“The soil of Arhad is imbued with divine power. I’ll activate the Sacred Relic of Strength and lie buried in the earth to absorb that divine power. I’ve done it once before. I borrowed four Divine Beasts and told them to surround my body for a month. In the end, divine power can only be transferred through contact.”

Aietar had definitely said so. Divine power is transferred through contact.

Zahid slowly took off his upper garments. His shadow stretched long in the flickering torchlight.

“Let’s go, Fire.”

With his upper body bare, Zahid cupped Fire’s cheeks and grinned.

“I know you hate water, but I’m asking anyway.”

Fire, who had been silently watching Zahid, let out a low bark.

“Keong keong……”

“Even if you do that, I won’t understand. I’m not Rosie.”

Zahid stroked Fire’s fur and then embraced his body tightly one last time.

“Then, let me borrow your body for a while.”

Fire didn’t bark anymore. He simply closed his eyes for a moment.

“There’s no point in saying goodbye now. You’ll understand my heart soon enough anyway.”

According to the map, once he and Fire became one here, they would gain immense power.

“If everything ends and you meet Rosie, tell her this for me.”

Zahid smiled faintly and whispered into Fire’s ear.

“I’m not dying for you.”

His quiet voice echoed gently through the cave.

“It’s just that I couldn’t bear to live in a world without you. I made this choice entirely for myself.”

His voice was surprisingly calm for someone facing death.

“So don’t cry too much over a selfish bastard like me.”

“Keong keong… keong keong keong…”

“Thanks for staying with me till the end, Fire.”

Zahid whispered softly, then stepped into the pond without hesitation.

The pond wasn’t deep. Even lying completely flat on the bottom, he could still breathe.

Fire also entered the pond slowly and lay down beside him.

At the same time, the pond water began to ripple and glow.

Zahid’s eyes slowly closed. His consciousness began to blur.

‘This is……’

Memories not his own began flooding in.

Since they were becoming one, they were Fire’s memories.

From the ancient birth of the Divine Beast to the long history with the Dyfenril family—it all rushed through his mind in an instant.

His grandfather’s childhood, his father’s childhood, and then his own.

‘So this is… synchronization.’

Was this what it meant to share consciousness?

When this merging of awareness was complete and he opened his eyes again, it would likely be in Fire’s body.

As he accepted the memories flowing in without resistance, it happened—

‘Huh?’

Memories that differed from what he knew of the past began to enter.

Elizabeth’s abuse, Rosie never arriving despite everything, Fire eventually going to the Temple on his own.

‘……What is this?’

An academy without Rosie.

An imperial banquet without Rosie.

A childhood without Rosie.

‘This is……’

Only when Zahid had barely infiltrated the Temple to find Fire—he had met her then……

“……Who are you? Why the hell are you locked up with Fire?”

Zahid’s submerged body twitched.

The protagonist of the dreams he had often had as a child.

A woman who looked about twenty years old—just meeting her had always made his heart ache and left him sad. Yet when he woke, he could never remember her face.

Now, the face of the woman who had always cried in that prison cell came clearly into view.

“Zahid… Zahid, please open your eyes… Zahid… please, please don’t die… okay?”

It was Rosie from his past life, whom he had never known.

As he lay dying, Rosie had held the Sacred Relic and cried out,

“I’ll come find you. No matter what, I’ll find you and somehow… I’ll save you too.”

Time rewound. Memories overlapped.

Young Rosie had come to find him.

“That’s right… It was all true… That you were a prideful little boy who distrusted everyone and only knew how to bristle with thorns…”

Along with the confession he had never been able to make in his past life—

“I really like you, Zahid.”

Of course, the younger him had understood nothing. All he did was put up his thorns at the Rosie who had managed to find him again.

“You… you don’t trust me, don’t like me, you’re thinking of breaking off the engagement, and I know I’m a bit of a hassle to you. Don’t worry. It’s just that… sometimes I get confused.”

Each time, Rosie had always stayed by his side as if everything was fine…

“It actually hurts that you don’t remember me…”

How could that possibly have been okay.

Of course it had been lonely, and painful, and heartbreaking.

So sometimes, she must’ve not been able to hold it in and had to let it show…

“Try to remember me, you stupid goddamned mutt!”

Zahid’s body convulsed continuously in the pond from the shock of discovering the whole truth.

* * *

After quietly staring into the narrow, dark cave for a while, I slowly opened my bag.

“You can do this, Rosie.”

Muttering with determination, I pulled out a luminous magic device from the bag—one of the camping tools Abraham had packed.

“I can do this… I can do this.”

I kept chanting to myself. But I couldn’t stop my legs from shaking.

Back when I planned the operation using Chloe, I’d provoked her knowing I’d be locked in a wardrobe.

But that was when I had lost consciousness. This time, I was fully aware. Walking into a narrow, dark place on my own—it really wasn’t easy.

“…I… have something I need to say.”

I bit my lip anxiously. Then clicked the switch of the orb-like magic light.

After taking a deep breath, I tossed the luminous magic device further into the cave.

The space ahead lit up brightly. Cold sweat trickled down my back.

I forced myself to ignore my body’s physical reactions, hugged Athena tightly, and stepped forward.

Thanks to the light, I could keep walking with my wits about me—as long as I stayed in the illuminated areas. But I had to keep throwing the magic lights deeper into the darkness as I went.

Naturally, my whole body tensed.

Still, I had to go. I had to overcome this somehow. Even if I had to go beyond my limits—I had to move forward.

Thunk—another device rolled.

Drenched in cold sweat, I desperately kept walking.

“When we were young… Even if I didn’t express it strongly, you always seemed so sure of my feelings. But even when you expressed yourself clearly, I was always unsure of yours.”

That’s what Zahid had said…

But really, who in this world is confident in love?

Again—thunk—another device rolled.

With every painful step I took following that light, the feelings I hadn’t managed to express were etched in my heart.

I had always acted so boldly. But the truth was, I’d been afraid of Zahid’s feelings too.

“Stop. Don’t come any closer. I definitely told you to get lost. Leave now.”

“Hmph.”

That cold expression, unfamiliar to me, swallowed my cries…

“There’s no way I could like you.”

“Hmph.”

The unease I couldn’t show in front of someone who knew nothing.

There had been pain in my love too. I’d only kept quiet because I thought I had to be strong in this life.

“…I’ll tell you everything.”

Thunk—another device rolled as I stepped forward one step, then another.

Each time I faced the endless dark ahead, my heart pounded with tension. I had to force my trembling body to straighten.

“I-I’ll… tell you everything…”

According to the map, the cave’s path wasn’t even that # Nоvеlight # long, but I was moving so slowly. Still, I couldn’t give up.

“All of it…”

At some point, my whole body was drenched in sweat, and I had curled up more and more.

Now I was practically crawling forward on all fours, rolling the devices ahead of me.

Next to me, Athena let out encouraging howls—”Awooo, awooo”—as if to cheer me on.

And then, after I had gone who knows how far—

Suddenly, a flickering light appeared ahead.

“Fire?”

I shot to my feet and began to run.

Rounding the bend in the cave, I saw Fire and Zahid lying in the pond, eyes closed.

I cried out desperately,

“No!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep