Cremation

Enlaisi had already prepared to escape from Olifinton.

He thought he would be unnoticed... but unfortunately, he failed to evade the encirclement of Xialun and Aina.

Aina's powerful spiritual sense instantly covered the entire academy, pinpointing Enlaisi's location.

"It's you... I remember you, Xialun." Enlaisi still recalled this young couple; they had once visited his home as guests. He was first taken aback, then pretended nothing had happened and greeted them with a smile, "Hello there, but unfortunately, I have urgent matters right now and no time for pleasantries..."

Mian slowly stepped out from behind the two of them.

"How is this possible?" Enlaisi's face instantly froze.

"Mian... you..."

His eyes shifted rapidly—first shock, then confusion, and finally settling into a bitter resignation. He sagged his shoulders, as if he had aged ten years in an instant, and said in a low voice, "Mian, you're awake."

"Teacher Enlaisi, why would you do such a thing?" Mian's eyes, once full of trust, were now brimming with indignation and disbelief, mixed with a hint of grievance, as if still waiting for a reason that could explain all of this.

Even he, after experiencing such a betrayal, could no longer tolerate Enlaisi's actions.

Enlaisi avoided his gaze and, after a long pause, spoke with difficulty: "Child..." His voice was hoarse, as if scraped by sandpaper, but then suddenly turned cold and hard, "Because there is someone in my heart who is more important than you. You are merely a pawn I used to resurrect her."

"I see..." The last glimmer of light in Mian's eyes died out, leaving only utter disappointment.

"But what exactly did you do? How could that entity give up Mian's body? Did some magic circuit in the array malfunction?" Enlaisi, as if unaware of Mian's reaction, sank into his own obsession, muttering to himself, "Impossible. The plan was flawless. That entity did descend completely—descended into Mian's body... What happened? Why did he suddenly go back on his word?"

"Because he is not the Brave One." Xialun spoke slowly.

"Of course I know that." Enlaisi waved his hand impatiently. The failure of his plan pushed him to the brink of collapse, meaning the chances of fulfilling his wish were growing slimmer.

"Because I am the Brave One." Xialun stated his identity again, his words as clear as the ring of a sword.

"What did you say?" Enlaisi's expression stiffened like stone, then he cracked a mocking smile. "Is this some kind of novel joke? An old man like me can't keep up with you young people's humor."

"I am Xialun Morian, the legendary Brave One. And that fake Brave One your Twilight Envoys resurrected—I've already beaten him into retreat inside Mian's body, too scared to come out." Xialun stepped forward, recounting the matter in a simple and straightforward manner.

The air froze, just like the expression on Mian's face behind Xialun.

Enlaisi pulled out his pipe from his pocket pouch, clamped it between his lips, and lit it with a trembling hand.

"Student Xialun, this joke isn't funny." He exhaled a ring of smoke, but his voice betrayed his wavering composure.

"You guessed right before, Teacher Enlaisi." A glint shone in Xialun's eyes—hard to decipher. "You believed I was the Brave One."

"That was just a casual remark..." Enlaisi said with a wry laugh.

But then, as if realizing something, Enlaisi's right hand, holding the pipe, trembled slightly, and the pipe nearly slipped from his fingers. "The Brave One... you were revived?"

"Correct."

"Since you can be revived, you must also be able to revive my wife, right?" Hope suddenly reignited in Enlaisi's eyes, along with a flame of obsession. "I beg you! As long as she can come back, I'll do anything! I'll pay any price—"

"She cannot be revived." Aina's voice cut through like a cold blade from behind Xialun. "Her soul has completely dissipated."

"No! Take another look—she hasn't died. I froze her body in time; she is still alive..." Enlaisi hastily pulled an ice coffin out of his space ring.

Boom—

The massive coffin crashed onto the ground before them, and a startling chill immediately spread in all directions.

Inside the coffin lay a woman with a serene expression, every eyelash clearly visible, as if she were merely asleep—preserved perfectly.

"Look, Mr. Xialun... no, Brave One, I've kept her in perfect condition. She can definitely be revived... That entity had a way to bring her back. You are even more powerful than he is, and you have been revived yourself. You must be able to do it too, right?" Enlaisi stared at Xialun with desperate hope.

His tone was almost pleading: "What conditions do you need to revive her? I'll do anything... even give my life..."

"Her flesh may still be fresh, but her soul has been lost for far too long. She cannot possibly be revived." Aina let out a contemptuous sneer, laying out the cold reality.

"No... You must be lying to me. That entity said he could revive my wife..."

"Even if Aise could use chaotic power to create a soul and stuff it into this body, the one revived would no longer be your wife." Aina unhesitatingly revealed the brutal truth. "That revived existence would not have her memories, her emotions, or anything of hers... Is the only thing you love just a vessel of flesh?"

"Of course... not..." Enlaisi's hands trembled as they pressed against the ice coffin. "This is all false."

Though he denied it vehemently, in his heart, Enlaisi had already come to terms with Aina's words.

"Do you have anything else to say?" Aina looked coldly at the gray-haired man before her, showing no sympathy.

Enlaisi did not answer. He merely bent down, pressing his forehead against the icy coffin lid, like a statue frozen for eternity.

Aina raised her hand.

"What... are you going to do?" Mian, standing behind Xialun, was slightly startled.

Powerful magic gathered in Aina's palm.

"Teacher Enlaisi!" Mian let out a cry of alarm.

Flames erupted, instantly engulfing Enlaisi's figure. The freezing ice coffin could not hold out long in Aina's hands either, evaporating into steam in moments, along with the woman's body inside.

Mian stared blankly at everything before him. It all happened so fast that Enlaisi did not even let out a scream before he was reduced to a pile of ashes on the ground.

"Why..."

Mian's mouth opened slightly, as if letting out a silent roar, but in the end, he could not utter a single word, staring fixedly at the scorch marks on the ground, lost for a long time.

"Let's go."

Aina silently slipped her hand into Xialun's.