In the dim light of dawn, Abel slowly opened her eyes. Sleep wasn’t absolutely necessary for her, as she was originally a dragon’s incarnation, but she occasionally indulged in it.
“Good morning.”
Abel smiled softly and looked at the bed. Her sleep pattern was once every three days. And that was also Fernandez’s general sleep pattern. Once every three days, for five hours.
The minimum rest time required to maintain Diemonica’s physical functions. Abel enjoyed falling asleep and waking up at the same time as Fernandez. But what she saw was an empty bed.
“…He really can’t stay still, can he?”
Abel sighed deeply and straightened herself. Since she was closer to a spirit form, there were no physiological changes, so she only needed to tidy up her appearance after sleep.
The hallway was cool. Paltennoia was geographically supposed to be warm and temperate, but due to the atmospheric layer constantly covering the city, winters were harsh and summers were cool. A blue light seeped in through the window. Gazing at the hazy dawn sky, she slowly moved her feet.
“Did you cough?”
“Yes. Do you happen to know where he is?”
“He’s in the inner garden.”
“Thank you.”
Abel greeted the servant cleaning in the morning and headed to the inner garden. The mansions of the seven Dukes, the most powerful figures in the Empire, were anything but humble. The Duke’s mansion was no exception.
The hallway and wide corridors leading to the inner garden were adorned with lavish paintings and tapestries, and the elegant wooden railings stretched out like vines.
Abel ran her fingers along the reliefs as she walked. It was the start of a quiet and peaceful morning. Until she saw the inner garden.
‘How many times have I done this?’
– Ninety-three.
‘Just seven more, then I’ll rest.’
Huff, Fernandez bent his arms. His entire body’s muscles screamed in agony as they twitched. He was doing a handstand in the backyard, balancing on just two fingers.
– Crack.
A strange sound came from his shoulders. Diemonica’s body was far from light. Supporting its entire weight on just two fingers while maintaining balance and doing push-ups was more like an acrobat’s feat than a warrior’s.
Sweat poured down like rain, and the healing wounds reopened, forming droplets of blood. The thick muscles wrapped around his forearms writhed like snakes, trembling. Slowly bending his arms, his forehead tapped the ground, then he extended them again. One.
‘Ninety-four.’
– Thud!
‘Ah, that feels good.’
It was rehabilitation training combined with physical therapy. Since his body’s output was higher than its durability, directly striking and applying pressure would damage the muscles. A more precise, controlled impact was needed.
The physical toll from the last battle was no joke. Even for Diemonica, as long as he had a physical body, there were clear limits. Without proper care, it would slowly deteriorate.
He wasn’t afraid of his body breaking down, but it was frustrating to not be able to perform necessary functions when needed. Like sharpening a sword after battle, he was pushing his body to the limit with that same precision.
It was literal overexertion. After examining Fernandez’s body, the doctor said he needed absolute rest. It wasn’t just superficial cuts and bleeding; his entire vascular system had been torn apart during the detoxification process, deeply damaging his internal organs.
– Splat!
Finally, a stream of blood fell from his shoulder to the ground. At that moment, something fell. Fernandez wiped the sweat from his face with his left hand and looked straight ahead.
His vision was inverted from being upside down. Beyond that, he saw Abel dropping a basket of bread on the ground.
“Oh. You’re up?”
“…Did you just say ‘You’re up?’”
“Huh?”
“Get up right now!!”
Abel slammed the ground with a bang! Fernandez flipped his body, lightly adjusted his posture, and wiped the flowing sweat with a towel. He caught his breath and looked at Abel.
“What on earth are you doing this for! Isn’t this your body? Why are you treating it so harshly!”
“Because it’s my body.”
“What?”
“If someone else could do my work for me, I’d gladly hand it over and find a better way. But Abel. Time flows equally, and the lightest resource I can sacrifice is my body.”
Fernandez shrugged and opened a water bottle, gulping it down. Even at that moment, the scars on his body still glistened with droplets of blood.
“…How much time do you have left?”
“What do you mean?”
“The time you have left. Fernandez.”
Abel loves humans. To be precise, she loves mortals, especially the brightest among them. Among all mortal species, humans burn the most brilliantly and brightly. Abel was captivated by that light.
Therefore… because she loves humans… she spent her long life observing them. In this era, Abel understood the human body better than anyone else.
She knew the limits of the human body. Not just Vaitas. The gods who blessed humans were not few, and she knew the extent of the abilities of those who could digest divinity.
A few might stand out more. But all mortals have limits. Not discussing averages, but coldly calculating the absolute value of the maximum potential.
So Abel knew Fernandez was always walking on the edge of a blade. She knew humans well. Their limits too. Even their pitiful lifespans.
“How much of your life is left?”
There are no Diemonica who died of old age. Diemonica’s graves were always in the face of demons. So Fernandez could only estimate his remaining lifespan based on his previous life.
In his previous life, he lived close to ninety. Even then, he lived through hardships, which was considered a long life, but it was nothing compared to his current struggles. Since losing the blessing of immortality, he relied solely on Diemonica’s natural healing to sustain his body.
Assuming Diemonica lived 1.5 times longer than an average human, and roughly calculating the lifespan shortened by accumulated overwork…
“At most, ten years. At least… three.”
Even if he ate well, rested well, and received good treatment, the wounds a human body sustains don’t fully heal. To repair the damage, the body consumes lifespan. Little by little. Even if it’s just a tiny bit.
Diemonica. For those who carry the divinity of gods within them, the margin is even finer. It’s hard to easily determine the limits of their lifespan. But it’s certain that it’s being consumed.
Abel looked sadly at Fernandez’s bare body. Since he wasn’t wearing a shirt, the scars densely covering his body were clearly visible.
A piercing wound like a nail through his heart. A long scar from his shoulder to his collarbone, with scratches and cuts spreading like spiderwebs below. Countless scars scattered like broken glass on both forearms…
His hair, now half-gray, was at least jet black when she first met him.
It’s only been two years. In such a short time, how much of his lifespan has this young man burned like a flame? The only reward for his efforts was his hair, faded like fleeting ashes.
No matter the wound, no matter the hardship, he never stops. Even if he falls, stumbles, or collapses. He gets back up and moves forward. Never stopping, always moving forward.
Like a flame…
‘Like a flame, don’t you think, Mother?’
‘A flame?’
‘Look at me and my knights. My soldiers and their parents. Their descendants. Even at the moment their descendants end, they will never willingly give up hope. How could I not love them?’
So it’s the era of flames. So it’s the era of humans. The words her son once said to her long ago came to mind.
Facing a man who seemed to embody the essence of such a life, Abel smiled sadly.
‘How could I not love that man.’
Abel couldn’t hide her sad eyes. Fernandez wiped his sweat and put on his clothes.
“From now on, I’ll sleep every day.”
“Time is precious.”
“If sleeping eight hours adds eight hours to your life, that’s enough. That way, one night and another night will make a day.”
Abel knew the hidden meaning behind the fact that sleeping once every three days maintained functionality. The other Diemonica she knew never acted like that. Not because they didn’t know, but because they didn’t need to.
Three days is possible, but four isn’t? No. With enough will, you can go without sleep for four, five, maybe even six days.
