[Alvar’s POV —Lief’s Chamber—Continuation]

Leif’s body lay on the bed... but his soul was already slipping away from me.

His chest rose once—barely. Fell—barely. The veins of light beneath his skin flickered like a dying ember trying to stay alive in a storm. Every second that passed—another piece of him broke away.

I sat beside him, gripping his hand so tightly my bones ached. But he didn’t squeeze back.

He didn’t twitch.

He didn’t live.

My thumb brushed his wedding ring over and over, frantic, desperate—as if reminding him through sheer force:

You’re mine. You’re here. Don’t go.

Mother’s voice—shaken but firm—broke the silence.

"There must be a way," she whispered, eyes fixed on Leif as if willing him to wake. "A way to save him. There always is."

Lord Viktor stepped closer, jaw clenched. "Yes. It’s not possible that a poison exists with no cure. Everything has a solution in this world. There MUST be a way, Eryndor."

Yes. There must be a way. There had to be.

All eyes turned to the elf.

Eryndor looked like he carried the weight of centuries on his shoulders. He wasn’t afraid of me—he was afraid of the answer itself.

"There is a way," he finally said.

His words shattered through me like iron.

I shot to my feet. "Tell me. Now. Whatever it is—I will get it. I will do it. I don’t care what it takes."

He took a breath that trembled.

"This poison," he began slowly, voice breaking, "was created to shatter the soul. Not instantly. It destroys the soul piece by piece... memory by memory... until nothing remains."

I didn’t need the lecture.

I needed the cure.

"So tell me how to stop it," I demanded.

Silence.

Eryndor’s lips trembled—as if saying the answer was almost as dangerous as the poison itself.

At last, he whispered:

"We must summon the Spirit Goddesses."

The room froze.

Mother gasped. Nick stumbled backward. Lord Viktor stared as if Eryndor had spoken a myth. My voice cut through the shock. "The Spirit Goddesses are extinct. They vanished centuries ago."

"That is what human history says," Eryndor replied, eyes dark with ancient memory. "But elven records tell a different truth."

He placed his hand over the glowing cracks on Leif’s chest—gentle, reverent.

"There are three Spirit Goddesses remaining. Hidden. Sleeping. Forbidden to contact mortals. And only their magic is strong enough to mend a breaking soul."

Lord Viktor stepped forward instantly—fierce, unwavering. "Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go. We will summon them."

I nodded sharply. "He’s right. Let’s summon the Spirit Goddesses. Let’s wake them."

Father nodded once. Haldor and Roland straightened like soldiers awaiting orders. Even Zephyy stopped breathing—his small body tense and alert.

Everyone in the room—Every one of them—was ready to go to war for Leif.

I turned to Eryndor. "Tell me where they reside."

Eryndor didn’t answer immediately. Because the truth was something worse than fear.

"Even if you find them," he said hollowly, "mortals who approach the Spirit Goddesses... die . Every single one."

My jaw tightened. "I don’t care."

Eryndor squeezed his eyes shut. "Alvar—this isn’t a quest or a trial. It is suicide. Summoning them is not just forbidden—it is impossible. And even if you reach them—"

"I don’t care."

His voice rose with desperation. "They are not benevolent. They do not help out of kindness. They may demand something—something you cannot give. A sacrifice you cannot accept."

My answer didn’t hesitate for even half a heartbeat.

"I don’t care."

The silence afterward cut like a blade. Because everyone realized I wasn’t choosing between safety and danger.

I had already chosen Leif. Even over my own life.

Eryndor finally exhaled, defeated by my resolve.

"...They reside in Raventon Forest," he whispered. "The forest may look small, but it is only a doorway. The Spirit Goddesses live far beyond it—deep, deep inside. No mortal has ever reached them."

He looked at me—not with doubt, but with fear of what my answer would be.

I didn’t blink. "Then that is where I’m going."

***

[Leif’s POV — or... Renji?—Hospital Room]

Darkness wasn’t quiet.

It buzzed . Like electricity behind my skull. Like a thousand broken memories scraping against each other, trying to fit.

My fingers twitched.

My throat burned.

Somewhere far away—I heard a sound.

Beep... Beep... Beep...

Not a heartbeat. Not magic. Machines.

Cold.

Mechanical.

Human.

Then light.

Bright—too bright—stabbing into my eyes like needles. My body jolted upright in panic. But something held me down.

Fabric.Sheets.A stiff blanket tucking me into a bed that wasn’t mine.

My breath trembled as my vision cleared —White walls. Sterile smell. Curtains. A dull floral wallpaper.

A hospital room.

My mind tried to reject it instantly—this wasn’t real, it couldn’t be real—my wedding was today, I was supposed to be in Alvar’s arms —

A figure moved.

A woman in uniform.

A nurse.

A nurse?

Why was there a nurse in my chamber?

Did Alvar... hire someone? Because of the poison?

My throat cracked, "A–Alvar...?"

She turned sharply toward me—and gasped like she’d seen a ghost. "Oh my god—Mr. Renji!"

Renji?

The name hit like a blade.

Not Leif. Not Grand Duke’s spouse.

Renji.

My breathing stopped.

She rushed to the door, panic and excitement mixing. "Doctor! Doctor—patient 507 is awake!"

Footsteps thundered. A group of doctors flooded in, surrounding me.

"Mr. Takeda—can you hear me?"

"Renji—follow my finger, okay?"

"Mr. Renji, blink twice if you understand."

The name echoed again and again, but it didn’t belong to me anymore.

I tried to speak—but my voice shook pathetically. "W–Why...? Why am I... here...?"

The doctors exchanged glances — pity in their eyes.

"You’ve been unconscious for one year," one said gently. "An accident—do you remember anything?"

Accident?

No.

I remembered lilies. I remembered vows. I remembered a kiss. I remembered blood. I remembered Alvar screaming my name.

My voice broke into a whisper, "Why are you calling me Renji...?"

A soft, practiced smile formed on the doctor’s face — the kind used on children and shattered people. "Because that’s who you are."

My stomach dropped.

No.No, no, no, no—this wasn’t right—this wasn’t real—I had a wedding ring—I had a family—I had a husband —

I yanked my hand up to look.

Bare.

No ring.

No warmth.

Just human skin.

My vision swam—panic rising like a flood — "No... no no no— I was married — today was my wedding—Alvar was beside me—he was—he—"

The words sounded cracked and nonsensical to them, but to me they were everything.

The doctor’s face softened. "It’s normal to be confused after a coma. But you’re safe now, Renji."

Safe?

This wasn’t home.

Alvar was home. Frojnholm was home. Warm arms and cold mornings and Lego punishments and vows—that was home.

"I’m not supposed to be here..." I breathed weakly, my voice shaking and shrinking. "I’m supposed to be with him..."

The room blurred.Walls softened.Voices turned to echoes.

The machines beeped faster, then slower, then distant. My body swayed forward—even though I was lying down.

Like I was falling again.

Like I was being pulled...away from both worlds.

"Alvar..." I whispered, barely a breath.

My vision dimmed.

Black bled into the edges of my sight. The hospital dissolved. And for one desperate second, I thought I felt a warm hand closing around mine.

...then nothing.

I closed my eyes. And everything went blank again.