His right hand had been cold the entire time. For three days, Viola remembered that sensation. The sealing bracelet—a crystallization of the Elder Council's magic—dug into her right wrist, continuing to steal all feeling from that point onward. The stigma on her right palm wouldn't glow. Power wouldn't flow through it. She was just a girl locked in a windowless room. The light of dawn filtered through the gap in the door in a thin line. Viola hugged her knees against the wall. She couldn't sleep. Three days without proper sleep. One night where she'd cried too much. Two nights where she'd run out of tears to cry. Now even tears wouldn't come. Her eyes were just swollen, her cheeks taut. The door opened. "[cold]It is time for the inquiry," Two priests stood silently on either side. Viola stood up. Her knees buckled. She placed her hand against the wall and slowly pushed herself upright. Scattered on the stone floor were fragments of the bracelet... no, the bracelet still hadn't come off. There was nothing at her feet. Only cold stone. She walked down the corridor. The inquiry chamber was at the center of the cathedral. A high-ceilinged room lined with white stone pillars. A space for rituals, separate from the great hall used for morning prayers. Viola had walked this corridor countless times in her eighteen years. But today, the same passage looked different. The stone seemed darker. The air felt heavier. Or perhaps she herself had changed. (Nox's voice still lingered in her ears.) What binds you is not the Goddess's word. That phrase, and everything she'd been thinking about for these three days, swirled quietly in her mind. The story of the previous Saint who had given her life in the Twilight Campaign. The doctrine forbidding love—created by humans three hundred eighty years ago, not the word of the Goddess Soleia. That certainty was still only a seedling, but it was there, undeniably. The heavy door to the inquiry chamber opened with a deep sound. The moment she stepped inside, the air changed. Five Elders stood in a line. White vestments, deep wrinkles, hard eyes. Baldus, standing at the center, carried the weight of seventy-eight years in his spine as he looked directly at Viola. Not anger—fear. She knew what lay behind those eyes: genuine terror at the world crumbling. "[cold]The inquiry is now in session," His voice echoed— That instant. BOOOOOM!!! The ceiling collapsed. Three, four massive stones fell at once. Dust erupted, the air turning white. One of the Elders screamed. The sound of priests running. Another deafening crash. Another collapse. "[scared]The barrier—!" "[scared]From the cracks in the Twilight Wall—demonic beasts!!" They came. They poured into the white corridors of Seraphina Cathedral. Twisted black bodies. Claws. Fangs. Something that wasn't human—from the cracks in the Twilight Wall, the ancient barrier that separated humans from demons across the northern continent, a swarm of demonic beasts flooded in. Not just one or two. The corridor was filled with them. The sound of barrier magic breaking one after another echoed through the stone walls. The Elders moved. Four of them spun around and ran for the exit. Only Baldus didn't move. He crystallized white light in both hands, taking a casting stance. A demonic beast lunged at him—the barrier magic Baldus released struck it directly. The beast's body was repelled. But the next one came. And the next. The old priest's body was—slammed against the wall. Thud. A heavy sound, and Baldus crumpled. He didn't move. "[angry]Fall back!!" From the entrance to the inquiry chamber, the silver-white of the holy sword Carrion flashed. It was Rei. His golden hair was disheveled, his azure eyes burning like flames. He charged in with his sword raised, positioning himself in front of Viola. Light attribute magic dwelt in the blade, and with a single stroke—the demonic beast's body was cleaved in two. "[serious]Viola, don't move from there!!" Viola couldn't move. The sealing bracelet. She became acutely aware of its presence, digging into her right wrist. She tried to channel power through it. She concentrated her consciousness on the stigma—a sharp pain ran through her arm, and the power was repelled. The holy magic wouldn't activate. Viola could do nothing. Rei was fighting. He cut down one. He repelled two. Three came at once. Light scattered from the holy sword. But there were too many. A demonic beast's claw tore through Rei's shoulder. Blood flew. Still, Rei didn't retreat. He cut again. Again. Claw marks multiplied on his right arm. Wounds accumulated on his flank. Viola's chest tightened. (Because I'm here—) No. That wasn't it. But her feet wouldn't move. She couldn't leave Rei's side. This person was bleeding, and she could do nothing. A demonic beast lunged at Viola. "[angry]—!!" Rei threw himself in front of her. He took the direct impact on his arm and was slammed into the stone floor. Thud. A heavy sound. No voice came from Viola's throat. Rei stood up. His face was covered in blood. His golden hair was beginning to stain red. Too many wounds. Still, he didn't drop his sword. He stood. He positioned himself in front of Viola again, raising his blade. And then—he turned back. Tears glistened in his eyes. "[serious]...Viola," Not "Holy Saint." He had called her by her name. For the first time, he had called her by her name. In that moment of realization, something moved deep within her chest. Rei had always called her "Holy Saint." From the very first day, always. The weight of that change in how he addressed her transmitted through to her very core. "[serious]I... I love you," His bloodied lips forced out a hoarse voice. "[serious]Not because you're the Saint. Not because you have power. Because you're Viola—that's why I love you," Tears traced down Viola's cheeks. She had thought she had no tears left to cry. But they came. They wouldn't stop. Rei's azure eyes blurred through blood and tears. Then— The darkness at the depths of the cathedral condensed. It grew thicker. Heavier. A black mist-like dark rune magic swept through the swarm of demonic beasts filling the corridor. One after another. Relentlessly. The beasts' bodies vanished. Nox was there. Black hair with silver streaks. Gray eyes. Standing quietly in the depths of the inquiry chamber where the priests in torn white vestments had disappeared. The curse mark on his left arm pulsed violently—that pattern that accelerated its encroachment with each use. Black mist spread from his arm to his shoulder, from his shoulder to his neck. His pale skin began to turn gray. It should have been agonizing. Yet Nox, his brow furrowed, swept away another demonic beast. And another. And another. His gray eyes captured Viola. "[gentle]...I came to protect you," His voice was low and quiet. Devoid of emotion, yet those words alone carried weight. "[gentle]I need no reason. Your existence alone—is enough," Viola couldn't move. On her right was Rei. Covered in blood, scarred, yet still standing before her, gripping his sword. On her left was Nox. The curse mark's encroachment advancing, his skin turning gray, yet still unleashing dark rune magic. Light and darkness were protecting her simultaneously. That image burned itself into her vision. (Both are real.) She had always known. She had always understood. But she couldn't accept it. She thought accepting it would hurt someone. She thought she was bound by the Saint's doctrine. She thought she had no right to choose. But. She saw Rei bleeding. She saw Nox's skin turning gray. By continuing to deceive her own heart—there was nothing to protect. The sealing bracelet began to glow faintly at her right wrist. Something was coming from within. Power—responding to the surge of emotion, pressing forward. Viola grasped the bracelet with her left hand. The seal placed by the Elder Council. The symbol of the Saint's doctrine. The chain that had bound the Saints for three hundred eighty years. With her own will— "[serious]...But if I stop here," Her voice trembled. "[serious]what was I born for?" She pulled. Crrrack— A grinding sound. The bracelet cracked. Light leaked out. She pulled harder. Her arm ached. Still, she didn't let go. Couldn't let go. CRACK!! The bracelet shattered. It scattered as particles of light. Fine grains dissolved into the air. The seal was gone. The stigma on her right palm—exploded. BOOOOOOM!!! White light engulfed the entire cathedral. From walls, from ceiling, from the gaps in collapsed stone, light poured out. Spreading from Viola's body as its center. Unstoppable. She didn't try to control it. All the power she had suppressed came pouring out at once. One demonic beast vanished. Another vanished. The black swarm that had filled the corridor was purified and erased with each touch of white light. No time even to scream. One by one. All of them. She could see Rei's shoulder wound closing. The claw marks on his arm too. The blood receding. Viola's power was reaching him. Nox's left arm curse mark—was stilling. The pulsing stopped. His gray skin slowly returned to its pale hue. Not completely healed. But the encroachment had paused. Power that healed both light and darkness simultaneously. Activated for the first time because she hadn't deceived her heart—this was the true form of Soleia's holy magic. Eventually, the light subsided. Silence returned to the cathedral. Through the gaps in the collapsed stone, the light of dawn filtered in. The orange light of morning created thin lines through the dust, falling on the stone floor. Viola gazed at her right palm. The stigma glowed quietly. It wasn't raging out of control. But it wasn't suppressed either. It was simply there. In her hand. As her own power. Her knees trembled. Her strength drained away. She sank to the stone floor. Fragments of the bracelet scattered at her feet. White glowing powder reflected the dawn light, sparkling. Rei and Nox both took a step forward simultaneously. From their respective directions. One step each. Neither stopped. Viola kept her gaze on her right palm, sensing their presence. Their shadows stretched toward her from left and right. Then—a sound came from the depths of the inquiry chamber. A low groan. Baldus was pushing himself up from the wall. His white hair was disheveled, blood seeping through his vestments. But his eyes were open. Those gray eyes gradually regained focus. He saw the scattered bracelet fragments. He saw Viola's right palm. He saw Rei and Nox—both at once. The old priest's face went blank. As consciousness returned to the elderly man, his mouth slowly opened—he was trying to say something. In the light of dawn. Among the rubble. The powder of the broken seal still drifting through the air.