Dark Magus Returns

Chapter 1769  A New Home

This delicate approach was exactly what Rayna thought was best. She wanted to carefully drop hints, or perhaps gently plant the seed in his mind, that returning to Pagna was the better choice for him. She wanted him to realize that absolutely anything he needed here in Alterian, he could easily get or come back to visit later.

"Well, you're right about that," Raze replied, his tone thoughtful as they strolled through the tranquil park. "But if I did come back to visit Alterian, I would have to wait a whole, agonizing month before I could use the Golden Globe to go back to Pagna again."

"I'll come with you," Rayna blurted out instantly, her eyes wide with earnest determination. "I can easily come with you! Whenever you visit, if you ever get bored or if you just need someone to speak to... I'll be right there."

Hearing those desperate, sincere words, Raze couldn't help but stop walking. A genuine, soft smile broke across his face. Even if their union had originally started as a strict political marriage of convenience, now that his mind wasn't entirely consumed by the shadow of the Grand Magus anymore, the fog was lifting. He was clearly starting to remember exactly how fiercely Rayna had stuck up for him over their long journey.

She had even willingly married him for the sheer sake of saving him from her own father's wrath at the time. Although part of that loyalty was because Raze had saved her life first, she—as well as the rest of his allies—had undeniably done him far more favors than he deserved. And they had done so completely selflessly, rather than operating with a dark, hidden agenda like he had.

"Well, I wasn't exactly saying it like that," Raze chuckled softly, shaking his head. "More so, I was just thinking that there really isn't much left for me to do at—"

Before Raze even realized what was happening, his hand had been firmly grabbed by Rayna. She pulled him in abruptly, closing the distance between them. A second later, he felt it—her soft lips pressing urgently and desperately against his.

For a fleeting moment, Raze was completely frozen in shock. His eyes widened. But as the warmth of the gesture sank in, the tension in his shoulders finally melted away. He decided to just close his eyes, wrapping his hand gently around her waist, and allowed himself to truly enjoy the quiet, tender moment... until she suddenly pulled away, gasping for air.

"I'm so, so sorry!" Rayna stammered, her face instantly turning bright, burning red as she took a panicked step back. "I... I just started to go into an absolute panic! I was so incredibly worried that you might actually choose to stay here in Alterian to rule, and then I would just never, ever see you again."

She wrung her hands together, her words tumbling out in a frantic rush.

"So I thought... I thought, if I really don't ever see you again after today, then I should at least be brave and do what I really want to do for once. And what I really wanted to do at that exact moment... was kiss you. But then my mind started racing! I started to think about Sabrina, and how her grave is not that far away, and I wondered how far we had walked until this wasn't considered horribly rude! But maybe... just maybe, if I finally showed you that there was someone right here who deeply cared about you... that there was someone who actually wanted you around... then maybe, you would choose to come back to Pagna and stay with us."

She had finally said it. After agonizing all day trying to think of the absolute perfect, calculated way to say things, she had completely ruined her own plan. She had acted on pure impulse, blurted out the desperate words that were meant to be kept safely locked in her head, and laid her heart completely bare. But she had finally said exactly what she wanted.

Raze looked at her flustered, beautiful face and let out a warm laugh.

"If you had just let me finish my sentence a minute ago," Raze said, his voice incredibly tender. "What I was actually going to say is... that there isn't really much of anything left for me here in Alterian. There is Sabrina, yes, but she finally needs to rest. It's been a very long time since she has had to watch over me. And honestly, visiting her every single month... I can easily imagine she would think my constant brooding is quite a pain as well."

He stepped closer, gently taking her trembling hands in his own.

"Rayna... I never had any intentions of staying in Alterian. I was always planning to go back home with you. That's exactly why I came to the cemetery today—to ask Sabrina to forgive me, because I won't be seeing her too much anymore."

Hearing those incredible words, the anxiety instantly vanished from Rayna's chest. She practically ran forward and threw her arms tightly around Raze's waist, burying her face into his chest.

"You have a really, really great wife in there," Rayna whispered, her voice muffled against his coat but thick with emotion. "I just hope... one day, you talk the exact same way about me. Or at least, I hope you care for me half as much as you care about her."

Raze gently stroked her hair, holding her close in the quiet park.

After spending some quiet, much-needed time together, Raze and Rayna eventually made their way back to the hotel. They quickly regrouped with the others and headed out as a large, boisterous party to a fully booked-out, luxurious restaurant right in the heart of the capital. Absolutely all of those who had fought beside and truly knew the Dark Magus were proudly present for the grand feast.

There were the esteemed representatives from the River Moon Guild, raising their glasses in toasts. The protected students from the Central Academy were there, laughing alongside some of their surviving professors. And filling the grand table were their closest allies—Alen, Aurora, Kelly, and Londo—all sharing stories and breaking bread.

It was an incredibly joyous, triumphant evening for them all to deeply enjoy. They didn't dwell on the bloodshed of the past; instead, they talked excitedly about the positives, the peace they had earned, and the sweeping, bright changes planned for the future of the world.

Then, finally, the dawn came. It was the very last day, and those heading back from Alterian were packing their gear and getting ready to leave.

The Alterian council had generously allowed them to use a spectacular, specialized venue point—a grand hall typically reserved for royal weddings and high-end company events within the luxury hotel. In the center of the lavish room, the Golden Globe was activated. The swirling, glowing dimensional portal had been successfully opened.

The armored Pagna warriors were cheering as they went in first, stepping boldly through the gateway as they headed back to their dimension.

Standing near the edge of the portal, Alen extended his hand.

"Thank you for absolutely all of your help, Raze," Alen said, his grip firm and filled with deep respect. "I'm so incredibly glad I decided to blindly trust you on that fateful day. Otherwise... who knows what dark fate would have eventually befallen all of Alterian."

Raze looked around at the surviving mages. The people standing here still had a monumental amount of work to do to rebuild their shattered society. They all had their own long journeys ahead. Having spoken to Kelly earlier, she had even excitedly mentioned that her next great quest was going to be trying to find a magical way to help Sophie permanently break out of her feline cat form.

A completely new, hopeful world was going to be created here.

"This time, I definitely won't be around to accidentally help fix your problems and political issues," Raze smirked, his dark eyes sparkling with a hint of his old, cynical humor. "You're entirely on your own now."

Alen chuckled, shaking his head.

"Fitting parting words for the legendary Dark Magus," Alen replied warmly. "I sincerely hope you never need to return."

Raze smiled. He turned his back on the dimension of his past, took Rayna's hand in his, and confidently walked through the glowing portal.

He was heading back to Pagna. He was finally heading to his true home.

**