Thank you for reading on ! We provide free access to all our stories, but maintaining this platform requires ongoing costs. To keep the site running and continue offering free content, we display advertisements. You can close the ads anytime, or upgrade to premium membership ($5/month) for an ad-free reading experience while supporting our mission. You can also earn premium for free by completing simple tasks. We truly appreciate your understanding and support!Separation Sophia knew that her time to leave had come. She looked at Alessandro, her face moist with tears, and then at her granddaughter, who was equally distressed. "I was delighted that you were so pleased with me under the best circumstances, where there is not so much pain on average," she said softly. Lissana only wanted her mother at that moment, so she didn't respond to Sophia's words. Sophia gazed at her one last time and said, "I hope you find comfort elsewhere.Goodbye, little one." After uttering those words, her eyes closed and remained shut for a moment before fluttering open again. Sophia's spirit was unstable; she fell away from Abril. Lissana approached cautiously. "Mother?" When Abril saw her daughter, she hugged her tightly and asked, "Are you well?" "I'm fine, Mother," Lissana replied, tears streaming down her cheeks. Abril embraced her as only a mother could and gently inquired, "What's wrong, my little one?" "It's Daddy." Abril recalled the last scene her eyes had witnessed: her husband in mortal danger, as he lay lifeless.She wanted to ask what had happened, but fear gripped her heart. Instead, she asked how the war against the dark king had unfolded. Lissana could hear the tremor in her mother's voice, afraid to hear the answers. "The dark king is dead; he was killed." "Is that your father...?" Abril couldn't finish her question. At that moment, she noticed the marriage mark on her brother had vanished. Tears flowed freely from her eyes. Lissana hugged her mother with all her strength, for she understood the weight of their loss.Abril knew that Lissana understood the reason she didn't want to continue the flight; seeing her lifeless body would force her to confront the harsh reality. Abril lay beside Alessandro, wishing everything was a nightmare from which she could awaken at any moment. But that moment never came. Cassian had heard the news that Alessandro had died in battle. Upon arriving at the camp, he went to confirm the truth with his own eyes. When he saw Alessandro lying in bed, and Abril and Lissana weeping inconsolably, he realized it was true; once again, he had lost the bond of his brothers.Cassian remained at a distance, unable to approach them, knowing that nothing he said would ease their pain. Cassiel entered the room and saw Lissana and Abril crying. "You don't have to cry! He will return." Abril lifted her gaze and fixed it on Cassiel. "What?!" "You are a guardian. Guardians do not die. So, except for the whole thing, he can come back." "Then bring him back!" "I can't do that here, not right now. He has been dead for more than a day.We must take him to the forest of Harth." Abril looked at Alessandro, and Cassiel continued, "It must be done now." "How long will he be in this place?" Abril asked, not taking her eyes off her husband. "That's not exact. His body was healed by Lissana after dying just a few months ago..." "What?" "Or a few years. It's not very precise, but we must lift him soon. He will return." "I will go with you." "You can't do that. You have a kingdom to run. At this moment, you cannot leave your kingdom without a ruler.Even if you are with him, you can do nothing but go to this place to preserve his body until it can be completely restored." "Is there nothing we can do to help him?" "Lissana healed him because she just died, but that was only superficial. This power is for the living; you cannot give life to a dead man. However, there is a tree in the forest of Harth that is connected to the sky. It can restore his body completely, allowing his soul to return. Think of my body at this moment as a broken vessel.No matter how much magic is infused into it, it cannot retain anything; the vessel needs to be restored by the potter who created it." "Are you asking me to just wait?" "Yes, that's the only thing you can do right now." Cassiel called out to Kiara, who had little chance of returning, to help him take Alessandro to the forest of Harth. Cassiel glanced at Lissana, who looked truly upset with him. "Lissana, you can come if you want.I believe you would do well to know this place." Lissana had seen her mother in despair; it was hard for her to continue as if nothing had happened when she had just lost her life companion. "I won't go. I will stay with my mother. In my kingdom, I am the hereditary princess; I have obligations to my realm." "If that is your decision, I respect it." Cassiel paused beside Alessandro's body and spoke to him. "I will stay for some time in the forest of Harth; you need me." "I just need you to return my husband to me and tell me when you'll be back.I don't need anything but you." "If you are upset about Alessandro's death, know it wasn't my fault. He understood that this was the only way to end the dark king. Thanks to his sacrifice, we have won this war. Never forget that." "I never want to forget it." Abril looked at her left hand, where the mark of their marriage had once been. Her eyes filled with sadness; the perfect bond that united them had completely vanished. Abril took Alessandro's hand for the last time. Lissana hugged him, saying goodbye to her father, wishing in her heart that she could see him alive once more.noveldrama