Dancing on the golden ashes-Chapter 245: The Price of Eternity

"You are different indeed," Agnia said, her voice sharp and unwavering. "But life and fate always find a way to return to their natural order. No matter how much you struggle, it's hard to escape your destiny."

Her gaze narrowed, and for the first time since I arrived, I could see a flicker of anger beneath her usual calm.

"Do you honestly believe," she continued, her tone colder now, "that you can forge your own path and somehow become the strongest person in the world with the way you're going now?"

There was no mocking in her voice — just cold disappointment. Her frustration weighed heavily in the air, pressing down like a stone in my chest.

"You're naïve, my dear disciple," she said with a bitter smile. "You have no idea how this world truly works or how powerful some entities are. Even if you manage to reach my stage, who's to say you'll survive against those who've walked these paths far longer than you?"

Her voice lingered in my mind, each word sinking deeper, yet I couldn't bring myself to feel regret. I had no illusions about how far I still had to go, but so what?

Her disappointment didn't bother me.

I would walk my own path.

And if I had to defy fate itself to get there... so be it.

"I think you've given me enough information," I said firmly, my voice colder than I intended. "Now, I'll take my leave. After all, this world is nothing more than a graveyard for ghosts like you… ghosts who failed to protect their own world."

The moment those words left my mouth, I felt it — her aura flared to life like a raging inferno, swallowing the air around me. The heat pressed against my skin, suffocating and violent, and before I could react, the world spun violently. In the blink of an eye, we were back inside her palace.

The walls trembled as if the entire structure itself was about to collapse. I could feel the ground beneath me shift and shudder, and far beyond the palace walls, the city itself was trembling. Cries of panic echoed in the distance, fear spreading like wildfire through the streets. The world itself seemed to be rejecting my presence.

"You can be mad all you want," I said calmly, ignoring the furious flames that danced wildly around her. "But what I said is the truth. And don't worry… I'll be back someday. And when I do…" I turned toward the door, speaking without looking back. "I'll free you. I'll tear this cursed realm apart and make sure you and your people no longer have to relive the same fate over and over again."

I knew she was still watching me, and I could feel her anger burning holes into my back. But I didn't stop. I had no reason to linger in a place that was trapped in its own pain, a place where a soul too broken by regret had chosen to give up instead of rising once again.

Her path was over. She had already surrendered to her failure.

But my path? My path had only just begun.

"Stop! You are dooming not only yourself but them as well! If you fail, their souls will be lost forever!"

Agnia's voice rang out behind me, sharp and desperate. I could feel the weight of her words pressing down on me, but I refused to stop. She was trying to force me onto the same path as the one before me — the path the other me had walked and failed. But I wasn't her, and I wasn't about to let my fate be dictated by fear and regret.

I walked past the massive crystal gate, feeling Agnia's presence close behind. Her footsteps echoed with urgency, yet she didn't try to stop me physically — not yet. The guards stood frozen on either side, their expressions twisted in confusion and fear. Some reached for their weapons, others simply stared as if unable to comprehend what was unfolding before them.

"Thank you," I said softly, my voice low yet resolute. "I'll now show you the path you revealed to me... the true path I should take."

With a powerful flap of my wings, I shot into the sky, leaving her behind. The wind howled in my ears as I soared above the sprawling city, the streets below writhing with people stirred by the disturbance. But they were no longer my concern. I had no time to waste on the doubts and fears of those who refused to move forward.

Soon, I returned to the statue — the stone boy with his silent gaze fixed on the horizon. There was no aura radiating from it this time, no hint of power guiding my way. But I knew better now.

I feel it… inside me… within the system…

It was strange, as though something had shifted in me. A whisper of understanding stirred in my mind, a knowledge that shouldn't have been mine yet somehow was.

Did I inherit part of his memories? The thought unsettled me, but I pushed it aside. Even if I did… it could be useful.

Taking a deep breath, I placed my hand firmly on the stone boy's head and channeled my soul power into it.

The world began to spin. My vision blurred as the air twisted and rippled, dragging me through space as though I had been yanked out of reality itself.

When the dizziness settled and the world came back into focus, I stood on the familiar mountaintop once again. The blackened ground stretched out before me, still scorched and lifeless — a scar left behind by the Goddess of Fire when she had destroyed everything here. Even after so many years, nothing had grown back. The earth remained dry and broken, stripped of all life.

To think... after all this time, the land still bears her mark.

But this place no longer felt like a reminder of death to me. Instead, it felt like a starting point — the very place where I would begin my climb toward something greater.

This was where I would take my first step toward eternity.

"I'm ready," I whispered, my voice steady but my heart pounding in my chest.

My hand moved on its own, as though driven by a force greater than myself. My fingers trembled, yet I felt no hesitation. My nails sharpened into curved talons, blackened by the energy swirling within me. Without a second thought, my hand shot toward my chest.

Updated from freewёbnoνel.com.

I barely registered the pain as my fingers pierced my skin, cutting through flesh and bone with brutal precision. My ribs cracked beneath my grasp, and I reached deeper, my fingers curling tightly around the pulsing warmth that lay within.

With a swift, merciless pull, I ripped my heart free from my chest.