The molten halls were heavy with silence, the air thick with the scent of molten rock and ash. Ivan's sacrifice had saved them, but the cost was etched into every corner of the fortress. Rin and Miyu moved carefully, their eyes scanning the remnants of the mastermind's body and constructs, their hands trembling slightly as they touched shards of cursed metal.
"He… he's completely gone," Rin whispered, voice breaking as she pressed her palm against a twisted fragment of the enforcer's arm. "All of it… all of it ended… because of him."
Miyu knelt beside a shattered arcane device, the faint echo of Ivan's energy pulsing through it. "Not just ended… but left behind. His power… his presence… it lingers. Every trace is a reminder of what we've lost—and what he gave us."
They carefully sifted through the remains, uncovering scrolls, devices, and artefacts imbued with remnants of the mastermind's schemes. Each discovery was a dagger of realization: the scale of his plans, the years of manipulation, and the countless lives at stake—all crushed under Ivan's final sacrifice.
Rin's flames flickered weakly, her body trembling. She reached out, brushing a shard of cursed energy. The faint pulse resonated with Ivan's shadow, and she flinched, tears streaming down her cheeks. "He… he's still with us, isn't he? Even now… guiding us?"
Miyu placed a comforting hand on Rin's shoulder, her own eyes glistening. "Yes. Every strategy, every technique… he left them for us. Not just his power… his trust, his love… his desire to protect us. We carry all of it forward."
The harem carefully pieced together the mastermind's plans, understanding for the first time the depth of Ivan's foresight. Every move, every counter, every intimate coordination had been calculated to ensure survival—and the ultimate victory—even at the cost of his life.
"He didn't just save us from the mastermind," Rin whispered, her voice barely audible. "He saved us from despair… from losing ourselves in grief… from losing the world."
Miyu's eyes scanned the ruins, lingering on the faint shimmer of Ivan's shadows. "And now… it's up to us to finish what he started. To honor him. To survive—and to remember him in everything we do."
The molten halls reflected two figures—flame and steel—moving amidst the shattered remains of shadow, curses, and molten stone. Every step was heavy with grief, every glance a memory, every breath a mixture of sorrow, longing, and the faintest warmth of Ivan's lingering presence.
Even in death, his influence endured—guiding, protecting, and haunting them, a reminder of the man they had loved, desired, and lost.