Elysia – Isaac’s Room

  Mary opened the rustic wooden door, revealing a spacious, cozy bedroom.

  "This was your old room..." she said with a shy smile. "Why don't you take a look around? Maybe you'll find some good memories."

  Isaac turned to her. He looked exhausted, but his eyes were warm.

  "Thank you, Mary. For everything."

  "You're welcome, my love..." She blushed furiously, looking down. "I mean... Goodnight. If you need anything, just call."

  "Goodnight."

  Mary closed the door, leaning against it from the outside with a giddy smile, her heart racing.

  Inside, Isaac scanned the room. It was simple, but it held a sense of home he hadn't felt in a long time. He sat on the edge of the bed, running a hand over the soft sheets. He opened the nightstand drawer.

  Something glittered inside.

  It was a magical photograph. In it, Isaac and Aiko were hugging, laughing, with the Dragon Palace in the background. They looked happy.

  Isaac ran his thumb over Aiko’s smiling face.

  "Aiko..." he whispered, lost in thought.

  Valoon – The Dragon Palace - Throne Room

  The atmosphere was heavy. Aiko sat on a side chair, her head bowed, hiding her face behind her hair, listening intently.

  In the center of the hall, a messenger dressed in the colors of the Hell Kingdom stood before the Three Dragon Kings: Yamato, Yuno, and Yoshi.

  "Empress Airi formally requests that Valoon send resources to rebuild the Hell Docks," the messenger stated, trying to maintain composure. "They were... completely annihilated."

  Yuno, the Ancient Ice Dragon, narrowed his eyes. The temperature in the room dropped noticeably.

  "Annihilated, you say? By whom, exactly?"

  The messenger swallowed hard.

  "By the Wanted King. The Elf target. Isaac."

  A heavy silence fell over the hall. The Ancient Dragons exchanged glances.

  "He invaded Hell," the messenger continued hurriedly. "He destroyed large sections of the sewers. He pulverized the entire Shipping Dock... and committed the worst crime of all. He killed a Semi-Entity. The eldest son of Orion... Galadion."

  The shock was palpable. Yoshi, the Earth Dragon, leaned forward, his stone-like skin grinding.

  "That is impossible! Killing a son of Orion? Just how deep does this boy's power go?"

  Aiko lifted her head slightly, a mix of hope and fear in her eyes.

  "Enough," Yamato’s voice boomed, cutting through the murmurs.

  He looked at the messenger with a calm, steel-like gaze.

  "We acknowledge the severity of the situation. Valoon will dispatch a small unit of scouts to the border to verify the damage and ensure the conflict does not spill into our territory."

  The messenger bowed. "And the resources, My Lord? The gold and materials for reconstruction?"

  Yamato leaned back on his throne, radiating authority.

  "Valoon has no quarrel with the people of Hell, but we do not fund dictatorships. Tell Empress Airi that until her regime changes, our vaults remain closed to her administration. We will secure our borders, nothing more. You are dismissed."

  The messenger bowed clumsily and scrambled out of the hall.

  Elysia – The Next Morning

  Isaac woke up to a soft knock on the door.

  "Come in."

  Mary opened the door carrying a tray, but stopped dead. Isaac was standing by the bed, wearing pants but no shirt. The scars told stories of ancient battles.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  Mary’s face turned bright red. She lowered her head instantly.

  "G-good morning, dear..." she stuttered. "What do you... um... want to eat?"

  Isaac smiled, amused by her shyness.

  "Good morning, Mary. Anything is fine."

  "Okay... anything you need, just call..."

  She hurried out, closing the door. Isaac walked to the window and stretched, watching the perpetual golden light of this magical place.

  "It's going to be a long day."

  When he went downstairs, he found Mary setting the table.

  "Mary, where is your father?"

  "Oh, Dad is still in the workshop finishing the enchantment," she explained, pouring coffee. "Believe me, everything has to be perfectly aligned. If there's even a millimeter of error... it could be catastrophic."

  "I understand."

  Isaac sat down. Mary hesitated for a second, then pulled out a chair and sat right next to him, rather than across the table.

  "Eat, my love. I made it especially for you."

  "Thank you."

  They ate in a comfortable silence.

  "So..." Mary started, wiping her mouth. "Do you still want to see the Astral Plane with me? We need to pick some fruit for dinner later."

  "Sure. Let's go."

  The Fields of Elysia

  Isaac and Mary walked through the lush green hills. Mary showed him every detail with pride: the crystal-clear streams, the trees that bore fruit year-round, the sky that never darkened.

  Tired, they stopped to rest under the shade of a colossal tree atop a hill.

  Mary picked a golden fruit and offered it to Isaac. He took a bite. Sweet and juicy.

  "So? Do you like it?"

  "Yeah..." Isaac looked at the horizon. "This place is incredible. It reminds me a bit of Earth."

  Mary smiled, resting her head on his shoulder.

  "Well... Elysia was magically created by my Father, but it was designed by you. You drew this, Isaac. You said it would be a land of rest. I love this place too... (sigh)... it reminded me a lot of you while you were dead."

  Isaac put his arm around her, comforting her.

  "Mary... How long was I... dead?"

  Mary hesitated. She looked at his hands.

  "Over a hundred years, Isaac. I don't know the exact number, we lost count after the first few decades..."

  Isaac’s eyes widened. The shock hit him like a physical blow.

  "A hundred years..." he whispered. The world had changed. Generations had lived and died. "So long..."

  "But it doesn't matter," Mary said firmly, turning his face to hers. "You are here now."

  Their eyes met. The devotion in Mary’s gaze was absolute. Isaac caressed her cheek gently. He leaned in and kissed her. It was a soft kiss, filled with longing and promises.

  Mary smiled against his lips, the perfect moment under the eternal tree.

  Isaac’s Room

  (Some time later)

  "Night" had fallen—or what passed for night in this plane. Isaac was watching the silver "moonlight" through his window when he heard a knock.

  "Come in."

  Mary appeared, her expression serious, tinged with anxiety.

  "My King... my father is calling for you. It is time."

  Isaac took a deep breath, exhaling slowly.

  "Of course. Let's go."

  Gwyn’s Workshop

  They went down to the basement of the cabin. The air was thick with the smell of ozone, chalk, and magical ink. Books floated mid-air, and runes glowed rhythmically on the walls. Gwyn looked exhausted, covered in soot and sweat, but his eyes shone with intense focus.

  "Isaac! Great. Everything is ready. Let's start as soon as possible. Please, sit in that chair in the center of the circle."

  Mary guided Isaac to a reinforced wooden chair surrounded by pulsing crystals. She began strapping leather bindings around his arms and legs and placed a complex metallic helmet on his head.

  She paused for a second, looking into his eyes, holding back tears.

  "It's going to be okay."

  "Thank you, Mary," Gwyn said, taking control. He turned to Isaac. "I won't go into technical details, Isaac. What you need to know is: this will hurt. Your memory loss was profound, linked to the very structure of your soul. Restoring it is like stitching the soul back together by force. You need to endure it."

  "Okay. I understand. Do it."

  "Good luck, son. Mary, stand back."

  Mary ran to the door, biting her nails nervously.

  Isaac took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

  Gwyn raised his staff and began to chant an ancient incantation. The runes on the floor started to glow with intense white light, spinning faster and faster.

  The pain didn't come slowly. It exploded.

  "ARGHHHH!"

  Isaac screamed. It felt like a thousand white-hot needles were piercing his brain simultaneously. Images flashed through his mind too fast to comprehend—wars, loves, deaths, forgotten faces.

  Gwyn increased the volume of his chant, sweat pouring down his forehead.

  The pain became unbearable. Isaac clenched his teeth so hard a crack was heard.

  CRACK.

  The primal fury, dormant inside him, began to bubble up like a volcano.

  His eyes snapped open. They were not blue. They were blood-red.

  WOOOOSH.

  A wave of wild mana exploded from Isaac’s body. The lab began to shake. Vials shattered. Books flew off the shelves.

  "DAUGHTER! HELP ME WITH THE SHIELD!" Gwyn shouted, fighting to maintain the spell against the crushing pressure.

  Mary raised her hands, creating a golden barrier around them.

  "WHAT IS HAPPENING, DAD?!"

  "HIS BODY! IT'S REACTING AS IF UNDER ATTACK! IT'S THE BERSERK DEFENSE MODE! HE NEEDS TO HOLD ON... IT'S ALMOST OVER!"

  "GRAAAAAAAH!"

  Isaac let out a primal roar that shook the foundations of Elysia. A massive shockwave swept the room, shattering Mary's shield and throwing both her and Gwyn against the far wall.

  BOOM.

  The light reached peak brightness, blinding everything.

  And then, silence.

  The dust settled slowly. The lab was wrecked.

  In the center of the scorched circle, Isaac lay slumped, motionless, head down.

  "Isaac!"

  Mary scrambled up, ignoring the pain in her back, and ran toward him.

  "Wait, daughter!" Gwyn warned, trying to stand.

  Mary stopped a meter away, her heart in her throat.

  Isaac stirred. He braced his hands on his knees and slowly pushed himself up. He brought a hand to his head, as if nursing a terrible migraine.

  He took a deep breath, the air hissing in his lungs.

  Then, he lifted his face. His eyes were calm. Focused. There was a depth to them that hadn't been there minutes ago. The look of a man who had lived a thousand lives.

  He looked at the old mage. Then at the young woman.

  "Master... Mary..."

  A slow smile, heavy with weight but genuine, spread across his lips.

  "I remember. Everything."

  Gwyn let out a breath he had been holding, smiling wearily. Mary couldn't hold back; she ran and hugged Isaac with all her strength, crying with relief.

  "Easy, easy..." Isaac laughed, stroking her hair, but his eyes were serious, processing the century of memories he had just regained. "Thank you, guys. It worked 100%."

  He kissed the top of her head.

  "Thank you for everything, my dear Mary."