Riko stared at Nat's left arm. The words she had received from him that night in the abandoned building still burned deep in her chest. In the darkness lit only by moonlight, the whitened, transformed scales pulsed with an eerie rhythm. Every so often, Nat's fingers twitched sharply, and a faint groan escaped his lips. His deep crimson hair clung to his forehead with sweat, and his dark skin was flushed red with fever. She reached out her fingers. She had lost count of how many times she had done this. Each time, her fingertips stopped just before they touched the air. Touching him might make it worse. The last time, the moment she made contact, the scales had flared with light and the transformation had accelerated. That shock, like a bolt of lightning, still lingered in her fingertips. Riko closed her eyes. The spiral scar on the back of her right hand throbbed with a dull ache. The Abyss factor was resonating with the transformation in Nat's arm. Like magnets drawn irresistibly together. (*Please.*) She prayed in her heart. To whom, she didn't even know herself. Was it Reg? Or was it something that had vanished at the bottom of the Abyss? "[whispers]……I'm sorry." Her voice trembled. She had apologized so many times already. But every time she did, Nat shook his head. So this time, she searched for different words. "[whispers]I want to help you." That was the answer. Just as Nat had tried to protect her, she wanted to protect him. Shigu was right. Dying was running away. Not running, staying here—that was the most terrifying thing, and yet the most important thing of all. Riko took a deep breath. She filled her lungs with the cold air. The musty smell of the abandoned building mingled with the crisp, clear air of the pre-dawn. She thought of Reg. The darkness of the deep layers they had delved into together. The feel of his mechanical arm. She could still remember that warmth even now. A strange temperature, neither hot nor cold. But it was, unmistakably, a living warmth. Perhaps now it was her turn to pass on what Reg had given her to someone else. Riko stretched out both hands. She laid her trembling fingers upon Nat's transformed arm. She touched it. In that instant— A violent pain shot through her entire body. A shock as if she were being seared to the very marrow of her bones. A scream tore from Riko's lips, and her back arched sharply. The white scales across her entire body glowed a pale blue, illuminating the inside of the abandoned building with dazzling light. Fragments of broken relics leaning against the wall began to tremble and vibrate. "[scared]Riko-nee!!" She heard Shigu's scream. Shigu tried to rush forward, but, biting her lip at her own helplessness, she covered her mouth with both hands and stood rooted to the spot. "[crying]……L-let go…!" Let go—her entire body screamed it. If she let go, this pain would end. But—if she let go, she would never be able to touch him again. (*I won't let go.*) Riko clenched her teeth. The roots of her teeth ground together with a creaking sound. Sparks scattered behind her eyes, and her vision bleached white. Even so, she poured strength into her fingers. As if to say she would never let go, she gripped his arm tightly. Nat's groans grew louder. His consciousness was shaken by the pain, deep wrinkles carving themselves into his brow. But— That was when it happened. Suddenly, something changed. Beneath the violent pain, there was another sensation. It was warm. A gentler warmth, different from what she had felt at the bottom of the Abyss. It seemed to flow slowly from Riko's fingertips into Nat's arm, and from Nat's arm back into Riko's fingertips. Not rejection, but acceptance. Not trying to erase the factor, but acknowledging it as a part of herself. (*I see… so this is what a bond is.*) Tears spilled from Riko's eyes. They were not tears of pain. They were tears of relief—relief that, for the first time, she did not have to hate her own factor. Through the gaps in the boarded walls of the abandoned building, the morning light streamed in, thin and bright. Within that light, a miracle was unfolding. The scale-like transformation that had covered Nat's arm—began to recede. The white scales that had nearly reached his shoulder slowly retreated. The edges of the scales blurred, their glow weakened, and the color of living human skin returned. It was just like the tide going out. "[surprised]……Ah……" Shigu was speechless. With a face that could neither cry nor laugh, she simply stared at the joined hands of Riko and Nat. Nat opened his eyes, just a sliver. "[whispers]……Riko…?" His deep green eyes, glistening with moisture, found Riko's face. He seemed to feel the pain in his arm receding as well. "[gentle]Don't move. It's… not over yet." Riko's voice was still trembling. But there was a firm resonance in it now that had never been there before. —*Creak.* Suddenly, there was a noise outside the abandoned building. All three of them froze. Shigu quickly turned back toward the door, bracing herself. Were they pursuers? But there was only one set of footsteps. With a groan, the door opened. Standing there was a short old man. His back was bent, his white hair disheveled, and he wore a worn-out appraiser's coat. But his eyes alone were strangely sharp for his age, and they were fixed intently on the scene inside the building. "[serious]……You youngsters are showing me something quite interesting." The old man spoke in a hoarse voice, then entered the abandoned building with the air of someone who knew the place well. He clutched a small magnifying glass in his right hand. His movements were those of a man who had spent decades appraising relics. "[cold]Who are you?" Though his body still wouldn't move freely, Nat tried to raise himself up to shield Riko. But the old man, paying no mind to his wariness, brought his face close to Nat's arm. "[excited]Hooh… well, well." The old man called Eiga used his magnifying glass to carefully observe the receded portion of Nat's scales. "[serious]The Abyss factor is not causing the relics to run wild. It is pacifying them. In my sixty years as an appraiser, I have never seen such a phenomenon." At his voice, Riko looked up. "[whispers]You are…?" "[gentle]I am Eiga. Formerly a senior appraiser for the Delvers' Guild. Now I quietly conduct underground investigations of relics here in the South District." Eiga raised his face and looked at Riko with clear, unclouded eyes. "[serious]And—I am also the one who witnessed, from the closest vantage point, the entire affair of Doreva Karsh being driven from the appraisers." At that name, the air around the three of them froze solid. Eiga slowly began to speak, leaning against the wall as if for support. "[serious]Karsh touched a Special-Grade relic. At that moment, his mind was eroded by its force field. But he interpreted it as hearing the voice of the Abyss. As a divine revelation. The truth is—it was simple mental transmutation. What he sees is not the Mother Abyss. It is the darkness within himself." Riko listened to Eiga's words with suspicion in her eyes. But—he could concretely explain the changes in Nat's arm. With an appraiser's eye, he had pinpointed the nature of the factor. (*This man is telling the truth.*) It was the first moment she had received external proof that her factor was not a calamity. Nat, too, listened quietly to Eiga's story. The scales on his left arm continued to recede, now remaining only from the elbow down. He stared at his own arm, then looked at Riko's profile. (*Riko… healed me.*) Something clicked into place within him. The words he had confessed last night in a trembling voice had truly moved Riko to action. That alone made Nat's chest fill with a gentle, spreading warmth. Shigu still hadn't let down her guard. She stared intently at Eiga's hands, watching for any suspicious movement. But—witnessing the scales on Nat's arm undeniably retreating, she let out a small breath. "[serious]……Can we trust you?" "[gentle]Whether you trust me or not is up to you, young lady. But I will tell you one thing." Eiga's voice suddenly dropped low. "[cold]Karsh has begun a speech in the Central Plaza. He is arranging to publicly condemn you three as defilements who have incurred the wrath of the Abyss. The crowd is already in a frenzy. Even as we speak." A cold chill crawled down Riko's spine. (*Karsh is—*) Running was useless. Karsh was certain of that. That was precisely why he intended to drag the three of them out before the crowd and, under the pretext of purification by a holy relic, seize Riko once more. Riko stood up. The trembling had stopped now. "[serious]I'm going." It was a short, simple statement. Pressing down on his still-aching arm, Nat stood up immediately. "[serious]Anywhere." There was no hesitation in his voice, unlike the night before. If he could stand beside Riko, he wasn't afraid of anywhere. Shigu had already grabbed her coat. "[serious]Of course. I'm going too." Her amber eyes shone with resolve. Riko looked at each of their faces in turn. This was the first time she had relied on the two of them and walked forward together as equals. From being the one protected, to the one standing together—she was taking that step now. The three of them, along with the old man, threw open the door of the abandoned building. — The Central Plaza was engulfed in an eerie heat. Despite the early hour, a crowd of easily several hundred people had gathered. Merchants, delvers, housewives, children—people from every stratum of society looked up at the makeshift platform erected in the center of the plaza. Standing atop the platform was Doreva Karsh. His long gray hair swayed in the wind, and his clouded eyes looked down upon the crowd. The transformation marks on his neck glowed faintly, lending a sacred air to his words. "[gentle]My assembled brethren! Hear me!" Karsh's voice resounded to every corner of the plaza. "[angry]The Maiden of the Abyss—that accursed woman called Riko—has defiled the grace of the Mother Abyss! Her factor drives relics mad and calls calamity down upon this city! As proof, the arm of the young man who touched her has been cursed, transformed into a grotesque shape!" The crowd stirred. Shouts of anger flew. "Purge the defilement!" "Drive her from the city!" "No, kill her!" Some clutched stones in their hands. Their eyes had already lost all reason, reduced to mere lumps of frenzy. Karsh twisted his mouth in satisfaction. "[cold]But fear not! We of the Volnika Holy Covenant shall, in this sacred plaza, perform the rite to purify this defilement—" That was when it happened. From the rear of the crowd, a stir of murmurs arose. People turned around. A path opened naturally. Standing there—was Riko. Her silvery-white hair caught the morning sun and shone with a pale blue light. Her odd eyes, mismatched in color—violet and gold—stared straight at Karsh. To her left stood Shigu, to her right, Nat, their shoulders aligned. Behind the three of them, Eiga glared at Karsh with sharp eyes. "[surprised]Oooh…!" "That's the Maiden!" "Accursed one!" Gazes of hatred and curiosity pierced Riko. *Thwack*—a stone flew. A small stone grazed Riko's cheek, leaving a thin scratch. A single line of blood trickled down. "[scared]Riko-nee—!" Shigu tried to grab Riko's arm. But Riko shook her head. "[whispers]It's okay." Riko did not stop walking. Step by step, she advanced toward the center of the plaza. Nat and Shigu walked as if guarding her on either side. Atop the platform, Karsh's face twitched for just a moment. But he immediately plastered on a saintly smile. "[gentle]Oooh…! Behold! The sinner of the Abyss has been drawn to the place of judgment of her own accord! This is the very work of the Mother Abyss!" The crowd erupted again. But Riko wasn't listening to Karsh's words. Her attention was directed at