Chapter 51

The magician’s magic was suppressed, something that Talli had only just realized. She knew clearly the purity and power of Alex’s magic, but now he was utterly defenseless, meaning something must have gone wrong with his magic.

She held the young man and fell into the deep gorge, which seemed like a monster with its mouth wide open, roaring as it tried to devour her. The rolling black waters thundered in accompaniment to the storm, sounding like a giant machine.

Talli remained calm and unflinching, immediately deploying her glider. She cast a levitation spell, and their descent slowed at once.

The magician stared blankly, finally reacting, “…Miss Witch?”

“Though I’m called a witch,” Talli glanced at him, “my physical skills aren’t bad either.”

“…How did you know I…”

The young man seemed dazed for a while before slowly reacting. “Thank you for saving me. I honestly thought… I was going to die here today.”

“You won’t die, and you won’t die here,” Talli said, “You’ll live and return to the Abyss, continue playing chess, until you find your opponent.”

Alex paused for a moment, then turned his head to glance at the girl who was focused on confirming the wind direction before silently looking away.

After the heavy rain began, visibility dropped significantly, and he felt the damp raindrops steadily beat against his body.

“…Never mind,”

The young man lowered his head and spoke in a soft voice. “I’ve already found my opponent.”

His voice was faint, and Talli didn’t hear it. She only seemed somewhat troubled. “The black waters of the Abyss require drifting for a long time, and I don’t know if there’s a landing platform around here. Do you?”

Alex said, “The goblins know.”

The gap in the sky grew smaller, gradually turning into a thin line. The Abyss was deep, and the howling wind sounded like wailing ghosts and wolves. The black waters, thick with cold ice and deathly energy, spread upwards.

Talli lit a warm fire.

The flame slowly shifted in the darkness, following the direction the magician had indicated.

A very remote spot, a miraculous landing point.

A little further down, and it would be the raging black waters.

Talli landed steadily on the platform. She used magic to dry both herself and the magician’s bodies, sat on the ground, and watched the rain.

The waves of black water crashed against the cliffs on either side, giving the illusion that it would devour all living things that fell into this Abyss.

“Magician, you should go back.”

Talli was tending to the fire and said to him, “You were accidentally discovered by Deritz because you came to help me. In any case, you shouldn’t stay at the center of the world. It’s too dangerous here.”

The young man turned his head to look at her. “…But your spell hasn’t finished merging yet.”

“I can do it on my own.”

Talli smiled at him. She was a little cold and shivered right after smiling, her lips turning pale. “Are you worried that I’ll soften?”

Alex thought to himself that he could understand what Deritz must have been thinking.

“Don’t worry. From the moment I was born, I decided what I would do, and I will never change my mind halfway through,” Talli shook her skirt, stood up, and added, “For me, things like sincerity are too ethereal and too luxurious. What I need is much more concrete and within reach. For me, nothing can stop my return, not even my heart.”

She extended her hand to him. “Can you still move, magician?”

Alex slowly placed his hand in hers, using her hand for support as he stood up.

He was very weak, breathing heavily, and carefully walking the treacherous mountain path with her, following the goblin’s guidance.

The rain gradually stopped, and the darkness fell.

The chill was bone-deep, and the only warmth he could feel was from the young woman’s palm.

He knew the exchange of three pieces of information had ended.

Their lives would no longer intersect.

—

After sending Alex off, Talli followed the guidance of a small goblin and slowly made her way back to the ground.

The goblin didn’t speak as much as before, seeming unusually silent today.

Talli watched the stars gradually fall from the sky, while the sun began to rise from the horizon.

The line overhead grew wider and wider, expanding more and more.

She looked down and suddenly asked the small goblin, “If someone falls into the black waters, is it really a dead end for them?”

“Of course.”

The goblin grunted as it led the way, not looking back.

Talli suddenly asked:

“What if it’s a god?”

She saw the small goblin pause in its steps: “Gods are immortal. Only they can return safely from the black waters.”

Talli tilted her head and glanced at the black waters. Even under the blazing sunlight, it remained silent, like a massive, emotionless machine, devouring the lives that fell into its mouth.

“If…”

Talli asked, “What if it’s a god without the immortality spell?”

“What kind of question is that?”

The small goblin furrowed its brows. “Without the immortality spell, how could it still be called a god?”

“Has this situation ever happened before?”

Talli simply asked, feeling a sense of unease for no apparent reason.

“Never seen it.”

The small goblin’s temper flared. “Never heard of it! Never seen it! Such an absurd thing, even our great magicians haven’t heard of it! Although we claim to ‘know all things under heaven,’ that at least has to be something that exists and could actually happen!”

“How about making a guess?”

Talli pressed on. “Do you think it’s possible for them to survive?”

Perhaps hearing the seriousness in her tone, the small goblin’s voice softened, and it lowered its pitch:

“…I don’t know, but most likely, they wouldn’t survive.”

It continued, “The black waters are at the level of the world’s vortex, like the iron law of this world. Gods may fall, but as long as they exist, the world’s machinery will keep running, day after day, without rest.”

As they spoke, the two of them had already reached an open crossroads.

In the distance were the sprawling city walls, stretching almost for thousands of miles. On the vast land, they connected the ends of the world.

At the farthest point of the city walls, a rising sun slowly appeared, brightening the sky. The builders woke up, starting their work for the day.

“Alright, my task is finished. Miss Witch, goodbye!”

After saying this, the small goblin vanished into the ground in a flash.

Talli placed her hand over her left chest.

She wasn’t sure why, but she suddenly started running, along the city wall, toward the direction where the sun was rising.

As she ran, she turned into a bird, flapping her wings and flying low in the air.

When the magic faded, she fell from the wall and reverted back to human form, starting to run again.

After gathering enough magical energy, she turned into a bird once more, flying forward.

She alternated between the two, not stopping for a moment, even though she was out of breath, her back drenched in sweat.

Until the sun disappeared behind the clouds, and the light became soft again.

Beneath the layers of clouds, she could see scattered human figures ahead, seemingly in disarray.

Talli gasped for air, coughing a few times, her whole body straining to the point of almost gagging. She stopped, the wind lifting her hair, and her palm began to heat up.

The young man, drenched, was being supported by the panicked officers. His hair was loose, and water streaked down the city wall. His face was so pale it looked almost lifeless, and his body was stiff as metal.

His eyes, originally dull, only began to shake violently when he heard footsteps and turned to look toward her.

It was as though a surge of energy had suddenly rushed into his body. He shook off the officers supporting him, and his eyes instantly brightened, as though a dying tree had come back to life.

He staggered toward her, getting closer and closer.

When he could finally see her face clearly, he grinned, laughing a few times.

First, a lucky, survivor’s laugh, and then the laughter grew, filled with intense anger. His chest trembled, and he even began to cough. His pale face turned flushed, and his lips took on a brighter color.

His eye sockets quickly reddened, his eyes bloodshot.

In the final few steps, he slowly walked up to her, tightly grasping Talli’s shoulders. His arm trembled, his knuckles turning white, as if confirming whether she was real.

“Heh… Hahahahahahaha…”

The young man laughed until his voice became hoarse.

Until the girl jumped into his arms, hugging his waist.

His laughter stopped abruptly.

It was as if he had almost forgotten how to speak or move.

“I’m glad you’re okay.”

Talli said, “…When I was down there, I kept thinking, would you jump down to save me? I both wanted you to come and didn’t want you to come.”

She closed her eyes, burying her head against his chest. Her heart beat violently, and the cold, wet fabric became scorching due to their body heat.

“I see, I’m selfish too, Deritz.”

Her voice was like a feather falling onto his heart.

In an instant, all his anger and fear disappeared.

The young man realized that, in this moment, there was only one thing he wanted to do.

He lowered his head and pulled her tightly into his embrace.

— Only to hold her tightly.

Nothing else.

“No way, how did you survive and come back from down there?”

Lina’s eyes widened. “It’s unbelievable! I thought no one could come back alive from a place like that, except for the monarch.”

“I didn’t even fall into the water.”

Talli said slowly, “You know, I can turn into a bird.”

“Oh right.”

Lina suddenly remembered. “Seems like only I know about that.”

She paused. “By the way, why did you jump down? If you knew someone among the criminals, all you had to do was tell His Highness, and he would’ve fulfilled your request no matter what, right?”

“The situation here is a bit complicated.”

Talli gently brushed the mechanical bird in her hands with a small brush.

A knock on the door came at just the right moment: “Miss Talli, His Highness requests your presence in his chambers.”

She put down her tools and handed the bird to Lina:

“I’ll tell you next time, if there’s a chance.”

After walking down the long corridor and climbing the stairs, she finally arrived on the top floor of the tower and stood before his room.

A small elf opened the door for her, bowed respectfully, and then quietly stepped back.

Talli entered the room and closed the door behind her.

She walked over to his bedside. The young man still looked very weak, leaning against the headboard, his blue hair scattered, and his face pale.

Talli had heard that he jumped into the black water and searched for her the entire night.

Her footsteps were somewhat loud, but the young man didn’t react. He was reviewing some documents.

Talli cleared her throat and, a little stiffly, sat down beside him, taking out the potion that the little elf had brought to her: “I’ve brought it.”

She held out the bowl of medicine to him. “Do you want to take it yourself, or should I feed you?”

“Talli,”

The young man didn’t put down the papers in his hands, nor did he look at the bowl of medicine she was holding.

“You’re the real cold-blooded and hateful one.”

“…What?” She froze for a moment.

“I almost died because of you.”

The young man lifted one eye to look at her. “Is this really your attitude?”

“…Then I’ll return the curse of undeath to you.”

Talli said this, and pretended to reach for it.

“This thing, I’ll just leave it with you.”

Deritz said, “Without it, you should have died in the black water long ago. I was too hasty, and when I jumped, I didn’t even think about this.”

Talli was momentarily stunned.

Deritz thought that she had absorbed the curse of undeath, which was why she survived.

It turned out that from the beginning, he had never planned on taking it back, he had given it to her.

The young man turned a page.

“Is that boy really worth you doing this?”

As expected, he asked.

“He saved me, Deritz,” Talli replied. “I don’t want to owe him anything. If he died, it would become a thorn, a thorn between us.”

She spoke, reaching out to block his documents.

“You know, if I were to stay, I wouldn’t want there to be any barriers between us.”

The young man froze.

He seemed to doubt his own ears, staying still for a long time. After a while, he slowly lifted his eyelids, turned his head, and looked at the girl by the bed. “…What did you say?”

The paper fell onto the quilt.

He reached out and grabbed Talli’s wrist, with a barely noticeable slight tremble.

“I said, since I can’t leave anyway,”

Talli said, “I’m willing to stay. Stay by your side.”

She leaned forward and gently kissed the young man’s cheek with her lips, then quickly pulled away.

“Are you saying you’ve changed your mind?”

“…Hahaha…”

The young man was stunned for a long time before lowering his head, covering his lips, his shoulders shaking as he laughed.

“You’re trying to trick me again, Talli.”

“I’m not.”

Talli said, pulling his hand over and pressing it against her chest. “Can you feel it? My heart. It doesn’t lie, and it never has. On that stormy day, deep in the abyss, it told me to follow its will.”

Her heart wasn’t lying.

If it wasn’t genuine, it would be impossible to deceive Deritz.

“You… want me to believe you?”

The young man’s fingers curled slightly, as if burned by the beat of her heart.

“You don’t have to believe me. There’s still so much time,” Talli said. “A half-elf can live for over two hundred years, and you’ve also given me the curse of undeath. You can wait as long as you want to prove it.”

The young man’s dark eyes were tightly fixed on her, as if searching for the slightest crack in her expression.

But there was none.

This realization made him feel both joy and unease.

He gripped Talli’s hand tightly, never blinking, staring deep into her eyes.

“Then…”

His throat shifted.

“Never again escape from my sight like you did today.”

“Okay.”

“Never secretly meet with any suspicious people.”

“No problem.”

“Don’t act recklessly when you know it’s dangerous.”

“I’ll do as you say.”

“…And,”

The young man’s voice was low and husky as he said, “Marry me, Talli, and stay by my side forever.”