I Became a Ruined Character in a Dark Fantasy-Chapter 638

The first thing he saw was a crumbled frontline fortress. Judging from the drifting snow, it looked like the North. A grayish-white metropolis followed, its spires broken and smoke rising from the ruins.

Travelga?

Before he could think further, flames erupted within the city. Below them, the shifting shadows carved the outline of another city—this time in the middle of the snowfield.

A blizzard, driven by the flames, covered his vision in a dizzying white swirl.

Rumble...

Then, a flash of lightning split his view. He was now in the middle of the Black Sea, surrounded by turbulent waves. Beyond the waves, a massive shadow rose like a pillar, and behind the shadow, a tsunami surged in like a wall of black.

Swoosh—

The surge of water shifted into a desert being swallowed by darkness. On golden dunes rolling like waves, the shadow descended like a tide.

A total solar eclipse was taking place.

The sun dimmed into a black disk with a gold ring, twisted into a murky swamp-colored eye. Then, the face of a silver-haired fairy appeared—lying motionless on the sodden earth.

What is this?

Before Ian could continue his thoughts, the back of a head crawled into view, blocking his sight. It was a dark mane matted with blood. A beastfolk’s hand, with only two fingers remaining, clutched the fallen fairy's silver hair.

"Thesa..."

As a growling whisper spread, the view shifted to the surroundings.

A dark battlefield stretched out, bodies strewn everywhere. Barbarians and beastfolk warriors were mixed among them. Then, a pillar of pure white light fell from the sky, filling his vision.

"------!"

A wretched scream echoed. Blazing white flames then replaced the light in his view. The flames were burning Lucia as she wailed. The steel prosthetic arm she hugged to her chest glowed red.

Crack—

The moment a fracture spread across its center, the prosthetic arm changed into a half-destroyed wrist guard. A knight stood with his back to Ian, clad in full plate—dented, broken, and missing his right arm. Light flickered across the knight.

"Go..." said the knight, having looked back with his shield raised.

Beyond the half-destroyed visor, Philip's face was revealed, his eyes holding a fading light. A massive shadow loomed over him a heartbeat later.

Ian’s gaze followed the shadow.

Woooo— Oooo—

Under a sky shattered like broken glass, a massive existence was looking down at them. Under the surging darkness, a giant dark blue glint burned. The moment he met that gaze, Ian's consciousness snapped back like an arrow.

Immediately after, someone pulled him into a hug. Red hair, matted with blood, brushed against him. Their green eyes met his.

Mev parted her bloodstained lips to speak. "Ian... you, at least, must—"

Before she could finish, Archeas’s face flashed over Mev's, a face smiling at him. The golden ring-like glint in its eyes darkened into an eclipsed sun, then shifted again into a dark blue flame. It was a gaze that felt as though it could crush a soul.

Ian’s eyes snapped open as he gasped. A hand was gripping his shoulder. Through the blur of light, red hair and a face leaning over him slowly came into focus.

"Are you okay, Ian? Can you hear me?" Mev asked, her eyes wide. The blood-covered face he had just seen overlapped with her worried expression.

"Is something wrong—"

Mev froze. Ian had sat up and pulled her into a hug.

What was that?

The visions from the dream tangled chaotically in Ian’s mind. Most were already fading, but he hadn't forgotten that they were ominous scenes. Or that he saw the deaths of those he cared for.

Did awakening the bloodline’s memory give me something like foresight?

Or perhaps it was nothing more than the aftershock of losing someone dear. Maybe the fear of losing another had merged with the memories of the future and surfaced in his dreams.

Either way, it doesn’t matter.

Even in this situation, his heart, which had been pounding as if to burst, was quickly regaining its rhythm. The same was true of his mind, where thoughts had been swirling.

Even if it really was foresight, I just have to make sure it doesn’t come true.

Ian exhaled slowly, steadying his breath. There were larger currents that couldn’t be turned aside, that was certain, but he also knew from experience that the details could always change.

Finally, the flickering campfire nearby came into view. Moro lay on its belly near the fire, lifting only its head to look at Ian.

Snort...

Disguised as a warhorse, the beast snorted when their eyes met, then rested its chin back on the ground.

"Was it that bad?" Mev's low voice reached his ear.

Only then did the texture of her armor and her hair brushing his cheek become suddenly clear. The suppressed sound of her breathing and the heartbeat transmitted through the armor, too.

"It was a terrible nightmare," Ian replied quietly.

He didn't let go. At some point, Mev was also wrapping her arms around his back. It wasn't his imagination that her arms felt tense.

Suppressing a chuckle that flowed out unknowingly, Ian asked, "How long have I been asleep?"

"About half a day. Maybe."

"Then it's your turn to sleep now."

"It’s fine. I got a little sleep too. Besides, right now we’re...." Mev trailed off mid-sentence.

Ian blinked and asked, "Besides?"

"No, nothing." She shook her head and gently pulled away.

Ilan calmly released her from his arms. Mev swallowed hard and retreated, turning her head to the side. Her red hair, still damp in places, caught the firelight and reflected a warm flush over her cheeks.

However, the silence was brief. A growl rumbled from beneath her armor.

As Mev widened her eyes and inhaled sharply, Ian let out a chuckle. "It seems you had time to wash but no time to eat."

"That is... we moved in a hurry... so I couldn't prepare enough food..." Mev mumbled, turning her head a little more to the side.

How long has she been starving?

Ian frowned slightly, then slipped his right hand into the pocket dimension.

Clank—

The next moment, a treasure chest decorated with gold fell to the ground. Mev looked at the box and blinked, surprised by its flashy appearance.

"It is the Great One’s taste," Ian said as he opened the lid.

He rummaged through the contents and pulled out a wrapped strip of jerky from the corner.

He held it out to her. "It’s not much, but let’s eat something first."

"Yeah, let’s." She answered sheepishly but immediately opened the packet, picking up a fallen twig beside her.

"Looks like we made it out of the swamp safely. And you found a stream too, by the looks of it," Ian said, taking out a cigarette case.

"Yeah. It'll be enough for you to wash too," Mev answered, clumsily skewering the jerky on the twig.

Ian lit the cigarette with the campfire and held it in his mouth. "I’ll fill my stomach first, then go. I’m hungry myself."

It certainly felt like he had been running nonstop for half a day. He had sprinted all the way to the cursed ancient tree, fought it with no time to rest, and even after burning it down, he hadn’t been able to stop. The moment the creature died, the entire jungle came alive, trying to kill him.

Luckily I made it out...

Ian drew the smoke deep into his lungs. Most large battles left him feeling this way, but thinking back on it now, everything felt strangely unreal.

Still, despite the life-or-death struggle, he wasn’t in bad shape. He didn’t feel any of the usual aftermath of magical exhaustion, either. It had to be because he’d drunk the Essence of the Tree of Life and leveled up by killing the ancient tree.

"Why exactly did you go into that jungle?" Mev asked, handing him a water pouch after setting up the twigs with jerky near the fire.

Ian accepted it and uncorked it lightly before replying, "How much did you hear from Lucy and Thesa?"

"They told me what happened beyond the Wall and what happened in the South and the Inner Sea."

It was clear neither of them had said a word about the White Mage. They’d kept the secret even from Mev.

Ian wet his throat, put the cigarette back in his mouth, and said, "The blood of the White Mage flows in my body."

Mev widened her eyes.

Ian added, blowing out smoke, "I went in to awaken the bloodline’s knowledge. That jungle was where the White Mage spent his final years. And of course, the curse was his work as well."

"You are... the White Mage...?"

At Mev's blank question, Ian shrugged. "Not yet. I'm still a half-baked spellcaster."

"By the gods... Right... Honestly, it’s strange I didn’t realize sooner...."

Mev sighed, nodding slowly, and looked at Ian again.

"If you’re the White Mage’s heir, every unanswered question suddenly makes perfect sense."

"Well, I wasn’t fully convinced until recently. As I said, I still haven’t absorbed all of his knowledge. More importantly..."

Ian reached into the treasure chest, looked back at Mev, and added, "Would you like a drink?"

"That... don’t tell me—" Mev widened her eyes upon seeing the bottle he took out of the box.

She recognized the half-filled bottle at a glance. After all, she had once shared this liquor with Archeas too.

"This is the last bottle remaining on the continent," Ian said, shaking the bottle slightly.

Mev swallowed and said, "There’s no way... I could refuse that."

Ian flicked the stopper off with his thumb and held out the bottle. "There are no cups, so let's drink it straight."

Mev took it quickly and brought the bottle to her mouth. Ian quietly watched her side profile as she drank. Years had passed, but she was exactly as he remembered. A couple of scars he hadn't seen before were the only changes.

"Oh, Lu Solar..." She closed her eyes as she swallowed, a reverent murmur escaping her. The look on her face was almost sacred.

She handed the bottle back to him.

"Is the Great One safe?"

Ian froze for the briefest beat before taking a sip as if nothing had happened. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"It’s well." Ian held the bottle out to Mev again and added. "It’s sleeping now."

"I see... That makes sense." Mev nodded, looking back at the campfire while taking the bottle. "Destroying the Black Wall must have been a very difficult task."

Ian simply nodded, cigarette between his lips. It wasn’t a subject he wanted to linger on.

Mev took another drink and handed the bottle to him again. "But when it wakes... I’d like to thank the Great One in person. Because of it, I was able to find you and Lucy safely again."

"You might not be able to see it again. It went into a deep sleep," Ian said quietly, shifting the cigarette between his fingers as he accepted the bottle.

"I see." Mev nodded slowly, eyes returning to the fire. "That’s unfortunate, but... it can’t be helped. I’ll pray that it at least dreams pleasant dreams."

"That’s... kind of you," Ian murmured before taking another long drink from the bottle.

While he slowly drank, Mev suddenly stood up. "There is something I need to do before eating, Ian."

Her hand went to her waist, to the two swords firmly secured there. Unfastening one sword, she said, "I still have a mission I haven't finished."

"I'll have to decline that for now," Ian said, taking the bottle from his lips.

Mev paused a beat late and looked back at him. "Huh?"