Chapter 1589 - 224 - Titania’s Regret (4)
"So, thou seekest mine aid after all, dost thou?" Lilith asked with a faint, knowing smile resting upon her lips.
Once again, I found myself standing within that same endless white space where I had met her so many times before throughout everything that had happened.
The entire place stretched on in every direction, completely white from one end to the other, and no matter how many times I came here, I simply couldn’t grow accustomed to the sight before me. There were no walls, no horizon, no ceiling, and nothing that truly separated the sky from the ground. It honestly felt like I had been dropped into an endless blank canvas where direction itself had simply stopped existing.
For some reason, Lilith had chosen to appear in her MILF form today instead of any of the countless other appearances she could have taken.
Truthfully, I had absolutely no idea why she had decided to look like this today, though knowing her, there was probably a reason hidden somewhere behind that smile of hers.
Then the memory finally came back to me.
Before going to sleep, I had asked Lilith if we could meet here.
She must have granted that request without me even realizing it, because I had already drifted into this strange realm before I knew what was happening.
"Tell me," I said while meeting her gaze. "Is there anything at all that can be done about the King’s condition?"
Lilith quietly studied my face for several moments before a gentle smile slowly spread across her own.
"Dost thou truly believe that natural death may be undone?" she asked with surprising calmness.
Her question lingered in my mind for a brief moment before I managed to respond.
"Natural death?" I
"Thou possessest the ability to perceive life force, dost thou not?" she replied. "Surely thou hast already seen that his life force standeth upon the very brink of extinction. Imagine a candle whose wax hath long since melted away until naught remaineth save the frail flame clinging unto the wick. Even that final spark shall soon be swallowed by darkness, and none may preserve it forever."
I quietly lowered my gaze while thinking over everything she had just told me.
"So... you’re saying nothing can be done to save him after all?"
"If natural death hath claimed him already, then the span of life bestowed upon him hath simply reached its rightful conclusion. Such an ending cannot be reversed merely because another desireth it."
I remained silent for several long moments while trying to accept that answer.
"What if I transferred some of my life force to him?" I finally asked. "I’ve got more life force than almost anyone else, don’t I? If I shared some of it with him, then maybe I could keep him alive a little longer. Besides, doesn’t my semen transfer my own life force to other people? If I used that, then maybe..."
Lilith slowly shook her head before I could finish explaining my idea.
"That path shall avail thee nothing, mine child," she answered gently. "Have I not already spoken of this unto thee before? His body falleth not because of poison, disease, nor curse. He draweth near the end ordained by the natural order itself. Whatsoever thou attemptest shall not alter the destination that awaiteth him. His appointed hour hath already arrived, and no abundance of life force shall overturn the decree of nature."
Those words left me completely speechless.
Silence gradually settled between us once again, though this time it felt heavier than before.
Part of me had genuinely hoped that Lilith would reveal some impossible method capable of saving the King despite everything.
After all, she was the Great Black.
If someone like her couldn’t find a solution, then who possibly could?
Apparently, that hope had been nothing more than wishful thinking on my part.
Reality simply wasn’t kind enough to hand out miracles whenever people wished for them.
"I would have thee cast aside thy sorrow," Lilith said in a voice that remained as calm and gentle as ever.
Her expression never changed, yet there was warmth behind those eyes that made her words feel strangely comforting despite everything.
"People who dwell within this world shall come and depart, even as those who inhabit countless other worlds beyond this one. Such hath ever been the order established since the beginning."
She slowly looked toward the endless white horizon surrounding us before continuing.
"Life and death exist together so that balance may endure. Mortals are born, they live as they are meant to, and in time they return unto the cycle from whence they came. Such is neither cruelty nor kindness. It is merely the law by which creation endureth."
Her voice carried neither sadness nor joy.
It simply carried acceptance born from witnessing countless ages pass before her eyes.
"Were death removed from this world," she continued, "the balance would shatter beyond repair. Mortals would continue multiplying without end until the lands could sustain them no longer. Food would vanish. Resources would wither. Kingdoms would descend into endless conflict, and people would slaughter one another merely to claim enough to survive another day."
Listening to her explanation, I couldn’t really deny that it made perfect sense.
Humans had been given relatively short lifespans.
Meanwhile, races capable of living for hundreds or even thousands of years reproduced far less frequently than ordinary humans ever could.
Everything had been designed that way to preserve balance across the world instead of allowing one race to completely overwhelm everything else.
Looking at it from that perspective, I honestly couldn’t find any flaw in her reasoning.
Understanding something logically, however, didn’t automatically make it easier to accept emotionally.
Deep down, I still wished there were something, anything, that I could do for the King before his time finally came to an end.
Lilith quietly looked back toward me before speaking once more.
"Thou needest only perform one final duty."
I slowly lifted my head to meet her eyes again.
"Bid him farewell with sincerity."
Her gentle smile became just a little warmer than before.
"Thereafter, remain beside his daughter and guard her well. Mine heart telleth me that such is the wish he holdeth above all others."
Her words settled deep inside my mind before the surrounding world gradually began fading away.
The endless white landscape slowly dissolved into nothingness around me until it completely disappeared from sight.
Before I even realized what was happening, my eyes slowly opened.
I remained lying there for several quiet moments while staring up at the ceiling above me before letting out a slow, tired breath that seemed to carry away everything weighing on my heart.
Eventually, I pushed myself out of bed and quietly made my way toward the door.
As soon as I stepped outside, I immediately saw Titania standing directly in front of my room as though she had been waiting there for quite some time.
One look at her face was enough to tell me everything I needed to know.
Her eyes were swollen and red.
Tear stains remained across her cheeks, and it looked like she had cried almost the entire way here without ever managing to stop.
"I’m sorry," I said softly while walking toward her. "I don’t want you to carry all of this by yourself. You shouldn’t have to face something this painful alone."
The moment those words left my mouth, she immediately stepped forward without saying a single thing.
She wrapped both of her arms tightly around me as though she were afraid I might disappear if she let go.
Then she buried her face against my chest and quietly began sobbing, allowing every emotion she had been desperately trying to hold back to finally spill out all at once.