---
The night air was heavy with tension. The trees in BlueMoon Magical Forest trembled beneath the starless sky.
"I don't believe you!" Irin yelled, taking a step back from Lia.
Her voice trembled with emotion. "You're making up a story just to take me back to the Heaven Realm, aren't you?!"
"No—" Lia's eyes widened, her voice urgent.
"You think I'll just follow you blindly?" Irin's hands clenched. "I'm not your pawn. I'm not your lost child from some prophecy!"
Lia shook her head. "Irin, please, it's not like that—"
"I won't go," Irin said firmly, her heart pounding. "I'm going back to the BlueMoon Palace. That's where I belong."
Without another word, Irin turned and walked away. Lia called out, tried to stop her, but Irin vanished between the trees.
---
BlueMoon Palace – Dylan's Bedroom
Meanwhile, Dylan rested in silence, his eyes shut, breathing shallow. The wound on his shoulder throbbed under the bandage.
Suddenly, the door burst open. Ruther rushed inside, his face pale.
"My Lord—something is wrong."
Dylan sat up, wincing. "What?"
"There's a forbidden black hole in the palace garden. It's absorbing energy—from everything. Even the guards are collapsing."
Dylan's eyes darkened. "Let's go."
---
Palace Garden
The moon above the palace had vanished behind swirling dark clouds. In the garden, an enormous forbidden black hole hovered above the earth like a wound in reality itself. The grass below it withered; light was sucked from the surroundings.
Guards lay collapsed all around—drained of energy, their breathing weak.
Dylan and Ruther stared in horror as the hole grew larger, its core crackling with cursed violet energy.
Dylan gritted his teeth. "I'll destroy it."
He summoned his sword, slashing toward the hole—but a violent backlash struck him in the chest. He staggered, coughing up blood. Ruther shielded him.
"My Lord!" Ruther cried.
"Get the old clan member Zerath," Dylan ordered. "Tell them to form a protective barrier. Now!"
Ruther nodded and turned—but before he could take another step, his knees buckled. His energy drained into the swirling hole and he collapsed beside Dylan.
Then a voice came from the void—
"Long time no see... Dylan."
From within the black hole, a shadow stepped forth.
Liora.
Dylan's gaze turned ice-cold. "You..."
He raised his sword, swinging toward her—but his arms refused to move. Pain shot through his veins, his knees crashed to the ground.
"No…" Dylan whispered. "This hole... It's absorbing my energy too?"
Liora laughed. "Not the hole, Dylan. Your wound."
Dylan's lips paled.
"The assassin I sent carried a poisoned blade. Not ordinary poison—my curse. It seals power slowly, hour by hour."
Dylan's hands trembled. "You dare harm my people—"
Liora smirked. "And I know it was you who saved Irin from my mirror blast."
Dylan's strength faded, but still, his voice was defiant. "I won't... let you touch them."
His robe shifted as he tried to stand, revealing the glowing lightning-like birthmark across his side.
Liora's eyes widened in fear. "That mark... No… no, that's impossible. Who are you really?"
Dylan, even in pain, managed a cold smirk. "More than you expected."
Ruther, barely conscious, whispered, "No… Dylan can't use that power. If he does… he'll die."
Liora snarled, summoning a crackling wave of purple destruction, hurling it at Dylan.
But the moment it reached him—
It stopped.
A radiant white light appeared between them.
Liora blinked, stunned. "What…?"
A glowing figure stepped forward—Irin.
She stood between Dylan and Liora, glowing with an ethereal white aura. Her long hair danced in the air, and from her left wrist, the lily tattoo gleamed like golden flame.
Dylan's eyes widened. "Her tattoo… it's—"
But it wasn't just Irin anymore.
It was the Goddess.
Liora's voice trembled. "I finally found you…"
She raised her hand, purple threads of magic lashing out—but Irin didn't flinch.
Instead, Irin whispered, "You will not harm him."
The magic halted midair.
Irin turned to Dylan, her eyes soft. "You protected me… Now I'll protect you."
Liora shouted in fury and lashed a magical bind toward Irin—but Dylan, in a final burst of strength, threw himself between them, taking the blow instead.
"Dylan!" Irin screamed, catching his collapsing body.
His chest trembled. The cursed rope glowed around him, tightening. He groaned, his body shivering.
Irin trembled. "You… You hurt him again."
Her eyes turned bright gold.
She stood slowly.
Her divine aura surged through the palace.
"ENOUGH!"
With a single wave of her hand, the cursed black hole shattered, and golden light flowed from her body, returning all the stolen energy to the guards and the land.
The garden burst with flowers.
The sky cleared.
Even Ruther regained his strength.
Dylan, barely breathing, whispered, "Goddess…"
Irin walked toward Liora, her expression divine and fierce. "You harmed innocents. You tried to twist fate."
Liora took a step back. "No… I-I—"
Irin raised her palm and unleashed a blast of celestial energy. Liora screamed as she was thrown to the ground, blood on her lips.
A dark portal opened behind her. One of her masked assistants grabbed her and vanished into it.
Silence fell.
Irin turned to Dylan. Her heart cracked seeing his pale face, his blood-soaked robe.
Ruther rushed to them. "He's dying… The venom is still inside."
Irin fell to her knees, tears sliding down her cheeks.
"No… I won't lose him."
She placed her glowing hands on his chest. Her aura pulsed. Slowly, she absorbed the venom into her own body, trembling from the intensity.
"I took it," she whispered. "Please treat him… now…"
Ruther hesitated. "But what about you?"
Dylan opened his eyes slightly. "Irin… don't…"
He tried to reach for her hand.
But Irin gently removed his hand from hers, standing slowly. Her lips trembled.
"I'll be fine," she lied.
Dylan tried to stand, but collapsed. Ruther caught him.
Suddenly, Irin's knees gave out.
She fell—
"Irin!" Dylan roared.
But someone caught her.
A tall figure emerged from the shadows—Ren.
He looked at Dylan, eyes unreadable, and vanished with Irin in a blink.
Dylan's scream echoed through the broken garden—
"IRIN!!!"
---
To be continued.....
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