Chapter 118: Chapter 118 - The Hope of the Light Girl
anwhile, in Sylvia’s original world a world that now felt so distant the atmosphere in a small room in the human settlent was filled with a different kind of tension. Sofia, her frail body lying on a simple bed, looked like a fragile porcelain doll. Her skin was pale, her usually radiant hair now dull, and her breaths so faint they were barely audible. For months, she had been trapped in a coma, disconnected from the world that continued to move around her.
Rina, her loyal friend, sat beside the bed, her hands busy replacing the damp cloth on Sofia’s forehead. Her tired but hopeful eyes never left her friend’s face. Suddenly, Sofia’s fingers twitched only slightly, almost imperceptible, but enough to make Rina hold her breath. Her heart raced. She leaned forward, gently grasping Sofia’s hand.
"Sofia? Sofia, can you hear ?" Rina called, her voice trembling with a mix of hope and anxiety. "Co on, open your eyes... I know you can do it!"
Sofia’s fingers moved again, more distinctly this ti, as if responding to Rina’s call. Yet her eyes remained closed, and her body was still trapped in the silence of her coma. Even so, that small sign was enough to spark a glimr of hope in Rina’s heart. She stood up, ran to the door, and shouted toward the settlent.
"Everyone! Sofia moved! Her fingers... she’s responding!"
The news spread quickly, like a breeze carrying good tidings amidst a storm. The residents of the settlent a group of surviving humans now building a new life in the territory once ruled by Sylvia gathered around the small house. So smiled, others whispered with hope, and so shed tears. Sofia was more than just a mber of their group she was a symbol of hope, soone who had fought alongside Sylvia and now served as a reminder that they still had a reason to keep moving forward.
Amid the crowd, an old man with a wooden cane nodded slowly. "This is a good sign," he said.
But behind the small cheers, uncertainty lood. Their world had changed drastically since Sylvia’s disappearance, and now, with Sofia still lying in her coma, they could only hope answers would co soon.
Not far from the human settlent, in the territory now controlled by Sylvia’s undead forces, Zark stood atop a small hill, his glowing red eyes gazing toward the castle under construction. The magnificent structure, with its towering spires and sturdy black stone walls, was a gift for his queen Sylvia, whose whereabouts were unknown. Zark, an undead commander with intelligence far surpassing that of ordinary zombies, had led the construction with unwavering dedication. Every stone, every pillar, was designed to reflect Sylvia’s grandeur.
But at that mont, Zark was restless. From a distance, he heard the faint cheers of the humans from the settlent below the hill. His sharp ears caught the na "Sofia," and his instincts kicked in. Sofia was soone important to the queen, soone she had ntioned before vanishing to another world. If Sofia was showing signs of awakening, this could be significant news.
Zark closed his eyes, focusing inward. He attempted to use telepathy. "My Queen," he called in his mind, his voice echoing in the void. "There is news from this world. Sofia... she is showing signs of consciousness. Can you hear ?"
Silence. No response. Zark frowned if it could be called a frown, given his half-decayed face that still retained an aura of authority. He tried again, but the connection felt severed, as if an invisible wall separated them. "Perhaps the Queen is busy," he muttered to himself, his voice raspy yet filled with reverence. "Or... perhaps she is facing sothing greater."
Zark opened his eyes, gazing again at the castle, now 65% complete. The main tower stood tall, the outer walls were beginning to form a majestic silhouette, and the streets of the small city below buzzed with the activity of tireless undead workers. But as he inspected the structure, sothing troubled him. Sothing was missing. He walked slowly along the hill’s edge, his eyes scanning every detail of the castle.
Then, like a bolt of lightning, he realized what was absent. "The walls," he hissed. "This castle has no protective walls."
Indeed, a massive wall surrounded the city below the castle, designed to protect the settlent from external threats. But the castle itself, the symbol of Sylvia’s power, stood without additional defenses. To Zark, this was an insult. How could he welco his queen with an imperfect castle?
Zark raised his hand, summoning a group of earth-elent zombies standing guard nearby. These creatures, their bodies seemingly made of clay and stone, moved with heavy steps toward their commander. Their eyes were empty, but they obeyed Zark’s every command.
"Build walls around the castle," Zark ordered, his voice firm. "Use the finest stone, reinforce it with earth magic. I want this castle untouchable by enemies, even if the entire world turns against us."
The earth-elent zombies nodded slowly and moved toward the construction site. The ground around the castle began to tremble as they summoned their elental magic, forming massive stones from the earth’s core. Zark watched closely, ensuring every detail aligned with his vision. In his heart if he still had one he vowed that this castle would be a monunt worthy of Sylvia, his queen.
Yet, beneath it all, a question lingered in Zark’s mind. If Sofia truly awakened, did it an Sylvia would soon return? Or, conversely, would this world face even greater chaos?
Inside the Tower of Echoes, Sylvia took a deep breath as the armored knight finally collapsed, its sword broken and its armor shattered into pieces. Black blood oozed from its body, rotting on the stone floor. Sylvia stepped over the debris, her eyes fixed on the massive door at the end of the room.
"Floor forty," she said, her voice filled with determination. "We keep going."
In another world, Sofia’s fingers twitched again, and the settlent burned with hope.
And in the unfinished castle, Zark stood tall, awaiting the day his queen would return to see what he had created for her.
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