Sovereign of the Ashes

“Why do you look so different now?” Sein could not help but ask as he embraced Leena tightly and inhaled her familiar scent, reassuring himself that she was indeed real.

Leena now stood over 1.7 meters tall. Although still slightly shorter than Sein, she was undeniably a tall woman.

The Leena that Sein remembered had been a petite girl, barely 1.5 meters tall. Her fiery red, curly hair was now dark, long, and straight.

Sein remembered that Leena’s unchanging appearance had been the result of a magic experiment gone awry more than ten years ago.

Her stunted growth never diminished his affection; rather, it had kindled a protective desire within him.

Regardless of her appearance, Sein found Leena breathtakingly beautiful in both forms.

In Port Allen, he sensed a profound familiarity about her but hesitated to approach because she had changed so dramatically.

Leena also clung tightly to Sein, burying her head in his chest.

Though slightly older than Sein, she was used to curling up in his embrace. Even if Sein was not as powerful as her back then, she felt safe in his arms and loved to take in his scent.

Both of them had undergone significant changes over the past forty years, yet much remained the same.

“I resolved the permanent adverse effects from that experimental accident when I became a Rank One mage. As for my hair, it changed because I chose the Umbra Elemental Body Immersion technique to facilitate my promotion. This method significantly enhanced my affinity for umbra elemental power but also darkened my hair due to the influence of umbra energy,” Leena explained.

“Of course, I can always change it back if you prefer how I looked before,” she added, leaning on Sein’s shoulder.

Leena tried to bury her head in Sein’s chest as she always did but quickly realized that their new height difference made that position extremely awkward.

Instead, she found that leaning on Sein’s shoulder now provided the most comfort.

Sein patted Leena’s back and ran his fingers through her hair, now infused with umbra elemental energy.

“I love both versions of you equally,” he replied warmly.

In Sein’s memories, Leena had always appeared as a teenage girl. Now, having overcome her previous condition, she naturally returned to the appearance appropriate for her age.

Leena was only about fifteen years older than Sein and considered young among Rank One mages.

Thus, it was natural for her to maintain the appearance of a young and beautiful woman.

Both Sein and Leena were overjoyed at their reunion after so many years.

They shared very similar personalities—both were somewhat reserved and fiercely loyal to those they cared about.

This shared trait was why they had never given up on finding each other, even after so many years.

Just as Sein held Leena dear in his heart, she also held a special place in his.

Over the years, Leena had done more than just make those two trips to visit Martin, Zorro, and the others on Mordoron Island in her quest to find Sein.

Having just finished a battle, this was hardly the ideal setting for a heartfelt reunion between two lovers separated for so long.

Sein retrieved the Mechanical Hornet from his spatial storage equipment.

The few-meter-tall metallic one-seater aircraft sparked a gleam of fascination in Leena’s eyes as she lay in Sein’s arms.

She probably had never seen the mechanical marvels from Steel City before. As one of Blackhaven’s black mages, her movements were greatly restricted within the permissible boundaries set by the black tower’s rules.

Otherwise, she would have traveled to the Magus Continent in search of Sein, much like he had done.

“Let’s find a better place to talk, I want to hear about everything you’ve been through,” Sein suggested as he settled into the Mechanical Hornet’s pilot seat and extended his hand to Leena.

“Me too,” Leena replied, smiling warmly.

Known as the “Dark Flame Dominator” and revered as a cold goddess by other black mages within Blackhaven’s Black Tower of Cinderbones, Leena’s expression was uncharacteristically shy at this moment.

Instead of sitting in the small, vacant seat behind Sein, Leena chose to sit in his lap so she could remain in his arms.

Although the Mechanical Hornet Sein had acquired was a one-seater aircraft, it could actually accommodate two, or even three passengers.

The warmth of the woman in his lap significantly lifted Sein’s spirits. With a smile, he steered the Mechanical Hornet westward.

***

Sein and Leena had chosen a spacious, dry cave as their temporary resting place.

Previously, this cave had been home to a peculiar bear-like ranked magic beast, distinguished by a mark on its brow.

Now, that beast was roasting on a campfire, providing Sein and Leena with their first dinner since their reunion.

The Knight Continent hosted a denser population and stronger creatures compared to the Magus World.

To extraplanar beings, the Magus World was already a realm of ultimate horror and terror.

Given the higher concentration of elemental energies in the Knight Continent, one could only imagine its potential future.

Sein and Leena were still on the outskirts of this trial area. As they moved toward the center, they were bound to encounter creatures of even greater strength and in larger numbers.

Despite being designated as a trial zone for knights and mages of Rank One and Rank Two, the presence of Rank Three or above creatures could not be entirely ruled out.

The golden bear paw roasting over the fire sizzled, and oil dripped into the flames below, briefly fueling them.

Snuggled together, Sein and Leena shared their experiences over the years.

Sein began recounting his adventures in the Yellow Sand World. Although he had kept certain secrets from Lorianne[1] and Faye, he shared everything openly with Leena.

Leena was overwhelmed by a mixture of horror and relief upon hearing how Sein had managed to survive his encounter with the formidable Sandworm King in the Yellow Sand World.

She also rejoiced when Sein revealed that he had been accepted as an apprentice by the Tower Master of Verdant Spring and had even participated in an interplanar war.

Leena had been through quite a lot over the past few years too.

Her escape from Gloomhaven to Blackhaven of the Western Archipelago with her mentor, Fareena, was fraught with danger.

She later joined the Black Tower of Cinderbones and survived the Death Trial, a harrowing event held once every century for initiates.

The Death Trials organized by the black towers in Blackhaven were notoriously more brutal than the Regional Inter-Divine Tower Academy Wars.

Upon hearing about her ordeals in a dark magic beast forest and her escape from the Catacomb Chasm of the Black Tower of Cinderbones, Sein tightened his grip on Leena’s hand.

His reaction was instinctive, as if he too had faced those very perils alongside her.

1. Author’s Note: Although Sein never discussed his past with Lorianne, his mentor was well aware of his origins—and Sein knew about this too. ☜