As soon as he opened his eyes, the first thing he felt was a cold so intense that he thought he might pass out again before he could even appreciate regaining consciousness. Cadel hurriedly cloaked himself in a barrier of fire and rose to his feet. However, the moment he stood, a powerful gust of freezing wind struck like a shockwave, forcing his body backward. Instinctively raising his arm, Cadel took in the scene before him.

“Ly……!”

He couldn’t even call out the name properly. The moment he opened his mouth, the cold lashed at his tongue as if slicing it to shreds. Cadel turned his gaze to the solid ice cocoon situated opposite him. Inside the transparent ice crystal, Lydon was curled up like a child. From that place, waves of immense energy surged relentlessly.

More than half of his body had been impaled by jagged ice spears, leaving him in a devastating state. Completely unconscious, he emanated a murderous mana as if intent on draining every last drop of life from him.

With each passing second, the mana grew stronger, to the point where even Cadel could no longer withstand it. This was different from a mere rampage. When Lydon had been on the verge of losing control before, Cadel had been able to approach him with difficulty. But not this time.

‘I can’t take a single step closer. If I do, I’ll die.’

In this state, he couldn’t even get near him. Gritting his teeth, Cadel desperately fixed his gaze on Lydon. At the far end of the ice-covered white corridor, the only exit of the prison was sealed by a thick ice wall. Cracks ran through its surface, slowly widening, shaking dangerously as if on the verge of collapse.

‘If that breaks, the entire castle—and any allies nearby—will be frozen solid.’

He couldn’t allow Lydon’s mana to escape the prison. He had to stop its release before that happened. But he had no idea how.

While reclaiming his stolen heart, Cadel had witnessed Lydon’s struggle. The madness in his actions and expressions, the murderous intent so vivid, was terrifying. At the same time, he had sensed the deep sorrow and fear buried within him.

That was Lydon’s true feelings—something only Cadel could perceive. Just before losing consciousness, Lydon had called out to him for help. Even without sound, he had understood. This poor fairy had been thrust into a crisis he never wanted.

‘This isn’t some kind of limit break. This is……’

A manifestation of grief. A pain of loss, a rage against helplessness. Lydon had been unable to withstand the storm of emotions and had crumbled. And Cadel, while Lydon’s heart was shattering, had done nothing to help, only adding to his fear. If Lydon died here, it would be entirely his fault.

‘If you die, I won’t be able to do anything.’

His death would mean the end of the world.

‘Even if I fail to save this world, I will save you. I will make sure you live, even in this cursed world. I won’t let those who remember me die.’

He didn’t resist the force of the wind pushing him back. Instead, Cadel sat down, leaning his back against the wall where Lydon was trapped. He composed himself and drew upon his mana. He only needed to maintain the barrier enough to avoid freezing to death.

Fixing his gaze firmly on Lydon, he began summoning all the mana he had—no, even more than that. Lydon had risked his life to save him. Now, he had to return the favor. He had to keep Lydon’s heart from freezing over. He had to prevent his life from ending in vain. He would save him, even at the cost of his own life.

To counter Lydon’s energy, he needed a magic powerful enough to match it.

‘If you’re alive, then it’s a happy ending in the end.’

The tremors in the underground prison grew more violent. But it wasn’t because of Lydon’s mana. The very air surrounding Cadel was visibly destabilizing, and the ground beneath him quaked uncontrollably. Sparks of fire flickered along his black hair, long eyelashes, cheeks, and hands.

No more breath escaped his lips. Inside the frozen prison, water dripped from melting ice. And as each droplet fell, flames climbed the walls, consuming them in an instant. In the entirely white and frozen underground prison, only the space around Cadel burned with searing heat.

Cadel could feel the heat vividly. A horrific burning sensation, as if his body was shrinking. His organs were being scorched, his skin was charring, and every nerve screamed in agony.

He was burning alive.

“Ghh…… ngh……!”

Even as he clenched his teeth to endure it, pained groans leaked out. His body twisted, his hands and feet trembled violently, and the unbearable agony left his mind in disarray. Yet, despite it all, Cadel did not stop drawing mana. He did not stop burning.

Because when he thought of Lydon, he could endure it. The pain Lydon had suffered, the misery he had to bear—compared to that, burning was nothing.

And so, this magic was [Yearning Heart]. A love that endured all suffering, the only heart that could rescue him from despair.

Crimson flames engulfed Cadel’s body. He was still burning, the pain showed no signs of fading. And yet, his body did not turn to ashes. Even as he burned in agony, he forced himself to stand.

With unwavering steps, he moved forward. And as he stepped out of the prison, flames surged from his feet like a tidal wave, sweeping through the corridor in an instant. Fire danced atop Lydon’s ice, flickering like it was alive. The flames shattered the fragile ice wall and engulfed the area in new, blazing infernos.

But in the next moment, an overwhelming chill swept through the prison, extinguishing the fire. That was the signal for the battle between two magic spells. Their mana clashed, each force surging to outmatch the other. Every second, the balance of power shifted—freezing, burning, suppressing, and melting in an endless cycle.

Step by step, Cadel closed the distance to Lydon. The closer he got, the stronger the cold became, and the fiercer the flames grew in response. The opposing energies wreaked havoc, causing cracks to form along the ceiling of the underground prison.

Amid the precariously collapsing space, Cadel’s fingertips finally reached the ice cocoon. Instantly, the blazing fire that had consumed the prison was snuffed out, while the storm of freezing mana swelled even further.

Cadel’s gaze shifted to his left arm, which was pressed against the ice. His entire arm, now pierced and covered in jagged ice shards, was in tatters. The ice encasing his left arm imprisoned even the flames, blocking further movement.

Despite that, Cadel pressed his right arm, his torso, his chest, and even his cheek against the ice. In the end, the only thing left was a single flicker of flame, buried deep within the ice.

Fused with the ice, completely frozen over, Cadel still held the fire within him. And with lips trembling from both cold and determination, he whispered:

“I’ll save you, Lydon. All you have to do is reach out.”

* * *

“What the hell is that……?”

“Ignore it, Young Master! Just run!”

Was ignoring it even an option? Lumen increased his speed, making up for the brief lag, but he couldn’t tear his gaze away from the sky.

The castle was moving. It twisted and writhed as if in agony. One by one, ceilings collapsed, yet the outer walls remained intact. It held its form firmly as it ascended into the sky.

The upper floors where they stood, the floors above that, and even the floors beyond them—through the gaping hole in the ceiling, they could see the upper part of the castle, separated and floating away. As chunks of the collapsing ceiling fell, the distance between the upper and lower sections of the castle grew wider.

‘Is this how they plan to escape Lydon’s self-destruction? ……No. This must have been the plan from the beginning. The moment humans infiltrated the castle, they intended to separate it, making it unreachable.’

A skyborne castle without stairs to climb—there was no way to enter it.

‘So that’s where the Stone of Peace must be.’

Unless they had left the stone behind in the lower section as a ruse, the treasure that the human army sought was undoubtedly up in the sky. But for now, the place they needed to be was not above.

“They really went out of their way to make things complicated.”

Yozen’s clone sprinted relentlessly. They rushed through hidden passages, smashed through concealed doors, and navigated countless branching paths, all heading downward. After what felt like an endless race through the maze-like interior of the castle—

“……We’ve finally arrived.”

Van and Lumen stared at the wall of flames before them. The scorching fire blazed so fiercely that nothing beyond it was visible. They had no way of knowing how deep or long this inferno stretched. The only thing they were certain of was that Cadel was on the other side. And so was Lydon.

“If you’re scared, feel free to wait outside.”

“You sure love talking to yourself. Just shut up and follow me.”

If throwing themselves into this fire was what it took to save them, then enduring the pain was a price they were willing to pay. Without hesitation, Van hurled himself into the flames, following the clone. But at that moment—

“Get down!”

Through the searing fire, sharp ice crystals erupted like an explosion. Lumen instinctively grabbed Van, pulling him away from the ice’s path, his brow furrowing deeply.

“Run!”

“I can see that! Stop yelling!”

The fierce fire was rapidly consumed by the ice, which expanded like menacing blades. The two men dashed in the opposite direction, trying to escape the spreading frost. But the icy explosions rapidly dulled their movements, and the slick, frozen ground beneath them made it impossible to pick up speed.

Just as the frost’s white claws reached out for them—

Boom! Kwaboom!

A massive explosion erupted from within, sending a wave of scorching heat crashing over their bodies.