Three days had passed since the dual-source power awakened. The altar's remains had been cleaned away long ago, but Mio's hand still flickered occasionally—gold and deep purple alternating in the light. When she woke in the middle of the night, her right hand glowed with a faint warmth. She didn't think it was frightening. But she understood, with absolute clarity, that something had changed. The formal summons from the Consistory came right after morning prayers. A single priest knocked on the door of the Bright Star Chamber. His expression was more rigid than usual. "[serious]Your Holiness the Saint, please come to the Plaza of Sunlight. A guardian has arrived from the Consistory of Verdra——the twelve senior priests who oversee and guide the Saint's actions," Guardian. Mio repeated the word in her mind. In five years of living as the Saint in the Temple of Dawn, she had never once been assigned a personal guard. The official reasoning was that a being who maintained the world's balance had no need for protection. But now she had become a "risk factor"——a Saint bearing the dual-source power. It wasn't so much that protection had become necessary, Mio thought as she straightened the sleeves of her white robes, as it was that surveillance had become necessary. --- The Plaza of Sunlight glittered in the morning sun. Merchants selling fruit. A woman cradling fresh-baked bread. Children laughing as they ran. The plaza's stone pavement had been worn smooth over long years by countless footsteps. As Mio entered the plaza with the priest, the crowd quietly parted. It was always like this. Whispers of "Your Holiness the Saint" rippled outward like waves on water. In the center of that parting crowd stood a single young man. Golden short hair caught the morning light and gleamed brilliantly. Eyes of pure blue. A tall frame. Sun-darkened skin. A smile——the kind of smile that seemed impossible to direct at someone you were meeting for the first time, so free of hesitation was it. Armor bearing the white and gold crest of Solm caught the light across his shoulders and chest, and the plaza's people kept glancing at him. The priest began to open his mouth. But the young man stepped forward first. Straight toward Mio. "[serious]I am Raia Sunfeld. The Hero of Solm——chosen by sacred prayer to be the sword that protects the Saint," A beat of silence. "[serious]I will protect you, Mio. No matter what," There was no artifice in it. No preamble, no excessive layers of formal language. He simply said it, meeting her eyes directly, his gaze unwavering. Mio instinctively took a half-step back. (This person——he's looking at my face while he talks to me.) What was that supposed to mean? It was obvious. And yet——in all her years, Mio had almost never encountered someone her own age who would meet her eyes and speak to her so directly. The priests always lowered their gaze slightly. Worshippers bowed their heads. Citizens parted to let her pass without looking at her face. Raia Sunfeld looked at her face. Something in Mio's chest gave a small, involuntary leap. She didn't understand what it was. "[gentle]……I'm Shiratori Mio. It's a pleasure to meet you," Her voice trembled slightly. Raia laughed. Like the sun, Mio thought. Dazzling and carefree and impossibly bright. --- "[gentle]Are you hungry?" After the brief greeting in the plaza, Raia said this. Before Mio could answer, he continued: "I heard Martha's pancakes are the best in the world." (When did he even find that out?) Mio felt a little flustered, but no words of refusal came. The priest began to say, "However, according to the regulations of guardian duty——" but Raia cut him off clearly: "We'll just sit at a table and eat. If you need to guard, keep your distance." The Golden Grain Tavern was a small eatery at the edge of the plaza. Wooden walls, wooden tables, old but meticulously maintained. The sweet smell of baking bread rushed out the moment the door opened. "[excited]Oh! Mio, dear, welcome!" Martha appeared in her white apron. Fine wrinkles at the corners of her eyes, a round face, a bit of flour still clinging to her sleeve as always. The softness in her expression when she saw Mio——Mio had loved that for as long as she could remember. Martha's eyes narrowed slightly as she looked at Raia. "[gentle]A new face. You've got a cheerful look about you——it lifts my spirits just seeing it," "[excited]Thank you so much! Two orders of pancakes, please!" Martha chuckled and disappeared into the back. Mio and Raia sat across from each other at a wooden table. The priest stood outside the door, maintaining distance from the two of them. For a while, Mio gazed out the window. Morning light poured into the plaza. A child chased a dog. An ordinary scene. But it was rare for Mio to sit at a table outside like this, facing someone. "[gentle]Do you know about Portica?" Raia spoke. Mio answered, "It's an agricultural region in the southern part of the Soltiea Holy Light Kingdom, isn't it?" "[gentle]That's right. My family runs an orchard there," Raia's eyes narrowed slightly, his gaze turning distant. "[gentle]Every autumn, I harvest peaches with my father. My job is to hold the ladder, and my father reaches up to the high branches. My younger brother brings our dog, the dog tries to chew on the ladder's legs, my father yells, my brother laughs——" The story continued. His mother's laughter. The smell of autumn air. Pancakes from a neighbor's grandmother——something like Martha's——eaten on the night of the harvest festival. Mio held the pancakes in her hand, forgetting to eat. The orchard in Portica. Harvesting peaches with his father. His brother's mischief. His mother's voice. (I have nothing.) Mio had come to the temple at five years old. She didn't remember her parents' faces. She had no brothers or sisters. She had never gone to a harvest festival with her family. She understood the words "mother's laughter" in her head, but not in her heart. The everyday life Raia spoke of was dazzling. Dazzling and distant, and somewhere in her chest, there was a quiet ache. Martha brought the pancakes and said, "Eat well," before leaving. "[gentle]……And you, Mio? Do you have family?" Mio hesitated for a moment. "[gentle]I only know the temple. I've been here since I was five," Raia fell silent. His eyebrows drew together, just slightly. He didn't say "how sad." That——somehow——made Mio a little happy. When people said that, she never knew how to respond. "[gentle]Then I'll teach you about things," That's what Raia said. "[gentle]The taste of peaches from the orchard, stories about the harvest festival, what the autumn air in Portica is like. Ideally I'd take you there directly——but that might be difficult right away," Mio couldn't tell if he was joking or serious. But she brought the pancakes to her mouth. They were sweet. They smelled of butter. The caramelized edges crackled faintly between her teeth. (Being here is a little frightening.) Mio couldn't pinpoint exactly why fear was the right word. It wasn't Raia who frightened her. It wasn't this place. It was just that something in her chest kept stirring, and the thought of understanding what it was——that was what frightened her. --- When Mio returned to the temple that evening, a priest from the Consistory of Verdra came to the Bright Star Chamber. An older male priest, his black vestments embroidered with gold. His expression was serene, but his eyes didn't smile. In his hand, a single scroll. "[serious]Your Holiness the Saint, I bring an official proclamation from the Consistory," Mio listened while standing. "[serious]The Saint's dual-source awakening has been classified as a risk factor to the world's balance. The following restrictions take effect immediately," The priest unrolled the scroll and read aloud. "[serious]First: All outings require the complete accompaniment of the Hero. Second: All contact with the Nox side and information exchange are forbidden. All communications pertaining to Noctian territory are included. Third: The Saint's Prohibition on Marriage——the system forbidding the Saint from romantic involvement and marriage during her tenure——is hereby reaffirmed. Violation results in the revocation of her title and permanent exile from the Light," Permanent exile from the Light. Banishment forever from Soltiea Holy Light Kingdom——the realm of Light. "[serious]That concludes the proclamation," The priest rolled up the scroll, bowed, and left. Mio stood holding the document, motionless. The words of the prohibition on marriage lay quietly in the scroll. Romance and marriage forbidden. Violation meant permanent exile from this kingdom. It was something she had first heard at twelve years old, and she had simply accepted it as "the way things are." But today, Mio had listened to Raia Sunfeld's stories. Stories of his family. Stories of the autumn orchard. And now, the prohibition on marriage had come again. (……This proclamation isn't meant to protect me.) Mio understood it slowly. All outings require the Hero's accompaniment——meaning Raia would always be at her side. But simultaneously, that restriction narrowed her world further. The prohibition on contact with Nox was a restriction to "manage" the darkness dwelling within her. Raia's arrival had made the system's chains around Mio tighter. Protection and restraint wore the same shape. Mio placed the scroll gently on her desk. Outside the window, lights began to illuminate the city of Celestia as evening fell. --- After evening prayers, Mio sat by the window. The nightscape of Celestia spread out below, white buildings dotted with light. As the city of three hundred fifty thousand souls drifted toward sleep, the lights gradually dimmed. Watching that change, her mind grew quiet. She was thinking of Raia. She noticed she was thinking of him and tried to stop. But she couldn't. "I will protect you, Mio. No matter what." Those words still lingered in her ears. In five years, no one had ever said that to her. The priests had cared for her, monitored her, managed her as "the Saint." That wasn't protection. Protection was what Raia had said that morning in the plaza, meeting her eyes directly. (I wanted to be protected. Today was the first time I've ever felt that.) The moment she understood that, pain bloomed somewhere in her chest. Someone had come to protect her. But that person's presence had also become the justification for the Consistory's restrictions. As long as Raia was at her side, every outing would be shadowed by watchful eyes. To harbor affection for Raia would be——subject to the prohibition on marriage. (Affection? What am I even thinking right now?) Heat rose to her cheeks. She pictured Raia's smile in her mind, and Mio closed her eyes. Even the act of imagining might be forbidden by the system's gaze. She looked at both her hands. The light core in her right hand glowed faintly with warmth. Her emotions were bleeding through. Quietly, Mio extinguished that light. Beyond the window, the night of Celestia breathed softly. --- The next morning, when Mio emerged from prayers into the plaza, Raia was already waiting at the entrance. The same golden short hair, the same pure blue eyes, the same sun-like smile. According to the Consistory's proclamation, the Hero's accompaniment was now mandatory. "[gentle]Good morning," Mio paused before answering, "Good morning." "[serious]Did you read yesterday's proclamation?" Raia's expression hardened slightly. "[serious]I read it," "[serious]……You understand what it means. That I'm now under even closer surveillance because you've come," What Mio wanted to say was: "Your arrival has made me more monitored." It wasn't Raia's fault. But if she didn't tell him, something would remain stuck inside her. Raia looked at her face for a long moment. "[serious]But I don't want