The square had grown eerily silent before Irielle's father stepped forward. His voice, steady and sharp, echoed across the gathered elves.

"The sacrifice has been completed. Our goddess has arrived!"

A ripple of cheers spread through the crowd, their fervent devotion heavy with mana. The air itself thickened, almost choking, and Kana felt her stomach twist.

She slowly turned her head, unwilling yet compelled, until her gaze landed upon the figure at her side.

Golden eyes.

Her breath hitched.

The face she had seen in dreams and whispers stood before her—Rimeru, the wolf goddess. Her beauty was cruel, ethereal, and suffocating all at once.

Those golden eyes seemed to pierce straight through Kana's chest, and for the first time, she truly felt small.

Instinctively, she tried to step back.

But a hand—warm and unyielding—tightened its grip around her arm, keeping her from retreating more than a few inches.

"What is wrong, little one? Why do you try to run away?"

Rimeru asked. Her voice was melodic, each word dripping with both tenderness and command.

Kana clenched her jaw.

"Because I don't know if I can trust you. If you really mean what you say… then it's better if you let me go."

Rimeru's lips curved, not into a smile, but into something sharper.

"Let you go? After I have waited all this time for you? No, Kana. You are mine."

Her golden eyes glowed brighter.

"From the moment I sensed your presence in this world, I knew you were a gift. A treasure delivered into my hands by the powers that raised me into godhood. I will not release you. Not now. Not ever."

Kana's heart pounded, but she forced herself to glare back.

"I don't feel the same. I need to check on Lysera and Irielle."

Rimeru tilted her head, as if puzzled by the notion. Then, casually, she spoke words that made Kana's blood run cold.

"Why would you? Those two mortals are already gone. Their souls belong to me now."

"What?"

Kana's voice cracked.

"To ease your worries, I'll show you."

Rimeru raised a hand, and from the air itself emerged two flickering lights. They hovered, faint and struggling, yet unmistakable. Kana's breath caught.

Those were… Lysera and Irielle.

"They are part of me now. Their strength flows through my veins. Their devotion completes me. Why cling to shadows when they are already where they belong?"

Rimeru continued, almost tenderly.

Rage surged up Kana's spine.

"No…"

The system's voice chimed coldly in her head.

[Warning: Host senses overloading. Emotional instability detected. Exercise caution or risk system strain.]

But Kana no longer cared. All that mattered was Lysera. All that mattered was Irielle.

"I want them back."

Kana hissed.

Rimeru blinked, momentarily taken aback. Golden eyes narrowed.

"You… what are you?"

The air quivered around Kana as energy spilled from her in violent waves. The mana-heavy chanting of the elves faltered, their voices breaking as they stared in shock.

The ground beneath Kana's feet cracked, light spilling through the fractures.

"Calm yourself. You do not understand what you are doing."

Rimeru commanded, her voice still carrying divine weight.

But her words only fanned the flames. The pressure around Kana grew unbearable, her own emotions erupting into something raw and wild.

Her hair lifted from the force, and her eyes burned with light she couldn't control.

"Kana—stop!"

The system urged, but it was too late.

Rimeru reached out, intending to subdue her, divine mana flooding her hand. But the instant her palm brushed Kana's skin, searing pain flared.

Smoke curled from her fingers. She hissed, staggering back, golden eyes wide with shock.

"What—?!"

Her grip loosened, and the two captured souls slipped free. Freed from her hold, they darted desperately toward their still bodies, collapsing into them like sparks returning to kindling.

Kana's knees trembled. Relief warred with fury, but before she could act, the ground pulsed with radiant light.

Strange symbols flared beneath her, Lysera, and Irielle. A magic circle, ancient and intricate, had formed under their bodies.

"No!"

Rimeru shouted, her voice cracking with something dangerously close to desperation. She lunged forward, but the circle blazed with a brilliance that pushed her back.

Kana barely had time to reach out, her fingertips brushing against Lysera's hand. Then the world was consumed by white.

A heartbeat later, they were gone.

The square stood empty save for the furious goddess, her hand still burning from a mortal's touch.

Kana gasped as her vision cleared. The chanting was gone, the suffocating air replaced by a stillness so sudden it made her ears ring.

She blinked, realizing she was no longer in the elf village. Grass brushed against her hands, and cool night air filled her lungs.

Beside her, Lysera stirred with a weak groan. Irielle's lashes fluttered before she coughed, alive, though pale.

They were safe. Somehow.

Kana exhaled shakily, collapsing backward into the grass. Relief flooded her, but the memory of those golden eyes lingered, searing into her chest.

Rimeru had touched her. Rimeru had burned.

And Rimeru was not going to forget.

Kana's breathing came unsteady as she pushed herself against the soft ground.

The meadow around her shimmered faintly under moonlight, but the memory of chanting voices and Rimeru's golden eyes still burned in her mind.

She swallowed hard, scanning the area for Lysera and Irielle, but her vision swam.

"Where… am I?"

Kana whispered. Her voice cracked, thin from exhaustion.

A figure stepped into her line of sight, and her eyes widened when the familiar presence settled over her.

It was Rose—the stranger she had once met in the temple, the one whose gaze had lingered on her as if she already knew too much.

Rose crouched beside her, tucking a blanket lightly across Kana's shoulders. Her expression was calm, but her eyes shone with quiet intensity.

"Don't force yourself awake just yet. You're safe for now. Rest first. When you wake, we'll talk."

Rose murmured.

Kana's lips parted. She wanted to demand answers—how Rose had appeared here, what happened to the goddess, whether Lysera and Irielle were safe—but her body betrayed her.

Fatigue pressed heavy against her chest, and her vision dimmed.

The last thing she saw was Rose watching over her, unblinking, as sleep claimed her again.

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