I will not die a Villainess's death

The pain was a constant presence in Elysia's life by now. It was something she had gotten used to and now no longer considered as something that could hurt her.

But this was a new type of agony to know that you treasured something but could not protect what you wanted. Elysia wanted to reign in her power so much that she was ready to try anything to achieve that.

But the more she tried to do something about her curse, the more it consumed her sanity. She was barely holding on even now.

"My poor little Elysia. Seeing you in pain was something I never wanted. Now, close your eyes and feel your body relax. You can hand it over to me now."

Whosoever was speaking had a calm and melodious voice. His presence made Elysia feel ten times better than she had felt before. She tried to reach out to that voice, but it slipped past her fingers.

She almost had the name of that person on her tongue but her mouth refused to cooperate with her and utter it.

"Don't push yourself so much. Even now, you are barely holding on. Just let my powers in and I will take care of everything for you."

Elysia felt the rush of magic rush through her body. It did not feel foreign so her body had no reason to resist it.

It was only Elysia's mind that tried to resist it, but even that change was being taken over by her will.

"Good girl. I knew you were smart since the first time I met you. It is nice to see that Lucas finally warmed up to you in this life. It makes my sacrifice all the more worth it."

There were many hints in that one sentence but Elysia was too tired to make sense of them. All she knew was that this voice was comforting and she wanted to bury her head in this man's shoulder.

The magic that was flowing through her was breaking something inside Elysia but the longer it coursed through her body, the more it relaxed her.

In the end, she ended up falling asleep in that stranger's lap, unaware of any danger she could face.

And Noctis watched it happen with gentle eyes. His reunion with Elysia could not have been smoother and his magic was helping Elysia become more stable.

Above his head, the battle between Lucas and Akane was at its climax. Both sides were tired but Lucas had the upper hand for now.

"All my planning, all my suffering. I will not let them go to waste just because my opponent happens to be you, Lucas Dirac. This world will not get to live free after what it stole from us all."

Akane's burdens were something Noctis knew fully well. Just like Noctis, he had been a sacrifice to save his world as well. But unlike Noctis, Akane's sacrifice had not been by choice.

The world had all but twisted his hand to make him a puppet and that was how Akane had lived until he met Noctis.

And that was when the flames of revenge were lit inside Akane's heart.

'I never wanted this to happen. I just wanted this world to no longer toy with those important to me.'

It had been the initial goal - to break the world's balance and to make sure it would not be able to touch the immigrants with its laws.

To do that, a lot of foreign influence was needed and the main destined couple Adam and Eve needed to be separated. But because of this interference, the clock of destiny that had been going forward began to stagger.

Events that were not supposed to happen continued to happen.

"Don't worry. Everything will go back on track once this situation is over. Lend me your magic, Elysia. And I am sorry."

Noctis took hold of the dragon's bind that was holding back Elysia's previous curse and magical power. It was the only thing that was keeping Elysia intact.

But Noctis needed to get rid of it if he was going to save Elysia from this curse. It was the only way to drive everything out of her.

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"NO! DON'T DO IT."

Adam's voice echoed throughout his chamber and everyone looked at their emperor in worry. He had broken out in cold sweat and he looked terrified of something.

His expression was beginning to worry Eve as well since there was only one person in this world who could make Adam look like this.

"Everyone, go out and give me some time alone with the emperor."

The servants and the other ministers went out of the room with worried expressions. The more time they had seen the royal couple be with each other, the more they were convinced that there was no love between the couple.

All they both did was fight with each other and the ministers who suggested they get married.

Times were tense and too odd in the empire. It made people wonder why they believed these two people to be in love.

Even those who tried to defend their love were beginning to waver now. And the temple was also too quiet on this matter which complicated things.

"Are you all hard of hearing? I said to go out right now."

The ministers were about to protest against the Saintess's choice but they had no choice but to follow her words. She and the emperor may not be in love but they were still engaged.

But in their hearts, they all missed the kind-hearted Saintess from the past. The one who was polite and smiled at them. One day, that person just stood up and vanished.

And it had been the day Lady Elysia Dirac had left the royal couple. It was all too suspicious.

Eve did not care what other people thought of her but she was tired of pretending that she was alright. She wanted some peace which was only possible if these people left her alone.

"Adam, they are gone. You can tell me what is wrong now."

Eve asked as soon as she was alone with Adam again. The emperor had a pale complexion and he looked ready to burst into tears.

It made Eve assure the worst possible outcome and she was not ready to hear it. She prayed to any available god that Elysia was alright.

"My connection to Elysia broke. It has never happened before, even when she died. For dragons, there is only one person out there, even in death. And that was Elysia for me. I…don't know what to do next. W-Why did this happen?"

Adam sounded like he had given up on life. And then words hit Eve hard as well.

As a candidate for the crown princess, the Head priest had taught her too much about the royal family and their nature.

A dragon's bond was eternal and ever-lasting. Their magic was something that was integral to this world and everything it stood for. There was no way to overcome it, even in death.

So Elysia should forever have Adam's magic imbued in her soul. She still had it when she had been transported to another world.

And now she suddenly no longer had it? It all smelled fishy to her and Eve was ready to call bull shit. But Adam was taking all this too hard for it to be a joke.

"Adam, calm down. All we need to do is to take a look at the Akatsuki kingdom and we will know for certain that Elysia is alright. See, everything is…"

Eve's magic only showed darkness and sadness when she opened the portal to see what was happening in the Akatsuki kingdom.

The whole place was dark and nothing seemed to have survived that plague.

"W-What is this? What happened there?"

Eve questioned with a scared voice. It seemed as if the dark aura was making her sick and eating away at her powers. She needed help but Adam was preoccupied with something else.

His golden eyes were looking at the scene in front of him with dread and anticipation at the same time. His soul recognized what was happening.

"The first signs of the calamity. The end of this world will begin soon."

Adam's voice did not sound like his own. It was old and ancient, someone speaking from the depths of his soul and Eve turned her head.

She did not know how she knew it, but she was certain that the being she was looking at was not Adam. those amber eyes looked too old and wise to be the teen emperor who had grown up with her.

"C-Calamity? What do you mean by that? Just what in the world is happening?"

Eve asked with a scared voice. She was scared for herself but she was terrified for Elysia and what it would mean for her love. Would Elysia even be alive after all this?

And would she be happy once this calamity was over?"