That night, Aria still couldn't quite make sense of what had happened. The words Morgus Tein had spoken to her—*the candidate has been decided*—kept circling in the back of her mind. He hadn't said who. That ambiguity was what frightened her most. Without an answer, morning had come, her work at the healing sanctuary had begun, and Aria had healed forty people's wounds once more. *(Today too, I'm exhausted.)* Past midday, the outside grew unusually loud. Through the healing sanctuary's window, soldiers rushed frantically across the courtyard. Some of them were exchanging delighted glances. A cheer of some kind drifted from the distance. As Aria tilted her head in curiosity, a young priest passing through the corridor called out. "[excited]The Hero has returned! Kale Hermant!" Kale. The moment she heard that name, something in Aria's chest stirred. --- The front gate of the Solvarna Grand Temple was overflowing with people. As Aria wiped her hands and passed through the corridor, soldiers, priests, and attendants alike were already moving toward the gate. The white stone pavement, illuminated by sacred stones blessed by the sun vein, gleamed even more brilliantly in the afternoon sunlight. Beyond the crowd of people, it appeared. Silver-white armor caught the sunlight. A frame of 185 centimeters, clad in heavy frontline armor. At his waist hung the Holy Sword Blizante—a legendary blade that resonated with the sun vein, which only those deemed worthy had been permitted to draw since the founding of the Soltia Kingdom. Soldiers surrounded him, raising cheers. "Lord Hermant!" "Welcome back!" "We heard of your victory on the Verdana Plain!" Golden short hair swayed in the wind. Eyes like burning gold swept across the people, and he laughed boldly. A piercing shaped like the sun's shield gleamed in his right ear. —It was Kale. His smile was unchanged from childhood, yet his body was entirely different. The Kale that Aria knew was a child who had run through the fields with her in Philidia, a small village in southern Soltia. And yet here he stood now—the one who had drawn the Holy Sword, the Hero of the Soltia Kingdom. Those golden eyes swept across the crowd and stopped. They turned toward Aria. *(Ah.)* His smile widened. The next moment, Kale pushed through the crowd without hesitation, parting the sea of people as he walked. A soldier called out, "Wait, Hero?" but Kale didn't stop. As Aria stood frozen, Kale stepped directly in front of her and grasped both her hands in his own. They were large hands. Warm hands. The crowd stirred. Soldiers exchanged glances. Priests covered their mouths with their hands. Before so many eyes, the Hero was holding the Saint's hands. No one could say a word. "[excited]I wanted to see you, Aria." His voice was straightforward. It had grown deeper. But the way he laughed was the same as before. Aria's cheeks grew warm. *(This is... wait a moment.)* She couldn't let go of his hand. Not because Kale wouldn't release her, but because she couldn't release him. A sensation of being protected wrapped softly around her chest, and she couldn't quite name what emotion that was. "[gentle]...Welcome home, Kale." Her voice trembled slightly. The warmth in her cheeks was probably impossible to hide. Kale saw it and laughed again. This time, a little softer. --- Until evening, Kale remained there. While Aria continued her work at the healing sanctuary, Kale leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, speaking of the front lines. He had removed his heavy armor and now wore a white shirt provided by the temple staff. Yet the thickness of his frame remained unchanged. "[serious]There were three skirmishes on the Verdana Plain. Nocvel's side has brought out new users of dark vein magic. They're breaking through our sun vein barriers so quickly that our mages can't keep up." Aria listened while placing her hand on a wounded soldier's shoulder. The sacred mark glowed faintly. The wound closed. "[serious]A lot of the soldiers are exhausted. Half the faces I saw on my way back were older than I am now. People who should have already retired from active duty." "[sad]...Yes, I see." It was something Aria saw every day. Helena had mentioned that the average age of those coming to the healing sanctuary had risen since last year. The two of them had quietly discussed how there weren't enough young soldiers. She moved her hand to the next patient's arm. Another wound closed. As she worked, Aria glanced slightly at Kale's profile. His eyes were stern. "[serious]Was it this bad?" Kale said quietly, looking around the healing sanctuary. Aria's hands nearly stopped for a moment. *(This bad. So... Kale sees this as "bad.")* For Aria, this was every day. The sense of "badness" had faded without her noticing. Healing forty people's wounds had become just "today's work." Hearing it from Kale, she remembered for the first time that this wasn't normal. "[gentle]...This continues every day." Kale fell silent. For a while, he said nothing. It was after that when stories from their time in Philidia began to spill from Kale's mouth. The time Aria had fallen into the river trying to catch fish. The time Kale had climbed a tree and couldn't get down. Those trivial memories somehow felt warm in this place. Aria laughed softly. It felt like the first time in a long while that she'd laughed without tension. But—the war the two of them were witnessing took different forms. Aria quietly tucked that observation away in a corner of her heart. --- Night fell. The temple courtyard was quiet. The white flowers of the sun vein—Lumenflowers, also called flowers of light, plants unique to the temple that glowed white on moonlit nights—bloomed between the stone pavement. Mixed with the moonlight, the entire garden was dimly bright. Aria knew she had been called here by Kale. When the young priest who brought the message said, "The Hero is waiting for you in the courtyard," her heart had grown slightly unsettled. Kale stood in the center of the garden. With the moon at his back, facing her. He wore the borrowed temple clothes rather than the armor she'd seen during the day. Yet his presence remained unchanged. As Aria approached, Kale looked at her with steady eyes. "[serious]Aria. I need to tell you something." The tone of his voice was different from the daytime. He wasn't smiling. Aria stopped, feeling slightly tense. "[serious]I won't let Elderath make you a tool." Kale spoke. "[serious]The partner for the sacred marriage—I will be that person. I will protect you." For a long time, Aria couldn't say anything. The center of her chest grew warm. She was happy. She was truly happy. The fact that Kale cared about her, that realization pierced her chest and wouldn't leave. But. *(But...)* Something caught. Kale hadn't asked, "What do you want?" He had decided to protect her. He had decided he would be at her side. He hadn't waited for Aria's answer. She couldn't quite name the suffocation that feeling brought. Before she could find words for it, Kale continued. "[serious]I swore it to you long ago. That I'd absolutely protect you." His voice grew slightly lower. "[sad]...My entire family died in the war." Aria couldn't move. "[sad]My father, my mother, my younger brother. When Philidia was caught in the crossfire. I was the only one who survived—I happened to be at the temple that day, practicing healing with you." Kale's voice was quiet. Not angry, not crying. Simply stated. "[serious]You were all I had left. That's why I aimed for the Holy Sword. I wanted to become strong and protect you. That's all I thought about." The weight of those words pressed down on Aria's shoulders. The reason Kale had survived. The reason he'd drawn the Holy Sword. The reason he'd become strong. It all connected back to Aria. His vow to protect was the very reason Kale continued to live—and she couldn't answer that. That realization made her feel terribly pathetic. Happy yet suffocating. Both existed in her chest at once, and she couldn't tell which was true. "[whispers]...Thank you." No other words would come. That alone finally escaped her lips. Kale's expression grew slightly lonely. Perhaps he had been waiting for something else. But he said nothing more. A night breeze carrying the scent of flowers passed between them. --- The corridor leading back into the temple was silent. Sacred stone lamps illuminated the walls at regular intervals. Only the sound of her own footsteps echoed on the stone floor. Aria walked slowly alone, repeating his words in her mind. —I will protect you. She had been happy. Truly happy. That was a genuine emotion. Yet why did it feel so heavy? Then she saw a figure ahead in the corridor. White hair. Temple vestments. Walking slowly toward her. Aria's feet stopped. Morgus Tein. The chairman of Elderath—the council of elders that decided all important matters of the temple, including the Saint's marriage. Seventy-eight years old. His eyes, whenever she saw them, reflected no emotion. That made it all the more frightening. "[cold]I heard of the Hero's proposal." The old man stopped before Aria and spoke quietly. There was no anger in his voice. That made it worse. "[cold]Elderath grants approval. Neither the Saint nor the Hero has the authority to decide the partner for the sacred marriage." Aria tried to open her mouth. But no sound came. The memory of last night's rooftop—the punishment of sun vein severance, the permanent sealing of magical power—crawled up from deep within her body. The memory of Saint Reena from one hundred twenty years ago, who had been bound to someone without approval and subjected to that punishment. That record, which she had read as a child and couldn't sleep after, was still embedded in her body. She couldn't object. Morgus spoke further. "[cold]Three days until the Luminous Festival. Prepare yourself by then." He didn't say what kind of preparation. The old man simply walked on. The sound of his vestments sliding across the stone floor remained, then faded away. Aria was left alone in the corridor. She leaned her back against the wall and slowly slid down, standing motionless. The warmth of Kale's hands still lingered in her palms. Large, enveloping. That had been real. She knew Kale's feelings were real. Yet Morgus's words settled over it like a suffocating weight. —Elderath grants approval. The happiness she'd felt was struck by the wall of authority and scattered somewhere beyond reach. Her feelings for Kale, her anger at Morgus—neither could take proper form as emotion. They accumulated in her chest with nowhere to go. Aria noticed a single Lumenflower petal lying in the corner of the corridor. Someone had stepped on it. A single white petal clung to the stone pavement. The flower that had glowed in the courtyard moments before was now just a white fragment here. She didn't have the strength to pick it up. She only stared at it. *(Prepare yourself, they say.)* Three days until the Luminous Festival. Three days until Elderath decided something. The thought of those three days filled her with dread. Would Kale's proposal be approved? Would she be forced to accept someone else? Or would she be commanded to say nothing at all? Every possibility made her body heavy. Aria closed her eyes. The healing sanctuary from daytime floated before her. Forty people's wounds. Stopped blood. Words of gratitude. Each time she received them, she smiled and maintained her composure. *(My emotions are becoming thinner, even more than last night.)* That premonition sank to the bottom of her heart. There was no clear reason. Yet she was certain that each time she used her sacred healing power, something was being worn away. Her own power might be slowly destroying her, yet she couldn't tell anyone. Not Kale. Not Morgus. Not Helena. And in three days, t