Chapter 163 - 162: Take her to safety

"There!" Owen shouted, pointing with his tail. A maid was collapsed on the floor, a chunk of broken stone pinning her leg.

Axelius skidded to a halt and knelt beside her. "Hold on." He shoved the heavy stone aside and carefully helped the trembling maid to her feet.

"C-can you walk?" he asked quickly.

"Y-yes... thank you, young lord..." she whispered, wincing as she steadied herself.

"Where is Princess Athena’s room?" Axelius demanded, his voice sharp.

"T-that way," the maid stammered, pointing down the hall with a shaking hand.

"Good. Get yourself to safety."

Without wasting a second, Axelius dashed in the direction she showed him. The hallway was cracked and littered with debris, smoke creeping through the air as the castle shook again from distant impacts.

He reached a tall, ornate door Athena’s room and kicked it open with a loud crash.

The sight froze him for a split second.

By the shattered window, a cloaked figure was holding a young woman by the neck, dangling her halfway out of the window as if preparing to drop her to her death.

The woman’s legs kicked weakly in the air.

Owen moved first without hesitation, his body a blur as he leaped toward the man on the window.

The man hissed and stumbled back from the impact, loosening his grip. That single second was all it took. Axelius sprinted and jumped from the floor with all his strength, just as the woman was released.

He caught her firmly by the waist before gravity could claim them both, twisting in midair and grabbing the edge of the window frame with one hand.

The sudden weight nearly tore his shoulder apart, but he held on, teeth clenched, his boots dangling in the air. The woman’s hair fell across her face as he steadied her.

"Sylfia?" he muttered, his eyes widening as he finally recognized her unconscious face.

"Axelius!" Athena’s voice came from above. She had rushed to the window and now stood there, wind whipping her hair wildly. But instead of reaching to help them, her expression hardened.

"Run! Take Sylfia to safety!" she shouted.

Owen landed back on the window ledge, scanning the surroundings. "He disappeared..." he said grimly, referring to the attacker.

"Wait, Athena—!" Axelius started to climb, still holding Sylfia tight, but before he could haul himself up, Athena knelt andremoved his handfrom the ledge.

"What the! Athena!"

The world tilted, and the next thing he knew, they were falling. Axelius twisted in the air to protect Sylfia, landing hard but properly on his feet, skidding backward a few steps with her still in his arms.

"Leave, Axelius!" Athena shouted from above. Her voice was sharp, commanding, and desperate all at once. "I’m trusting you with her!"

"What are you talking about?! You’re the one in danger!" Axelius yelled back, holding Sylfia close.

"No, it’s not me. They’re afterSylfia!" Athena’s words hit him like a hammer.

"What—?" Axelius looked down at the unconscious girl in his arms, his mind spinning.

"Sylfia is thereal princess! Now that they’ve discovered it... take her away!" Athena’s voice cracked, the truth she had kept hidden now laid bare.

Another explosion ripped through the castle, shaking the ground beneath his boots and silencing any argument he might have had.

"I’m begging you, Axelius! Leave! NOW!" Athena screamed, her figure swallowed by smoke and fire above.

"Damn it!" Axelius cursed under his breath, every instinct screaming at him to go back but he knew this wasn’t a request. It was a plea.

He whistled sharply, and a dark shadow swooped down from above. "Crow!"

The massive bird landed, and Axelius climbed onto its back with Sylfia held tightly in his arms. As Crow’s wings spread wide and they took off into the sky, Axelius looked down, jaw clenched.

Below, shapes dark and fast circled the castle like predators, darting between towers and walls, careful to stay out of sight.

"Who the hell are they..." he muttered, tightening his grip around Sylfia as the burning castle grew smaller beneath them.

Axelius stared down at the burning castle below them, his fists tightening around Sylfia as Crow sliced through the wind. The night air stung his face, but the storm raging inside him burned hotter.

"There’s no way I’m escaping," he muttered under his breath, his eyes narrowing as he tugged Crow’s reins and prepared to turn back.

Before he could move, a suddenyankon his hair made him yelp.

"Ow—hey!"

"S-Stop, you moron" Sylfia’s weak voice trembled, but her grip was firm.

Axelius glanced down, stunned to see her awake. She shifted slightly, steadying herself on his back and sitting properly, though her body still shook from exhaustion.

"I’mnotrunning, okay?" he said firmly, trying to keep his voice steady. "I can keep you safeandget rid of them at the same time."

Sylfia shook her head slowly. "Yeah, but my family... they’re only after me. If we come back, they’ll harm them."

"What’s the difference?" Axelius countered, looking over his shoulder. "They’ll use your family to find you either way."

"No," she whispered, eyes cast downward. "They’ll run away."

Axelius opened his mouth to argue again, but the words died in his throat. He exhaled heavily, his shoulders sagging. "...I don’t like running away."

"I don’t like it too," Sylfia murmured, her voice small and heavy with sadness.

For a long second, neither of them spoke. The wind roared past them as the castle continued to burn in the distance. Then, Axelius made up his mind.

"Nyx," he called silently, his thoughts reaching out. ’Protect them if something happens.’

A sharp bark echoed in his mind in response. A heartbeat later, a shadow leaped off Crow’s back. Nyx dove through the night sky, landing gracefully on the ground below before sprinting toward the castle with incredible speed.

Neither of them spoke for a long moment — the weight of what had just happened pressed down on them heavier than the night sky above.

Then, softly, Sylfia broke the silence.

"...Thank you," she whispered, her voice almost carried away by the wind. "For saving me."

Axelius turned his head slightly, his eyes drawn to her. Under the pale light of the full moon, Sylfia’s black hair danced freely in the wind, strands glimmering like silk. A faint, delicate scent reached him gentle and fresh, like a field of blooming wildflowers after rain

Above them, the moon hung like a silver crown in the endless dark, bathing them both in its glow.

But Her eyes held a quiet ache. It wasn’t fear that lingered there it was guilt, and sadness, and something deeper she didn’t dare put into words.