He screamed.
He raged.
He drowned in grief.
And with each new life, he grew a little more numb.
The comrades who had once laughed and fought beside him gradually became nothing more than part of the scenery.
Even the enemies who had once filled him with hatred no longer stirred any desire for revenge.
No matter whom he cut down, he no longer felt guilt.
He never learned how to stop.
For the sake of one person, he endured thousands of deaths and failures.
Whenever he died, he started over.
Whenever he fell, he rose again.
He wished for only one ending.
A future where Odely was alive.
“……”
Odely watched his endless cycle of lifetimes unfold before her.
“Please…stop…”
Every memory he had ever lived crashed over her like a tidal wave.
There was simply too much.
Even though she was seeing his memories herself, the sheer volume overwhelmed her, leaving most of it beyond comprehension.
Faced with a single truth, Odely could only stand there, speechless.
A man who had lived for her, and died for her.
A man who, at the beginning and end of every timeline, had looked only at Odely.
Hundreds of failures.
Thousands of deaths.
He died, and died again.
He stood back up, fought again, lost everything, and still never stopped.
Again.
Again.
And again.
The Gem of Regression grew smaller with every cycle.
The ring he never once took off, no matter how many times he turned back time.
Her chest tightened until it felt as though her heart could no longer beat, and darkness slowly crept into her vision.
Love.
Hatred.
Pity.
Devotion.
Regret.
Rage.
Madness.
Each emotion tore relentlessly at Odely’s mind.
“…Stop!”
Without thinking,
Odely reached out.
Toward him, drawing his sword once more within those endless memories.
“Please… stop already…”
She knew those moments had long since passed.
She knew better than anyone that he no longer existed in this world.
“You’ve done enough. I’m okay. I really am. For my sake… why did you go this far…?”
But before her outstretched hand could reach him—
Ludville died.
This time, he truly died.
After saving Odely, he finally found eternal rest.
She had thought it was strange.
Right before their divorce, her body had been growing weaker by the day, as though she were simply waiting to die.
Yet at some point, strength had begun to return.
She had recovered enough to work as a healer in the village where she settled.
She had believed it was a miracle.
But the truth was…
“It was your miracle.”
You accomplished what even the gods could not, with nothing but a human body.
Odely squeezed her eyes shut and gripped the ring tightly.
The blue light from the Gem of Regression had grown so faint
that it looked ready to disappear at any moment.
As though announcing that Ludville’s memories— no, his life— had finally come to an end.
“……”
Without realizing it, Odely made a wish.
If there was another life.
If such a thing truly existed.
She hoped he would live only for himself.
“…Don’t ever get tangled up with someone like me.”
Please… be happy.
At that moment, the ring on her finger erupted with light.
Then—
Crack.
A fracture spread across the Gem of Regression,
before it shattered into countless fragments.
“…!”
The blue shards scattered through the air like a river of stars.
Then, all at once, they rushed toward Odely.
At the same time, everything around her twisted violently.
Light spread.
Sound warped.
Time overturned.
Then—
Darkness.
“…Hah!”
The next moment, Odely gasped awake on a damp stone floor.
This place…
Moist stone walls.
The rough, ice-cold floor beneath her knees.
The secret chamber beneath House Cardel.
“Cough…!”
Her insides twisted violently.
Something surged up her throat.
Blood.
Hot.
Thick.
Its metallic taste filled her mouth.
Crimson blood spilled from her lips, staining the white hem of her dress.
It was a familiar pain.
Then, the ground trembled ever so slightly.
A series of thunderous explosions followed, like fireworks bursting overhead, and distant cheers echoed through the air.
“Long live House Cardel!”
“Long live the Dragon’s descendants! Long live the blood of heroes!”
“Glory to the Luminere Empire!”
The signal.
The one that came every year.
“…I’ve come back.”
Back to six years ago.
To the very day Ludville had come and proposed their contract marriage.
Breathing heavily, Odely lowered her gaze to the loose ring hanging around her thumb.
The ring that had remained with Ludville through all those endless years, ever since the Gem of Regression had been set into it.
The gemstone at its center, barely holding its shape, crumbled away without leaving behind even a speck of dust.
After giving Odely one final chance.
“…Why?”
I wished for you to be happy… without ever becoming entangled with someone like me.
Then why… of all moments, did I return to this one?
Click.
Just then, she heard the lock turning.
Without thinking, Odely pushed herself halfway upright.
“You look better than I expected. Perhaps I should’ve strengthened the barrier even more.”
Had she been hoping, without realizing it?
The instant she saw who had entered, the warmth vanished from her eyes.
It was Gawin.
Gawin Cardel.
The eldest son of House Cardel and its official heir.
Though he and Odely shared the same parents, he had been “fortunate” enough to be born without any special abilities.
Thanks to that, he was hailed as the Messenger of God and celebrated as the Empire’s greatest hero.
Odely’s blood and suffering had become nothing more than the foundation beneath his glory.
“Now that the ritual is over, don’t think you can rest. This is only the beginning. There are mountains of things waiting for you to purify.”
Odely barely listened.
Her gaze remained fixed on the door.
Every thought she had was focused on Ludville.
Gawin let out a mocking chuckle.
“What? Do you think someone’s coming to save you?”
“……”
“Don’t be selfish. If you alone endure, the entire Empire survives. That’s the burden a Purifier is born to carry.”
As he spoke, Gawin slowly walked through the room, his eyes sweeping over the blood-soaked chamber.
His tone remained calm, but beneath it lay cold contempt.
“If you have no intention of betraying the sacrifices of the dozens of ancestors who devoted their lives to this family and the Empire…
then stop entertaining foolish thoughts.”
“……”
“The moment a Purifier fails to fulfill their role, this Empire— and you— will have nothing left.”
At those words, Odely let out a laugh.
An open, mocking laugh.
Gawin’s expression froze instantly.
“What’s so funny?”
Once, she had believed.
She had believed in House Cardel’s so-called duty.
She had believed in the Purifier’s fate.
But not anymore.
The Odely standing here now
possessed both the memories of her previous life and Ludville’s countless lifetimes.
She knew exactly what this was.
The glorification of sacrifice.
Obedience disguised as duty.
“You’re saying the Empire will collapse because of me alone?”
“Yes. Which is why—”
“That makes it sound as though you can’t accomplish anything without me.
Rather strange for the Empire’s great hero, don’t you think?”
“……”
“So I suppose you’re admitting that you have no real ability of your own.”
Sparks flashed in Gawin’s eyes.
Disgust.
Shock.
Wounded pride.
All of it ignited at once.
“…How dare you.”
Grinding his teeth, he glared at Odely.
“How dare you judge me with that filthy mouth?”
His footsteps echoed heavily across the floor.
Stopping directly before her, Gawin leaned down and whispered like a snake.
“Don’t flatter yourself. You’re the most worthless creature in this world. Unlike me, the heir, you’re nothing more than a tool to this family.”
He seized Odely by the collar and lifted her off the ground.
“Someone like you can be killed and buried, and that’ll be the end of it. Another Purifier will simply be born. That’s how it’s always been… Do you know what that means?”
The corner of his mouth curled upward.
It was the arrogant, razor-sharp smile of a man who had never known defeat.
“It means God has always been on my side.”
A thought suddenly crossed Odely’s mind.
She had lost her life.
Her lifespan.
Even the most basic rights of a human being.
Everything had been taken from her.
And yet, not once had she ever sought revenge against them.
…I see.
At last, the one chance had finally come.
The one chance to break free from the chains of her past and choose for herself.
Having made her decision, Odely slowly tilted her head and quietly asked,
“Is that so? Then prove it.”
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