The cold air of the underground waterway seeped into the very marrow of their bones. In the darkness before dawn, Leon Crawford advanced with one hand trailing along the ancient stone wall, submerged up to his waist in water. His fingertips traced slick moss, the cold beginning to numb all sensation. "[serious]Once we pass through here, we'll emerge directly beneath the foundation of the Starlight Spire." Oswald's voice echoed through the narrow channel. He led the way relying solely on a small fragment of star ore in his hand. Water dripped from his unkempt ash-brown hair, and his amber eyes glowed faintly in the darkness. "[serious]You're not coming with us?" Leon asked the question while stifling the sound of water. Oswald shrugged. The three piercings in his left ear produced a faint metallic sound. "[sarcastic]Me? I'm going in through the front. Gonna round up the folks from the lower district and give the Royal Army a little festival to deal with." It was a flippant remark. But his eyes weren't laughing. "[cold]You two climb the tower. Save Lily, and show those rotten Cardinals what you're made of." Oswald stopped and pressed a heavy scrap of map against Leon's chest with his wet hand. His ink-stained fingers trembled faintly. "[serious]The password is 'The stars see all.' I've already bribed the guard at the underground door." "[gentle]...Thank you." Leon reached out to offer his hand. That was when it happened. Oswald stepped back and flashed a cynical smile. "[sarcastic]Don't waste any more time. Go." But Leon could see it. The complex emotions dwelling deep within those amber eyes—worry, expectation, and a radiance akin to resignation, as if entrusting them with something he himself could not do. Oswald turned his back and began wading back the way they had come. It didn't take long for his figure to melt into the darkness. Silence. Beside Leon, Refia Arcronos walked in silence. Her long silver hair was wet and gathered into a single strand, and her violet eyes were fixed solely on the darkness ahead. From time to time, the brand of the time-devouring serpent carved into her right wrist surfaced, reflecting the pale light of the star ore. Slip. Leon stumbled, his footing stolen by the cold water's current. Refia's hand instantly caught his arm. "[whispers]...Please be careful." Her voice maintained its usual polite tone. But her hand didn't let go. Her fingertips, still gripping Leon's sleeve, trembled faintly. In the darkness, neither of them could release the other's hand. Despite the cold water, only the place where they touched burned with heat. —No words are needed. —Right now, this is enough. Those few seconds of silence condensed every emotion that had accumulated between them until now. The false devotion, the mission to assassinate, the confession, the flight. Having passed through all of it, a warmth beyond words now undeniably existed between them. Eventually, Refia quietly released his hand. Ahead, a rusted iron door came into view. The entrance to the Starlight Spire's underground. They nodded to each other and pushed the door open. —In that instant. The air changed. The damp smell of the waterway vanished, replaced by the cold, dry scent of stone that stung their nostrils. A dimly lit hall. The flames of the candelabras lining the walls made shadows dance and flicker. "[cold]We've been waiting for you, Refia Arcronos." Two shadows stepped forward from opposite ends of the hall. Assassins of the Voile Noir, clad in black. One held a dagger in a reverse grip, the other had drawn a slender longsword. Their eyes were devoid of emotion, and with an inorganic quality like that of dolls, they encircled the two. "[angry]...Tch." Refia tried to step forward. But Leon restrained her by the shoulder. (This time, I'll do it.) His fingertips trembled with fear. His heart pounded like a frantic drum. But—the power that had only ever run wild before didn't just swell with fear or anger. Not if he had the will to reach out and touch his opponent's wounds. Just like that night, when he had projected Refia's childhood memories. Leon extended his left hand. His ocean-blue eyes began to glow with an indigo light. "[scared]Ugh, ah..." He pressed a concentrated burst of indigo light against the chest of the approaching dagger assassin. Just before contact, the light exploded. The air in the hall warped. Another world was projected onto the walls. A gray stone chamber. The execution ground of Noir Fortress, thick with the smell of blood. A boy in his mid-teens gripped a dagger with trembling hands. Before him, a boy wearing the same training uniform knelt, awaiting death with an expressionless face. 'It's an order. Do it.' The instructor's cold voice. The boy's hands shook violently. Tears overflowed. But—if he didn't do it, he would be killed. The dagger was brought down. Fresh blood stained the stone wall. "[crying]Uwaaaaaaaah!!" Within the illusion, the boy screamed and cried. Screaming, he brought the dagger down again and again. The final expression of his fellow trainee was seared into his mind, never to leave. In reality, the assassin collapsed to his knees. "[scared]Stop it... please stop...!" The dagger fell from his hand. His face was a mess of tears and sweat, and not a shred of a killer's coldness remained. Incapacitated. Leon stared at his own right hand. (I did it... I controlled it.) The power could become a weapon. That realization—but at the same time, a guilt that gouged at his chest welled up. He had trespassed, without permission, into this man's deepest wound. "[cold]I am impressed, Leon-sama." Refia's voice brought him back to his senses. Before he knew it, she had already subdued the other longsword assassin with the power of the Chronostar. "[serious]Let us proceed. We have little time." The two sprinted up the spiral staircase. Second floor, third floor—the higher they went, the more elite the enemies became. In the hall on the third floor, the air froze. A blind spot. An elite assassin had launched a thrust aimed at Refia's heart from behind. Perfect timing, perfect trajectory. Ordinarily, impossible to defend against. "[scared]Refia—!!" Leon's scream. —In that instant. The world reversed. The assassin's blade was rewound to its trajectory from seconds before. Refia's body returned to a position where she could evade. As if time itself had been rewound to save her life. Shhk. Refia's rapier slashed the assassin's arm. Subdued. But— "[crying]...Gh, guh...!" Clutching her left arm, Refia collapsed against the stairway wall. The color drained from her face, and her entire body went rigid. The star veins on her forearm, visible from her sleeve, had partially blackened, like scorched paper. Temporal Regression—the forbidden art of the Chronostar's shrine maiden. Each use shaved away her lifespan. Leon rushed to her side and tried to wrap both hands around her arm. "[scared]You idiot, why—" "[whispers]...I am fine." Her voice trembled. It was clearly a lie. Even so, she didn't brush away Leon's hand, nor did she pull her own arm back. "[whispers]More importantly, are you injured?" —Right now, this person's lifespan was definitely cut short. —To protect me. Leon's chest ached. His breath caught. "[angry]Never use that again. Absolutely never." "[gentle]...That, I cannot promise." Refia directed her violet eyes, blurred with pain, straight at Leon. Deep within those eyes, an unshakable will burned. "[gentle]For my life exists to protect you." Leon was at a loss for words. Instead, he gripped her hand tightly. (Then I'll take the lead. So she won't have to use Temporal Regression. I'll clear the path with my power.) Fourth floor. Fifth floor. Sixth floor. Continuous battle. While controlling the power of Neptune, Leon maneuvered to protect Refia. Every time she tried to step forward, he shielded her instead. —The hall on the sixth floor. The moment Leon concentrated on controlling the illusion and became defenseless. A blade closed in from behind. Leon didn't notice. But—Refia threw her own body in the way as a shield. She didn't use the Chronostar's power. She couldn't. Leon's will to protect her had sealed away her choice to use the forbidden art. Shhk. Refia's side was slashed shallowly. Bleeding. "[scared]Refia!? Why did you shield me—" Leon turned around. The enemy had been struck down by Refia's counterattack. But she, bleeding, grabbed Leon by the chest. "[whispers]...Please, look into my eyes." Point-blank range. At a distance where they could feel each other's breath, violet eyes and heterochromatic eyes of blue and silver-gray gazed at each other as if melting together. Neither said a word. But it was conveyed. —I don't want to lose you. —I feel the same. Between the two, wounded, exhausted, and trembling, the very substance of emotion, stripped of all conflict and deception, undeniably existed. Those few seconds of silence, more eloquently than any words spoken until now, reflected the romantic core of their bond. Eventually, Refia released her grip. "[whispers]...Onward." Seventh floor. Before the door to the top floor. Scorching heat. The entire room was distorted by shimmering heat haze. "[cold]You've come far, children of stardust." Voile Noir Commander, Kaldan Vesel. A large man in his forties stood waiting with his arms crossed. The star power of Mars rose from his entire body, searing the very air. The greatsword in his hand glowed with red heat. "[cold]Former Première Refia Arcronos. And Leon Crawford, the cursed child of Neptune." Kaldan's voice was a mixture of anger and faint resonance. "[cold]The tools of the stars turn their blades against their master. How lamentable." Leon's left hand began to glow indigo. From the edges of Kaldan's words—he could feel something. (This man is the same.) The power of Neptune reacted. Deep within Kaldan was a profound wound. Loneliness and despair, having had his own life stolen by the Voile Noir and being forbidden to love another. "[angry]...You were a tool of the stars too, weren't you." Kaldan's eyes widened. "[cold]What are you—" "[angry]Here I come!!" Leon unleashed the indigo light with all his might. Space tore open. —A lush green meadow. A younger Kaldan and a single woman, laughing together. His one and only beloved. —The smell of iron. The execution ground of Noir Fortress. By orders from above, Kaldan himself had killed her. —Since then, he had never dreamed again. "[scared]...Li, Lia...?" The moment he saw the woman's face in the illusion, Kaldan's greatsword fell to the floor. He fell to his knees. Tears streamed from the eyes of the large man in his forties. BOOOOOOOOOOM!!! A roar from outside the tower. Looking out the window, flames were rising in the direction of the lower district. Hundreds of commoners had begun clashing with the Royal Army. Oswald's diversion. "[serious]Now!!" Pulling Refia's hand, Leon dashed past Kaldan and kicked down the door to the top floor. —A vortex of star power. A gigantic device roared, emitting a seven-colored light. The heart of the Starlight Spire. The star power control device that upheld the kingdom's lies. And. Beside it, a small shadow bound in chains. "[crying]...Big brother!!" Tattered clothes, emaciated cheeks. Even so, her ocean-blue eyes had certainly caught sight of Leon. Lily Crawford was alive. Desperately suppressing the urge to rush to Lily, Leon stared at the abnormal flow of star power from the device before his eyes. If they didn't stop this, nothing would end. Refia lined up beside him. Her entire body was covered in wounds, utterly exhausted. Even so, she stood. Their shoulders touched. Leon grasped Refia's hand. This time, she didn't pull away. "[gentle]Let's go. We'll free Lily from her chains and stop this device." Outside the tower, the angry roars of the commoners and