The Author's Viewpoint
Chapter 163 - Ashes of Deadbay

Chapter 163: Chapter 163 - Ashes of Deadbay

It took the team several long hours to reach the city.

The sandstorm was merciless, and the path they traveled was lined with haunting reminders of the devastation. Though many of the human bodies had already been buried or swept under layers of desert sand, the remains of monsters were impossible to miss.

At one point, they passed a grotesque hill of carcasses stacked together deliberately, like someone had gathered them on purpose. Tave could only wonder, who had the strength, or the will, to do something like that?

Along the way, Elincia quietly confirmed what Tave had been aching to know: his sister, Lily, was safe.

That single truth was enough to keep him grounded, to stop him from taking flight and racing to the city ahead of the others.

Despite being naturally reserved and reluctant to speak, Elincia found herself answering more questions than usual, largely because Tave kept funneling them through Vanya. And of course, Elincia couldn’t refuse the question from the Crowned Princess of the Vensalor Kingdom.

"That human knight division... most of them were killed, I think," Elincia explained evenly. "I saw many of their bodies on the battlefield. But the worst casualties came from the low-tier awakeners who chose to fight anyway."

"We’ve seen firsthand just how strong those monsters were," Vanya replied. "Anyone below Gaia Grand Master level... simply wouldn’t survive. Not even in small numbers, let alone when those monsters came flooding out together."

"I tried to stop them, Your Highness," Elincia said, then paused, clearly holding something back. For a moment, it seemed she’d swallow the next words. But then, in true Elincia fashion, she said it anyway.

"But they were stupid. The casualties wouldn’t have been this high if they had just let me finish off the remaining monsters." She scoffed lightly, without emotion. "They said things like, ’Who will protect my wife and children if I just hide too?’ So stupid."

After hours of pushing through wind and exhaustion, the towering outer walls of Deadbay City finally came into view.

Or what was left of them.

The front wall was heavily damaged, collapsed in several places. It was obvious that monsters had broken through and entered the city. Smoke still hung in the air. The signs of battle were everywhere.

From a distance, Tave could see groups of survivors evacuating wounded and gathering supplies. The people of Deadbay were scrambling to salvage whatever remained.

If Elincia hadn’t been there... the city would’ve fallen. That much was clear.

And it all traced back to one cause. Skarathor.

The emergence of that monster had turned the entire rift into a catastrophe. If they’d waited for backup from the capital—from the king and the princess with the skeletal dragon—it would’ve been too late.

Deadbay would’ve been ashes.

Once they passed through the gates into the city, Vanya turned to Tave.

"I’ll head to the inn first," she said quietly. "There are things I need to discuss with Elincia."

Neither of them mentioned the pact. Not yet.

And Tave, more than anyone, didn’t want to be there when Elincia found out. He wasn’t ready to face that moment.

"I’ll come find you," he replied softly, "once I’ve confirmed a few things on my end."

By then, Vanya had already slipped her robe back on, her appearance shifted, hair once again short and blonde, her true identity veiled once more.

She gave a small smile, calm and steady. "Take your time. I’ll be waiting."

Then she turned and walked away with Elincia, Vellion and Elowen disappearing down the street.

That left only Tave and Lina standing in the dust of the ruined city.

He looked at her, her face still pale, her expression distant and quiet ever since they’d escaped the rift. She hadn’t said much. She hadn’t needed to.

"Let’s go," he said.

Lina nodded silently and followed, her steps slow, just a little behind his.

Tave didn’t press her. He knew what she was thinking.

She was worried about her sister, the one she had mentioned during the mission. The one she’d asked him to find... and to deliver something to, in case she didn’t survive.

Tave tried his best to stay composed as he walked through the shattered streets of the city.

But it was hard. Painfully hard.

The destruction was everywhere—heartbreaking in its scale. A third of Deadbay City looked like it had been torn apart. People limped through the streets, wounded and dazed, while others rushed in every direction, calling for help, searching for loved ones, trying to carry what little they had left.

Though fewer monster remains were visible here compared to the outer perimeter, the scars of battle were undeniable.

Shattered storefronts lined the roads. Broken carriages lay overturned. Pieces of armor, bloodied swords, and splintered weapons littered the cobblestones like discarded hope.

Tave walked with his head slightly bowed, and Lina trailed silently behind him. Her presence quiet, but heavy.

Living through this... it was nothing like writing about it.

He had written worse. At least, that’s what he used to think.

In the original story, even the capital city of the Dissidia Kingdom had faced annihilation. A meteor, huge and world-ending, fell from the sky. It would’ve wiped out the entire city... if Elincia hadn’t been there to intercept it. She destroyed it midair, stopping the full devastation.

But even then, the fragments of the meteor rained down like divine punishment, causing even more destruction than if the city had simply been erased in one strike.

That was the beginning of the end for Dissidia.

The demons claimed the kingdom, turned it into a cursed domain.

And the humans who once lived there?

Converted. Twisted into mindless creatures, pale shadows of what they once were. Now weapons. Now monsters. Sent to the front lines in every major clash, forced to fight the very people they once loved.

Facing a fallen friend... family... who no longer remembers your name, your face, only obeying orders to kill...

That, Tave knew, was far worse than death.

And then, he stopped.

Lina, sensing it too, slowed her steps and came to stand beside him.

Down the street, a figure was approaching.

A girl with short blonde hair. Lily.

The moment she saw them, her pace quickened. Then she broke into a run.

Tave let a faint smile tug at the corner of his lips. He stood still as she reached him, stopping just short in front of him. He furrowed his brow slightly, noticing how her face remained perfectly neutral. Flat, as always.

He had expected... maybe a tearful hug. Something a little more dramatic.

"Hi, Lil," he said softly.

She stared at him, her brow furrowed, eyes narrowing in that deadpan way only she could manage.

"Hi? Seriously? Why are you still alive? I thought you were dead," she said flatly.

Despite what Elincia had told him earlier, seeing Lily alive, standing right in front of him, was something else entirely.

"You’re okay, right?" he asked gently.

"I thought you were dead..." she whispered.

Tave smiled. "Yeah... I thought so too."

She stepped back and looked up at him again, more composed now.

"How?" she asked.

"I’ll explain everything later," Tave replied. Then he turned to Lina. "Right now, I need your help to find someone."

Lily followed his gaze, noticing the girl beside him. Her expression shifted slightly.

"Lina..." she said quietly.