Instead of silver hair flowing like the Milky Way and purple eyes, she had bright brown hair and crimson eyes, but that beautiful face was exactly the same as Charlotte’s.

How could she ever forget that face?

Yerpi realized, overwhelmed by immense shock.

‘Now I understand.’

Spring and summer. The strange phenomena occurring across these two seasons were, in fact, a stage prepared solely for her.

Then why? Who?

Why would someone go so far as to create such anomalies just to show her her past life?

Within the unknown space of memories, her question soon became a ripple, summoning forth the darkness-laden malice.

The undulating black shadow instantly turned into flames and lunged toward her.

“……!”

It was hot.

She barely managed to dodge, but the back of her hand grazed by the fire stung sharply. A direct hit would have melted her flesh instantly.

The black flames carried murderous intent—just like her friend from her past life, who had sought to kill her and steal everything away.

Another wave of black fire surged toward Yerpi. She had narrowly avoided the first, but there would be no luck a second time.

This space itself was the enemy’s domain. The moment Yerpi crouched, a massive firebird engulfed in blazing red flames appeared before her eyes.

‘The King of Summer.’

The being she had seen in her dreams had come to protect her. The firebird and the black flames refused to mix.

Like oil and water, they clashed violently. Yet, the pocket of malice possessed a special power.

‘It’s cold.’

Yerpi shivered in the chilling air. Her trembling body turned her lips a bluish hue. The temperature of the space devouring her dropped rapidly.

As if to prove it, the firebird shrank in size before being seized by dark, flaming tendrils.

The firebird was a subordinate of the dragon, the ruler governing Growen’s summer. If it were consumed, summer itself would vanish.

It was an instinctive premonition. As she gazed at the firebird’s fading flames, Raymond suddenly came to mind.

‘Where is he? We were definitely pulled in together.’

Perhaps Raymond, too, was trapped and wandering in this dark space, just like her.

How could she possibly find him?

Gradually, the area around her grew warmer. Small, fist-sized flames gathered near Yerpi, bringing warmth.

‘Spirit familiars.’

Beings that formed the foundation of Growen’s ecosystem—more akin to spirits than mere familiars.

Among living beings, no one was truly useless.

Even the violent spirit familiars possessed such temperaments because their role was to protect Growen’s environment and maintain the cycle of nature.

The young familiars gathering to protect Yerpi resembled stars moving across the night sky.

So fragile were they that some swayed unsteadily, intoxicated by her scent.

Catching a familiar about to fall to the ground, Yerpi suddenly understood.

‘That’s right. The scent.’

In pitch darkness where even the nearest inch was invisible, the sense of smell became sharper.

Golden light gathered at the tips of Yerpi’s fingers. The sweet fragrance of honey called every young flame drifting in the air.

She gently asked the fragrance and the familiars:

“Please find Raymond.”

Light his eyes and create a path for him to reach me.

Her desperate plea formed a brilliant golden path, stretching out into the darkness.

The scent she wielded possessed awareness—the ability to know who was perceiving it.

Beyond the darkness filled only with malice and familiars, Raymond came into contact with her scent.

The instant he did, a crack formed in the darkness. A sword covered in golden flames forced its way through the gap.

As the rift widened, a doorway formed. Beyond the tiny flames stood Raymond.

Only then did she realize—it was Raymond whom every being trying to save her resembled.

“Raymond!”

The firebird’s flames were fading.

Raymond, having found the King of Summer, wrapped the black flames surrounding the firebird in the radiant light of dragon blood.

Three-colored flames trembled within the black space.

Keeeeek-!

A terrible scream rang out, accompanied by a thick smell of burning.

The black flames twisted unnaturally, like living things, absorbing the darkness of the space. The flames weren’t the core—they were limbs. Realizing this, Yerpi cried out.

“Raymond, we must burn everything here!”

“…!”

Unless the core was destroyed, they couldn’t escape. At Yerpi’s words, his golden eyes blazed with intense light.

At that moment, dragon blood light erupted explosively from Raymond’s body—like the ultimate devotion of a golden dragon.

Alongside the stench of burning malice, darkness was erased by light.

The space of anomalies was collapsing.

Under a night sky where the real Milky Way shone, atop a red sandy beach covered in cacti, people lay collapsed.

All of them were the ones who had disappeared.

‘We’re back.’

Having burned away every trace of black flame, he approached Yerpi and checked on her.

“I wondered why they kept coming no matter how many I destroyed. Are you injured anywhere?”

“No, I’m fine. But….”

Yerpi couldn’t lift her head to meet his gaze.

Raymond had already expended great energy searching for her even before she sent out her scent.

Evidence of this was the numerous burn marks scattered across his armor.

Seeing his condition, she could only confess honestly.

“Raymond. I’m sorry. This place… it seems to have been created as bait to lure me here.”

She didn’t know why, but both people’s memories and the missing individuals had all been used as bait to draw her here.

At her apology for not speaking sooner, Raymond pulled her into an embrace.

“As long as you’re safe, that’s all that matters.”

We’ll talk about the details later, he said, and his body heat melted away every trace of cold she had endured.

In his arms, Yerpi found courage.

At that moment, the firebird, freed from the black flames, soared into the night sky.

Once massive, it had shrunk to the size of an owl, still not fully recovered.

Fluttering, it landed gently on Yerpi’s arm.

‘Warm.’

The firebird rubbed its beak against the back of her hand. Instantly, a bright red seal glowed on her hand.

It was the Seal of Summer, standing side by side with the Seal of Spring.

Up close, the firebird’s eyes were golden with a hint of red.

She didn’t know why, but both the King of Spring and the King of Winter had also protected her within the space of anomalies.

Why? Was this also connected to her past life?

For now, it was impossible to know.

Having fulfilled its final duty, the firebird rose into the night sky.

Summer knights arriving from afar, drawn by the commotion, stared in awe and rubbed their eyes.

“Incredible, the King of Summer…!”

People who had only known of the seasonal kings’ existence now bowed in reverence to the firebird.

Beneath the firebird’s flames, falling like petals, stood the masters of Growen. The knights helped awaken the missing people.

“Everyone is safe!”

The recovered individuals totaled twelve—all missing members were alive.

‘Perhaps the seasonal kings protected the people.’

Memories that should have been dissolved by malice, and people who should have vanished completely, had all survived under the kings’ protection.

The first among the unconscious to awaken was Sehera Core, the governor’s daughter.

The red-haired woman sprang up, avoiding cacti, and shook her body vigorously.

A deputy commander grabbed her leg and burst into tears.

“Commander! You’re safe!”

“Ow, ow! Move aside! You made me get pricked by thorns!”

“Sniff… I thought I’d never see you again, how worried I was!”

He had seemed cold and indifferent, but now he appeared to be deeply affectionate.

Those who regained their composure listened as the deputy explained what had happened.

The masters of Growen who broke the anomaly and the firebird that appeared there would become a new chapter in this land’s history.

Sehera, now fully aware, approached Raymond and Yerpi.

Up close, Sehera was a strikingly tall beauty with wavy red hair and sun-kissed brown skin.

“I heard you came here at my mother’s request. I sincerely thank you for saving me and the people of summer.”

Her voice was spirited, unlike someone who had just been rescued. Her expression was bright, as if she had merely woken from a deep sleep.

“Do you remember anything about what happened inside?”

“No. The last thing I remember is being pulled in.”

Sehera scratched her head. One by one, the other missing individuals also began to regain consciousness.

But all gave the same answer—no one remembered what had occurred inside.

The knights assisted the people. One of the knights investigating the cactus field where the anomaly occurred suddenly raised his hand and shouted.

“Commander, there’s someone collapsed here!”

“What? The missing were twelve, including me.”

Was there an unreported missing person?

As Sehera tilted her head in confusion, the knight shouted again.

“This one doesn’t seem to be from summer. Their hair is silver. Perhaps from winter’s domain? Though judging by their clothing, maybe not…”

“What are you talking about now?”

“Wait—this person seems to be waking up. Their eye color is unusual. Is it purple?”

At the knight’s words, Yerpi’s heart plummeted like a stone.

A silver-haired woman with purple eyes was rare. This was someone who shouldn’t have appeared in Growen yet.

No, it couldn’t be.

“Yerpi?”

Raymond followed her as she moved forward as if in a trance.

Moments later, Yerpi stood speechless before the thirteenth missing person.

There, supported by a knight, stood a woman with silver hair wearing a pure white dress.

Her moist, amethyst-like purple eyes gazed at Yerpi.

“Sister?”

“…Charlotte.”

She was the true protagonist of this world.