The Fated Sword: The Duke's Second Life

Chapter 2

Her trembling hand touched Maxwell's cheek, wiping away the blood staining his face. Tears streamed down her cheeks.

Then her eyes slowly closed.

Her hand slipped from his face as she released the last breath remaining in her body.

Her body grew cold in the arms of the man who had only just realized what true loss meant.

"Li...ora..."

Maxwell tried to scream, but his voice was swallowed by the raging flames.

That night, beneath the snow that had turned to ash, two broken souls disappeared into the whispering wind as ashes and glowing embers danced through the air.

Liora's body lay across him, lifeless and still. The ends of her hair were burned, and blood from her wounds dripped onto Maxwell's cheek.

The blood was warm.

It was the only thing that still made him feel alive.

"Liora..." he whispered, barely able to make a sound.

He touched his wife's gentle face, feeling it slowly grow cold.

"You should have saved yourself. My body is already filled with poison. I can't survive..."

He closed his eyes, holding her lifeless body tightly.

"Let's go and meet our child together..."

Maxwell looked toward the sky, surrendering to the final moments of his life.

Snow continued falling through the flames, but it was not enough to extinguish the fire consuming the castle.

Then, amid the chaos, Maxwell thought he saw something gleaming between the charred ancestral plaques.

His eyes were already closing.

Yet he could still see it.

His sword.

The silver sword bearing the emblem of the Maxwell family floated in the middle of the chamber. Part of its blade and its golden engravings had begun to melt beneath the intense heat.

Slowly, its light reached toward him.

Maxwell struggled to raise one hand.

When his fingers finally touched the faint reflection of light coming from the sword, the world trembled.

The ringing of metal echoed throughout the chamber as the sword suddenly blazed with dazzling golden light.

Maxwell forced his eyes open and stared toward the sword, which continued glowing among the flames.

He clenched his fist and closed his eyes.

In the blink of an eye, the sword flew into his hand as though pulled by an immense magnetic force.

Maxwell opened his eyes in shock.

He stared at the cracked blade, which still reflected the light of the flames.

Yet the fire did not burn his hand.

Instead, an inexplicable freshness suddenly spread throughout his body.

"I swear..."

His voice was low, almost like a prayer.

"...If there is a second life, I will atone for every mistake I made against you, Liora. Even if I have to trade my own soul for it."

The wind suddenly began to swirl violently, lifting ashes and embers into a vortex as though helping him fulfill his oath.

The sky above the castle changed from crimson to pitch black. Snow spiraled upward like a storm, twisting together with the flames.

Then a deep voice echoed inside his mind.

It did not belong to the mortal world.

It did not belong to any human being.

"You seek a chance... to correct your mistakes?"

Maxwell froze.

He looked around, but there was nothing except darkness and emptiness. Realizing that the voice was coming from within his own mind, he closed his eyes.

Yet his body suddenly felt strangely light.

"Am I already dead? Where is Liora? Where is my child?"

The voice came again, closer this time, colder than before.

"Every sword has a destiny. The sword of your ancestors has chosen you, Maxwell. But every resurrection comes with a price."

The voice continued, its weight pressing against his soul.

"This sword can grant only one wish. You were supposed to protect the Great Maxwell Family from destruction like this. You cannot change history, but you can change your life."

There was a pause.

"In return, you will be cursed in the eighteenth realm of hell."

Maxwell swallowed hard.

Tears mixed with blood as they slid down his cheeks.

"I don't care... Even if I have to bear every curse in the world, as long as I can correct my mistakes toward Liora... I am willing."

"Then accept your curse."

The sword in his hand began to tremble violently.

Red light erupted from the cracks in the blade, illuminating the entire chamber with a deafening explosion.

Maxwell screamed, but his voice disappeared into the blinding light.

His body rose into the air and was pulled into the violently swirling vortex.

He felt fire, cold, and blood merge into something else entirely, a single invisible force.

Within the haze of light, Liora's figure appeared once again.

She stood before him wearing a long white hanfu that seemed to glow softly. A flower crown rested upon her head, while her long hair flowed freely in the wind.

"Liora?"

Liora smilled.

Her face was peaceful.

Her eyes were filled with the warmth he had once taken for granted.

"Maxwell..."

Her voice was as gentle as a whisper carried by the winter wind.

"If you truly love me, then live. Don't let this death be meaningless."

Maxwell reached for her hand, but the light surrounding Liora began to fade.

"Don't leave me again..."

His voice broke.

"Liora..."

She smiled gently, tears shimmering in her eyes.

"I will never leave. I will always be part of your destiny..."

Liora's body dissolved into light and merged with the sword, which now shone brighter than ever before.

"LIORA!"

Maxwell screamed, caught between loss and rebirth, as an unbearable pain tore through his body. It felt as though every part of him were being ripped apart and shattered.

The world collapsed around him.

Then came a long silence.

...

The air changed.

The cold of the snow was replaced by the warmth of the morning sun.

Light filtered through his eyelids, accompanied by the soft chirping of birds outside the window.

Maxwell woke with a gasp, his body drenched in sweat and his breathing ragged.

He looked around. Wooden walls? White silk curtains?

A carved table beside the bed.

This place...

He knew it.

This was his room.

He touched his chest and felt the strong, steady beat of his heart.

There were no wounds.

No blood, no fire.

"I...?"