Lanaya was lying on her bed. Her face was still stained with tears. Her eyes were closed, and she looked like she had simply cried herself to sleep.
But at that moment, her heart had already stopped, and her spiritual fluctuations had disappeared. The lively and adorable young girl had now become a lifeless body.
Prince Davion and the Queen were already there. When King Ostarion arrived, he saw Davion crying uncontrollably while holding his little sister's hand, unable to believe what was happening.
She was holding a piece of paper with beautiful words written on it. After arriving and reading those words, King Ostarion closed his eyes, feeling a pain so intense he wished to die rather than endure it.
Lanaya had said that this time, many people died because of her. The war broke out, and everything had been paved by her foolishness. She, of course, blamed herself for everything.
She felt like a disgrace to the royal family and was too ashamed to face her father, mother, and brother. She was also too ashamed to face the commoners. Only by dying could she restore the Kingdom's dignity, and then they might be able to overcome this calamity.
But...
How could her family fight now?
That was just an excuse her mind used to convince herself to take that path.
"How could you be so foolish?! This wasn't your fault!"
Davion hugged Lanaya, breaking down in heart-wrenching sobs. Lanaya was his beloved little sister, and when she was born, he had already been an adult for a long time. He personally helped take care of her and watched her grow into a woman. He would've gladly died in her place. But now, there was nothing he could do; she had already been dead for a while when they found her.
The Queen was completely pale, in a state of total shock and disbelief. She looked like she had lost her soul and could barely even cry.
"In the end, it was still impossible to escape this calamity?" Ostarion sighed in sorrow, tears silently streaming down his face.
At that moment, at the back of the room, Darian and Niara watched the scene with furious expressions.
Especially Niara. Darian had told her everything he saw in this universe, and she, who had left everything perfectly arranged for people to live in peace, now wanted to destroy all the other Realms immediately.
At that moment, Darian stepped forward.
"It's fine, stop crying. The brat isn't dead," Darian said suddenly, making everyone inside jump and turn toward him. "She's just in a near-death state."
Everyone was stunned hearing that. At that moment, no one could feel her soul in her body; it had clearly already disappeared completely. How could this be a near-death state?
Only then did Davion notice something peculiar. Lanaya's body really didn't have any death Yin. That was truly strange.
Darian sat down beside Lanaya's bed. Seeing the tears on her face, he couldn't help but sigh.
Why worry? This wasn't her fault. The Golden Scale Realm had set this trap a long time ago. Even without her, the White Scale Realm wouldn't have escaped losses.
She naively thought everyone had wasted their precious time running away because they were waiting for her, and that was why they died in the Sacred World. And now, this war had broken out...
Darian pressed his hand against her forehead. No one knew what he was doing, but they didn't care. As long as he could save her, nothing else mattered.
Lanaya had cut her own heart muscle. This was the simplest suicide method chosen by cultivators. With the heart stopping, the person would slowly lose consciousness and, in the end, their soul would dissipate without the slightest pain.
And indeed, since they only found her hours later, her body had no vital energy left. She had, theoretically, died.
With the White power, Darian could heal any physical wound and even restore vital energy. But after death, with the soul already gone, bringing her back was something not even Heaven's Will could do; it would be a severe violation of the laws.
Everyone held their breath as they watched a white light flow through Darian's palm. Davion clenched his fists tightly, his palms drenched in sweat. He had never wished so hard in his life for Darian to truly perform this miracle.
After a few seconds, Darian turned to him.
"You don't need to be that nervous. She definitely didn't die. Back in the Sacred World, I already felt that her mental state was a bit unstable, but I still sent her away. That's because she absorbed all the Goddess Dew we obtained before entering that place. Her bloodline became much stronger, and when she committed suicide, her bloodline automatically used everything it had to keep her alive temporarily. If you had taken too long, the energy would've run out, and she really couldn't be saved. But you made it in time, and now her soul is still inside her mind sea, being sealed by the primordial bloodline. That's why you can't sense her soul. When she wakes up, she'll feel weak for a while, but everything will be fine."
Everyone's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. They couldn't even think of something like that... because normally, no one would absorb such an absurd amount of Goddess Dew.
"I think that, after almost dying, and once everything settles down, she'll mature mentally and become stable. She won't be so stubborn anymore or think everything is her fault," Darian sighed. "Sorry for not telling you earlier, but I didn't know she would actually go this far."
The moment he finished speaking and pulled his hand away... her head moved slightly, and her spiritual fluctuations returned.
Even though Darian had told them not to worry, actually seeing her spiritual fluctuations come back allowed everyone to relax.
Thinking about his earlier explanation, they all felt a strong urge to kneel before him. It was thanks to his going to the Temple with her and, later, having deep knowledge about this, that she didn't die this time.
Her vital energy and soul had fully returned. Her heart was beating clearly and strongly again. This kind of short near-death state didn't cause her any harm.
"Alright, let Lanaya sleep for a bit. Later, have someone keep an eye on her and talk to her when she wakes up. Also, she really doesn't need to feel guilty about what happened." Darian stood up and stretched.
"I'll take care of her." Davion was the first to react and speak up.
"It should be me. I owe this child a lot." The Queen sat beside her, gently stroking her head. She was filled with shame, feeling like she should have paid more attention to her daughter's mental state. She was still very immature and couldn't handle the absurd pressure and mental chaos that suddenly appeared.
At that moment, King Ostarion finally reacted. He looked Darian in the eyes and took a deep breath.
"Darian... the war is still inevitable. Those bastards poisoned the others against my kingdom; there's nothing that can fix this."
Hearing that, Darian smiled. "No need to worry," he said, his gaze shifting to another corner of the room.
At that moment, everyone turned in the same direction.
Then...
They finally saw something they could never have imagined, not even in their wildest dreams.
It was a Dragoness of such beauty and splendor that it made them freeze in place. In her amber eyes, a cold light shone as she stared at Darian.
"She... she..." King Ostarion stammered, completely incredulous.
It wasn't just him. Whether it was the Queen, Davion, or anyone else in the entire universe... There wasn't a single living being who hadn't seen the preserved image of the Sacred Goddess before.
Darian spoke calmly to Niara. "No need to blame yourself, people are always problematic. Actually, you should be happy, because out of the four realms you created, one is truly honorable and follows your words. Two are neutral. And only one really got corrupted."
Niara snorted lightly. "I almost threw up from forcing myself to think so much, trying to act like you and save these people properly. In the end... it was just acceptable. I'm not suited for that... but I'm good at solving problems quickly and efficiently."
Darian smiled awkwardly. "Yeah, I do tend to overthink and analyze too much. That's why I take longer to solve things. You're better than me at that."
Their short conversation left everyone there completely stunned. Their minds tried to convince them it was a mistake, that figure wasn't the Goddess. But...
...her aura of power and supremacy resonated completely with their bloodline. It left no one able to even think about going against her words or doubting her identity.
"Anyway, let's not waste time." Darian stood up and walked toward Niara. At the door, he turned to the frozen people.
"I'll be back soon, when she wakes up."
They all stayed there in silence, unable to move a single muscle.
...
A few minutes later, when Ostarion had barely composed himself, a message arrived.
"The Golden Scale Realm has suffered a devastating and overwhelming attack!"
***
In the Golden Scale Realm, a war meeting with the other two realms was underway. Suddenly, the skies above the city darkened, even though it was still midday.
At the same time...
Everyone felt the weight of a mountain fall onto their shoulders.
High above, Niara spread her wings, and her body pulsed with all her power, completely suppressing every mortal.
"How dare you ignore my words and disgrace me like this..."
Her voice thundered over everyone below. Her killing intent and rage made people drop to their knees, trembling in horror.
Darian snorted, watching the karma of everyone below.
***
One day later, all the chaos and the imminent war were erased forever, like a candle being blown out.
The Golden Scale Realm was officially extinct. In just a few hours, millions of figures at the peak of cultivation ceased to exist.
After that, Darian analyzed the karma of the other two realms. They were neutral, but that was only for now, since the "rotten apples" were already everywhere. Soon, they paid them a visit as well and cut the problem at the root.
After that, Darian made some adjustments to the Draconic Stretchers that existed in the temples, adding his own power and some analysis artifacts. This way, the entire royal family would now be managed in a way similar to the organizations of the Celestial universe.
Their karma would directly interact with the temple. If they started doing shady things, all the power of the temples would be sealed. That way, in just a few generations, the royal bloodline would degrade and grow weaker and weaker, until it would be easy to eliminate them.
It wasn't a perfect solution. But it was a chance for salvation, in case another Realm became corrupted. They would just need to defend themselves and wait for the other side to destroy itself from within.
...
At that moment, in the gardens of the royal palace...
Darian, Niara, and Lanaya were sitting at a table. Niara was beside Lanaya, holding her hand, while Darian sat on the chair across from them, watching.
Lanaya had woken up very confused and weak. But Niara pulled her out of bed and gave her a bit of her own bloodline so she could recover. On top of that, she made sure to talk to her in a friendly way.
Just like Darian had said, Lanaya looked a bit like Alear... when she was 6 years old.
After recovering and knowing everything had been resolved, little by little, Lanaya loosened up. After a few hours...
"Auntie is really beautiful... and also... wait? Auntie actually looks a lot like the Goddess's image. So lucky! You must have an army of admirers, but... how come I've never heard of you?"
Lanaya spoke innocently, and Niara let out a soft laugh. At that same moment, Darian facepalmed in disbelief.
He turned, then met Davion's distant gaze.
He—and no one else in the entire universe—dared to get close or even breathe a little louder there. Niara was something truly untouchable and sacred to everyone; just hearing or seeing her from afar already felt like a dream.
As for Darian... they couldn't even comprehend who he was. It still hadn't sunk in, even after hearing from the Goddess herself that he was her husband.
"Show her," Darian muttered, and Davion, eyes tense, nodded. Then he sent an image crystal, which floated from afar toward Lanaya.
She grabbed it, confused. Then she looked at the image of the Goddess inside it...
"?"
Her expression changed abruptly. Then she turned and stared at Niara.
Back to the crystal, then to Niara, looking between both rapidly, unable to process it.
After a few seconds, Niara smiled and murmured, "Oh? That picture of me came out nice? I'm not that photogenic."
"!"
Lanaya's eyes went wide, and her body froze.
Niara burst out laughing, clearly amused. After a few seconds, she spoke gently.
"Hehe... Dan can be pretty sneaky sometimes. He sneaks into places and pretends to be someone ordinary. But he's not malicious; he just likes to evaluate and study everything deeply from the inside. I'm the opposite. Anyway, don't think too much about it."
"You... you... the wife..."
Niara puffed out her chest. "Of course I'm his wife. Did he tell you about me?"
Darian stayed silent, just letting the two talk.
Unlike the others, Lanaya quickly let go of her nervousness and went back to chatting cheerfully.
...
A few hours later, the three of them walked slowly, already outside the city.
Darian had already said everything he needed to say and done everything he had to do for the three realms. Now, only Lanaya accompanied them, since this would be their farewell.
When they stopped...
"Sir Darian, thank you very much!"
Lanaya spoke seriously, bowing toward him. Her face had regained all its color, and her eyes now carried a peculiar expression.
However, she no longer had her old mischievous and unruly air. It was as if, in a single night, she had matured to a point Darian wasn't used to.
"No need to thank me. After all, you and your kingdom are connected to Niara. You worship her and follow her words properly. You built the karma for this," Darian said slowly.
Lanaya nodded and smiled faintly. She remembered when she first followed Darian, and they spent an entire month inside the temple together. During that time, there were tears and laughter, and also arguments. Now, thinking about it, it felt like it had happened ages ago.
"I... was I really that unpleasant back then?" Lanaya sighed sadly.
"What are you talking about? It's not like you're very pleasant now either."
After saying that, Darian immediately realized things were different. He used to tease her all the time before. So, based on Lanaya's old personality, she should've exploded in anger. But now, she just lowered her head and said nothing.
Niara sighed. "Girl, if you keep acting like this, I really won't come back to play with you anymore."
Lanaya lifted her gaze and nodded with a smile, saying she was fine.
The naive and simple girl from before, the one Darian had talked about, now seemed like a faint shadow about to disappear forever. Even though that old Lanaya was unruly, stubborn, and somewhat violent, those were her traits.
She was like a newborn baby, and everything she did had no plans or ulterior motives. Everything she did was instinctive.
But after going through what she went through, it was like she had matured overnight. However, by maturing, she was no longer the same Lanaya. Maturity doesn't depend on age, but on experience. Unfortunately, sometimes only by experiencing pain does a person grow.
Lanaya had no choice but to mature. Now she understood her own responsibilities and how she should bear them. Once a person matures, they naturally have to give up some things. Maybe that's the price of growing up.
Niara held her hand. Lanaya smiled softly, feeling the warmth and tenderness of that figure everyone revered as a supreme and immaculate Goddess.
But... looking at Niara, she felt that this Goddess was very different from what she expected. She didn't hide her flaws and always acted freely, without fear of making mistakes.
Not out of irresponsibility—she always tried to do what was right—but if she failed, she trusted herself and Darian to fix things.
Remembering the first priest Darian answered questions to in the Temple, Lanaya felt that the situation applied to her as well. She couldn't go to an extreme and become someone completely different from her nature.
Darian sighed, realizing that the girl was now thinking properly. Maybe, in the future, Lanaya would find a balance and regain a bit of her old personality.
"We're leaving. I don't know when we'll be able to come back, but I hope you live well," Darian said gently, then saw Lanaya's eyes grow slightly teary.
She took a deep breath and nodded, holding herself together.
Niara snorted, then waved her hand forward. A spatial channel appeared, quickly stabilizing.
The two of them gave one last look and waved. Then, they stepped into the channel, which soon closed completely.
