The wind howled like a beast as we plunged into the abyss, swallowed by the cliff's endless darkness. My jaw tightened, and I clicked my tongue in frustration. Beside me, Eane was smiling contently, until he realized I was falling too. The moment recognition struck, panic overtook his face.
'This kid… still worries of others even now.'
I knew what he wanted to do, but I wouldn't allow it. I reached for him, catching his wrist mid-fall, and pulled him against me. My cloak flared like a second skin. 'If the Cloak of Narda works as it should, it might keep us alive.'
He felt weightless in my arms. 'Sixteen, maybe seventeen… still too young to face an end like this.' My grip tightened around him. 'If we somehow survive, I'll make sure he gets to live freely. That'll be my penance.'
Then suddenly, vines shimmered into view, their soft green glow twisting around us. They caught our bodies midair, slowing our descent until we landed gently atop a massive blossom. Its light-purple petals spread wide like a clematis in full bloom.
The vines slipped away as quickly as they'd appeared, leaving us lying on the flower's velvet glowing surface, just a meter above the ground. For a moment, I couldn't move. I could only breathe, stunned that we were still alive.
"Eane, are you hurt?" Is what I want to ask, but my voice won't come out. when I looked at my stained hand, I realized how foolish that question was. Blood streaked his clothes, his breaths shallow and uneven, yet his eyes weren't on me.
"M-Madam Grandma…?" he whispered.
The faint rustle of footsteps reached my ears. From the shadows, a staff emerged, its tip glowing with an emerald hue. The light revealed an elderly woman in a gray cloak, her wavy golden hair stirring in the wind. Her gaze met mine. steady, deep, and far too knowing.
The light brushed against her ears—slightly pointed.
A half-elf.
'Kaiser and Eane's grandmother.'
"Oh, dear me," she murmured, her voice soft yet heavy with meaning. "It seems the wheel of fate has turned."
"Madam Grandma…" Eane tried to move toward her, but his arms gave out, and he slumped back against me. The weight of his fall stung, though I wasn't any stronger myself.
My muscles trembled, the last of my strength fading away. 'So this is… my limit. What a weakling,' I thought, wondering how I could even sit up or run away in such an awkward position—with him on top of me and his wound still fresh.
"My dear, don't move too much. Your wound runs deep," the old woman said softly. With a subtle gesture, the vines stirred to life, gently lifting Eane from my arms. They laid him upon one of the massive clematis petals beside me, its surface shimmering faintly in the moonlight. Soon after, another petal wrapped around me, helping me to sit upright.
'Phew,' I sighed on relief.
"B-but what… why… how are you here?" Eane stammered weakly.
"Shhh," she hushed him, brushing his hair with a gentle hand. "Save your strength, dear child."
Her voice carried a warmth that melted through the chill around us. Then she began to hum—a lullaby, low and soothing. The melody wrapped around me like a spell, pulling me toward sleep. My eyelids grew heavy. I shook my head, trying to fight the drowsiness creeping in.
Beside me, Eane's breathing slowed. "M-Madam Grandma… why…" he whispered faintly before his voice faded into slumber.
The old woman smiled, her gaze tender as she looked down at him. Without wasting a moment, she drew a small vial from her cloak, uncorked it, and poured the liquid over Eane's wound. The potion hissed on contact, releasing a puff of dark purple mist, but the wound kept bleeding.
"Just as I thought," she murmured. "The blade that struck him carries dark power, a strong curse. No ordinary potion can undo this. Only a high priest or a great healer from the West, Hanyll, could purge it completely."
'Is there nothing we can do?' I wanted to ask, but my voice still refused to come out.
As if she heard the thought itself, she smiled faintly. "I'd be a failure of a healer if I couldn't mend this child," she said, her tone filled with quiet resolve.
'Wait… can she read minds?'
A soft chuckle escaped her lips, the kind only a grandmother could make. "Hehe… no, my dear, not quite. It's your soul speaking to me. I can hear its vibrations."
'Oh,' I paused, wondering if it was true.
"Yes, I can't lie, my dear."
"T-then, that's… incredible. Tell me, how can I help this kid? I'll do anything," I replied, now certain she could hear my thoughts.
Her brown eyes gleamed with knowing amusement. "Why?" she asked, her lips curving into a teasing smile. "So you can turn this child into a plaything for your mistress? Am I wrong, my dearest?"
'Oh, how did she know that?' Was she there when I made that excuse? She was supposed to be the one rescuing Eane, after all.
But with her power focused more on healing than combat, she must have been defenseless against the slavers, especially those skilled in strength and swordsmanship. Still, if it had been one-on-one, I had no doubt this grandmother could have won easily.
Then I noticed her staff. Sparks flickered around its tip, humming with quiet menace, while she smiled at me sweetly. Ah, yes. I should probably clear up that misunderstanding.
I bowed my head, placing a hand over my chest, and met her gaze. 'Whatever she calls this soul communication thing, I just hope my words reach her properly.'
''I am merely a wanderer who happened to witness that gruesome scene and wanted to help. I've never met nor served Duke Frallizer or the lady. I only knew their names by chance. This is the truth, and I swear it upon my life. You may strike me if you believe I'm lying, Madam.''
The woman smiled, her expression calm yet knowing.
"Just as my dearest said, you are both lucky and unlucky. Granted a new life, yet burdened with punishment. You, who are bound to this sweet child by a thick thread of fate, may you guide him well."
Her words struck me like thunder. 'She knows. She knows about me being isekai'd… and my punishment?'
"Who told you that?" I demanded, my hands trembling with nervousness and anticipation. "Was it the system? Who's behind it?"
But she didn't answer. Her attention had shifted as Eane began coughing blood, his body limp once more.
"Oh dear," she whispered, her face tightening with worry. Placing her palm over his chest, she began to chant softly. Ancient words flowed from her lips as thin vines slipped from her sleeve, curling around Eane's hand. Then, like tiny needles, they pierced their skin, threading the two together. At the same time, glowing circles of magic spread beneath us, pulsing with light.
When she clapped her hands together, the thinnest vines, slid into Eane's wounds. They moved with delicate precision, mending torn tissue, organs, and muscle as if she were a surgeon guided by nature itself.
But the longer the spell went on, the more strain showed on her face. Blood trickled from her lips, and her brows furrowed in pain. Still, she continued the incantation, refusing to stop.
'Wait… this technique… connecting the pulse through a living medium—ancient, forbidden Elven magic. The sharing of life force.'
Elves, blessed with lifespans far longer than any humanoid race, once used this art to extend the lives of those they loved. It was said to have been created by the Elven High King himself, born from his love for his human wife. But the price was steep. When he shared his life force, their spirits became bound and they died together, just as he wished.
His death threw the Elven Kingdom into chaos. The next heir, a half-blood princess, was too young and too human in the eyes of her people. Their power, once strong enough to protect the forests, weakened. Enemies struck swiftly, conquering their lands and enslaving their kin.
From then on, the fallen Elven King was branded a traitor who had succumbed to humankind. His bloodline was banished to the Middle Realm—a place the elves now whispered about with disdain, calling it the 'land of the wicked humans.'
'That was the tale I once wrote into history… a background story for the Former Elven Kingdom. Kaiser was meant to learn it later, when he wandered those lands, from the lips of his friend. The current king who trusted him despite his humanity.'
And yet, standing before me now, this woman…
"Are you," I asked, my voice finally returning, "the former princess of Lazelluan Forest, Kingdom of the Elves?"
The old woman looked at me softly, her eyes smiling even as her lips remained still. She said nothing, continuing her spell as the vines pulsed with her fading light.
"Madam... Grandma?" Eane's voice was faint and trembling as his eyes fluttered open. He blinked slowly, confusion swimming in them, until the scene before him came into focus.
The moment realization struck, panic followed.
"Stop! You shouldn't do this—I... I don't deserve it!"
He tried to tear away the vines crawling across his body, but I caught his hands before he could.
"Stay still," I said firmly, though my voice shook. "If you pull them off now, it'll hurt both of you."
The vines pulsed faintly between them, their light flickering like a fragile heartbeat. Stopping the spell midway would be disastrous. The mana could backlash—like an explosion—destroying the mana heart of both the caster and the one bound by it. Neither of them would ever touch magic again.
Eane froze. Fear filled his eyes, and the fight drained out of him. His lips quivered before tears began to fall; slow at first, then uncontrollable.
"...Ma... stop... it's useless," he whispered, covering his face with trembling hands. His shoulders shook as the words came out in gasps. "I don't want to admit it, but I'm bad luck. Everyone close to me gets hurt, my parents... and now you."
His voice broke as he lowered his hands, his eyes red and watery.
"I don't even understand why I need to be saved," he said, his tone fading to a whisper. "Why I should live longer. Even my..." He bit his lip hard, choking on his own words. "Even my siblings were glad when I was gone."
He took a shaky breath. "Grandma... I don't want to live if it means trading your life for mine."
The old woman's hands trembled; the vines around her faltered, their glow flickering uncertainly.
Eane's gaze softened, his voice shrinking to a fragile murmur. "I know you only have a month left," he said. "I heard you talking to Kaiser. You wanted him to take me away, out of that village." He paused, tears welling again. "But I don't want to leave you. I can't."
His words caught in his throat, breaking into sobs. "If you die, Grandma... I'll die too. You're my only family."
A long silence followed, broken only by Eane's soft, uneven sobs. When the glowing arrays finally dimmed and the vines faded away, the air grew still, the spell had finished its work.
The old woman lowered her trembling hands and, with labored breaths, whispered gently, "Don't say that, my dear. Don't ever think that way." Her voice was warm but frail, like a candle flickering against the wind. "I've lived long enough... seen more than a thick book could ever hold. Now it's your turn to fill the pages of your own story."
She drew him close, wrapping her arms around him. The faint scent of earth and herbs clung to her robes as she whispered into his hair, "Even if I'm not here, you still have Kaiser. If your brothers and sisters turn away, he won't. You know how deeply he treasures you.. as I do. We're family, Eane. We care for you more than you realize. It hurts us when you say things like this... please, take them back."
Eane's lips quivered. "K-Kaiser is destined for greatness," he said, his voice shaking. "I don't want to hold him back. If I can't be his strength... then I don't want to be his weakness." His voice cracked as he pressed his face into her shoulder. "Grandma, I want to go with you... together."
She smiled softly and placed a trembling kiss on his forehead. "You're wrong, my dear Eane," she whispered. "You are our strength—the blessing that makes this life worth living." Her eyes glistened, and for a moment, her smile held both pride and sorrow. "Live… live a long, long life. Life isn't only the dark side of the coin; there's light too. Look for it. Enjoy it."
Eane didn't answer. He just wept quietly in her arms. The surrounding felt weightless, as if time itself had paused to grieve with him. He knew what she had done, the price she paid to save him. And though every part of him wanted to stop her, it was already too late.
I now understood how broken Eane was. The life he'd lived—the loneliness, the cruelty of his surroundings—had carved him into something fragile. He'd been pushed so far into the dark corners of his own mind that death seemed kinder than life.
My hand clenched, the guilt rising again.
As if reading my thoughts, the old woman reached out and brushed my hair, rough but gentle. "It's not your fault, my dearest," she said, smiling through the exhaustion that lined her face.
Those few words felt like a spell—soft and glowing. For a brief moment, they lifted the guilt pressing on my chest. I almost sobbed.
Then pain struck without warning. My heart lurched as sharp heat tore through my hand. The eye embedded there began to cry again, its tears burning like fire.
[Warning: The Protagonist is within a fifty-meter radius.]
'How did he find us so fast? Like a hound sniffing out his sworn brother.'
The old woman's gaze turned toward the distance, her expression solemn. "Young man," she said quietly, "that child... and the one approaching, they're both bound to the future this world needs. Guide them. Help them walk the path they've chosen."
Her eyes softened, but her tone grew faint. "For now, your soul and Kaiser's are not yet in tune. I hope you'll find a way to overcome that."
She shifted Eane gently into my arms. He was already fast asleep, drained by exhaustion and grief. Her wrinkled hand brushed his cheek, wiping away the last of his tears before she pressed a kiss to his forehead.
"And now," she whispered, her voice trembling, "before Kaiser reaches us... you must go."
She took a step back and drew in a deep, steadying breath, courage filling what little life remained in her. Then she lifted her staff and struck the ground.
The earth shuddered softly. Clematis petals unfurled from the air like falling snow, curling around me and Eane. Beneath us, a magic circle bloomed to life, glowing with radiant light.
This time, a strange sadness welled up inside me as I looked at the old woman through the drifting petals. She was trying so hard to hold back her tears. The sight of it twisted something in my chest.
A sudden question escaped my lips before I could stop it.
"Wait—what's your name?!"
The woman smiled softly. "Martha. I hope you succeed this time… my dearest."
The moment those words left her lips, her form began to change. Her wrinkles faded, her hair shone like silk, and before me stood a young woman—gentle and radiant, her beauty almost ethereal, like an angel descended from above.
Her face stirred something deep within me, a familiarity I couldn't grasp. It felt like recognizing someone from a half-forgotten dream. My throat tightened, and before I knew it, tears slipped down my cheeks.
Her words left me speechless. Then, the petals fully enclosed around us, and that familiar churning in my stomach dragged me back to reality.
A long moment passed. The petals began to fade, the vines vanished, and the world around us shifted.
When I opened my eyes, we were standing inside a warm wooden house. The air smelled faintly of pine and old timber.
"Even after having her life drained, she still managed to send us somewhere safe," I murmured in disbelief. "She truly was an incredible woman... a princess, even. Her healing was perfect, Eane's wounds have completely closed, and his HP's stabilized."
[Target's HP: 8,875 / 10,000]
Eane slept quietly in my arms, his breathing steady. I looked down at my hand,the socket where the eye once appeared was gone. That could only mean one thing: we were far, far from Kaiser now.
Maybe it was the exhaustion, or the weight of everything that just happened, but my head began to spin. The ringing in my ears grew louder as guilt, tension, and relief washed over me like a rising tide. Before long, my eyelids grew too heavy to fight.