Dancing on the golden ashes

My eyes are burning—so hot I can barely focus. This world I tried to protect, these people I fought for... am I about to lose them all over again? And for what, in the end?

I don't know. The words catch in my throat, refusing to come out. No matter how I try, it's impossible to say what I truly feel.

Maybe I made a mistake believing she wouldn't drag everything down with her into hell. Maybe I should have chosen more carefully, acted with more caution. What I should have done... it doesn't matter now. It might already be too late.

I'm sorry, Seong-hoon...

Now, everything I did for you feels like it was all in vain... I thought I'd have a life with you. You know—just you, me, and our friends.

So how... how did I fail again?

"Ice embrace..." Cold words echo in my ears. They come from nowhere, yet everywhere at the same time.

"Seong-hoon...?"

Shimmering ice begins to warp the air around me and Kaelthira. Time stops for all but me—I can still move, I can still see—but the world itself is frozen. Just... what is this power? My head spins just thinking about it. How powerful did he become?!

"Big sis!" A voice filled with laughter and joy crashes into my newly formed heart with a powerful beat. I feel a cold, yet emotionally warm shiver travel through my veins. It's comforting... and, most importantly... he's alive... I'm relieved...

"I'm alright, but... what is this power?" I can't help but ask as I glance ahead. Kaelthira stands frozen, her body already half torn to shreds. The explosion seemed to radiate from her heart, but Seong-hoon froze it?

How?

And can we even stop the explosion from happening, or is this just a temporary pause, time for us to come up with a way to protect the whole world?

Something as cold as ice wraps around my fingers, yet it's squishy and soft. A little firm, but not too much—just right.

Then a powerful embrace tightens around my waist, pulling me in and sending a jolt of panic through me. But when I see his eyes right in front of mine, those crimson gems, beautiful as anything I've ever seen, I almost forget everything that went wrong.

No, focus, Gaon.

"What are you doing? You damn fool, it's not the time—" Cold as ice, his lips crash against mine. The audacity of it… but I like it. Shit...

"Me? Nothing. Just making sure my big sister remembers my kisses." His tone is sultry—what an ass.

I let my knee teach him a lesson.

I make sure nothing's broken, but he'll remember me for a long time after my kick connects with his family jewels.

"Move," I say coldly, even as my face burns like ten thousand suns.

I can feel the sin of lust burning brightly in my heart. This is not good... I know exactly what it wants, but I can't, and I don't wish for it right now. I need to make sure the threat is gone before anything else.

"You didn't have to be so brutal... sniff..." Little sobs escape him as Seong-hoon clutches his pride. He can barely breathe, but that's what you get for messing with me. Hmph!

"Tell me what this ability of yours actually is, instead of playing around. I barely touched you..." I roll my eyes. If I really wanted to hurt him, he'd already be on the other side of the universe from that single kick.

"Fine, fine... you're no fun." His face twists into a smug smile.

We float together in the air, our wings carrying us around the explosion zone.

"My ability can freeze time itself, but only for a short while."

"Give me the exact time, Seong-hoon. We can't afford to play around right now." My annoyance slips through as I speak. My scythe is restless—I can feel how much it wants to manifest and cut down my enemy. This urge came from my soul; it never spoke to me like this before, which tells me how serious things are.

"Ten minutes. We have merely ten minutes to figure out how to stop her from exploding." Finally, his face turns serious. I can see his eyes shift from playful to focused. Maybe this fool isn't as useless as he pretends. Though, he definitely needs some scolding after all this. Hehe.

That's all?" Considering he's an immortal emperor now, this feels... a little too short. But I can work with it, right? Come on, Gaon, you always end up figuring something out.

Crack!

My heart almost leaps out of my chest as the sound hits me. A fissure appears in the ice, and a burst of destructive energy slams into me and Seong-hoon. It's not much—can't hurt us—but if it were any other member of my demon family, they'd be blown to ash. This...

"Maybe one minute after all..." Seong-hoon's complexion turns ashen, and he rushes to the ice cocoon. Icy mist streams from his palms, wrapping around the cocoon as he tries desperately to reinforce it.

"Damn it! If I had Lee Seo-yeon here, maybe I could keep this demon frozen forever, but ice isn't my strength..." Frustration strains his voice, and I know something has to be done. I have to make a decision.

"Thank you, Seong-hoon. That's enough, okay? Let me take care of this now." My voice trembles.

"What are you saying?" I can hear the worry in his voice, but...

I rush to the cocoon, pushing him aside as I flood the area with the power of void.

"I love you," I say. In the next moment, I decide to be reckless for all of them.

"Die with me, Kaelthira," I mutter gently and quietly.

If this is the end, let it be one I choose. For Seong-hoon. For everyone left behind.

In the next moment, before Seong-hoon's desperate hand can reach me, I vanish, pulling my enemy with me to the place where I once stood, to the land where the World of No End once existed.