Legacy of the Dark Sage

The moment Kyran regained consciousness, an excruciating pain racked his body that almost made him groan out loud. Fortunately, a cool sensation washed over his body that instantly dispelled any discomfort.

Kyran squinted as his eyes slowly regained their focus. An unfamiliar ceiling greeted him, and memories of what happened before he passed out flashed through his mind.

When he remembered his encounter with a powerful outsider and Ruin's intervention, Kyran planned to summon his Servants at once. However, just as he was about to prop one arm, he noticed something cold yet soft grasping his right hand.

Turning slightly to his right, Kyran finally noticed someone holding his hand. And that someone was causing a cool sensation to course through his body.

"Neah..." Kyran muttered under his breath as he saw Cyneah leaning over the side of the bed with her eyes closed.

Judging by the dark circles under Cyneah's eyes and her slightly furrowed brows, Kyran guessed that she fought to stay awake so she could continue to heal him. Unfortunately, she was too exhausted and fell asleep while still channeling her energy into him.

A small smile appeared on Kyran's face as he watched Cyneah's sleeping face. Though her slightly furrowed brows made her look as if she was angry, he found her adorable.

Kyran's smile froze as he realized what he was thinking. He frowned and inwardly shook his head. Cyneah was clearly looking uncomfortable. That was why she wore such an expression, and he found it adorable. What the hell was he even thinking?

Though Kyran did not move that much, Cyneah's brow twitched, and her eyes slowly fluttered open.

Probably because she was channeling her energy to him, Cyneah sensed Kyran had woken up and was currently looking at her. Her cheeks instantly flushed at the thought of him seeing her sleeping while looking dreadful.

"Y-You're awake! T-That's good— uhm... I-I'll go call— tell the others," Cyneah stammered even when she tried her best to act calm.

Not waiting for Kyran to respond, Cyneah prepared to stand and leave.

Unfortunately, Kyran pulled her back using the hand she held.

"Stay."

Kyran had only said one word, and he even sounded somewhat curt. But whether his voice sounded deeper than usual because he had only woken up or he was doing it on purpose, Cyneah's heart started to pound madly. It beat so loudly she feared he would hear it, even though there was still a reasonable distance between them.

Ultimately, Cyneah's knees got affected by her pounding heart, so she sat back and replied in a small voice, "Okay."

Seeing Cyneah's flushed face and seemingly flustered reaction, Kyran was amused. He knew he had important things to deal with, but at that moment, he could not help but want to spend a little more time alone with her.

"Are you feeling much better?" Kyran asked as if Cyneah was the one who had just gone through a difficult ordeal.

Cyneah pursed her lips, clearly feeling annoyed that he would ask her such a question when he was the one who was in a critical condition just the day before.

Yes, the day before.

Although it was only a brief moment when Cyneah's magic energy seeped into the Shaiha inside Kyran's sea of consciousness, a day had already passed in the waking world.

When Ames and True Void noticed Kyran had almost fully recovered, they stopped using the formation and allowed him to rest. Cyneah, however, insisted on assisting his natural recovery and stayed with him.

Ames's expression distorted when Cyneah volunteered to stay with Kyran. But recalling it was her healing that expedited the latter's recovery, she kept her dissatisfaction to herself and let them be. Besides, she might appear unreasonable and thoughtless, but she actually cared about what his great-grandson would feel if she hurt the younger woman.

Ames was not stupid. She obviously understood what True Void did not say when he begged her not to hurt Cyneah or else Kyran would curse Ames to death.

With this in mind, Ames, Nahir, and True Void left and allowed Cyneah to stay by Kyran's side.

Because of her displeasure, Cyneah managed to contain her initial agitation and complained, "I'm supposed to be the one asking that question."

"I'm better now, thank you."

With Kyran giving such a response, Cyneah could only sigh and say, "You... can you please stop putting yourself in danger?"

Her words were meant to address his decision not to tell them about the activities of the outsiders.

The truth, Cyneah, and Nahir were convinced that whenever Kyran disappeared— whether announced or unannounced— he was diverting the outsiders' attention away from them. 

"Only if you stop doing things that would put your life in danger," Kyran returned.

Cyneah paled at once. She knew what Kyran was implying, and honestly, because she was so scared yesterday after hearing about his condition, she had completely forgotten about it. Now that he reminded her of it, her emotions were again in turmoil.

Seeing Cyneah's reaction, Kyran hastily added, "I'm sorry. I am not trying to drive you into a corner. I only want you to understand how scared I was after seeing you..."

His voice faltered as he remembered the state she had been in when he found her in that hallowed space underground.

Cyneah brightened instantly after realizing that Kyran was not disappointed, even after seeing her use the Macabre Glacier and do those horrible things. Although she did what she did to protect the Eidums, it was still wrong to control others and lead them to their death. She even let the Macabre Glacier's sentient eat every soul of beasts, beast-likes, and complete beings that died.

Kyran sorted his thoughts before he continued, "When we finally met again, you wondered why I did not ask you anything about what happened to you, and I answered because I did not want you to remember any bad memories; I unknowingly let you carry your burdens alone.

"For that, I'm sorry. I should have asked questions. I should have insisted on knowing what had happened after you arrived here.

"I hope it is not too late to ask, and you'll let me ease your burden."

Kyran dared not ask her to let him remove her burden because that was impossible. Unless he decided to destroy the Macabre Glacier and erase her memories, she would never be able to remove the burden altogether. Moreover, the guilt over the things she had done to survive would always stay with her. Maybe, in time, she would learn to accept and forgive herself, but for now, he wanted to assure her she did not have to face them alone because he was there.

Cyneah felt her throat start to burn as tears threatened to fall down her eyes.

All this time, she feared that once the people she cared about learned the unspeakable things she had done during her first three years in Somuli, they would be disappointed and condemn her. This was why hearing Kyran's sincerity in knowing her story and even wanting to ease her burden overwhelmed her.

Kyran discovering her ugly side was far more distressing than confessing everything to her master, Anette. That was how important she valued his opinion. It was not because he was her benefactor but because he was the man she was in love with.

Cyneah took a sharp intake of breath as she finally admitted the feelings she had tried to hide. But as she thought this, she sensed the pact within her body trembled— as if to remind her that she was already betrothed to someone else and could not feel such emotion with another.

Kyran caught the change in Cyneah's expression at once. Before he could ask what was the matter, she tightened her grip around his hand and said, "Thank you."

And that was all he needed to hear. He did not want to force her to elaborate or share her story. He would give her time to sort her thoughts, and when she was ready, he would listen. But the extent of his giving her time did not include that other thing.

"Just now," Kyran started. "Your expression—."

"I'm fine."

"Is the... that thing making you uncomfortable?"

Cyneah flushed at once and shook her head, "N-No! Why would it m-make me uncomf-comfortable?"

Unfortunately, they were currently not on the same page.

Kyran was referring to the Macabre Glacier when he asked that question, while Cyneah thought he meant the pact. The former thought that the latter's excessive use of her magic might have triggered a negative response from the mirror, thus her sudden change. As for the latter, she thought he caught on to her realizing her feelings and asked if the pact acted up because of it.

If she admitted it did, she would have inadvertently admitted her feelings! No way. She could not tell him. She must not tell him. At least not when they had far too many things to prioritize first!