Chapter 191 Ivica's Death: The Flashbacks [2]

As she continued her studies at the academy, Ivica became more focused and driven than ever before. She poured herself into her magical studies, determined to become a powerful sorceress like Isadora had been.

In the years that followed, Ivica and her sister faced many challenges and dangers, but it only made Ivica a force to be reckoned with, as her strength increased with each passing day.

However, After Isadora's passing, Ivica stumbled upon her adoptive mother's diary, which unveiled the true nature of her condition and the fact that Isadora had been relentlessly seeking a cure for her.

Ivica had always known she was different from other humans due to her powerful dragon heart and magical abilities.

But Isadora's diary explained that her human body couldn't handle the immense power that coursed through her veins, and that she needed a special fruit called the Body Strengthening Fruit to strengthen her body and extend her lifespan.

Ever since then, Ivica had been searching for that fruit, never knowing when her time might run out.

They searched for the fruit's location in every book possible, including a few ancient rune books, with the help of Roselia, the nine-tailed fox spirit who was somewhat proficient in the basics of the rune language, but their efforts never came to bear fruit.

Ivica treasured each day as a gift, but the fear of leaving her sister alone weighed heavily on her, so there was never a day that she rested with her mind at peace.

She often wished she could find a way to ensure her sister's safety even after she was gone.

As she had no friends whom she could trust with her sister's safety, Ivica was always cautious of revealing her true identity as a half-dragon. However, after years of effort, she finally found an alternative that would allow her sister to gain the immense power needed to protect herself after her death, but even that solution would require the strengthening fruit.

Their never-ending search for the strengthening fruit continued, and one day, they caught the interest of a constellation. After learning about the constellation's abilities, they became excited and immediately accepted the offer to become her avatars.

However, only after becoming her avatars, they discovered that they couldn't use her abilities for their own benefit. They were back to square one, and the constellation's ability proved to be useless in their search for the strengthening fruit.

Finally, their constellation became somewhat useful to them when she informed them of an otherworldly soul arriving in their world with knowledge of the future. This soul might also possibly know the location of the fruit they were looking for.

They didn't care about the stranger's origins or intentions. The only thing they cared about was that this person was their only hope.

However, the person who was supposed to be their final hope turned out to be a suicidal maniac who was tired of his life and didn't care if he ended up dead.

Ivica already had a poor impression of Ares due to his behavior on the very first day of his arrival, but she didn't know what he had gone through to give up on his newfound life so easily, while she struggled to live every day.

Seeing his suicidal tendencies, she knew he wouldn't care about anyone else's life if he couldn't even care about his own.

Despite her initial reservations about the suicidal man, Ivica couldn't help but feel curious about his past and what led him to this state. Using her constellation's powers for the first time, she delved into his past, Although she wasn't able to glean much information from what she saw, but could only piece together a rough idea of his situation.

With this knowledge, Ivica decided to try and give Ares a reason to live. Using her constellation's ability again to show him a vision of the future, she crafted a dream that featured a woman's voice calling out for his help.

Though he couldn't see the woman's appearance, he could sense a small ball of light approaching him, whispering for his help, "Help me Ares... Help me Ares..."

Though Ivica wasn't sure how Ares interpreted the dream, it seemed to have worked - he was no longer as suicidal as before. They eventually met on the day of the entrance examination, though Ivica had to pay a price for using her constellation's powers without caution.

Nevertheless, Ivica's efforts had not gone to waste, as during her meeting with Ares, she discovered that he was aware of her being a half-dragon and in need of a strengthening fruit to survive.

Moreover, he seemed to know the location from where they could find it. Ivica was also surprised by how easily he accepted her deal and was willing to help her.

However, during her conversation with him, she also noticed that Ares had no idea about her twin sister Evica. This raised many speculations in her mind, such as "Why did he not know about Evica? Is it because we were still sharing the same identity even in the future he knows? Or...is she already dead in the future he knows, and so he only knows about her sister Evica?"

As time went by and Ivica's body began to weaken, the gate Ares had mentioned was still yet to appear. This only confirmed her fear that Ares only knows about Evica, her sister because she might have already died in the future he knows.

Therefore, Ivica had already prepared a plan to make her sister stronger with the help of the fruit after she had gone.

Unknowingly, she also began to trust Ares. "Was it because we both knew each other's secrets?" Ivica thought.

He was only the third person she had begun to trust, the first being her sister and the second being her adoptive mother, Isadora.

***

As Ivica lay on the sofa, her vision began to fade, and she thought to herself, 'I wonder if he will attend my funeral?'

She could hear the sound of her sister's sobs in the distance, and it pained her to know that she would be leaving Evica alone.

But then, in the darkness, a familiar voice called out to her.

"Ivica, my dear child, do not be afraid."

Ivica's eyes widened in recognition as the figure of Lady Isadora appeared before her. She looked just as regal as Ivica remembered her, with her jet-black hair and piercing blue eyes.

Isadora approached Ivica and took her hand, her touch warm and comforting.

"You have done well, my child," she said softly. "You have lived a good life and did everything you could to help your sister."

Ivica felt a surge of emotion well up within her. It was strange to see Isadora again after all these years, but it also brought her a sense of peace.

"I'm scared," Ivica whispered, her voice barely audible.

Isadora squeezed her hand gently. "There is nothing to be afraid of. You will always be with me, and we will watch over your sister together."

Ivica felt a sense of calm wash over her. She knew that her time had come, but she was ready to face whatever lay beyond.

As her vision faded to black, she could hear Isadora's voice whispering soothing words in her ear.

And then, finally, there was only silence as Ivica's hand fell lifelessly downwards, signaling that she was now no longer in this world...