and how to destroy it." His eyes returned to mine. "To people who don’t understand magic, that kind of knowledge must seem frightening. So perhaps that’s why they think you practice forbidden magic."

I stared at him. If only he knew. I wasn’t merely studying forbidden magic. My entire class had just evolved into Abyssal Magus. The very power people feared was now an inseparable part of my existence. And the original Rey had suffered for years because of the curse left behind by the Dark Lord.

Cassian seemed to mistake my silence for discomfort. "I’m sorry," he said. "I didn’t mean to offend you."

"You didn’t," I said.

He looked relieved. I turned toward Theo. The young man was still talking to Elena. His voice occasionally drifted toward us, carried by the sea breeze. I couldn’t make out every word. But I heard him mention the Smiling Fish.

I closed my eyes briefly. "Do you think knowing how to destroy something makes a person dangerous?"

He seemed surprised by the question. After a moment, he answered. "I suppose it depends on what they choose to do with that knowledge." He continued quietly. "A sword can protect someone or kill them. Magic isn’t so different, is it?"

I smiled faintly. "That’s the logic. Unfortunately, not everyone agrees with it. Some people have egos too big to accept what they don’t understand. That’s how rumors start."

Cassian considered my words before nodding. "I suppose you’re right."

He fell silent for a moment, his gaze drifting toward Theo and Elena. "There’s something else I wanted to thank you for."

"Hm?"

"For giving Theo this chance. You brought him here because you wanted him to say goodbye to Elena, didn’t you?"

I shook my head. "Not really."

Cassian looked surprised.

"I brought him because I thought Elena was still alive and under a high level manipulation spell. The one I couldn’t break easily. I figured his presence might be useful if I needed to disturb her mental conditioning." I glanced toward the couple. "If she recognized him, even subconsciously, I might have been able to exploit that emotional connection to break the spell."

A reasonable strategy. A cruel one, perhaps. "Instead..." I exhaled. "I discovered she’d been dead for years."

Cassian lowered his gaze. "I see."

Neither of us spoke afterward. The sea breeze grew colder. Then a thin golden line appeared along the eastern horizon.

Dawn.

The first rays of sunlight touched the distant water, slowly pushing the darkness away.