The return from the mountain range came before dusk. The white stone walls of the Seraphina Cathedral were dyed by the setting sun, glowing in shades of orange. Viola sat by the window of her room, watching that color. Nothing rested on her lap. Only the night in the Rontia Mountains kept replaying in her mind. The warmth of the campfire. The sensation of Rei's hand—that pulse beneath his skin the moment their fingertips touched. And the melody that reached her ears in the dead of night. Low, sorrowful, mixed with something that had no name. That sound. Both were real. Both were still here. Viola looked down at her right hand. The stigma glowed quietly. It wasn't raging. But she couldn't say the power had settled either. It was like the surface of a lake trembling faintly, endlessly. (I want to understand. What is this feeling?) Night fell. The moon rose. The footsteps of priests patrolling the corridors receded at a steady rhythm. From the cathedral's great hall came the low murmur of final prayers before sleep. Viola pressed her forehead against the window, gazing vaguely toward the north. That was when it happened. It was white. The barrier that enveloped the cathedral—the protective magic maintained by the Council of Elders to guard Seraphina Cathedral—began to change color. Not its usual white, but purple. From edge to edge, like ink bleeding into water. It happened in an instant. Running footsteps in the corridor. Priests' voices rising to screams. "The barrier!" "An anomaly—the barrier is changing color!" Shouts echoed off the stone hallway, overlapping, and the entire cathedral fell into chaos. Viola stood up. She moved toward the great hall. As she pushed open the doors— The air was different. Heavy. Cold. Something entirely unlike moonlight was converging at the center of the chamber. White stone pillars were dyed purple by that light, and shadows stretched in strange directions. The priests retreated to the walls. No one could step into the center. The darkness deepened. It took form—or rather, something that had always been there became visible. Black hair. A single streak of silver mesh reflected in the light. Gray eyes. And running from the left arm across the shoulder, an ancient curse mark. Black patterns carved into skin, pulsing faintly. Tall. Silent. Like the sky before a storm—nothing moved, yet everything was tense. The entire temple froze. The man turned toward Viola. In that instant, something in Viola's chest— This was it. This presence. What leaked from this man was the same as that melody. The low, sorrowful something that reached her ears in the dead of night in the Rontia Mountains. The nameless thing she felt that night in the royal capital's back garden, listening northward. It was this man. All along, it had been this man radiating it—the moment that certainty raced through her body, Clang!! The Holy Sword Carrion flew from its sheath. "[angry]Fall back!!" Rei burst through the entrance to the great hall. His golden hair was disheveled, his azure eyes blazing like flames. He must have remained on guard in the cathedral—sword raised, he charged toward the man without hesitation. Light attribute magic dwelt in the silver blade, illuminating the chamber. A slash cut through the air. Nox raised his right hand. That was all. He caught it. The sword pressure, the blade itself. In his palm. The light dwelling in the blade scattered, and sparks flew across the chamber. The next instant, Rei's body arced through the air and slammed against the stone wall. Thud—a heavy impact echoed through the hall. "[scared]Rei!" Rei crumpled from the wall. Blood seeped from his forehead and lips. Yet he didn't release the Holy Sword. His eyes hadn't lost their light. Nox didn't look at Rei at all. He paid no attention to the fallen hero. Slowly, he turned back toward Viola. There was no will to fight. Despite the overwhelming power he'd just displayed, those gray eyes held nothing aggressive. He extended his left hand—his scarred left hand, quietly. "[serious]The demon race is dying out." His voice was low. Emotionless, matter-of-fact. Yet something seeped through that voice—the weight of long time, a mixture of resignation and resolve, something like that. "[serious]If the Twilight Wall collapses, humans and demons will fall together. Only one has the power to stop it—you." Viola couldn't move. While listening to that voice, something deep in her chest filled with a sensation that was painful. Different from what she felt for Rei. Different from the warmth of that campfire night. Something darker, coming from deeper within—a pull, like gravity. It wasn't a lie—somehow, she knew. This man wasn't lying. With scarred hands extended, he spoke of his people's extinction without hiding his emotions. It was terrible, and it was real. "[angry]Don't listen to the liar's words!!" He stood up, bleeding. Hand against the wall, knees pressed to the ground, he still stood. His azure eyes glared at Nox. "[angry]What does the Demon King think he's doing, entering the cathedral? You're just trying to use Viola." He positioned his body between Nox and Viola. In that moment, Viola found herself caught between them. Rei's back was before her eyes. That broad back, trying to stand even while wounded. He had protected her like this countless times. Before bandits, on the way back from the market—this man never hesitated to stand here. That was real. But. When she looked up, Nox's gray eyes were watching her. No anger, no threat in them. Only—as if waiting for something. Quiet, deep, bottomless. Neither held a lie. Rei's warmth was real. Nox's sorrow was real. Yet the two could never fit in the same place. Viola's right palm began to glow faintly. Quietly. But unmistakably. The stigma trembled—when emotions wavered, power wavered. At that moment, the far doors of the great hall burst open. "[cold]Don't move another step." Baldus entered, followed by a dozen priests. The seventy-eight-year-old high priest stood with his spine perfectly straight, facing Nox directly with gray eyes. Between his hands, white light crystallized—the stance of barrier magic. Viola had never seen the head of the Council of Elders cast a spell himself. A torrent of light engulfed Nox. Nox received it head-on. His expression didn't change. Viola understood that he could have overpowered the situation with sheer force. But Nox didn't resist. Step by step, he retreated quietly. Darkness began to envelop him again. Just before he vanished— Nox spoke, low enough for only Viola to hear. "[whispers]Have you ever loved someone?" There was a pause. "[whispers]...Neither have I. So I understand. Your loneliness." Darkness closed. The barrier that had been purple slowly returned to white. Heavy silence fell over the great hall. The priests exhaled in unison. Someone sat down. In Viola's ears, only those words remained. The light in her right palm stopped abruptly. --- "Lady Viola." Baldus's voice was closer to fear than anger. "[serious]Stand in the center of the great hall." With every priest watching, Viola stood in the center. Baldus unrolled a piece of parchment. The Saint's Precepts—seven commandments imposed upon the Saint. "[serious]I read the Third Precept." The old man's voice echoed off the stone ceiling. "[serious]The Saint shall not open her heart to the demon race. Those who violate this shall have their title stripped and be cast out from the temple—" "[serious]Tonight, your right palm glowed. When you heard the demon's words." Viola couldn't speak. She couldn't deny it. Baldus was right. When she heard Nox's voice, her power wavered. Her emotions were disturbed. That was the truth. In Baldus's face, there was something beyond anger. In those aged eyes, there was fear. The fear of a man who had guarded this cathedral for decades—the genuine terror of a world collapsing. Before that interrogation could end, Rei grasped Viola's hand. Firmly. "[serious]Don't be deceived." With blood still seeping from his lips, Rei spoke. His azure eyes looked only at Viola. What dwelt in those eyes wasn't anger. He was afraid, Viola felt. Raw terror at the thought of losing something. "[serious]Everything the Demon King says is calculated. He's trying to use your power. Just look at me. I'll protect you. Always." His grip tightened. Viola's hand trembled slightly in his. Rei's words were warm. Sincere. She could feel from the temperature of his hand that he truly believed them. But Nox's gray eyes wouldn't leave her mind. I understand your loneliness—those words remained in her ears. Somehow, Viola was certain that Nox couldn't lie. That gaze wasn't an act. The words the Demon King spoke while extending his scarred hand—they were real. The stronger Rei's grip became, the more the two emotions pulled at each other in her chest. She loved Rei—that was true. Nox's sorrow was real—that was also true. Neither was a lie. Neither could be denied. Yet she stood in a place where she had to choose one. Viola looked directly at Rei's face. At those sincere azure eyes. At the face of someone who would stand here even while wounded, never wavering. And yet, she couldn't be honest. "[gentle]...I understand." Her own voice sounded hollow. She created the smile she'd practiced for eighteen years. Lifting the corners of her lips, narrowing her eyes slightly. But tonight's smile suppressed something from deeper within than ever before. Rei seemed somewhat relieved, loosening his grip on her hand. Baldus said nothing. He only looked at Viola's right palm once, quietly. Cold air flowed through the great hall. The priests departed, their footsteps fading, and eventually the chamber fell silent. The white barrier glowed faintly beyond the window. No longer purple. But to Viola, that whiteness looked slightly different from before. She looked down at her right palm. The stigma wasn't glowing. It was quiet. But that quietness wasn't calm—it was the kind of quiet that barely held something back. Her heart was torn in two. For the first time, Viola gave that sensation a name. This wasn't wavering. Both were truly real, both were unchosen, and both existed in her chest—that was what hurt.