Azel stirred, pulled from the depths of a heavy sleep. The fire had long since dimmed to a bed of glowing embers, casting the small room in a muted, reddish light.
For a few moments, he remained motionless, his mind dazed, weighed down by a crushing exhaustion he rarely allowed himself to feel.
The reason for his sleep clung to him still — the aching, desperate guilt of even thinking about leaving her.
A gentle whisper floated through his mind, soft and bitter.
"She loves you, you know. it's tragic. The whole world is against you both."
Azel closed his eyes again, his chest tightening.
He had long since accepted that he was cursed to walk alone. That anyone who cared for him would eventually suffer because of it.
Yet Anna stayed even now.
Forbanna, who once hated Anna with the jealousy had slowly changed. Unknown to Azel, her contempt had twisted into a reluctant fondness, then into something like guilt.
She didn't want Anna to suffer anymore. Neither did he.
Azel became aware of a small, firm weight against his hand. Turning his head slightly, he saw her.
She was slumped against the side of the couch, still clutching his hand tightly in both of hers — as if terrified that he might vanish if she let go.
And he had planned to slip away while she wasn't looking.
A sharp, raw pain pierced his heart. He had thought he knew pain. He thought he had buried all feeling the day his parents died. But here it was again.
Alive and brutal.
"So this... is what it feels like. The pain of the heart."
He studied her sleeping face. Soft, peaceful, even smiling faintly in some distant dream.
The bundle of supplies she had brought back sat near the hearth — potatoes, beef wrapped neatly, a few small trinkets. He could tell at a glance she had spent time choosing them carefully.
Azel smiled faintly, a mix of affection and sorrow curling through him.
And then he saw it.
The newspaper.
He leaned forward carefully, prying it loose from where she had tucked it near the food.The paper was old, yellowed at the edges, but the bold letters across the front caught his eye instantly.
He froze.
His breath left him in a sharp, inaudible gasp as he read the headline:
"Heretic Azel and supposedly his demon Wife Vanish from Gazi: Mainland in Uproar!"
Below it was a rough but unmistakable sketch of his face — hair tousled, eyes cold, the mark on his neck partially visible.
His stomach dropped.
The article went on to describe the chaos left in their wake — the abandoned auction, the battles, the destruction caused by their flight.
Witnesses had described a messy black-haired boy wielding unnatural powers, and a beautiful woman of mysterious origin.
It mentioned that the Church had mobilized every available force: inquisitors, executioners, crusaders, holy orders.
Even, it said, a dangerous criminal named Pauli had been temporarily released to assist in the manhunt.
"They're searching the whole continent for me."
The Church wouldn't stop until every stone was overturned, every town, every village interrogated.
It was only a matter of time before someone mentioned a black-haired boy living quietly in the far north.
Ivnell would no longer be safe.
Azel set the paper down with trembling hands, feeling his throat tighten.
He looked at Anna again, at her peaceful expression, her small hands gripping his.
He could stay. He could pretend everything would be fine but that would be selfish.
She deserved better than being dragged into ruin alongside him.
Forbanna spoke again, her voice solemn.
"You have to grow stronger. Stronger than all of them. Only then... only then can we crush them, and you can live without fear."
Azel nodded silently.
He would not run away forever. He would not hide like a wounded animal.
He would become the nightmare the Church feared.
And when he returned, there would be no more hiding, no more running. Only fire and blood — and freedom.
Moving carefully, he retrieved a thick woolen coat from the hook by the door and slipped it on.
His movements were mechanical, slow.
Each piece of preparation felt heavier than the last — boots, gloves, the satchel slung over his shoulder.
Finally, he tore a small scrap of parchment from Anna's notebook and scribbled a short letter in clumsy, hurried handwriting:
"Anna,Forgive me.
I must leave for a while.
I promise, I'll come back someday.
I'll make a world where you can smile without fear.
Until then, stay safe.
I love you."
He folded the letter carefully and placed it in her hand, tucking her fingers around it.
For a long moment, he just stood there, memorizing the sight of her.
The way her lashes fanned across her cheeks. The faint rise and fall of her breathing.
His chest hurt so badly he thought he might collapse.
He forced himself to move, opening the door slowly so as not to wake her. The cold night air slapped him across the face as he stepped outside.
The stars above were sharp and endless, the mountains like jagged teeth against the sky.
He glanced once more through the door at Anna, committing her to memory.
Azel pulled the hood up over his head, shadowing his face.
As he made his way across the yard, Whisker and the two yaks trotted over to him, sensing something amiss.
Whisker butted her massive head against his side, whining low in her throat.
Azel knelt down and ruffled her snowy fur.
"Take care of her. You're strong, right? Watch over her until I return."
Whisker licked his hand once, solemn and understanding. He patted the two yaks as well, murmuring his thanks.
He straightened, steeling himself.
Forbanna stirred inside him.
"Will this help? She will chase you anyway."
Azel smiled bitterly.
"I will make sure that will not happen."
Forbanna was silent, sensing the rawness inside him.
Without another word, Azel turned away from the only warmth he had ever known.
He vanished into the snowy darkness, leaving behind their home for now.
"This is a life of cursed. I am doomed to suffer."
The wind howled across the mountains like a mourning song.
And the door he had closed in sorrow remained closed.
END OF VOLUME 2