Spiral of Madness: Ascension of the Villainous Dragon Prince-Chapter 154: Inside His Broken Heart [3] — Promise Me

"Um..."

Louis turned as red as a tomato, fidgeting adorably while Mirai looked at his face—blushing herself.

"W-What happened?!"

Mirai stepped back and realized she had regressed to the age of six or seven—she couldn’t quite tell.

"Are you okay?"

Louis tilted his head, worried, still blushing adorably.

Mirai stared into his big, bright eyes and realized she also had a small, adorable face.

"I’m a child? But how? I... I thought I died... I didn’t die?"

"Hm? You... you didn’t die, yeah? What’s wrong?"

Mirai heard the sound of a river nearby. She ran to the stream and saw her reflection in the water.

It was indeed her at six or seven years old.

But this was... a life she had never lived.

At that age she had still been confined in labs, never feeling warm sun on her skin or seeing a beautiful blue sky.

Let alone in such a dreamy, natural landscape of pure beauty.

"What’s your name?"

Louis ran back to her, asking curiously.

It seemed he remembered nothing and had fully regressed to age six.

"I’m... I am... Mirai."

"Mirai! Wow, what does that name mean?"

"It’s a Japanese name. It means Future."

"Ohh!"

Louis nodded in awe, then thought for a moment.

"Hm, well! Mom always says that my name, Louis, means ’famous warrior’ or ’renowned in battle’!" the boy said, beaming happily. "So that means one day I’m going to become a great warrior and protect my Kingdom!"

"Kingdom? Ah, right..." Mirai smiled as she walked toward Louis. "You’re a prince, right?"

"Yeah! Mirai, you’re smart!" Louis nodded. "I like you already. Let’s become friends!"

"Heheh," Mirai chuckled, finding young Louis so different and adorable from his future self. "Okay, gladly..."

"Nice! Hey, let’s go catch bugs!" Louis ran off on all fours.

"Wait for meeee!" Mirai followed as little Belladine flew alongside them.

Mirai, Louis, and Belladine played near the river, catching snails. Mirai even caught a fish with a sharp stick, surprising Louis.

Afterward, Louis caught a fish with his little sharp teeth—sometimes running on all fours. He said he did this to awaken as a dragon one day.

Later they climbed trees, caught big butterflies and beetles, and listened to the annoying cries of cicadas—catching some mid-song.

Sometimes they saw small families of rabbits leaping near the forest. Other times they spotted a majestic mountain lion drinking from a stream before it noticed them and darted away.

They found little chicks in trees; their bird mothers pecked at their heads. Both children laughed and ran.

It felt like hours, days, and weeks passed in an instant. A stream of endless emotions and experiences flowed into Mirai’s mind, making her happier than ever before.

She no longer knew what was happening, but this was a childhood she had never had—one she could now share with him.

Even if this was a fake world born from Louis’s consciousness, these memories would stay with her forever.

Yet Mirai knew this place wasn’t good. The more she played, the more she forgot why she had come and what her purpose was.

As the sun set, Louis and Mirai roasted the fish they caught over a small bonfire, enjoying their time.

Mirai rested her head on Louis’s little shoulder. Louis sometimes blushed, feeling she was a bit too touchy, but he didn’t push her away like his future self would have.

"Um, Louis...?"

"Hm?"

The boy looked back at Mirai with curious eyes.

"Have you ever thought about your parents? We’ve been here for days... where’s your mom or your dad?"

"...I don’t know."

"You don’t?"

"I..."

Louis fell silent for a moment.

Mirai sat beside him and held his little hand.

"Louis, I... I need to tell you something before I forget."

Louis looked back at Mirai curiously, tilting his little head.

"I know you’re happy here and... honestly, I don’t want you to suffer. If this is the place you want to stay, let’s stay."

"..."

"I thought I died... but I suddenly woke up here as a child... and whatever that means, I don’t want to think deeply about it."

Mirai looked at little Louis’s face and smiled warmly, hugging his arm.

"I’m happy here... with you... and I would spend an eternity with you if possible... but..."

She sighed as tears streamed from her eyes.

"This is not real, Louis."

"...!"

Something within Louis stirred. His heart began to race.

Cold sweat covered his body as he trembled with fear and stress.

"...I know."

The boy, despite his many missing memories, knew it.

"You do?"

Mirai was surprised by his response. She looked into his eyes and saw that he too was crying. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"Mama and papa... are gone... and no matter how hard I try to dream about the world I idealize... they will never return."

"...!"

"I knew from the beginning but... I was so tired."

"Louis...!"

Mirai gripped her fists tightly and hugged him again.

"There’s a mother and a father waiting for you, Louis... just not here anymore."

Louis shook his head. "I don’t want to go anymore... I am tired... Mirai..."

Mirai kept hugging him as he cried on her shoulder. "I know... but you’re not alone... I’ll... I’ll always be with you, Louis."

The boy looked into the girl’s eyes, surprised. "Really?"

Mirai smiled and held his adorable face with her small hands. "Really."

They fell silent after that. Louis sighed. He still wasn’t fully aware of everything, but sometimes he would remember and connect the pieces.

"Mirai..."

While Belladine slept on Louis’s head, the boy looked into her eyes.

"Let’s... go back."

"Let’s wait until tomorrow morning..."

"Okay..."

The two children ate their last meal in this world before sleeping on the straw bed they had built together.

Mirai cuddled with Louis, hugging him tightly and never letting go. They gave each other warmth in the cold night while little Belladine slept soundly in her master’s long hair.

As the sun rose over the horizon and birds began to sing, Mirai and Louis woke up, yawning and still sleepy.

They smiled at each other without words, admiring the skies, the mountains, and everything around them.

They washed at the river, played a little, and after breakfast—mostly fruits and nuts—they decided to move forward.

One step at a time, they crossed the grassy plains and passed through white lily gardens.

One step at a time, they walked across lush, vivid forests, listening to cicadas and birds sing while occasionally spotting a deer.

And one step at a time, they climbed the mountains, took in the beautiful vista, played in the snow, and descended again.

As they moved beyond the mountains, the world began to lose color. Everything turned white. Eventually trees, grass, sky, and sun disappeared.

Until they reached a completely white space.

"This is it, Louis," Mirai said. "The end of the road."

"Yes..." Louis looked at the white void. "But where do we go now?"

"Wherever you want to," Mirai said. "I... will always follow you."

"Mirai..." Louis felt bad about her words. "Is this okay? Do you truly need to follow me? Don’t feel forced. I don’t want to drag you into my suffering... into my problems... I... I just want you to be happy."

Mirai’s heart skipped a beat as she heard those words from him. She smiled warmly as the distant sun shone behind her. Her long black hair waved in the wind, making Louis truly appreciate how beautiful she was.

"Don’t worry! This is my choice... even if you force me to stop, I will not!"

"..."

Louis had always wondered what Mirai’s madness was. All this time he thought she was a normal girl with only lab-induced trauma.

She acted normal with everyone, and he had never seen her struggle with mental issues, even as a Sinner of her caliber.

But now he realized—with a bitter smile—that this was her madness...

Her love.

"Thank you, Mirai..."

The children held hands and stepped into the void. They didn’t know what awaited beyond the eternal white.

Bright light enveloped them.

When Louis opened his eyes, he found himself resting in the middle of a ruined wasteland.

This was where his Kingdom once stood. Everything lay in ruins. Perhaps a long time had passed since it all fell apart.

"How long...? Ah."

His eyes widened as he realized his body was fading into ashes.

"I’m dying... I see..."

He smiled bitterly, realizing Mirai was no longer there.

She was gone.

"Mirai..."

Next to him lay her bones.

Louis shed tears while slowly fading into ashes. He held her skull and kissed it.

"I promise... I will never... give up again..."

Holding the skull with all his heart and soul, golden energy washed over it, slowly refining it into a Soul Treasure.

"Thank you... from the bottom of my heart... my beloved..."

Five Relics within Louis’s shadows stirred, rising into the air and spinning around him.

The Spiral of the Ashen Wyrm began to descend rapidly into further madness.

There was a hidden condition Louis had not fulfilled until now.

And that was...

To lose a person he dearly loved more than anyone else.

While holding that skull in his arms and hugging it, the faint silhouette of Mirai appeared—hugging Louis back, never letting him go.

"Please... become the pillar for my journey from now on... until I can finally achieve it..."

Louis looked into the rising sun as his face faded into ashes and his Spiral completed its descent ritual.

"Our perfect ending..."

Once he faded into nothing but ashes, the skull he held vanished with him.

Thus, Prince Louis Drakeheart’s 6th Life came to an end.

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