The red-inked characters from the field headquarters the night before continued to circle endlessly through Aria's mind. ——Regarding the ceasefire negotiation envoy from the Nocvel Demon Kingdom, no action necessary. Sealed with the mark of Morgus Tein. Four months ago. Unable to tell anyone, that night arrived. The Eve of the Solar Festival——Soltia Kingdom's greatest holiday, celebrated once a year in gratitude to the sun god Solvana——was upon them. Tomorrow, the temple would overflow with hundreds of citizens. Prayers would rise high, white vestments gleaming in sunlight. But tonight was quiet. Aria was alone in the chapel of the Grand Temple of Solvana. The priests were occupied with tomorrow's preparations, and the vast chapel held no one else. White stone pillars stretched toward the high ceiling at regular intervals, their flames casting long shadows from the candelabras at their tips. Aria knelt before the altar and clasped her hands together. (Please. Let the war end.) Words she had always spoken. Hundreds of times since childhood. But tonight, those words did not reach the depths of her chest. They did not resonate. They fell like stones into fog, sliding into emptiness. It was happening again. Since the continuous holy healing at the field position yesterday, the speed at which her emotions were receding had accelerated. Aria thought she was afraid. She thought she was afraid, and yet even that fear felt thin somehow. So she could not stop. Because she was afraid of losing her emotions, she tried to confirm them while she still had them, and prayed again. Prayer consumed her emotions. She knew it was a vicious cycle, but she could not stop. "……Solvana." Her voice was swallowed by the chapel. There was no answer. (If my emotions disappear, will my healing power remain? Or will it vanish someday along with everything else?) The question she did not want to consider surfaced, then sank again. That was when it happened. The air changed. Not so much that warmth disappeared——more like a sensation of cold seeping in. From the corner of the chapel, smoothly, soundlessly. Shadows gathered along the walls, darkness deepening bit by bit. Yin-veins. The same presence she had felt yesterday on the sunset plain. Nostalgic and aching, yet terrifying. Aria rose from the altar and turned around. From the darkest corner of the chapel, a figure took shape. A black overcoat. Black hair with crimson streaks woven through it. Deep scarlet eyes glowed quietly in the darkness. A frame of 178 centimeters stood straight beside a stone pillar. Zephyr Lunaris. The Demon King of the Nocvel Demon Kingdom. (Why. Why here?) She could not speak. In the chapel of the Grand Temple of Solvana——the heart of the Soltia Kingdom——the king of an enemy nation stood alone. Melting into the night's darkness. The dark magical seal mark on his left hand's fingers glowed faintly, a pale blue. Zephyr held no sword. Nothing hung from his waist. He looked at Aria and stopped two steps away. Then, slowly, he knelt on one knee. The Demon King knelt before the Saint. Aria froze. The meaning of this situation could not be processed immediately. He was the enemy. Someone who should not be here. If she screamed, the priests would come. She could run. But her voice would not come. Her feet would not move. Zephyr raised his face. His deep scarlet eyes looked directly at Aria. "[serious]I have no intention of interfering. I ask only that you listen." His voice was low and quiet. Not threatening. Not pleading either. Simply——a voice trying to reach her. Aria held her breath. "[serious]My people are merely adapted to yin-veins. Because they were born in the west, their bodies changed slightly. Their eyes took on a reddish hue. That is all." Still kneeling, Zephyr continued. "[sad]But Soltia calls them 'demons.' The purification attacks of the Ordina Holy Knights continue to kill them. Yang-vein purification magic acts directly on bodies adapted to yin-veins. They are merely human, yet their bodies are treated as curses and erased." His voice trembled slightly. Aria heard that tremor. (It is not a lie.) Intuition struck her. This person was speaking the truth now. Behind those deep scarlet eyes lay something that had not been spoken to anyone for five years. Ascending to the throne of Demon King at nineteen——carrying this weight alone from that day until now. "[serious]For five years, I have sought ceasefire. I sent envoys. I sent letters. All were ignored." Her chest ached. On the desk of the field headquarters. Red-inked characters. ——No action necessary. Zephyr's words and that document's record aligned perfectly. Zephyr slowly rose to his feet. He stood before Aria. Their eyes met at the same height. His hand extended quietly. He held both her hands in his. "[serious]I need your power." There was a beat of silence. "[whispers]……I need you." Something pulsed in the depths of her chest. It was entirely different from when Kale held her hand. Kale's hand was warm, bringing a sense of security, the feeling of being protected. Zephyr's hand was——cold. But beneath that coldness lay something burning. Something heavy and painful transmitted through his fingertips. Aria could not pull her hand away. (Why?) She could not understand the reason she could not pull away. Not understanding made it all the more frightening. Yet the eyes of the person before her were filled with solitude and resolve, and even though her emotions were fading, those eyes alone reached clearly into her chest—— That was tonight. The chapel doors burst open. "[serious]Aria! The watch has returned, it is time to——" Kale's voice stopped. In the light of the candelabras, Aria and Zephyr faced each other. Zephyr's hands held Aria's. Expression drained from Kale's face. One second of silence fell. The next moment, the sound of metal rang through the chapel. The holy sword Blizzante was drawn from its sheath——a blade condensed with yang-vein energy blazed golden, bathing the chapel in white light. "[angry]So you are Zephyr Lunaris." Kale ran straight forward. Zephyr released Aria's hands and stepped back. The dark magical seal mark on his left hand glowed. A yin-vein barrier deployed——black, heavy, dark. The yang-vein blade crashed against that barrier. CLANG!! The impact shook the entire chapel. White stone pillars cracked. One of the windows shattered, glass scattering across the night floor. A section of wall collapsed——stone fragments flew through the air, white dust spreading. Aria ran. She threw herself between the two, arms spread wide. "[scared]Stop!! Please!!" Her voice echoed through the chapel. Kale's sword halted. The light of Zephyr's barrier wavered. Dust drifting around her, Aria stood with her arms spread. "[scared]Please, lower your sword. Fighting here will not save anyone." "[angry]Aria, move. This man is the Demon King of Nocvel. He infiltrated the holy temple alone——" "[sad]I understand. But……please, listen to what he has to say." Kale's golden eyes looked at Aria. Searching for something. Eyes mixed with trust and the sensation of that trust wavering. "[cold]Why were you holding the Demon King's hand?" His voice was quiet. All the more heavy for not being a shout. "Is there something you could not tell me?" Aria could not answer. She could not explain her reasons for trusting Zephyr in words Kale would understand. She could not speak of the document she saw at the field headquarters, not in this moment. "[angry]I said I would protect you. I said I would protect you absolutely. So why——" Kale's voice changed. "[angry]You are mine!! I said I would protect you!!" Aria's body went rigid for a moment. (Frightened.) She thought it. She was frightened of Kale. The person she had believed she loved appeared as someone else in this moment. It was not the volume of his voice. It was something within those words——the attempt to possess, the desire to own——that froze Aria's chest cold. Silence fell between the three of them. Dust swirled. Night wind entered through the collapsed wall's opening. The candelabra flames trembled. Zephyr moved. Yin-vein shadows crawled up from the ground. Preparing to withdraw. It was clear from his movements that he had no intention of prolonging the battle. Zephyr turned toward Aria. One step's distance. His deep scarlet eyes, quiet yet certain, tried to convey something. "[whispers]I will come again. Wait for me." His voice was low, reaching only Aria's ears. Yin-vein shadows enveloped Zephyr. Then he vanished. What remained in the chapel was only the dust from the collapsed wall, the trembling flames of the candelabras, Kale breathing heavily, and Aria standing in shock. "[serious]……Aria." Kale took a step closer. Aria, in response to that single step, retreated slightly. She noticed what she had done. And Kale noticed too. Kale's face twisted. "[sad]……Am I frightening you?" Aria could not answer. Words of denial would not come. At that moment, footsteps echoed from the chapel's outer corridor. Multiple people. Hurried steps. They must have heard the collapse——footsteps coming here. The doors opened. Standing at the front was an old man. White priestly robes with gold trim. The formal dress of the Council of Elders. Deep wrinkles carved into a 78-year-old face caught the light of the candelabras. Sharp eyes swept across the chapel——the collapsed wall, scattered glass, dust, the holy sword in Kale's hand, and Aria's face. Morgus Tein. Chairman of the Council of Elders. The strongest voice in Elderath, continuously advocating for total war against Nocvel. He was accompanied by several priests. No one spoke. Morgus walked slowly through the chapel. He stopped beside the collapsed wall and looked down quietly at the remnants of Zephyr's yin-vein——the pale blue traces of light faintly remaining on the floor. The old man's eyes narrowed. Then he turned to face Aria. "[cold]So the Saint was in secret contact with the Demon King." His voice was quiet. Not a shout. That made it heavier. "[cold]This is a grave act of betrayal. After the Solar Festival concludes, judgment will be rendered in Elderath." Something collapsed in her mind with an audible sound. The Sacred Marriage Ceremony——the system forbidding marriage without unanimous approval from the Council of Elders. The punishment for a Saint who acted without approval. The sentence of Yang-vein Severance——a permanent sealing of magical power. 120 years ago, Saint Lena had received it. Everything Aria had feared since the first day was now standing before her as real words. "[angry]Wait. Aria is not at fault. I——" "[cold]The Hero is also in a position to be held responsible for destroying the chapel of the holy ground. It would be wise to remain silent." Kale closed his mouth. Morgus bowed slightly and returned to the corridor with the priests. Their footsteps faded into the distance. After that sound disappeared, silence remained in the chapel. Kale was looking at Aria. Not with the intensity from before. His eyes held anger and confusion mixed together, and beneath them——something wounded. "[sad]……Why did you not tell me?" Aria could not answer. Her feelings for Zephyr. Her feelings for Kale. Both felt real. But their forms were entirely different. This world would not allow her to hold both at once. The system would not permit it. Kale would not. Morgus would not. Nothing would. (What should I do? But that is……) Words would not take shape. Night wind blew through the opening in the collapsed wall. The candelabra flames trembled. Aria stood with her arms crossed before her body, receiving that wind, simply frozen in place. The words "I will come again" still lingered in her ears. What awaited her in Elderath's tower the next morning, Aria already knew. A long night was beginning.