One week later.
The Void household looked normal from the outside—tall walls, iron gates, guards on duty—but something about it felt… off.
The usual noise of servants, passing carriages, and visitors was gone. Even the birds avoided resting near the estate.
At the entrance gate, two city guards stood side by side, trying to pass time while keeping watch.
One of them broke the silence.
"I heard… since that day, not a single monster has been seen near the forest."
The other guard turned slowly, surprise flashing across his face.
"Not even one?"
"Not even slimes," the first guard replied.
"No tracks, no sounds, nothing."
The second guard frowned, his brows knitting together.
"That's not normal. Even during calm seasons, monsters don't just disappear."
He hesitated for a moment before adding quietly,
"And the young Lord… I heard he was injured badly."
The first guard nodded.
"Yes. So badly that he still hasn't woken up."
They both went silent.
The wind passed between them, cold and uneasy.
Inside the household, the mood was even heavier.
Maids moved carefully through the corridors, their footsteps light, their heads lowered. No one laughed. No one spoke loudly. Even the clinking of trays sounded too sharp in the quiet atmosphere.
Near the inner hall, a few maids gathered while working, whispering to each other.
"I heard a rumor," one of them said softly.
"They say the young Lord awakened something… unusual."
Another maid stiffened.
"Unusual?"
"Some kind of transformation."
The second maid swallowed.
"Don't tell me…"
"I heard the Void family's bloodline can awaken a beast-like form."
Her voice dropped even lower.
"A form that isn't completely human."
A third maid looked around nervously.
"And they say… the young Lord already showed signs of it."
Fear crept into their faces.
That rumor had existed for generations—spoken only in whispers, never openly confirmed.
Suddenly, one maid hissed sharply.
"Huss! Lower your voice!"
She glanced toward the deeper part of the household.
"Walls here have ears."
The group immediately fell silent, their faces pale. They returned to their work, but their hands trembled slightly.
---
Inside my room, I lay motionless on the bed.
Unconscious.
My small chest rose and fell slowly, almost too slowly, as if my body itself was unsure whether it wanted to stay in this world or not.
Mother sat beside me.
Lady Isolde Void.
She gently petted my hair, her fingers trembling despite how calm she tried to appear. Each stroke was slow, careful, as if she feared that even a little pressure might break me.
Two maids stood a few steps away.
Their eyes were red, swollen with unshed tears.
One of them finally spoke, her voice shaking.
"Lady Isolde… the young master still hasn't woken up."
Isolde didn't look at them.
Her eyes remained fixed on my face—pale, lifeless, too quiet for a child.
"Don't worry," she said softly.
"He will wake up soon."
Her hand paused for a moment, then continued stroking my hair.
"His body took a great toll. He's just resting… recovering."
She smiled.
It was a gentle smile.
A mother's smile.
"Don't worry."
The maids nodded, though fear still clung to their expressions.
But inside her mind—
Lord Alistair locked himself in his room since that day.
He hasn't spoken to anyone.
He hasn't even looked at me.
I can't show my worry to them.
I have to stay strong.
Her fingers tightened slightly against my hair.
Flashback
Seven days ago
Lady Isolde stood near the window, staring at the road beyond the Void household gates.
Her heart felt heavy.
They went to the Adventurer Guild three days ago…
Why haven't they returned yet?
Her fingers clenched the edge of her dress.
I have a bad feeling.
Suddenly—
BANG!
The entrance gate opened loudly.
The sound echoed through the household like a warning bell.
Isolde's breath caught.
Footsteps rushed forward.
A guard ran inside and immediately bowed deeply.
"Lady Isolde!"
"Lord Alistair Void has arrived!"
Her body moved before her mind could react.
She ran.
Not walked.
Not hurried.
She ran.
As she reached the entrance—
Her world shattered.
Lord Alistair stood there.
Covered in blood.
Not just splashes—
his armor, his clothes, his hair—soaked, darkened, heavy with it.
His body was wounded, cuts and burns visible beneath torn fabric.
And in his arms—
Solaris.
Her son.
Half-naked.
Unmoving.
His small body was releasing sparks of yellow lightning, crackling weakly through the air.
Not powerful—
unstable.
His skin was breaking.
Not tearing like flesh—
But cracking.
Like dried mud under pressure.
Tiny fractures spread across his body, piece by piece, and from those cracks—
Blood dripped down.
Mana leaked out.
Like a broken vessel.
Like a pot that could no longer contain what was inside it.
The mana was so dense, so violent, that Alistair's arms were visibly burning just from holding him. Smoke faintly rose from his sleeves, his teeth clenched as he forced himself not to drop the child.
And then—
Isolde's eyes locked onto Solaris's chest.
Right above his heart—
A red, circular seal.
Not a perfect circle.
Its edges were distorted, uneven, as if reality itself had been shattered and forced into that shape.
The seal shook violently.
Not glowing.
Not pulsing calmly.
But trembling—
as if it was barely holding something back.
As if the world around it was fractured.
Isolde couldn't breathe.
Her legs nearly gave out.
"So… laris…"
Her voice broke.
Alistair looked at her.
---
Lady Isolde froze.
Her face drained of all color as she stared at the broken, sparking body in Alistair's arms.
Her voice came out sharp, trembling—barely holding together.
"What happened?"
"What happened to Solaris?"
"Is he alright?!"
She stepped closer, panic finally breaking through her composure.
"What were you doing there?"
"How did he get hurt in your presence?!"
Before she could say anything more—
Lord Alistair turned his head sharply and shouted,
"Call every healer in this city."
"Every single one available—NOW!"
The guard stiffened, bowed deeply, and ran without a second of hesitation.
Lady Isolde didn't wait.
Her instincts as a healer took over.
She raised her hand toward Solaris's chest.
Golden mana gathered in her palm, forming a complex spell circle—clean, refined, divine.
"HIGH HEAL."
The spell activated—
And vanished.
The red seal at Solaris's chest twitched.
Then—
It devoured the spell circle whole.
No explosion.
No resistance.
The divine magic was simply… swallowed.
As if it never existed.
Silence fell.
For a split second, no one breathed.
Lord Alistair spoke quietly,
"As I expected."
Isolde turned toward him, rage flashing in her eyes.
"What are you even talking about?!"
His voice remained heavy, controlled.
"Isu… I think even you—"
"An S-Rank Royal Blood Healer—"
"Won't be enough to heal him alone."
Her breath hitched.
"Don't say nonsense—"
"Look around you," Alistair said.
She did.
And her blood ran cold.
One of the escorting guards—wearing a high-grade protective relic—was on his knees, vomiting violently.
Another guard had already collapsed, unconscious, his relic cracked and sparking uselessly.
Nearby maids began to sway—
One dropped.
Then another.
Their bodies couldn't endure it.
Lady Isolde whispered,
"Is this…?"
Alistair nodded grimly.
"Yes."
"This is because of Solaris's leaking mana."
Her heart clenched.
The mana wasn't attacking.
It wasn't intentional.
It was simply too much.
Too dense.
Too unstable.
Lady Isolde's body began to glow.
Golden mana erupted from her like a rising sun.
She raised her hand upward, eyes sharp with resolve.
"DIVINE AREA HEAL."
A massive spell circle formed above them—
Layer upon layer of divine symbols unfolding in the air.
Light poured down, covering the entire entrance garden.
The oppressive pressure eased.
The leaking mana slowed.
The fallen stopped collapsing further.
Lady Isolde exhaled deeply.
Her shoulders relaxed—just a little.
She lowered her hand and spoke calmly, though her voice still carried tremors.
"Sorry… I lost my composure back there."
She looked at Solaris again.
"This won't heal him directly."
"But it will purify the area… and stop his mana from spreading further."
Her gaze hardened with determination.
"First—let's take him inside."
Lord Alistair nodded.
---
⭐Explain
Lady Isolde was a princess from a neighboring kingdom.
Like other nobles, she studied at the Royal Academy, where her talent quickly drew attention.
Born of royal blood and chosen as a Saint Candidate, she decided to walk the path of a Healer.
During the final year of the Royal Academy, Lord Alistair Void and Lady Isolde were united in marriage.
She later became known as an S-Rank Healer,
revered throughout the kingdom as the Royal Healer.
---
⭐Author Note
[ Next time: The Seal That Devours All ]