🏠 Home

Chapter 123: An Unforgettable First Kiss... For All the Wrong Reasons

As the prisoners picked up weapons, a deafening roar echoed through the chamber. The final guardians of Raven's prison had arrived-massive, armored demons fused with machinery.

Legend's voice boomed in their minds once more.

"This is it. Fight with everything you have!"

Amidst the tension, Grace and Patrick still found ways to bicker.

"Stay out of my way, kitchen man!" Grace snapped.

"As if! You're more dangerous to your own team than the enemy!" Patrick shot back.

Ian, dodging Grace's magical mishaps, watched in amusement.

As the battle raged on, Ian found himself cornered by a group of lesser demons. He barely had time to react when-

"My prince, I'm coming!" Grace suddenly launched toward him, arms wide, eyes closed, aiming for a "heroic" kiss.

Patrick, as always, reacted instinctively-blocking her path.

Smooch!

For a moment, everything froze.

Grace tilted her head, savoring the moment.

"Ahhh, my prince... that was-"

Then she opened her eyes.

"...Wait a minute."

Grace's face turned red-not out of embarrassment, but pure rage.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME, YOU-YOU... KITCHEN DWELLER?!"

Patrick, equally horrified, wiped his lips aggressively.

"ME?! YOU'RE THE ONE WHO JUMPED LIKE A CRAZED LUNATIC! I WAS JUST TRYING TO KEEP YOU OFF IAN!"

Grace grabbed Patrick by his collar, shaking him.

"I WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE MY FIRST KISS WITH MY PRINCE, NOT SOME-SOME-"

"SOME WHAT?! SAY IT! SAY IT!" Patrick yelled back, his face also flushed.

The argument escalated as Grace kept shaking him while Patrick flailed, trying to escape.

Meanwhile, Zack, Jen, and Olive were laughing so hard they could barely stand.

"This is the best thing I've seen all day!" Zack gasped.

"I can't breathe-!" Jen clutched her stomach.

"I knew these two were going to be a problem, but this is next-level!" Olive snorted.

Ian, now completely at peace, turned back to his camera.

"And so, the universe witnesses history. If anyone ever sees Grace clinging to me again, PLEASE report this incident immediately."

Then, just to rub it in, Ian leaned casually against Olive.

"And, just so the entire cosmos knows-this is the only woman for me."

Olive turned red.

"...Idiot."

Then, as expected, she punched Ian's arm.

"Ow!" Ian winced but grinned. "Worth it."

As the laughter died down, the reality of their situation returned.

The final guardians were watching, waiting. The last prisoners, the strongest yet, were ready.

Vera, sword in hand, gave the duo a look.

"As much as I enjoyed that... we have a battle to win."

Patrick and Grace snapped out of it, still glaring at each other.

"Fine," Patrick huffed. "But after this, we're settling this!"

"Oh, we are!" Grace shot back.

With weapons raised, the group prepared.

The battle raged across the final level.

Ian stuck close to Olive, dodging Grace's relentless pursuit. She tried everything-even attempting to magically levitate toward him-but Ian's survival instincts had been honed by now.

"Why don't you just admit fate brought us together?!" Grace pouted.
"Fate had nothing to do with it! BAD luck did!" Ian shot back, dodging behind Olive.

Patrick, watching this unfold mid-battle, sighed.

"She never gives up."

As he flung a kitchen pan at a guardian's head, he muttered under his breath.

"Not that I care anymore... After that 'first kiss' disaster, I can't even dream of marriage."

Grace, mid-spell, suddenly smirked.

"Oh? As if you even WOULD'VE dreamed of that!"

Patrick rolled his eyes.

"You say that, but it was your first kiss too, huh?"

Grace hesitated. Then, with a huff, she waved her hand dismissively.

"I can just ignore it. Let's pretend it never happened."

Hearing that, Patrick launched another utensil at a guardian's head, while Grace fired a binding spell at another, their teamwork surprisingly effective despite the bickering.

Tyra, Vera, Gorin, Blaine, Fuga, Darry, and the others fought with perfect coordination. 

Zack stayed on the move, healing those who needed it.

But then-Patrick's foot tripped on a pebble.

"Huh?"

CRASH.

Patrick's body lurched forward, and he fell face-first right in front of a guardian.

Silence.

Then-

"HAHAHAHAHA!!"

Grace, despite the battle still ongoing, pointed and laughed.

"That was the dumbest fall I've ever seen!"

"Cuz you're a damn witch!" Patrick snapped back from the ground.

Unfortunately, before he could recover-two guardians circled him.

It looked bad.

Then-WHUMP.

Grace tripped mid-air (from trying to lunge at Ian) and landed right next to Patrick.

Patrick's eye twitched.

"...You just fell into the exact same trap."

Grace's face darkened as both of them realized the horror of the situation.

The two guardians now had them completely surrounded.

The other prisoners paused, hesitating.

"Should we... even bother?" one muttered.

"They kinda deserve this." another said.

"We might get killed saving them."

A few turned to Ian squad.

"Maybe we should cut our losses."

The battle raged on, but for Patrick and Grace, the world had shrunk to just the two merciless guardians before them.

Patrick gritted his teeth.

"No one's gonna save us. We're on our own."

Grace's breathing grew erratic. Her hands shook as she desperately fired fire, nature and aqua spells-but the attacks barely scratched the guardians' armor.

"N-No! No, no, no!!" she sobbed. "I don't wanna die here!"

She stumbled backward, trying to retreat, but there was nowhere to go.

"HELP! Someone, ANYONE!"

Patrick exhaled sharply. He didn't panic-because he couldn't afford to.

With his back against hers, he held up his frying pan, blocking an incoming slash. The force of the impact rattled his arms.

"Quit whining!" he barked. "No one's coming! Either fight or DIE!"

Grace tried again, firing a burst of binding magic at the guardian in front of her-but it simply shrugged it off.

"WHY ISN'T IT WORKING?!"

The guardian moved on her-its blade gleaming, raised to strike.

Grace froze.

"I-I'm gonna die-"

CLANG!

At the last second, Patrick dove in front of her, raising his frying pan as a shield.

The force drove him to his knees, but he held firm.

Grace stared, wide-eyed.

"Y-You...?!"

Patrick, panting, glared at her.

"Shut up and focus."

The other guardian closed in.

Patrick gritted his teeth, holding his ground. He could feel his arms trembling under the sheer force of the guardian's attack, but he refused to let go.

Behind him, Grace stared in shock.

"Why...? Why would you protect me?" she asked, voice shaking. "I laughed at you when you tripped and fell toward them! I made fun of you, even though you were in danger!"

Patrick didn't even hesitate.

"That doesn't matter to me."

Grace blinked.

"H-Huh...?"

"I can't leave someone vulnerable to die alone." Patrick's voice was firm, unwavering. "At least, not when everyone else has abandoned them."

Grace's lips parted slightly. Before she could respond-

"MOVE!" Patrick shouted.

She barely had time to react as the second guardian lunged toward them from behind, its weapon raised to strike at Patrick's unguarded back.

Grace's instincts kicked in. With a quick motion, she threw up a magical barrier, the transparent energy blocking the blade just in time.

Patrick's eyes widened in shock.

"You-?"

Grace smirked, though her face was still pale.

"I just returned the favor."

Patrick exhaled sharply.

"That means we're even."

The two locked eyes for just a second, before they turned their focus back to the fight.

Despite their teamwork, the guardians were relentless. Every swing of their massive weapons shook the ground around them. Patrick's frying pan was battered and bent, barely holding together. Grace's magic was running low, her barriers and spells weaker with each attempt.

"Damn it... I'm at my limit," Patrick muttered, his light skin was bruised like the scar on his face.

"Me too," Grace admitted, panting, sweat dripping from her dark skin.

Then, it happened.

The guardians struck simultaneously, their enhanced weapons slamming into Patrick and Grace with crushing force.

BAM!

The two were sent flying, collapsing onto the cold stone floor.

Patrick tried to move-but his body refused to listen.

Grace lay beside him, her breathing shallow.

Above them, the two guardians stood in satisfaction, slowly raising their weapons. Dark energy swirled around them, the ominous glow signaling an impending finishing blow.

Grace, still gasping for breath, turned her head toward Patrick.

"It's over... isn't it?" she whispered.

Patrick stared at the ceiling, expression blank.

"...Yeah." He exhaled. "Guess my life's over too."

Then, despite everything, he let out a small, dry laugh.

"Coincidentally, I even got my first kiss before dying. Not that I'm proud of it."

Grace snorted weakly.

"Same here."

She grinned, though there was a tinge of bitterness in her smile.

"In the dying moments... I guess there's nothing left to hate."

A moment of silence passed between them.

Then, Patrick did something unexpected.

He reached out and held Grace's hand.

Her eyes widened in surprise.

"You must've been lonely."

Her breath hitched.

"...What?"

Patrick didn't look at her. His voice was calm but carried a weight of understanding.

"After everything, I get it. You didn't just act clingy to Ian for no reason."

Grace bit her lip. A lump formed in her throat.

"After I got the news that my planet, Mystra, was destroyed..." she whispered. "I knew I was completely alone in the universe."

Tears welled in her eyes.

"Even before that,I was tortured for three years... all of them leading to nothing but loneliness."

Patrick remained silent, letting her speak.

"Then... I saw Ian." She laughed weakly. "I thought... fate brought me to him. That if I clung to him, he'd hug me and comfort me. That maybe, just maybe... I wouldn't feel so alone anymore."

Patrick squeezed her hand slightly.

"But he avoided you."

She nodded, tears slipping down her cheeks.

"Yeah... the more he pushed me away, the more I wanted to cling to him. Even after knowing he already had someone he liked... I couldn't stop myself."

Patrick closed his eyes for a moment.

"I get it."

Grace turned her head toward him.

"You... do?"

Patrick finally looked at her.

"I was tortured for five years." His voice was quiet. "And when I heard my planet, Yumeria, was destroyed... I knew I was truly alone."

Grace gasped.

"You too...?"

Patrick gave a tired chuckle.

"Yeah. But after they rescued me... I felt hope again. That maybe... I wasn't completely alone."

Grace stared at him, realization dawning.

"Then... why did you keep pushing me away from Ian?"

Patrick sighed.

"Because I didn't want you to regret it later."

Grace's eyes widened.

"What...?"

Patrick tightened his grip on her hand.

"I could tell-you weren't in love with Ian. You were just... desperate for someone to hold onto. But the thing is... Ian already gave his heart to someone else."

Grace's lips quivered.

"I-I knew that... but-"

"If you kept going down that path, you would've only hurt yourself more."

Patrick shook his head.

"So I had to stop you. Not just for Ian's sake... but for yours too."

Grace felt something deep inside her crack.

For the first time, she truly saw Patrick-not as an annoyance, but as someone who had been looking out for her all along.

Her vision blurred as more tears fell.

"Patrick... I... I'm sorry..."

She suddenly clung to him, sobbing.

"I was so selfish... I didn't think about what I was doing... I'm so sorry...!"

Patrick stiffened for a moment. Then, slowly, he wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly.

"It's okay," he murmured. "I get it."

What started as a simple act of comfort... felt like something they both needed.

A moment of understanding.

A moment of connection.

But above them-the guardians were ready.

Their weapons glowed with dark energy.

This was it.

Their final moment.

Patrick and Grace shut their eyes, bracing themselves for the end.