"Miss, are you still waiting?" a young man asked, his gaze fixed on a beautiful maiden with long blonde hair and deep red eyes.
"Yes… I'm still waiting," she replied softly.
Her voice was calm, but her eyes told a different story—one of deep longing that had never faded, not even after a very long time.
The young man hesitated, then sighed.
"I don't think he will return. You told me you've been waiting here for over 3000 years already… in the exact same spot."
She smiled faintly and turned her attention toward the now-overflowing metropolis.
The world had already recovered after what happened millennia ago, and humans once again became the dominant race.
Everything had changed.
And yet, this place remained the same.
Untouched fragment preserved through time itself.
Because she had been here all along.
Guarding it.
Preserving it.
Waiting.
For the one man she loved the most.
"He will come back," she flashed an innocent smile. "He promised me that he will."
The young man could only shake his head. He pitied her—for waiting for someone who had already left her behind eons ago.
"What made you fall for him in the first place?"
"I heard he was the one responsible for liberating humans from the three other races. But I also heard he's a ruthless being."
She was silent for a moment.
The wind brushed through her hair, lifting a few strands as her eyes stayed fixed on the distant, as if she could still see fragments of a past only, she remembered clearly.
"…Ruthless," she repeated softly.
"I don't think that word is enough to explain how cruel he was… but I fell for him just because I do. There's really nothing else."
She wasn't lying.
Her heart was built for only one person in her entire life—and that was something no amount of time could ever rewrite.
The young man fell silent.
For a fleeting moment, he envied the person she loved this deeply.
'I wish I had someone like her to love me too,'
But the thought faded almost as quickly as it came.
It was impossible.
No woman could hold onto a love across time the way she did.
"I'll leave now Miss Anna. I hope you find happiness soon,"
He turned away and ran out of the place.
And just as he did, he passed by a man with white hair.
"Are you here to visit the Scarlet Maiden?" he asked.
"Scarlet Maiden?" The man raised an eyebrow, clearly unfamiliar with the name.
"Yeah," the young man continued. "We call her that because of her red eyes. Don't worry, she's quite kind, and she'll even answer questions—just as long as you remain respectful."
"Most people don't even realize how long she's been here," he added quietly. "To them, she's just… part of the place now. Like a landmark. A living legend."
"I see… thanks for the reminder." The white-haired man smiled faintly.
Without another word, he continued walking forward.
Sitting on her spot like always, Anna lifted her gaze to the sky.
The city roared endlessly around her—lights, movement, voices from a world that kept evolving without pause—but none of it reached her heart anymore.
And yet…
For some reason, she felt unusually excited today.
The wind shifted.
And for the first time in ages…
It felt like the world was holding its breath with her.
"You really waited that long… aren't you too obsessed."
Anna quickly turned her head, instantly recognizing the voice.
"Reign!"
His name left her lips instantly—emotional, trembling, like it had been trapped inside her for eons and finally found release.
Her red eyes locked onto him fully now, as if afraid he might vanish again if she blinked.
"…You really came back,"
"Yeah," Reign replied casually, as if returning after three thousand years was no different from stepping out for a short walk.
"I got bored and decided to visit this world. And I didn't really think you'd still be alive… or even waiting for me."
Anna froze for a second.
Then slowly, a small smile formed on her face.
"You still talk like that," she spoke softly.
"Why would I change? It's not like—"
Reign stopped mid-sentence.
His ears caught distant noises—cars moving, people chattering, the constant sound of a living world that finally rebuilt itself.
"This place is too noisy."
Anna followed his gaze and gave a small nod.
"If you want, we can go to another—"
Before she could finish, he snapped his fingers.
It was a quiet sound.
But the world reacted like it had been sentenced.
The land began to disintegrate slowly at first—like reality itself was taking its time to show what fear truly meant.
The city lights flickered.
Buildings cracked without sound.
Entire structures faded into dust grain by grain, dissolving into nothing as if existence had decided they were never meant to remain.
People finally noticed.
And then they understood a horrifying truth.
Screams erupted across the metropolis as humanity watched its world vanish in front of them—piece by piece, block by block, life by life.
Even the young man from before stood frozen in horror, his voice breaking as he shouted for help that would never arrive.
But there was no salvation.
Only erasure.
His body turned to dust along with the rest, scattering into the air like forgotten memories.
And still—
Reign stood calmly beside Anna, as if nothing more than background noise had been cleared away.
The world became silent again.
"That's better."
"Amazing… you became so powerful!" Anna hugged him, as if afraid even that moment might slip away.
She didn't question what had just happened.
For her, none of it mattered.
She buried her face slightly against him.
Reign started laughing.
"You really are crazy," he said, still smiling. "You know that with my personality, I could erase you too."
Anna didn't even blink. "You can do that, and I'll still be happy to die in your hands."
Reign gently patted her head. He really couldn't bring himself to love anyone.
Not after everything he had become.
Not after standing beyond the end itself.
But…
He could recognize something that mattered in its own way.
"Alright, you can come with me."
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