Journey to Become the Zenith

The Price of Victory (Part 3)

The mana lamp trembled in Clara’s unsteady hand, its dim golden light flickering with every shaky breath she took.

The fragile glow crept slowly across the basement, peeling back the darkness inch by inch. Every shadow it chased away revealed another piece of the nightmare hidden below.

Then...

She saw someone.

A familiar figure stood silently against the far wall.

Long hair spilled over slender shoulders.

Clothes that had once been clean were now drenched in dark, dried crimson.

For one fleeting heartbeat, hope exploded inside Clara’s chest.

”Mom...”

Her voice cracked as she stumbled forward, barely aware of her own footsteps.

”Mom...”

No answer.

Only an unbearable silence that swallowed her words whole.

With every step, the metallic scent of blood grew heavier, filling her lungs until it became difficult to breathe.

Her eyes burned.

Tears blurred her vision, but she refused to stop.

She had to be wrong.

She had to be.

At last...

She stood only a few steps away.

The world seemed to stop.

Her breathing ceased.

Her thoughts emptied.

Her mother was still standing.

Even in death...

She had refused to fall.

Her back was riddled with countless stab wounds. Dark, dried blood covered nearly every inch of her clothing, soaking through the fabric until its original color was almost impossible to recognize. One trembling hand remained pressed against the cold stone wall, as though she had spent the last of her strength holding herself upright, refusing to collapse until the very end.

Clara’s fingers flew to her mouth.

A shattered sob escaped despite her desperate attempt to hold it back.

”No...”

The word barely left her lips.

It sounded more like a plea than a denial.

Her knees buckled beneath her.

She collapsed onto the cold stone floor.

For a long, agonizing moment, she couldn’t move.

She couldn’t breathe.

Couldn’t think.

She could only stare at the woman who had protected her until her final breath.

Then...

Something caught her attention.

Her mother’s body wasn’t facing the wall by chance.

She had been shielding something.

Clara slowly leaned to one side, her movements stiff and trembling.

The lamp’s golden light slipped past her mother’s motionless figure, illuminating the narrow space hidden behind her.

There...

Curled tightly together in the corner...

Were her two little sisters.

”Kary...”

”Nira...”

Clara’s heart nearly stopped.

She rushed toward them, almost slipping in the dried blood.

The two girls lay peacefully against one another.

Kary tightly held the sword Clara had gifted her.

Even unconscious, her fingers still refused to let it go.

She had protected her little sister until the very end.

Nira remained safely within her embrace.

Clara’s tears finally overflowed.

She gently touched Kary’s face.

It was warm.

Then her eyes widened.

Kary’s left arm...

Was gone.

The sleeve ended at her shoulder.

For one terrifying heartbeat, Clara thought she had bled to death.

But as she looked closer, confusion filled her face.

There was almost no blood around the wound.

Instead...

The severed arm had been cleanly healed.

The flesh had already closed.

Only the missing limb remained.

”...A healing spell...”

Clara whispered.

She immediately understood.

Inside this house...

Aside from herself...

Only one other person could cast healing magic.

Slowly...

She turned toward her mother’s lifeless body.

Tears streamed endlessly down her face.

”So...”

”You were still alive...”

”You healed Kary...”

”You protected them until your very last breath...”

A trembling smile appeared through her tears.

”So you kept your promise...”

”You protected them...”

Her shoulders shook uncontrollably.

She bowed her head before her mother.

”Thank you...”

”I’m sorry...”

”I’m so sorry I wasn’t here...”

The basement became completely silent once again.

Only Clara’s quiet sobs echoed through the darkness.

After several minutes, she forced herself to stand.

No matter how much her heart hurt...

She couldn’t leave them here.

With utmost care, she gently lifted Nira into one arm.

Then she carefully supported Kary with the other.

Finally...

She approached her mother.

Despite the countless wounds covering her back, her mother’s expression remained peaceful.

Almost...

Happy.

Clara gently closed her mother’s eyes before carrying her upstairs as well.

The journey back up the stairs felt longer than ever before.

Every step carried a weight far heavier than the bodies in her arms.

It carried regret.

Grief.

And guilt.

...

After laying them down inside the house, Clara silently fetched clean water and fresh cloth.

With trembling hands, she carefully cleaned the blood from her mother’s face.

Then from her arms.

Then from every wound she could bear to look at.

As the dried blood slowly disappeared...

Her mother’s peaceful smile became even clearer.

Clara froze.

Even after sacrificing herself...

She had smiled.

She had died believing her daughters were safe.

Fresh tears rolled down Clara’s cheeks.

”You really did protect them...”

She whispered softly.

Her voice almost broke.

”I’ll take care of them now.”

”I promise.”

She gently adjusted her mother’s hair before covering her respectfully with a clean blanket.

Only then did Clara return to her sisters.

She immediately knelt beside them.

”Kary...”

”Nira...”

She softly stroked their hair.

Neither girl responded.

Their breathing remained calm.

Their chests rose and fell steadily.

Clara quickly checked their pulses.

Strong.

Regular.

She carefully examined every visible injury.

Aside from Kary’s missing arm...

There wasn’t a single fatal wound left.

Their bodies felt normal.

Their breathing was normal.

Even their heartbeats sounded healthy.

Nothing seemed wrong.

Yet...

Neither of them would wake up.

Confusion slowly gave way to panic.

”Kary...”

”Nira...”

She gently shook their shoulders.

No response.

Her movements became more desperate.

”Come on...”

”This isn’t funny...”

”You always tease your big sister...”

”But not like this...”

Still nothing.

Tears blurred her vision once again.

”Hey, Kary...”

”Nira...”

”This isn’t funny.”

”Your big sister doesn’t like this joke.”

”You two better wake up before I get angry.”

”Kary...”

”Nira...”

”Wake up...”

”Please...”

”Please wake up...”

Her voice finally broke.

She held both girls tightly against her chest as tears and sobs poured out without restraint.

No matter how desperately she begged...

No matter how tightly she embraced them...

The two sisters remained peacefully asleep.

The only sound left inside the broken home...

Was Clara’s heart-wrenching cry.