IDED | Chapter 142

Chapter 142

Azaid was bewildered by the fragmented memories flooding into him. These were events he had never experienced, yet they felt familiar, as if they were his own.

[“I won’t take it.”

“Your Majesty, I heard you had a fever again yesterday. So, I have brought a decoction to help lower it.”

“I hate bitter things.”

“I anticipated that, so I prepared some candy. If you take the candy after the decoction, the bitterness will be less noticeable.”]

It was undoubtedly Serena’s voice. The one refusing the prescription was Azaid himself.

The fragmented memories were jumbled out of order. However, every single one was related to Serena.

Serena seemed to be struggling to make him take the medicine. Unlike the version of her he knew, the Serena in these memories was persuading Azaid in a gentle and obedient manner.

Yet, despite her efforts, Azaid completely ignored her words.

‘What kind of memory is this? A delusion caused by the mana rampage?’

He tried to stop thinking about it, fearing he was losing his mind, but the memories only became clearer.

And when he saw himself die twice within these memories, he realized that this was no mere illusion.

‘I must be dying.’

The space of the rampage was governed by the mana core. As time passed, the outside world and the inner world became increasingly disconnected, blurring the boundaries of time.

When the mana core’s control became absolute, traces of the soul began to intermingle. He had heard that, as a result, some people regained the forgotten memories of their past lives.

In other words, it meant that his body and soul were starting to separate.

So, the phrase about one’s life flashing before their eyes before death must refer to something like this.

‘Even in a past I didn’t remember, Rena saved me.’

Azaid was shocked to realize that he had met Serena even in a past life he had no recollection of.

At the same time, he felt he was beginning to understand why she had always seemed so indifferent to death.

Recalling all the efforts Serena had made to save him, Azaid bit his lower lip.

Especially the way she had clung to him when he was consumed by the rampage—it was seared vividly into his memory.

Even though she had unconsciously used her power to control the rampage, she received no recognition for it. Instead, she was dragged around and interrogated.

And while he could not confirm it for certain, it seemed she had been executed as well, simply because she was held responsible for his death. After all, she was a member of the imperial palace, tasked with saving the Emperor.

Now that his memories had fully surfaced, Azaid reconsidered the attitude Serena had shown when she first met him.

‘Serena definitely retained memories from before her death.’

Otherwise, her demeanor wouldn’t have changed so drastically, as if flipping over a hand.

The first time they met, she had been confident, unafraid of death, and reckless enough to defy Azaid directly.

He had thought she was simply fearless, but in reality, it seemed she had been scared—so scared that she had deliberately put up an even sharper front. Because she didn’t want to die.

Come to think of it, she always acted as if she knew everything.

She had an uncanny ability to find Azaid’s hiding spots whenever he tried to avoid work. She also always seemed to anticipate his actions, reacting as if she had foreseen them.

It was a level of insight that went far beyond mere perceptiveness.

‘Then why did she stay by my side even after returning?’

That thought crossed his mind briefly, but he quickly shook his head. Perhaps she had no choice but to return to the palace at the same point in time, unable to avoid the imperial decree.

‘From the very beginning, Rena made it clear she was forced into the palace.’

The thought of Serena being dragged into the imperial palace repeatedly, dying over and over again without even a chance to refuse, sent a chill down his spine.

Like puzzle pieces falling into place, everything suddenly made sense. However, one final question remained unanswered.

‘Why did Serena regress?’

Her power was absorption magic, which had nothing to do with time. That meant some other force had intervened, but Azaid couldn’t figure out the answer no matter how much he thought about it.

‘Come to think of it, wasn’t I quite insufferable?’

Recalling how arrogantly he had treated Serena, Azaid suppressed a groan. If he had a blanket, he would have buried himself under it in embarrassment.

He had been a complete and utter jerk. Though, in his defense, he had his reasons. At the time, he had to suspect everyone, and his deteriorating health had made him extremely irritable.

But Serena wouldn’t have known any of that, so she must have had a hard time dealing with him.

‘And yet, she still tried so hard to save me. I’m grateful.’

If it had been him, he would have just said, ‘Fine, let me die,’ and surrendered. Or he would have tried to escape before entering the palace at all.

As the scattered memories started aligning in chronological order—

“Azaid!”

Someone suddenly threw themselves into Azaid’s arms. The small, burning-hot body was unmistakably familiar.

It was Serena. The moment Azaid realized she had come, his body stiffened.

She had actually entered this space. He wanted to embrace her back, but his body wouldn’t move. The connection between his body and soul had weakened.

When Azaid remained still, Serena grabbed him by the collar, her voice trembling with emotion.

“Get a hold of yourself, you stubborn fool!”

As soon as she entered the rampaging flames, Serena gasped for breath.

“I can’t see a thing!”

A thick, humid mist filled the space, making it impossible to see anything ahead.

The scorching heat made her sweat uncontrollably, and even breathing was difficult, causing her to frown.

She was barely holding on, thanks to Azaid’s magic and Leonard’s aura.

‘This is even worse than what I experienced before.’

Back then, the rampage had been triggered by someone barely clinging to life, so it hadn’t been this intense.

Recalling her past struggles, Serena shook her head. Ultimately, this fog was also Azaid’s power.

‘Let’s absorb it.’

Serena stretched out her hand and opened her mana core. A violet wave shimmered around her before beginning to absorb the surrounding mist.

A heavy surge of mana flowed into her. Since it was rampaging mana, even her heart pounded violently. Judging by its state, she needed to hurry.

As she walked forward, she used Izring to locate Azaid.

Rampages caused magic to run wild, acting against the caster’s will. Since it was uncontrollable, it also put a strain on the body.

Thus, the mana core instinctively tried to concentrate the mana in one place to counteract the chaos.

‘Since this power is Azaid’s magic, it should work.’

As Nocturne’s prized disciple, Serena knew how to apply what she had learned with precision.

Using Izring, she saw the flames quickly moving in a certain direction. She hastened her steps accordingly.

After running for a while, she finally saw Azaid standing in the distance. His eyes were vacant, as if devoid of life, and he didn’t even notice her approaching.

Serena threw her arms around him.

“Azaid!”

As expected, there was no response. He didn’t move a single finger, nor did he meet her gaze.

Realizing how serious his condition was, Serina grabbed his collar, her eyes brimming with tears. She had gone through so much to keep him alive, only to see him dying again.

“Get a hold of yourself, you stubborn fool!”

Just how long do I have to clean up after you?!

Even as she suppressed the anger she didn’t truly feel, she shook him desperately, but he showed no signs of waking.

It seemed that merely absorbing his mana wouldn’t be enough to restore his consciousness.

Serena placed her hand over Azaid’s crest. She intended to return the mana she had absorbed, hoping to calm his mana core.

As soon as her hand touched him, the absorption magic activated, and a purple ripple wrapped around Azaide’s blue flames, swirling violently.

The two forces of mana blended and separated repeatedly, shimmering like the aurora in the night sky.

But for Serena, who was holding onto Azaid tightly, it was no different from standing in the middle of a battlefield.

His body was so hot that if she didn’t return his mana immediately, she felt like she would burn to death first.

If it weren’t for Leonard’s aura supporting her, she wouldn’t have been able to endure this much.

That was how overwhelmingly vast Azaid’s power was—far beyond any mana she had absorbed before. It felt as if her entire body was being squeezed so tightly that her toes curled from the pressure.

Meanwhile, Azaid’s body was eerily cold. Her fingertips felt numb, as if she were clutching a block of ice.

Serina knew well that this was not a good sign. Clinging to him even more tightly, she focused her mind.

“Ugh…”

A faint groan escaped Serena’s lips. The repeated cycle of absorbing and releasing mana as if in a circuit was starting to wear her out.

Fortunately, her efforts seemed to be working. The freezing body temperature was beginning to rise. Little by little, Azaid’s mana core was stabilizing.

At the same time, his body flinched, making Serena wonder if he was regaining consciousness. She lifted her head to check.

At that very moment, the lifeless blue eyes that had been unfocused suddenly lit up, locking onto her.

“Are you awake?”

Despite Serena’s question, Azaid simply stared at her in a daze.

She was reflected in his gaze. Her flushed cheeks were burning red from the heat, and her dazed eyes gave off a deep, almost mesmerizing look.

Startled by the expression she saw on herself, Serina instinctively tried to pull away.

But before she could move far, he caught her.

“Ah—”

The moment she distanced herself, Azaid pulled her back in, closing the gap instantly.

Then, as if he had been waiting, he captured her lips.

The lips that had remained firmly shut until now parted, and with it, a heated breath engulfed Serena completely.