Chapter 49
Alexi stared at the frozen world.
The arena was colorless.
The crowd—statues of ash.
Mana hung motionless, suspended like shattered glass.
Only two figures remained untouched by time.
Him.
And Lugh.
"T-Time…?" Alexi whispered. "When—how—"
"Don't," Lugh said calmly.
The word carried weight. Not force—authority.
Alexi swallowed. His thoughts screamed against the impossible stillness.
"Before you ask how," Lugh continued, crimson eyes unreadable, "answer why."
Alexi stiffened.
"Why did you wield the fake Grand like that?" Lugh asked. "Why did you let the title of Hero be forced onto you?"
A pause.
"And why were you so easily used to try and trap Aria?"
Alexi's fingers dug into the stone.
"I—"
"Not excuses," Lugh said. "Your story."
Silence.
Then Alexi's shoulders sagged, as if something heavy finally slipped free.
"…My name isn't Alexi."
Lugh didn't react.
"My real name," he whispered, "is Alex Sinclair."
The name echoed strangely in the frozen world.
"I'm from the Sinclair Empire. The holy empire. Its only prince."
A bitter smile twisted his lips.
"The same place where the Main Church of Volcis stands. Where the Sanctuary lies."
His hands trembled.
"I wasn't just a child the Church found convenient," Alexi said quietly. "I was born royalty."
He exhaled slowly.
"In the empire, that alone paints a target on your back. But I had another curse."
His fingers curled, remembering steel.
"They called me the Blessed Prince."
Lugh's gaze sharpened slightly.
"I had an abnormal talent for the sword," Alexi continued. "Not strength. Not brute force."
A faint smile.
"Instinct. I could read blades the way others read letters."
"At thirteen, I defeated trained imperial knights. No mana. No enhancements. Just steel."
"The nobles praised it. The army feared it."
His jaw tightened.
"And the Church noticed."
"They said my talent was wasted outside holy guidance. They wanted me in the Sanctuary."
A bitter laugh.
"Not trained—contained."
Alexi clenched his fists.
"But I wasn't what terrified my father."
Lugh said nothing.
"There was someone else," Alexi whispered.
"My sister."
Silence thickened.
"She was three years older than me. Kind. Gentle. Loved by the people."
His voice wavered.
"And the Church desired her."
"Pope Denovan," Alexi said, loathing thick in his voice. "He proposed marriage. Not for himself—for his son."
"My father refused. Publicly."
A flicker of pride crossed his face.
"He said Sinclair blood would never belong to the Church."
"That was when everything changed."
The frozen air creaked.
"They smiled. Praised his conviction."
Alexi's eyes burned.
"And then tightened their grip."
"They watched me. Watched her. Never stopped."
Alexi swallowed.
"It was the Year of the Gathering."
Even Lugh's expression shifted.
"A summons no ruler can refuse," Alexi said. "My father knew it was a trap."
"So before the Gathering, he acted."
"My sister was seventeen. Already engaged—to a prince she chose."
A sharp breath.
"The marriage was swift. Quiet. Irreversible."
"Denovan was furious."
"He smiled in public. Blessed the union."
Alexi's jaw tightened.
"But his eyes promised punishment."
"After the Gathering…"
His voice broke.
"My parents were found dead."
"It was called a divine sickness," Alexi whispered. "But I saw them."
"Their stomachs were melted. Organs dissolved. No wounds."
"Poison," he said. "The kind only the Sanctuary possesses."
He bowed his head.
"I was declared too young to rule. Given a choice."
A hollow breath.
"Join the Sanctuary—or watch House Sinclair be erased."
"I was fourteen."
"So I went."
"I wore white. Learned prayers. Became their Hero."
His shoulders shook.
"I told myself it was for my sister. For the empire."
He looked up, eyes hollow.
"But I was a hostage who learned how to swing a sword."
Silence pressed in.
"But I was naïve," Alexi continued. "I thought they'd forgotten my sister."
"A year later, she became pregnant."
For a brief moment, warmth returned to his voice.
"She was happy. The letters she sent… they were full of hope."
Then it shattered.
"They accused her husband of infertility. Claimed the child wasn't his."
His fists trembled.
"They accused her of infidelity with nobles. With strangers."
"She was divorced. Stripped of title. Banished."
"I ran back to Castle Sinclair."
Alexi's breath hitched.
"But I was too late."
"When I arrived, I saw them in the courtyard."
His voice dropped.
"Denovan… and his followers."
"My sister stood surrounded. Pale."
A choked sound escaped him.
"But calm."
"She held an ice crystal in her mouth—an ancient relic of our bloodline."
"She bit down."
"Ice swallowed her whole."
His voice broke.
"Alive. Conscious. Frozen."
"It was her last defiance," Alexi sobbed.
"She chose a crystal prison over being claimed."
He wiped his eyes.
"Denovan imprisoned her. Used her as a hostage."
A whisper.
"For two years."
He clenched his teeth.
"It was the same time Aria became my teacher."
Shame flooded his face.
"Denovan couldn't control her… so he used me."
"To seduce her."
Guilt crushed him.
Lugh stepped forward.
"You want freedom?" he said calmly. "Then stop asking others to define your worth."
"If you keep walking the Church's path—"
His crimson eyes burned.
"—the Sanctuary won't just claim your strength."
"It will claim you."
He extended his hand.
"Sometimes," Lugh said quietly, "even heroes need protection."
Alexi hesitated—then reached out.
Their palms met.
Grip tightened.
Blood splashed across Alexi's vision.
Confused, he wiped his eyes—
—and saw Lugh coughing blood.
An arm pierced through Lugh's chest, clutching his heart.
Lugh's grip loosened.
Space fractured behind him.
A man stepped out, smiling.
"Truly intriguing, Lugh Redhart," he said.
"I removed your heart—yet you linger."
Alexi's dread ignited into fury.
"POPE DENOVAN!"
Denovan closed his palm.
Lugh's heart shattered.
His body was hovered. Hanging over popes extended arm. His white clothes tainted red.
Something inside Alexi collapsed soundlessly at lugh who was lifeless.