The chaos around her burned brighter.
Every step Crystal took left a trail of green fire on the snow. The air was filled with the crackle of energy and the echo of steel clashing. The poison inside her slowed her body, but her will pushed it beyond its limits.
Noah's soldiers tried to close in again, forming a wall around their king.Crystal didn't hesitate.
Her sword flashed once—then three bodies hit the ground, their armor still glowing from the heat of her aura.
Her breathing came harsh and shallow. The world around her wavered, fading in and out of focus. She didn't care. There was only one thing she saw now.
Noah.
He stood there, his expression unreadable, golden blade drawn, watching her with that same calm that once made her feel safe. Now it only made her sick.
Crystal took another step forward, her legs trembling. "You should have run when you had the chance," she whispered.
"Crystal," Noah said quietly, "you can't win this."
Her lips curled into a weak smile. "Winning was never the point."
She lunged.
Their swords met again—steel screamed against steel, sparks flying like dying stars.Each strike was slower than the last, her strength fading, but every swing carried her fury, her heartbreak, her everything.
Noah parried one, two, three blows. On the fourth, he countered. His blade pierced through her guard and drove into her side.
Crystal gasped, the air knocked out of her. Her knees buckled, but she didn't fall. She forced herself up, green light still burning in her eyes.
Her hand shot forward, gripping his wrist. Blood dripped down her chin as she smiled faintly. "Still… not enough…"
Then she raised her sword once more. Chaos energy flared so violently that the snow beneath them turned to vapor.
Noah's eyes widened as she swung upward with all that remained of her strength. The strike missed his throat by inches, leaving a glowing trail through the air before her knees finally gave out.
Her sword fell from her hand.Her body hit the ground.
She gasped for air, trembling, eyes unfocused. The fire around her flickered and died, leaving only smoke and blood.
Noah stepped closer, his boots crunching softly on the blackened snow. He looked down at her, the faintest sigh leaving his lips. "Don't blame me, Crystal."
She stared up at him, her voice faint. "...Why…?"
"Because I never asked you to choose me," he said, tone calm, almost gentle. "But you did. And now that I've accomplished what I wanted, you're of no use to me."
Her vision blurred, the world dimming around him. "…You… bastard…"
Noah raised his sword.
For a moment, she saw him the way she once did — the man she'd fallen in love with, the one she'd fought for, the one she'd believed in.
That image shattered as the blade came down.
The sound that followed was quiet, final.
Her body stilled.The snow fell again — white this time, clean, indifferent.
Noah exhaled, lowering his sword. "Rest, my queen," he murmured, though there was no warmth in the words.
He turned away.
But behind him, the air shifted.
The snow stopped falling.The light dimmed.The world seemed to hold its breath.
Something unseen tore through the silence — a whisper, a pulse, a presence.
Crystal's body twitched.Her eyes, now dull, flickered faintly once more.
And then it happened.
A surge of green light erupted from her chest — silent, blinding, alive. It wasn't fire this time. It wasn't chaos energy. It was her soul.
It tore free from her body, twisting upward like a serpent of light, struggling against an invisible pull. The world seemed to bend around it, as if reality itself was being forced open.
Noah turned just in time to see it — her soul, blazing brighter than anything he'd ever seen.
His breath caught. "Impossible…"
The light spiraled higher, pulsing, fighting, refusing to fade. For a second, it seemed as if Crystal herself was still there — her fury, her grief, her will, all wrapped into that blinding flame.
Then it was gone.
The light vanished into the clouds, leaving only her body lying still on the snow, her face calm for the first time in years.
Noah stood frozen, his hand trembling slightly. For the first time, he felt something cold — not from the wind, but from within.
He turned away, forcing himself to walk back toward his camp.
Behind him, the cliff cracked, the air still faintly shimmering with remnants of chaos energy. The snow around Crystal's body refused to melt.