Chapter 43: Under the Full Moon of Black Mountain
The war was over.
After years of bloodshed, countless battles, and endless suffering, silence had finally descended upon the world.
The screams that once shook the heavens had vanished.
The roar of armies had faded.
The clash of blades and the cries of dying soldiers no longer echoed across the lands.
Everything had come to an end.
The Demon General Kajkha was dead.
The demon army had been annihilated.
Humanity had survived.
Peace had finally returned.
Yet despite all of that-
Vlox was not happy.
High above the world, standing beneath a sky filled with countless stars, Vlox silently gazed toward the horizon.
The night was calm.
Too calm.
A gentle breeze flowed through the air.
The moon hung high above the world, bathing everything in silver light.
Beside him floated Astraith.
The beautiful dragon who had remained by his side through countless ages.
Her long silver hair danced gently in the wind.
The moonlight illuminated her flawless face, making her appear almost ethereal.
She followed Vlox’s gaze.
And her expression slowly softened.
Because she knew exactly what he was looking at.
Black Mountain.
Or rather-
What remained of it.
The mountain that had once stood proudly against the sky was gone.
The forests surrounding it had disappeared.
The rivers had evaporated.
The valleys had been reduced to barren wastelands.
The scars of war stretched endlessly across the land.
And at the center of the destruction-
The castle.
Their home.
The castle Vlox had personally built for Astraith.
The castle where they had spent countless years together.
The castle where laughter, happiness, and precious memories had been created.
It no longer existed.
Not even a single stone remained.
The battlefield had consumed everything.
For several minutes, neither of them spoke.
They simply stared at the ruins below.
The cold wind passed quietly between them.
Finally, Astraith broke the silence.
"It’s okay, Vlox."
Her voice was soft.
Gentle.
Comforting.
The same voice that had calmed him countless times before.
"Please calm down."
She looked toward the destroyed mountain.
A faint smile appeared on her face.
"You can rebuild everything."
"The mountain."
"The forests."
"The rivers."
"The castle."
"You can restore all of it in less than a second."
She turned toward him.
Her golden eyes reflected concern.
"So why are you still angry?"
"You already killed Kajkha."
"You annihilated every demon responsible for this."
"The war is over."
"Humanity survived."
"Everything is finally peaceful."
She gently touched his arm.
"So please calm down."
For a moment, Vlox remained silent.
His crimson eyes continued staring at the ruins.
The endless destruction reflected within them.
Then he finally spoke.
"Astraith..."
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
And that calmness carried a sadness that Astraith rarely heard.
"It’s not about the castle."
Astraith blinked.
Vlox slowly turned his head toward her.
"It’s about the time we spent together in that castle."
The dragon froze.
Vlox looked back toward the horizon.
His voice became quieter.
"You are right."
"I can rebuild Black Mountain."
"I can recreate every tree."
"Every flower."
"Every river."
"Every stone."
"I can restore the castle exactly as it was."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"But can I rebuild the memories?"
Astraith’s eyes widened slightly.
"The moments we shared."
"The emotions we felt."
"The happiness we experienced."
"Can those things be recreated as easily as a building?"
Silence returned.
The moon continued shining above them.
The ruined mountain remained below.
And Astraith found herself unable to answer.
Because she understood.
Perfectly.
Anyone else would only see a destroyed castle.
But Vlox saw something far more precious.
He saw memories.
Years of memories.
Centuries of memories.
Moments that could never be repeated.
Vlox slowly closed his eyes.
And for the first time since the war ended-
His thoughts drifted into the past.
"I still remember the first day you moved into the castle."
Astraith blinked.
A faint smile appeared on Vlox’s face.
"You spent three entire days exploring every room."
The dragon immediately looked away.
"Because the castle was huge."
"You got lost."
"I did not."
"You got lost seven times."
"I DID NOT."
"You literally cried because you couldn’t find your bedroom."
Astraith’s face instantly turned red.
"THAT HAPPENED ONCE!"
Vlox laughed.
A genuine laugh.
Astraith folded her arms and looked away.
Yet a smile slowly appeared on her lips.
Because she remembered it too.
The castle had been enormous.
Vlox had built it specifically for her.
Every room.
Every hallway.
Every garden.
Everything had been created with care.
And she had indeed gotten lost.
Many times.
Astraith tried to remain serious.
But eventually-
She laughed too.
The sound echoed through the night.
For a brief moment, the sadness disappeared.
Then Vlox continued.
"Do you remember the day I went hunting in Black Mountain Forest?"
The moment those words left his mouth-
Astraith froze.
"Oh no."
Vlox’s smile widened.
"Oh yes."
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Absolutely yes."
Astraith immediately knew where this conversation was heading.
And she hated it.
Because it was one of the most embarrassing memories of her life.
Vlox chuckled.
"I left for only a few hours."
"You thought I abandoned you."
"I DID NOT."
"You cried."
"I DID NOT."
"You cried so much that your eyes became swollen."
Astraith’s face exploded into crimson.
"VLOX!"
Vlox ignored her.
Instead, he continued speaking.
"When I finally returned."
"You jumped on me."
"You wrapped your arms around my neck."
"And refused to let go."
Astraith covered her face with both hands.
She wished the moon would disappear.
She wished reality itself would collapse.
Anything would be better than hearing this story again.
Vlox laughed softly.
"You kept saying"
"’Don’t leave me.’"
"’Don’t disappear.’"
"’Don’t go away again.’"
Astraith immediately punched his shoulder.
"STOP TALKING!"
The punch accomplished absolutely nothing.
Of course.
Nothing in existence could damage Vlox.
But that wasn’t the point.
Vlox smiled.
"My cute wife became red again."
"How adorable."
Astraith wanted to argue.
Wanted to deny everything.
Wanted to hit him again.
But she couldn’t.
Because it was true.
Every word.
At the time, she had genuinely believed Vlox had abandoned her.
And the fear she felt had been overwhelming.
The memory made her want to hide forever.
Yet strangely-
It also made her smile.
Because it reminded her of how much she cared about him.
How much he meant to her.
Slowly, the embarrassment faded.
And warmth replaced it.
The warmth of precious memories.
Then Vlox spoke again.
"Do you remember the winter storm?"
Astraith’s eyes softened.
The winter storm.
Of course she remembered.
A blizzard unlike anything the world had ever seen.
The entire mountain had frozen.
The castle had been buried beneath snow.
And despite possessing enough power to erase the storm instantly-
They had chosen not to.
Instead, they spent the entire week together inside the castle.
Reading books.
Cooking food.
Watching the snowfall through the windows.
Simply enjoying each other’s company.
Astraith smiled.
"One year had passed since that day."
"And."
"You burned the soup."
Vlox blinked.
"That happened once."
"You burned it three times."
"I was experimenting."
"You almost destroyed the kitchen."
"It survived."
"Because I repaired it."
Vlox laughed.
Astraith laughed too.
More memories followed.
One after another.
The time Vlox accidentally created hundreds of floating fish inside the castle.
The time Astraith tried to learn human cooking and nearly poisoned herself.
The time they spent an entire month watching meteor showers from the rooftop.
The time Astraith fell asleep while reading and woke up three days later.
The time Vlox built a giant garden just because she said she liked flowers.
The memories continued endlessly.
Each one bringing warmth.
Each one making them smile.
And as they remembered-
The ruined castle below no longer felt empty.
Because the castle had never truly been about stone walls.
Or towers.
Or gardens.
It had been about them.
Their lives.
Their happiness.
Their bond.
After a long while, silence returned.
A comfortable silence.
Astraith looked down at the ruins.
Then she quietly asked,
"If you could restore it right now..."
Vlox looked at her.
"...would you?"
Vlox stared at the destroyed mountain.
For several moments, he said nothing.
Then he slowly shook his head.
"Not yet."
Astraith blinked.
"Why?"
Vlox smiled faintly.
"Because I want to remember it like this for a little longer."
She looked confused.
Vlox continued.
"This destruction is proof that those memories existed."
"It proves that the castle was real."
"It proves we spent our lives there."
"If I rebuild everything immediately..."
His gaze softened.
"It would feel as though none of this ever happened."
Astraith stared at him.
Then slowly-
She understood.
And her heart warmed.
Because only Vlox would think that way.
The being who could create universes with a thought.
The being who stood beyond existence itself.
Yet he cherished something as simple as memories.
Astraith stepped forward.
Without hesitation.
Without speaking.
She wrapped her arms around him.
And rested her head against his chest.
Vlox looked down.
His expression softened immediately.
Slowly, he wrapped his arms around her.
Pulling her closer.
Neither of them spoke.
Words were unnecessary.
The moon shone brightly above them.
The stars illuminated the endless sky.
The cool breeze flowed around them.
And below them-
The ruins of Black Mountain waited silently.
For the first time since the war ended-
Vlox felt his anger fade away.
Not because the castle could be rebuilt.
Not because the mountain could be restored.
But because the most important thing had survived.
Astraith.
The person who shared those memories.
The person who transformed a castle into a home.
The person who remained beside him through every joy and every sorrow.
Astraith slowly tightened her embrace.
A faint smile appeared on Vlox’s face.
Then he gently kissed the top of her head.
The dragon instantly froze.
Her face turned bright red.
Again.
Yet this time-
She did not complain.
She did not punch him.
She simply smiled.
And hugged him tighter.
As if she never wanted to let go.
Above them, the moon illuminated the world with silver light.
Below them, the ruins rested peacefully.
And between heaven and earth-
The two remained together.
Holding each other beneath the night sky.
As they had done countless times before.
And as they would continue to do for countless years to come.
For castles could be destroyed.
Mountains could crumble.
Stars could die.
Universes could disappear.
Even entire realities could vanish.
Yet some things endured beyond all of them.
Some things were stronger than time.
Stronger than destruction.
Stronger than death itself.
The bond between Vlox and Astraith.
A bond forged through countless memories.
Countless moments of happiness.
And beneath the full moon of Black Mountain-
That bond shone brighter than any star in existence.
Brighter than any universe.
Brighter than eternity itself.