Silvia Doesn't Want to Be Alone Anymore

"Servia, my child, you will be the pride of Clawphire!"

Servia worked hard.

She always had.

With every ounce of her being.

From childhood, her father saw her as the family's glory, teaching her to protect the people of their domain.

Servia lived up to those expectations, striving relentlessly, supported by her family, until she shone as the brightest emerald—even earning the king's recognition.

The coronation of honor.

The unwavering support of her family.

The adoration of the people.

Servia could never forget those beautiful days.

Until disaster struck.

In an instant, her life shattered, twisting into something unrecognizable.

"Kill you... kill you... protect... Servia..."

Her parents became undead.

Their voices, hoarse with their final breaths.

Servia tried so hard—hard not to cry, though no tears came. She gripped her familiar sword once more, granting her parents release.

Alone, she buried their remains.

Alone, she wandered into a world a thousand years beyond her time.

Alone, she endured.

Servia truly gave everything.

Knowing people feared her appearance, she donned armor to hide her face, silently guarding their safety.

Even now, when Clawphire no longer existed, she upheld the knight's oath, preserving the honor of the Clawphire family.

She didn’t want to disappoint her parents.

She didn’t want to disappoint the little girl who once cheered for tales of heroes.

But... she was so tired.

Dirt crumbled around her. The stench of decay filled the air. Broken blades of grass clung to her battered armor.

Servia couldn’t rise again.

The headless knight loomed, its bone spear poised for the final strike. She could only lie still in the pit, waiting for death.

She was exhausted.

Too exhausted to keep fighting.

Too exhausted to go on alone.

The hero Servia was just a coward—afraid of loneliness, drowning herself in action to numb the pain.

"Father... Mother..."

"I... really wasn’t cut out to be a hero..."

Whoosh!

The spear descended, a lethal flash of bone and malice. The wind howled as the unstoppable strike aimed to obliterate her skull.

Servia had no strength left to move.

As death approached, fleeting thoughts crossed her mind—had the villagers escaped in time? Would her parents blame her? Would the Wizard remember her?

She was so tired.

She just wanted to sleep.

She didn’t want to be alone anymore.

BOOM!!!

A deafening explosion erupted.

Dust and debris surged skyward, followed by a violent gale. The headless knight’s skeletal frame was hurled into the air, disintegrating into ash before it could even land.

Then, footsteps.

Steady. Calm.

A hand reached down, gripping hers firmly, pulling her up.

"I suppose I’m late, Servia."

A familiar voice—simple, casual, yet laced with quiet regret.

Ah...

Was this real?

Would she not die alone after all?

Servia’s face—the half still human—trembled. Her eyes shimmered, transforming into the brilliant emerald gems Xu Xi knew so well.

Even with her face marred, Xu Xi could see the radiance in her smile.

"Not at all, Lord Wizard."

"Thank you... for saving me again."

...

[Having advanced to a Second-Circle Wizard, your speed far surpassed what it once was.]

[You rode the Nether Raven, racing back to Clawphire with all haste, deeply concerned that Servia’s strength wouldn’t be enough to withstand the tide of undead.]

[Twenty days later, you arrived at the Clawphire domain.]

[Your fears were confirmed.]

[Under the influence of the Dark Tide, even the remote lands of Clawphire had been overrun by tens of thousands of undead, including high-tier entities like the Headless Knight.]

[For Servia Clawphire, such foes were overwhelming.]

[Her power was limited.]

[Her training, brief.]

[She stood no chance against the undead horde.]

[At the brink of death, you arrived in time, rescuing the lone warrior.]

[You decided to act—to eradicate this wave of undead, both to harvest soulflame and to aid the weakened Servia.]

"Servia, you should rest."

"...No, Lord Wizard. I can still fight."

"Are you certain?"

"...Please believe in me, Lord Wizard."

Xu Xi intended to handle the undead alone.

But Servia refused.

She raised her sword once more, insisting on fighting alongside him.

Unable to dissuade her, Xu Xi relented, assigning her to clear out the weaker skeletons.

It was strange.

After such a prolonged battle, she should have been too exhausted to move.

Yet with Xu Xi’s arrival, her will to fight reignited.

"Then, I’ll handle the rest."

Xu Xi gazed into the distance.

Countless undead shambled through the forest, their slow but relentless march crushing all hope of survival.

The sky behind them was dominated by a black sun, casting an aura of despair.

"At the First-Circle, I’d have had no choice but to retreat with Servia."

"But now... things are different."

Amidst the damp, rotting earth, Xu Xi stood calmly as the undead approached. A thick tome materialized in his hand, its pages flipping rapidly—prepared spells etched within.

Second-Circle Sorcery: Undead Revival.

Second-Circle Sorcery: Corpse Detonation.

A miracle unfolded.

The scattered bones littering the ground reassembled under an unseen force.

One skeleton rose. Then another. And another. Until a hundred stood, charging headlong into the Dark Tide.

Boom!

Of course, a mere hundred skeletons couldn’t halt tens of thousands.

But when those skeletons exploded—the tide of battle shifted instantly.

"Corpse Detonation isn’t overwhelmingly powerful, but against ordinary undead, it’s perfectly suited."

Xu Xi nodded slightly, satisfied with the devastation.

Once the erosion of the Wizard World deepened, the undead would grow stronger. By then, Corpse Detonation would lose its effectiveness.

But by that time—Xu Xi would have newer, deadlier sorceries at his disposal.

...

[Your relentless training bore fruit. With your intervention, the undead assault on Clawphire was swiftly suppressed.]

[You reaped great rewards—gratitude from countless souls and an abundance of soulflame.]

[Servia was astonished by your power.]

[The decade-spanning undead tide, meant to annihilate Clawphire, was thwarted by your efforts.]

[Days later, you eradicated the final wave of undead.]

[Servia expressed her gratitude.]

[Servia stared at the empty land, lost in thought.]

[After the undead onslaught, the domain lay in ruins. The villagers, their fragile sense of security shattered, no longer believed the hero could protect them.]

[They fled—seeking refuge in towns with stronger defenses.]