After returning to the quiet safety of the fox village, Alex finally reunited with the girls.
The moment he sat down, all eyes were on him, eager and expectant.
They hadn’t seen him since he’d vanished on his mysterious solo venture, and though they knew he would return, because he always did, there had still been that lingering worry in the air.
Without wasting time, Alex took a breath and began explaining everything.
Of course, he kept things somewhat condensed.
He couldn’t tell them every detail, not just because there wasn’t time, but because some truths were best left unspoken.
The emotions, the death, the sheer scale of what he’d gone through, not all of it could be conveyed in words.
Still, he told them enough for them to understand what had happened.
He explained the state of [Dragon City], the encounter with the [Hatred Demon], the devastation that followed, and how he had ultimately come face to face with the angels in [Angel City].
Yet, through it all, no one interrupted him.
Once the explanation ended, the silence that followed was deafening.
Alice was the first to react, her jaw practically unhinged as she leaned forward.
“Oh my god, you did all of that?!”
Her eyes were wide with disbelief.
Alex simply nodded, his expression calm despite everything.
“I hope you understand now why I didn’t bring you with me.”
There had probably been some frustration among them, confusion even.
Wondering why Alex had gone off alone without saying a word.
But now that the truth was laid bare, none of them had anything left to say in protest.
Because if he had nearly died multiple times, if he, of all people, had been pushed to the edge, then what hope would they have had?
Even without hearing the full scope of his battle against the [Hatred Demon], they could still feel the weight of it, buried behind his voice.
It was clear, that fight had been hell.
And it was a hell only he could have walked through and returned from.
“So wait…”
Alera finally broke the silence, her brows furrowed as she tilted her head.
“Dragon City is gone? And now the angels are going to help you fight the other races?”
“Yeah,” Alex said, nodding without hesitation, “And I still have things to do.”
Aurelia looked at him as if he’d just grown a second head.
“What else could you possibly need to do after all of that?”
At that, Alex’s expression shifted, darkened slightly.
His lips pressed into a thin line, and for a moment, his gaze drifted downward.
He hadn’t told them about the [Chosen Games].
He hadn’t told anyone yet. And right now, he still didn’t want to.
Maybe he should. Maybe it was smarter to prepare them, to let them know what was coming.
But something, deep within his instincts, told him not to.
Not yet.
So he simply shook his head and brushed the question aside.
“Anyway,” he continued, his voice regaining some of its steadiness, “there’s another reason I came here.”
“Oh? A reason besides visiting your wife?”
Alera smirked, raising an eyebrow at him.
That one word, wife, ignited the room.
“Wife?!”
Alice, Aurelia, and Lilith exclaimed in unison, turning toward Alera with identical looks of shock.
Alera only laughed, arms folded proudly.
“Well, he is the king of the foxes, and I’m the queen, so that means I’m his wife, doesn’t it?”
Lilith’s eyes widened.
“B-But I’m the princess, so that means he’s my fiancé!”
“Sure,” Alera chuckled again, clearly enjoying the sudden chaos.
She turned to Alice and Aurelia next, flashing them a teasing grin.
“What about you two?”
The two looked at each other, caught off guard, blushing furiously.
Alice stammered, unsure what to say, while Aurelia gave a helpless shrug.
“I mean… girlfriends?”
Aurelia said with a crooked smile.
“But that sounds kinda less than wife or fiancé…”
“We’re all his wives,” Alice said suddenly, a firm tone in her voice.
Her cheeks were flushed, but her expression was full of conviction.
“There’s no point in getting jealous or fighting over it. We can all be together.”
Her words, though unexpected, had a strange magic to them.
The tension in the air vanished instantly, replaced by warmth, by something softer.
The awkwardness faded, and the girls shared a knowing look among themselves, one of quiet understanding.
It was strange.
Up until now, Alex had never really taken the time to talk about this kind of thing.
He’d never asked what they considered him to be, nor had he dared to assume anything.
But now, in this moment, it was clear as day.
That realization settled deep in his chest, heavier than expected but far from unwelcome.
In the span of a few breaths, he’d become the husband of four girls.
And with that, he had even more reason to push forward, to keep going, to win the [Chosen Games], no matter what came next.
Still, he stood up.
“That’s true,” he said, referring to what Alera had mentioned earlier, “But I also came here for someone else.”
The girls didn’t need to ask who.
They already knew: Arcelia.
The silver-haired girl they had rescued from the [Mystical Temple], the one trapped in an [Ice Coffin].
A girl cursed so deeply her soul had been sealed away.
“By the way,” Alex asked as he walked toward the hallway, “where’s Eleonora?”
Eleonora, Arcelia’s loyal dragon companion, had stayed in the village while Alex had been away.
She had adapted surprisingly well to the foxes, even though her origins were far more wild and ancient.
“She’s resting inside Arcelia’s pet space,” Alera explained, following close behind, “She got dizzy earlier and said she sensed something before collapsing.”
Alex stopped in his tracks for a brief moment.
Sensed something? That made too much sense.
Eleonora was a dragon, after all.
She might’ve felt the destruction of [Dragon City] the moment it happened, even from this far away.
He didn’t dwell on it. Not now.
Fwish!
The door to Arcelia’s room slid open, revealing the still figure lying inside.
She looked just as pristine as the day they found her, untouched by time or decay.
Her silver hair flowed like threads of silk across the soft cushion she lay on.
Her body was motionless, her eyes closed, but even so, there was something powerful about her presence.
It seemed the curse had preserved her perfectly.
She hadn’t aged a single day.
Alex stepped inside first, the girls following silently behind.
The atmosphere grew heavier with each step.
He stopped before her.
“Crown of Calamity,” Alex called out calmly, his eyes fixed on Arcelia, “You know what to do.”
[Very well.]
The moment the Crown responded, the air shifted, and energy gathered
Until now, Alex hadn’t been able to save her.
The curse wasn’t something physical, it was rooted in her very soul, placed there by one of the [Grand Mages].
But now, with the [Annihilation Crucifix] in his possession, he had what he needed.
He didn’t know if this was a good idea.
He didn’t know what kind of person Arcelia would be once free.
But he’d already decided.
If she proved to be a threat, he would handle it.
Fwish… Ding!
Golden particles swirled through the air, slowly forming into the shape of the [Annihilation Crucifix].
It appeared, glowing faintly, hovering between Alex and Arcelia.
Alex reached forward, grabbing it without hesitation.
[Just strike her with it. It will purge the curse completely.]
And so he did.
Raising the crucifix high, its golden light intensifying, he brought it down, striking Arcelia gently across the forehead.
There was no sound.
Just light. Blinding, radiant, and all-consuming.
Ding!
[The Annihilation Crucifix has sensed a “Soul Curse.”]
Fwoosh!
Alex stepped back as the crucifix left his hands, floating on its own.
A black aura seeped out from Arcelia’s body, like smoke pulled from fire.
It was thick, violent, but it never spread.
The crucifix absorbed it slowly, its golden light pushing deeper and deeper until the darkness vanished completely.
The room stayed silent for a long minute.
No one dared breathe.
Then—
Ding!
[The “Soul Curse” has been removed.]
The crucifix dimmed.
And then, Arcelia’s eyes opened.