* * *
The air was completely different from the village.
The desert was scorching, and though it felt like only a short while ago to me, in reality, more than eight years had passed since I read a book to Sia, one that contained illustrations of this very scene.
A vast, endless desert of pure white sand stretched before me.
The sight was so overwhelming that it made any concerns about life feel trivial. I gazed at the dazzling landscape, mesmerized.
I walked forward slowly.
Each footprint I left behind was erased in an instant by the wind-stirred sand.
Rather than feeling fear at how thoroughly my traces were being wiped away, I found it comforting.
“Haha, if I stay here, no one will ever find me.”
Muttering with a faint sense of euphoria, I trudged across the sinking sand.
The ground beneath my feet felt as though it could swallow me whole if I stopped moving.
Eventually, I grew accustomed to the way my steps wavered and finally steadied myself. I paused for a brief rest.
I sank down onto the sand, which looked as soft as freshly fallen snow.
Setting down the burdens weighing heavily on my shoulders, I idly ran my fingers through the sand.
[Vivisian Teian is no longer branded as a disgraceful noble. Instead, Letiyan, who falsely accused him of all crimes, is now recorded as the true criminal.
Additionally, as Vivisian Teian was reinstated, Letiyan has been expelled from the Teian family.]
The words I had read before coming here spun through my mind.
If Letiyan knew, he’d probably rise from his grave in outrage.
The thought made me feel strangely lightheaded, as if I had consumed something intoxicating.
I let out an unexpected laugh and pressed a hand over my heart.
Eight years had passed since my death and the breaking of the seal, and since I had disappeared again, its effects should have faded.
Yet, even now, I sometimes suffered from nightmares, as though I was still trapped in that moment.
Whenever I was under stress, a dull ache would throb in my chest.
Would I ever be free from this pain before I died?
Lacking a clear answer, I rested my face against my bent knees.
With the sun beating down on me, I closed my eyes.
The inescapable weight of life bore down upon me like an undeniable force.
“…It’s heavy.”
Now that I finally had a moment to breathe, my thoughts kept slipping into a darker place.
For the first time since opening my eyes, I whispered aloud the words that had been echoing inside me.
Lost in thought, I suddenly stood up.
There was something I wanted to check.
Leaving my belongings behind, I climbed up a dune.
From the top, I gazed down for a long while.
As the sun set, painting everything in shades of red, I slowly leaned forward.
Of course, there was nothing to catch me.
Tumbling down the crimson-tinted sand dune, I closed my eyes when I thought my neck had snapped.
But when I opened them again, I was standing right back at the top.
The desert, which had been blood-red just moments ago, was now blindingly white again, as if the sunset had been an illusion.
I had no idea how long I stood there, staring blankly.
As the desert slowly began to turn red again, I suddenly burst into laughter.
My voice echoed through the silent dunes, carried by the occasional gust of wind.
“Wow, I really can’t die. But I guess I should be grateful at least—you didn’t send me back to that prison.”
…But isn’t this too much?
I bit my lip, unable to hold back the words that finally escaped me.
My dry eyes burned for a moment before tears rolled down my cheeks.
It had been years since I last cried.
I knew there was no point in denying reality, but I still couldn’t accept it.
I wanted to be indifferent. I wanted to be detached. But I had no idea how.
Once my emotions started to crumble, they slipped through my grasp like sand, no matter how tightly I tried to hold onto them.
The words I had been repeating to myself—”It’s okay”—had all been meaningless.
Nothing was okay.
I let out a bitter laugh, tears staining my cheeks.
“Seriously… Why are you doing this to me?”
At that moment, I could no longer hold back my resentment toward the gods.
I thought of the deity who had once called me “Dolor” with gentle reverence—who had told me to mourn for eternity.
I lowered my head, letting my tears fall onto the red-stained sand.
“Tell me. What else do I have to do? How much more, how much longer…?”
Like a child, I mumbled through my sobs, my voice soaked in tears.
I laughed as I wept, not knowing anything anymore.
And as I sat there, breaking apart, the sun continued to set.
Everything seemed to slip away from me.
Everything.
✽ ✽ ✽
As Vivisian crossed the desert to fulfill a long-cherished wish, Sia set foot in the Eris Empire for the first time in eight years.
The prince had never been allowed to travel to the Empire before, as the Grand Duke feared that hearing news of Vivisian directly would worsen Sia’s condition.
‘If I hadn’t asked Grandmother to let me visit the Empire when she said she’d grant me one wish as an adult, I probably never would’ve come.’
Sia, who had become even more cynical after regaining the memories of his life as “Hesia,” thought bitterly to himself.
He had been instructed to bring along an entourage, but fearing that a large group would draw unnecessary attention, he had managed to convince them otherwise, promising to make the journey alone.
And so, he finally set foot in the Empire on his own.
Since it was an unofficial visit, there was no one to welcome him, nor anyone accompanying him.
But Sia, who had long been accustomed to solitude despite being the sole heir to the Grand Duke, felt no particular discomfort.
His striking appearance naturally drew attention, so he used a sacred artifact to blur his presence, avoiding any unwanted gazes.
Blending effortlessly into the crowd as he reached the Teian Duchy, he observed the people bustling about their daily lives, his gaze complicated.
The Empire, after eight years, was unchanged.
But the Teian Duchy was different.
Now a young man, Sia lowered his gaze slightly, carefully taking in the scenery before him.
The once peaceful land, which had seemed devoid of heretical beings, now showed signs of their presence.
Unlike him, who was visibly startled, the people handled the heretics with unsettling familiarity.
“It’s a heretic!”
“Everyone, take cover! Hey, you there! Why are you just standing around? Get over here!”
At someone’s urgent shout, people swiftly took shelter in their homes and shops, as if this were nothing out of the ordinary.
The heretic, meanwhile, was soon slaughtered by knights who arrived shortly after.
It wasn’t long before the knights dragged the corpse away, and the people resumed their daily routines as if nothing had happened—all except for Sia, who remained frozen in place.
The Teian Duchy that Vivisian had once described was nothing like this.
While other territories occasionally dealt with heretics, Teian had been a peaceful land, completely free of them—something its people had taken pride in.
Vivisian himself had once reassured Sia, who had been unable to sleep, by telling him stories about it.
“Teian Duchy has never had a single heretic appear. That’s why some people still believe the myths about the first Duke.”
“What kind of myth?”
“It’s not particularly entertaining or useful. Honestly, I think later generations made it up just to glorify the first Duke… Basically, it’s just a story filled with claims that he was beloved by the gods.”
Sia could still vividly recall the gentle yet indifferent tone in which Vivisian had whispered those words, the warmth of his hand as he covered Sia’s eyes, urging him to sleep.
When it came to Vivisian, Sia remembered everything—every detail, every word.
And that meant the story had truly come from Vivisian himself.
Of course, after Vivisian’s death, heretics began appearing in the Teian Duchy, convincing the people of his innocence.
“…Ha. Seeing it for myself really does feel strange.”
Teian had never been particularly kind to Vivisian, but it had at least been a place that was fundamentally kind to everyone.
A land where happiness outnumbered misfortune, blessed with gentle weather all year round.
That such a place had fallen into this state was hard to believe.
Sia let out a dry chuckle, shaking his head.
He felt a fleeting sense of pity, but it didn’t last.
After all, this was simply the consequence of their own actions.
“This wouldn’t have happened if they hadn’t treated Vivi that way.”
Realizing this anew, he muttered stiffly, his words slipping through his soft pink lips.
Swallowing back the things he truly wanted to say, he hastened his pace.
Even in decline, the wealthy lasted for three generations, or so the saying went.
Despite the rotting core, the surface still appeared intact.
The neatly paved roads were well-maintained, and the buildings lining the streets showed no obvious signs of disrepair.
But Sia barely noticed any of it.
His mind was consumed by a single thought.
‘The gods promised to make Vivi happy. So maybe—just maybe—Vivi somehow came back to life.’
His already urgent pace quickened further as he neared the castle, his steps almost breaking into a run.
* * *
