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Chapter 104: His Damned Nightmare
Chapter 104: His Damned Nightmare
Killian’s POV
I know I’m dreaming.
The last thing I remember is the taste of blood in my mouth and the echo of panic in my study, with Irwin sprawled on the floor. Now, I find myself standing in a vast natural landscape. A boundless field of flowers stretching to the horizon. The sky is a soft blue, adorned with tufts of white clouds resembling children’s favorite cotton candy. The scent of flowers fills my senses, sweet and intoxicating. There’s also a hint of fresh leaves and the crisp touch of dewdrops carried by the wind. It has been a long time since I’ve seen something so breathtaking. The delicate petals sway in the breeze, their colors ranging from deep crimson to the softest shades of purple. Above, the sky is crystal clear, sunlight pouring down like liquid gold. The warmth of the sun is gentle, not scorching. For a moment, I simply stand there, letting the surreal beauty seep into my senses.
Is it spring now?
I push aside that useless question. This is all wrong.
I have never had a dream like this before. My dreams are fleeting and fragmented, filled with chaos, destruction, and shadows I cannot control, even as their king. But this is too vivid. I can move my body as if this were the real world. The texture of the grass beneath my bare feet, the whisper of the wind against my skin, and the thunder of my heartbeat in my ears. It all feels real.
“Why do the gods delight in toying with their people? I don’t need this damn beautiful dream.”
I click my tongue. “Of course. Them and their games of fate. Bastards.”
I tried to continue my effort to wade through the flower field. Eventually, my gaze fell upon a silhouette. My brow furrowed. A figure stood in the distance, amidst the swaying flowers, her white dress billowing in the wind.
I moved before I could think, my breath catching in my throat, my blood running cold in an instant. I quickened my pace to confirm what I was seeing, and my jaw fell open as the details of her features came into focus.
It was the woman I had sentenced to death.
“Ruby?”
She turned to face me, and for what felt like an eternity, I found myself staring into those bright blue eyes again. Untouched by pain, grief, or the destruction wrought by my own hands. She looked just as she had before everything fell apart. Before the accusations. Before the execution.
“No,” I muttered instinctively, shaking my head. “Damn it, this is insane! What the hell is happening?!”
“Have I finally lost my mind?”
I continued my monologue, loud enough for Ruby’s duplicate to hear. Yet instead of hatred, she greeted me with warmth. Her lips curved into a radiant smile.
“Killian!”
Internally, I willed my legs to move, but they felt as if they were weighed down by lead.
She ran toward me, her laughter light, as if nothing had ever happened, as if I wasn’t the one who had ended it all. Before I could react, her arms were around me; warm and filled with nostalgia. Her face was buried in my chest. She clung to me, desperate for physical contact.
I tensed, my hands twitching at my sides.
“I missed you,” she murmured.
A low growl rumbled in my throat. I hadn’t expected those three words to slip from her lips. Disgust curled in my gut, only to morph into something dangerously close to hope. But no–no remnants of sentimentality for her should remain. As far as I was concerned, everything had ended the moment she chose to stab me in the back.
I grabbed her shoulders and shoved her away. Those sky–blue eyes widened in shock.
“You’re dead. Why do you still dare to stand before me?”
“Was hurting me not enough? Did you have to crawl into my mind, too?!”
A hollow laugh escaped me as my grip tightened. “You really do have a talent for making people suffer, Ruby. So do me a favor. Stay dead.”
Successfully unlocked!
Her first response wasn’t words but was touch. She placed a hand on my arm, her gaze softening.
“I know, Killian.”
My tone rose, echoing through the vast expanse. “Then why are you here? Why are you leaks
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Chapter 104: His Damned Nightmare
happened? As if I didn’t cast you into eternal damnation?”
“Because I don’t hate you, Your Majesty.”
Her words struck something deep within me. A growl clawed its way up from my chest. “You should. I had you executed. You should be full of hatred for me. You should want-”
“Oh, I tried,” she giggled softly, reaching for me again. “But honestly? It’s hard. So this is how it ends. I still want to be with you.”
“What kind of nonsense are you spouting?”
Amusement flickered across her face. She shook her head as if this were all some kind of joke to her.
“You’ve always been like this, Killian. Let me tell you a little secret.”
Her grip tightened just enough to pull me toward her. Then, she leaned in, whispering against my ear.
“I love you.”
I froze. My heart pounded in a way I despised, as if trying to tear itself free from my chest. Her words rang in my ears, filling the cold, empty spaces within me. I stared at the beautiful blonde before me, my lips parting as if to say something. Then, suddenly, a small voice pierced through the haze.
“Mom?”
I instinctively turned toward the source of the voice.
A small child stood a few meters away, watching us with the same wide, blue eyes as Ruby. He couldn’t have been older than five. The wind tousled his messy black hair, and his tiny brows furrowed in displeasure as he clung to the hem of Ruby‘ s dress.
“Who is he, Mama?”
Ruby crouched beside him, gently brushing his hair back with a tenderness that made my throat tighten. She looked at me for a brief moment before turning back to the boy.
“He is your father.”
The world shattered around me. A deafening noise filled my ears, my breath came in ragged gasps, and my body staggered as if the ground had been ripped away beneath me. Then, darkness destroyed the entire dream dimension. I woke with a jolt. My heart slammed against my ribs, my breath uneven. The cold grip of reality seeped into my skin, yet the echoes of the dream clung to me like a curse.
Ruby and a child.
I cursed under my breath, dragging a hand down my face, but the image wouldn’t fade. Why did that child look so much like me?
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