For the first time in what felt like an eternity…
there was silence.
No collapsing skies.
No screaming rifts.
No waves of monsters tearing through the battlefield.
Only the faint sound of wind moving through the ruined stone around them.
The fires of war still burned in the distance, but here—inside the temporary encampment of the Dimensional Union forces—there was a rare moment of stillness.
Violet stood near the edge of the platform overlooking the fractured horizon.
Her gaze lingered on the distant remains of the Seventh Rift.
Closed.
For now.
Behind her, footsteps approached slowly.
She already knew who it was.
"Still thinking about it?" Maximilian asked quietly.
Violet exhaled softly.
"How could I not?"
He stopped beside her, his eyes fixed on the dark horizon ahead.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
The silence between them no longer felt heavy.
It felt… familiar.
Then Violet finally asked:
"When all of this ends… what will you do?"
Maximilian looked at her.
Really looked at her.
Not as a commander.
Not as a warrior.
Just her.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"You'll become my wife."
Violet blinked in surprise.
The seriousness in his voice made her heartbeat stumble for a second.
"Maximilian…"
He stepped closer.
"I mean it."
Slowly, he lifted his hand and touched her cheek gently.
"I've loved you since the first moment I saw you, Violet."
Then he leaned forward—
and kissed her softly.
The world around them seemed to disappear for those brief seconds.
No war.
No dimensions.
Only them.
Then—
"Aww… Maximilian, my beloved—"
Both of them froze.
Zack's voice echoed dramatically from behind.
He appeared beside Lexia, one hand over his chest as he shamelessly imitated Maximilian's tone.
"'You'll become my wife… I promise.'"
Lexia immediately joined in with a completely serious expression:
"'I've loved you since the first moment I saw you, Violet.'"
Zack pretended to wipe tears from his eyes.
"So romantic. I might cry."
Violet instantly stepped back, embarrassed.
"Zack."
Maximilian's expression darkened slightly.
"Run."
"Worth it!" Zack laughed.
Even Lexia couldn't hold back her grin anymore.
A rare sound followed—
laughter.
Real laughter.
For the first time since the war began, the tension around them cracked apart.
Then Marley's voice interrupted from behind:
"Enough. It's time to eat and recover our strength."
She crossed her arms and glanced at the dark sky above them.
"This silence is too suspicious."
Shadow appeared nearby, leaning against a broken pillar.
"Wonderful," he said dryly.
"I'm surrounded by elite warriors who behave like children."
He closed his eyes briefly.
"Exactly what I needed."
Lexia smirked.
"You'd miss us otherwise."
"I absolutely would not."
Nearby, members of the Dimensional Union moved around the camp, carrying supplies, repairing weapons, and treating the wounded.
As everyone gathered around the temporary table, Marley sighed in annoyance.
"Some of those dimensional guards are unbearably arrogant."
Lenore nodded immediately.
"Agreed. Even their commander acts like an emotionless machine."
Sid gave a quiet laugh.
"They probably think the same thing about us."
Alfred remained calm as always.
"We are not here to impress them."
Marley leaned forward slightly.
"So. What's our next move?"
Sid exchanged a glance with Alfred before answering:
"We find Vivia."
Alfred continued:
"She's the key to sealing the dimensional fractures completely."
"And once the dimensions are stabilized," Marley added, "we trap the Draculian and the demons… and wipe them out."
The mood shifted again.
Heavier this time.
Zack rested his arms behind his head.
"Sounds simple when you say it like that."
"It won't be," Alfred replied immediately.
Silence fell for a moment.
Then Lenore spoke quietly:
"The second wave… will be worse, won't it?"
No one answered right away.
Because they all knew the truth.
Finally, Marley spoke:
"Yes."
Her eyes hardened.
"The human world is already close to collapse. Entire regions are destroyed… and scattered demons are still appearing everywhere."
Violet lowered her gaze slightly.
"So even after today…"
"It's far from over," Maximilian said calmly.
The fire beside them crackled softly.
Far above—
beyond the calm sky—
something moved in the darkness between dimensions.
Watching.
Waiting.
And somewhere far away…
another rift began to open