Fabian’s eyes followed the footsteps of Evelyn’s disappearance. Faint dots of light remained on the floor, feeling like the only proof that she had ever been here.

At that second, Fabian saw the pattern on the floor still shone dimly. Not letting uncertainty crept into him, he instinctively followed those paths and threw himself into the circle of pattern.

“Wait, no!”

Unfortunately, Fabian’s body was already eaten by light, blurring, just as David gasped in surprise.

“Please stop now!”

However, there was no willingness from Fabian’s gaze,who stared at him from within the pattern, to comply with the shout,

“It’s impossible for transferring two people! If you get lost in time-space…….”

Unlike Evelyn, the way Fabian’s body went missing was disordered. The process was much faster, and some of his blurred body parts seemed odd.

The reckless act of him that even David couldn’t have imagined. Not long after that, Fabian’s body gradually became clear again before he eventually collapsed on the spot.

“Your Majesty, your soul……”

David shook Fabian’s body, but he could already sense that the soul of the Emperor had left his physique.

It was the so-called imperfect time of transition. Something that David always feared had actually happened.

“How could an Emperor like you did something reckless?!”

Even though David’s voice pricked his ears, still, Fabian’s body didn’t move an inch like a plaster statue.

“…I can’t believe, as a guardian, I’m so powerless like this.” David faced down at his hand, unable to do anything about it. His blood was still dripping from the wounds he used to cast the time-spell.

“Teacher……”

David’s hands were shaking as the bleeding weakened his body. His head began to feel light-headed, and his vision started to get hazy, so he seemed to lose his consciousness any time soon.

He risked it all to keep the balance. But the more he tried harder, the more the situation went to unexpected places. But, on the other hand, If this continent lost its emperor, there would be more chaos that had never existed to come. The current situation in which the emperor had lost consciousness was even worse.

“Your Majesty, I have urgent news!”

Shortly afterwards, Serus, unaware of the situation, unexpectedly opened the attic’s door and rushed in.

“His Majesty……where is he?”

Serus felt uneasy when he witnessed an unusual sight. Starting with the drawing of magic patterns and blood strewn across the floor. David’s frightened face, Evelyn, who wasn’t there, and above all that… Fabian’s body lying on the floor was like a corpse.

“I’m afraid…….”

“What have you done to His Majesty?” Serus quickly rushed to the spot where Fabian was, hugging his body. Yet his body’s temperature was cold. “I asked you what you’ve done to him! Where’s the Princess? Where did she go?”

Fortunately, Fabian’s heart was still beating slowly.

“Knights, all of you come in and catch this guy right now….”

Even Serus, who was always level-headed and composed, couldn’t correctly judge what was going on.

He saw Fabian in such a helpless state for the first time. Only thinking about it was driving him nuts. The emperor, and the only master he served in his life, was now lying dead.

“I didn’t do it”, David muttered, still looking blankly at the air. “Princess Evelyn has agreed with me to make everything right. We’re trying to turn back the time and correct the mistakes…..”

“I asked what happened with His Majesty!”

“I don’t know.”

Evelyn was an important person, but Fabian’s safety came first for Serus. He wanted to get his sword out right away, but he couldn’t move when David’s distorted purple eyes gave him shivers.

“Sir Serus, what’s going on? No, His Majesty…….”

Logan, who came belatedly, glared at David as if he were going to kill him. But Serus immediately lifted one of his hand to hold him down, “I can handle him. Please… give us time to talk.”

“……His Majesty, is he alright?”

Serus couldn’t answer Logan’s question. “I’m trying to figure it out.”

“…… I trust you then. I’ll be at the door, so please call me right away if something happens.” Logan spoke obediently; then, he left the room. Serus turned his attention to David. He had a hunch that he needed to find out what was going on here. “Now tell me.”

David’s purple eyes showed no signs of resistance. Serus then realized that it was indeed an unwanted circumstance for him.

“The original plan was to send Princess Evelyn to return to the past.”

“Return……Sent her? Didn’t you say you would turn back everything with time magic? “

“Do you think you can turn back the time that has passed for free? You and the Emperor …… you two are more foolish than that poor woman.”

Evelyn at least knew exactly what the price she had to pay.

“Princess Evelyn’s time-leaps was successful. But soon after, the Emperor realized that she couldn’t return…… he jumped into the time portal that wasn’t closed yet.”

“What…?

“I don’t understand him. I shouted at him to stop, but your Emperor didn’t hesitate at all.”

“His Majesty wouldn’t do such a hasty act…”

“Yes. I’m sure you’ve heard my warning. Human’s soul can be destroyed by imperfect and forced magic ……”

Serus slowly blinked his eyes as he couldn’t believe Fabian, who he was holding right now, conducted such a thoughtless act.

David looked into his fearful eyes, “You can guess what happened, right?” he said. “Your guess is correct; your Emperor’s soul has left his body.”

“…… Can he come back?”

Serus’ voice shuddered slightly, imagining the future of the empire and the upheaval that would have occurred on the continent if the news had come out that Fabian had died unexpectedly. His life as emperor wasn’t his own. The Emperor’s long lineage was so exceptional that nobody could replace him.

“I don’t want the Emperor to vanish, either, and cause problems. On the contrary, I… … I want to stabilize this continent. I tried to stop your Emperor from disappearing.”

“Can I trust you?”

“I don’t have time to argue with you and explain the truth.” I don’t have the strength anymore; maybe my life will soon be over.”

David’s countenance was pale. Serus bit hard on his lips for a moment, then yanked out his handkerchief and threw it at David. “Stop your bleeding first.” He had no choice but to believe what David said as he was the caster of this magic and the only one who knew its spell.

“Don’t even think about dying before His Majesty come back.”

David’s lips were etched with a subtle smile line as he was busy wrapping his wrist with a handkerchief. “At this moment, you and I are on the same boat, I guess.” with his purple eyes shone firmly, he said. “After all, this continent needs an Emperor.”

As the legend had a story, the fate of this continent was determined when the first Emperor and guardian of the tower entered into an agreement. Since then, nobody could kill the Emperor’s bloodline. Instead, he was entrusted with guarding and ruling humanity on this continent, likewise the guardian who sealed those evil demons.

“You have a point; now tell me how to do it.” Serus rationality worked.

“Time magic is a forbidden spell. To be frank, I don’t know where the Emperor’s spirit is right now. The only hope is the fact that his body hasn’t stopped breathing. If his soul were crushed in the time-space, his body would have died, so I guess he went to the same place as Princess Evelyn.”

“Where is it?”

“……In this place. Right here, but at a different time.”

David chuckled as though there was nothing out of the ordinary, even though it was ludicrous when someone else heard it. It’s just that, and it may be true, looking at the messy situation.

“………Enough of your pleasantries. Just tell me how to get His Majesty back.”

Suddenly, her purple eyes were filled with apprehension. Of course, since magic was forbidden, David never researched it in depth. He had never heard of anything like this before. How could he possibly know the answer when all was beyond his control?

“I’ll risk my life to find him, so please cooperate with me.”

Serus understood the meaning of his words.

“The body is a vessel for the soul. At least for the Emperor …… there’s got to be a way to force his soul back. It’s fate.”

Time and magic were all beneath fate. David focused on Fabian’s body, which was still breathing.

At all costs, he must return the Emperor’s soul.

***

When Evelyn opened her eyes, she found herself in a white place. Her mind felt hollow for a while, and it was hard to sense her presence.

The pure white world that surrounded her was peaceful and calm. It felt like she had been staying here for a very long time.

“I…?”

Evelyn couldn’t remember her name. She only wanted to sleep in peace because she felt sleepy and enveloped by sweet scent.

At the same time, however, she could hear the voice crying violently inside her head. She knew there was something, something she should never forget.

“I’m….”

In the time gap, the person who forgot his name would be gone. But the side effect of imperfect magic left her unable to recall her name. And Evelyn didn’t know anything about that.

“I don’t know.”

She decided to avoid worrying about it, to make her better. However, Evelyn couldn’t ignore the rumbling voice in her head. She focused on a cry of despair that seemed to have been heard from a great distance.

‘… … I have to!’

That sound. It was her voice.

‘I must save him.’

Obviously, she had something more precious than her life.

‘I have to save … … I have to save my child.’

At that moment, the world surrounding her, which was coloured in pure white, started to crack like an eggshell. Then the sound of cracking shattered the stillness.

Evelyn promptly remembered who she was, and then she appeared in the empty room. The trembling hand in front of her eyes was now, seemingly, her own.

“Adrian.”

Not even the leaps of time could eradicate Evelyn’s wish.

“I need to save Adrian.”

As Evelyn remembered herself and her purpose, her pure white world shattered. Then the mist gradually dissolved, and a familiar sight came into view. It was the bedroom of the Empress. And……it was a scene that Evelyn already recognized.

“Adrian.”

There was nothing to be afraid of, just pronouncing that name.

“I won’t let you die.”

Evelyn’s hair was gradually becoming translucent. After a while, she started to notice the odd circumstance that she was in. Evelyn was invisible to others.

Much like a ghost.

“At all costs.”

Evelyn understood what was going on.

It was her. Evelyn saw herself dying in front of her eyes as if she was refining her memories again.

An unhappy 30-year-old Evelyn. The poor woman, who would soon die in loneliness.

But, there was someone who appeared just before her.

“Yes ……. This is that day”.

She didn’t think about it in her mind, but her intuition sensed it and moved her own body. She didn’t know if this was the fate that David was talking about. But it all seemed simple and clear. Perhaps because Evelyn now remained as a spirit.

“Before I took my last breath, he turned back the time……”

So Evelyn returned to her twenty, and she gave birth to Adrian thanks to that.

“Did David ever come to this place?”

The trajectory of time was twisted. David had already exhausted his magic to send Evelyn back in time. However, his time magic was still there. Evelyn might go back to her twenty once more if she followed the flow of time. And she had already decided what she would do after that.

“From the very beginning……, this is what fate is.”

“Now, I know.”

A mystical fate and her own life that she could hardly understand with a reason.

“I died for Adrian, and I’ve to go back. To meet you, my son….. I’ll go back.”

She had to go back through time once more. This time, to save her child.