Nora Xeclyde found herself standing alone in a saintly white world that seemed to stretch on forever and ever.

  It was an unnervingly monotonous world filled with nothing but emptiness, but Nora felt hardly anything at all. Her mind was emptied out as if she was being assimilated into this space, such that even formulating a thought or grasping an emotion was laborious to her.

  Why… am I here?

  This question sent a ripple through her heart as she struggled to gather her thoughts with a frown. It took a long while before a clue came to her.

  It’s my bloodline.

  She vaguely remembered that this was a space created by her own bloodline. The Xeclydes were inheritors of the Angel Bloodline, and to them, awakening was a process of them uncovering the origin of their bloodline memories and working toward it. To use an analogy, it was similar to looking for a role model to imitate.

  For that reason, the awakeners of the Ascarts were very different from the Xeclydes. They didn’t need guidance, and there was no risk of them losing their way either. They could accomplish it all on their own, and the only thing they needed to pay heed to was toeing the boundary.

  Similar to how realistic imitations could be easily confused with the real thing, the greater the degree of awakening, the more power they could inherit from their Angel Bloodline. That was typically a good thing, but not necessarily so for a Xeclyde.

  The Xeclydes might be inheritors of the Angel Bloodline, but they weren’t real angels. Should their bloodline powers grow too strong, the divine instinct harnessed in their Angel Bloodline would attempt to occupy their body and obliterate their humanity.

  That was what Nora had been fighting against all this while.

  In fact, this was not the first time she had entered this space, but things were different this time around.

  She appeared to have forgotten a lot more than she usually did. She vaguely remembered that she was always yearning for a certain someone. Just uttering his name filled her heart with warmth, and this white space would tremor and crumble shortly after, allowing her consciousness to return to her body.

  She could feel the familiar name at the tip of her tongue, but she was no longer able to verbalize it aloud.

  Even with her dulled emotions, she could feel something incredibly faint gripping her heart—fear.

  She couldn’t understand why either, but she was afraid of leaving this place. It was as if there was something terrifying awaiting her outside this white space, and the only way she could find solace was to hide here and forget everything.

  But the longer she stayed in this white space, the bigger it grew. Her surroundings began emanating a holy glow, and it looked as if it was only a matter of time before she was assimilated into the space.

  Just as she had started to let everything go, there was a sudden earthquake.

  For a moment, she seemed to have heard a name echoing in the distance, but it was so faint that it faded right away. The white space continued to quake, and her emotionless face started to crack.

  Is someone looking for me?

  Why? Shouldn’t he have given up by now?

  Such doubts surfaced in her mind, and it somehow pained her heart. No one in the world knew better than her how powerful her divine instinct was. One would have to pay a heavy price to make an enemy out of it, but even so, the earthquake never ceased.

  Faced with such desperate pleas, Nora slowly raised her head. The notion of leaving this space surfaced in her mind, but her fear swiftly overtook her will, refusing to grant her the strength she needed to leave.

  Why… am I afraid?

  She clutched her forehead and forced herself to gather her thoughts. Soon, images started appearing in front of her.

  A towering fortress suddenly rose in this saintly white space. Its walls were lofty and its defensive armaments powerful. Countless loyal soldiers patrolled the grounds with solemn seriousness. The clergymen walking by were kind and courteous.

  A golden-haired man was buried in his work. A white-robed bishop was busy in his research.

  Everything was that calm and quiet when a silvery fog enveloped the fortress. A blurred silhouette opened its gigantic mouth wide and devoured everything.

  Nora widened her eyes in shock as she finally recalled everything. That was the unbelievable sight she had witnessed while she was on her way back to the fortress.

  The monster made out of fog devoured the hundred thousand people residing in Tark Stronghold in a single mouthful, vanquishing their very existence from the face of the world. All that was left was an empty space in between the two mountains.

  Losing her blood kin, close friends, and countless comrades in such a ridiculous manner; it was like a nightmare she couldn’t wake up from. This shocking sight jolted her heart, causing her to succumb to her divine instinct. It was with her final sliver of consciousness that she marched off into the depths of Tark Prairie.

  She shook her head in disbelief before taking a step backward with a pale face, as if denying this terrifying reality. It was then that a voice echoed behind her.

  “Is that the reason why you fell into this state?”


  “!”


  The familiar voice had Nora turning around in astonishment. A young man had appeared behind her at some point in time, and he was looking at the projection with an apologetic look on his face.

  “You are!”


  The moment she laid her sapphire eyes upon him, Nora could feel her heartbeat hastening. Tears began flowing down her cheeks. Yet, she found herself unable to call out his name.

  Roel noticed the anomaly, but he didn’t pay it any heed. He dragged his weary body forth and slowly approached her.

  “I’m sorry. I was late at a time you needed me the most. I should have been by your side when you were witnessing all of this. I never should have left you alone for so long. You must be in pain right now, but Nora Xeclyde, you are not a person who would be defeated by this.”


  With earnest apologies, Roel walked up to Nora and gently wiped off her tears.

  “There are times when things get too tough that you need a break. I understand. Don’t worry. No matter how far away I am, I’ll rush to your side right away to be with you.

  “My princess, it’s time for you to awaken from your dream.”


  With a gentle smile, Roel leaned in once more to kiss Nora.

  The saintly white space began crumbling, and the burning witch’s blood guided the two of them back to reality. The brilliant light in Nora’s eyes began to recede, signaling the loss of the Angel King.