Wizard World Irregular

Chapter 1070: A Promise Of A Lifetime

Chapter 1070: A Promise Of A Lifetime

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Nicole casually walked, holding Ethan's hand.

She wasn't mindlessly leading him in a random direction but heading to the place where the hidden door was located.

When they arrived at their destination, the vines covering the door were still there, blocking the view and preventing anyone from seeing the passage hidden behind them.

"I often wondered why the gardeners of your family never removed these vines," Ethan said. "I mean, I'm sure they knew there's a door behind all that."

"They might have known about it," Nicole replied as she took a key out of her pocket. "In fact, I believe Oscar and the other core members of the Asta Family knew about it."

"Then why didn't they remove these vines?"

"Because there's no need to. Removing the vines will just expose this door to other people. Wouldn't it be better if this remained a secret, especially from the guests who explored this garden during their visit?"

After pondering for a while, the young man accepted Nicole's explanation.

Letting the vines grow naturally would prevent others from becoming curious about the door, which would not open even if you used unlocking spells on it.

A faint click reached his ear as Nicole turned the key in the keyhole.

He could still remember how that little girl had cautiously looked at her surroundings before opening the door with a key, as if afraid that someone would discover her.

And now, she no longer needed to hide from anyone and did it in the open.

Ethan already sensed some people using scrying magic to see what they were doing.

But it was obvious that Nicole didn't care, so he didn't bother caring anymore either.

After the two of them entered the secret door, Nicole closed it and made sure to lock it, preventing anyone from following him inside.

"I see... so that's how it is," Ethan muttered after sensing his surroundings.

Back then, he wasn't able to feel the magical fluctuation when he entered with Nicole as "Mr. Ghost".

Now, he could tell that they had just entered a small pocket dimension separate from the real world.

It was similar to the Sylvan Realm, where the Firbolgs hid themselves from the world.

This pocket dimension could only be opened by the "fated person" who would acquire the key to unlock the secret within.

Ethan glanced at the young lady beside him. She was once a skinny little girl neglected by her family due to the circumstances of her birth.

"It's been a while since we've been here, right, Mr. Ghost?" Nicole said with a smile as she looked at the cottage.

"Right," Ethan replied, allowing himself to be pulled by the young lady, who seemed to have a spring in her steps.

When they entered the cottage, Nicole headed to the brick fireplace and pushed one of the bricks, triggering the secret mechanism that revealed a hidden staircase.

In the past, she had pushed one brick after the other, trying to find the right one.

She only succeeded in her 13th attempt, which led to the underground basement of the cottage.

When the familiar staircase appeared, Nicole confidently descended the stairs while still holding Ethan's hand.

Bluish lights came to life on the walls, allowing them to see the steps of the staircase that led downward.

"Back then, I was really scared," Nicole said softly as if remembering how scared her younger self was when she descended the eerie stair. "A ghost appeared, and these steps led to a place unknown to me, so I felt uneasy."

"But you still went in the end, right?" Ethan commented. "What were you thinking back then?"

Nicole didn't reply right away.

Only after they took the last step did she look at Ethan and give him the answer to his question.

"Survival," Nicole replied. "I did it to survive."

She then shifted her attention to the altar, where a floating ice heart once existed.

That was the frozen heart of Baradiel, waiting all that time to once again see the outside world.

"Thinking back, it was your fault that I got Baradiel's Legacy," Nicole said mischievously. "If you didn't surprise me, things might have ended differently."

"It won't change anything," Ethan replied. "You were already reaching out toward Baradiel's heart. Even if I hadn't told you to stop, you would still have touched it."

"Fair enough." Nicole nodded as she touched the surface of the altar, which was surprisingly clean and had no traces of dust in it. "Even after all these years, it's still cold to the touch."

Ethan also touched the altar out of curiosity. "It is cold, but not as cold as your body whenever you ask me to help you warm up."

"That's right," Nicole replied. "You are the perfect bed warmer."

A sigh then escaped her lips as she stared at the dimly lit basement, which she had found incredibly scary in the past.

Now, very few things could scare her like they had during her childhood.

Oscar, whom she once thought the scariest of them all, no longer looked scary in her eyes.

In fact, she now referred to him as "Oscar" instead of "My Lord" or "Patriarch," which was how she used to address him in the past.

Nicole then sat on the altar and lightly tapped the space beside her with her hand, telling Ethan to sit by her side.

Ethan, who understood what she wanted, sat beside her.

The young lady then leaned her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes.

"It's been a long journey," Nicole said softly. "But the end is still not in sight. I wish we could stay like this for a very long time, but I know you have many responsibilities outside of these

walls.

"Mr. Ghost, I just want to let you know that those years that we were together were the happiest years of my life. Thank you for everything."

Ethan wrapped his arms around Nicole's body and lightly patted her head.

"Thank you for not giving up on life," Ethan hugged Nicole a bit tighter. "Thank you for

surviving until now."

Nicole buried her head in Ethan's chest and held him tightly.

Her body trembled from time to time as all the pain that she still kept inside her heart flowed out from her eyes, drenching Ethan's clothes.

However, the young man didn't mind and simply allowed Nicole to shed the unshed tears of

her hard childhood.

Ethan understood that this, too, was sacred, allowing the young lady to finally break free

from all the shackles that bound her heart, body, and soul.

Just like every girl, Nicole also dreamed of a fairy tale ending.

Fortunately, a real prince had appeared to save her.

Just like sleeping beauty, who had fallen into a deep sleep, not knowing if she would ever

open her eyes again.

After an unknown period of time, Nicole's body finally stopped trembling.

There were still tears in her eyes, but she felt much lighter than before.

"Mr. Ghost, will you stay with me forever?" Nicole asked, her head still buried in Ethan's

chest.

"Yes," Ethan replied. "I'll be your bed warmer until you get bored of me."

Despite her tears, a giggle escaped the young lady's lips.

She knew that Ethan would keep his words, which made her heart finally feel at peace.

Nicole then raised her head and looked at Ethan with a smile on her beautiful face.

The two stared at each other for a while before their lips met, sharing the feelings that they

had for each other.

There, in that dark basement within a pocket realm, a promise of a lifetime was shared between two people who were brought together by the whims of fate.