Crown of Thorns

This was the first time he had been able to unleash his power, and as a result, Evan’s consciousness continued to be cloudy because of the strain. He was obliged to hold onto her, repeating over and over that she had to wake up, though it was no easy task.

At a certain moment, Nyx, who was still in his arms, flinched and slowly reached out her arms to wrap them around his waist. Surprised by the sudden movement, Evan tried to dodge her, but Nyx sank deeper and deeper into his embrace. He could no longer retreat, persuaded by the fact that her cheek was planted on his chest, giving strength to his hold.

Evan was so taken aback that he called her name without realizing it.

“…Nyx?”

It was torture. The small, thin, and soft body of a woman resting in his arms made him simultaneously happy and in pain.

Soon after he realized Nyx was starting to wake up, he hurriedly cupped her cheek and lifted it.

“Nyx! Are you awake?”

She gazed at him blankly, unable to grasp the current situation, so Evan called her more urgently.

“Nyx!”

Evan was truly relieved. He already knew that she would wake up soon after her breathing had stabilized and her scars vanished, but he still couldn’t shake away his nervousness. As he was still haunted by the lingering image of Nyx’s body lying and bleeding on the floor, Evan hadn’t realized how truly terrified he was.

He tightened his embrace around her head and whispered.

“It’s alright now. Thank God. I’m sorry, Nyx. I’m so sorry.”

Evan apologized to Nyx as he gently brushed her hair from his arms. He shouldn’t have done that. How terrible it is that he almost put her in danger because of his shortcomings.

Nyx released herself from Evan’s hold. Confused, she called his name quietly.

“…Evan?”

At that moment, Evan became overwhelmed by the fact that he heard Nyx’s voice again. As he was able to listen to her calling his name while facing her, the weight of guilt was lifted from his shoulders.

Lowering his head, Evan held her hand, allowing her to push her body upward with it. As he faced her, slowly raising her head, his heartbeat became unsteady. Her dark, reflective, jewel-like eyes engulfed him with an indescribable joy.

He missed her, most ardently. Oh, how long had he waited to see her again!

Although his visit was ascribed to her collapsing due to his fault, he thought that it was better than not seeing her at all, at least until he could use his strength properly. He was indeed sorry for the pain he had caused, but selfishly, he was very satisfied with the outcome.

Yet for some reason, Nyx froze without uttering a sound. She seemed to be lost in a daze, her deep pupils were frantically dilating. She was consumed by an intertwined web of emotions, raging unbeknownst between fear and anxiety.

Evan became anxious again, realizing for the first time that he was a much simpler man than he had thought himself to be, one who couldn’t get a grip on himself.

“Nyx? Nyx, are you okay? Are you alright?”

“…How?”

Nyx lifted herself urgently. Reflexively, Evan followed suit and raised his upper body upright, forcing him to sit on the floor and look up at her. She looked around with great concern.

Evan, harboring fear and anxiety in his heart, had asked if she had a problem he didn’t know about.

“Nyx, are you okay? You’re all right, aren’t you?

He reached out his hand to Nyx, but she struck it coldly. He then firmly approached her and held her shoulders. They felt so thin under his touch. She was so small and sad that he wanted to hug her and make her stay in his embrace forever.

Eventually, he surrendered to his urge, but Nyx resisted him.

“Go.”

“…”

“Go back, and never come here again.”

Nyx was still pushing Evan away. She did the same when he was younger, not letting him stay by her side despite her caring attitude. She didn’t know that Evan was getting impatient. He had finally met her again, yet, without knowing that his heart was burning with longing, she had asked him separate from her.

She said that, without knowing that he constantly pondered and contemplated on how to stay by her side, all while she was becoming a mirage that might disappear at any time.

Evan was deeply hurt by Nyx’s attitude, who, unlike him, did not seem to want to see him that much, but he did not reveal it. He was the one who wanted, craved, and hoped for her from the beginning. Wouldn’t it be madness to get angry when he was the one to greed over her from the beginning?

Besides, if he had acted on his desires and ended up driving her to permanently leave his side, how would he handle it?

Evan tried to stifle the darkness that was slowly rising from deep within him and covered it with a forced laugh. It was alright. She was always with him and that alone was enough to satisfy him. Besides, she stayed in the tower, just as she promised him, always looking at him from there.

Now that he could control Light, he could come here if he so wished. He thought that he could find out what she was anxious about since he was at least old enough to know that a warrior could not be together with a witch.

Like when he was young, Evan could persuade the caring and soft-hearted Nyx to find a way to be with him.

Yes, if he meets her expectations just as she desires, he can stay with her forever. So he’d better not lose his patience now.

Evan returned to where he had been. She was a moon that he could not have, even if he had desperately clung to it dozens or hundreds of times. But even so, he could still gaze at it from far away. So, for now, it was important to keep that moon secure in its place.

He could also think of ways to have the moon for himself. So stealthily that the moon would not notice.

The desire to be with her grew into a deep obsession with every repeated rejection. It was gradually devouring Evan without him noticing.

He was greeted with awe as he returned to where he was. He belatedly realized that he had done something extraordinary. Before that, he was possessed by his worry about Nyx, so he had completely forgotten what he had done.

As he hurried to the place where Yohan was staying, white Light was coming out. It was embarrassing because it was not much different from the power he used. What had he done to unleash it? Neriano, who was pacing in the tent, welcomed him anxiously.

“E— Evan!”

“Oh, Neriano.”

“Where have you been? What happened ?”

Evan smiled awkwardly because he couldn’t answer anything, but Yohan, who was sitting on the bed, said as he approached.

“Good thing you’re all right.”

“…Sorry for causing trouble.”

“It’s all right. You’re not used to it yet.”

It was a good thing he thought. Yohan was definitely a knight, but, surprisingly, his commander had a good knowledge of magic. Evan remembered what Nyx had told him once, when she saw that he was able to walk in and out of the witch’s forest, she concluded that the commander must have been an excellent sorcerer who had mastered the basics of magic.

From his point of view, commander Yohan was similar to himself. He had a different sense of sensitivity and greater physical strength than ordinary humans. Perhaps a sorcerer would have been able to use his powers. Now that only two elements could be used, Light and Darkness, there was no way to know what kind of attributes the sorcerer would have.

Yohan handed something to Evan, who was standing awkwardly.

“It’s only temporary, so you keep it. It’ll keep shining.”

“It’s…”

It was none other than the same thing that Nyx had given him. There, it was shining brightly inside the tent. He was very familiar with it; it was similar to the Light that had filled the witch’s forest when he had first met Yohan.

“What is this…?”

Evan wondered about the object in his hand. However, he couldn’t directly ask the two people who it belonged to, so he decided to keep it to himself.

“Take care of your luggage.”

“Are you thinking of moving to the next location?”

“No, the hunt is over.”

“Over? But we still have a long way to go.”

“You’ve turned a hunter into prey, and yet you’re not even aware of it. How can you be so insensitive and call yourself a hunter?”

“What?”

Evan thought for a moment and then laughed. He could use Light now. The problem was that he was not used to dealing with it yet, so he wouldn’t be able to use it against monsters.

“What are you worried about? you can control the Light now. With this power, we can exterminate all the monsters that face us.”

“The hunters who’ll come after you are probably far beyond my capabilities. And… this is not where you’re going to be.”

So where is he going to be? Evan’s curiosity had overwhelmed him, but he only had to follow the leader. And so he packed his luggage without saying a word. The necklace that was returned to him did not fade in response to his power. Neriano interpreted the sorcerer’s lines on the object and said he kept the amulet, but it was not easy to apprehend. Even though it is true that it shined with his power, why did it shine in Yohan’s hands?

Since neither Yohan nor Neriano can use magic, doesn’t this mean that this item contains the power to use magic?

He didn’t know what it all meant, but it was clear that it was very precious. And it was thanks to Yohan, who doubted Evan for having such a thing in the witch’s forest, Neriano, who went straight into his study as soon as he saw it, and Nyx, who said that it would protect him.

Evan thought that there was something more that he didn’t know, but he was going to wait until he was told first.

Soon after, a carriage sent from the palace had arrived. Evan got in, and headed to the palace, with Yohan, Neriano, and Nyx’s Shadow following him.

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