Nova Pov

So this was the place.

Nova stood before the small house, her tall figure cloaked in the pale light of dusk. To call it a house was generous it was little more than a crooked wooden hut, weather-worn, its planks swollen and warped by years of neglect. Moss crept up the sides, swallowing parts of the foundation, and the faint stench of rot lingered in the air. She narrowed her deep purple eyes, taking in the sight.

So this is where that man lived… the one who used to have problem with Razeal.

She didn't need to wonder long. She had already pried the truth from fragments of memory, stolen from the dead guard of that pitiful church. The man who resided here had been no ordinary thug. He had been the leader of a group.. small in number but infamous in their own way specializing in human trafficking, torture, and every vile pleasure such work allowed. That guard had seen Razeal cross paths with them. They had been seen with him once, and then… Razeal had disappeared entirely.

She didn't linger to admire or analyze. With her patience worn thin, Nova reached for the door. Before her feet stepped closer, the wooden frame crumbled inwards, disintegrating as if rejecting her presence. With the entrance now gone

She stepped inside without hesitation.

The air inside was thicker, heavy with the musk of mold and unwashed fabric. A narrow hallway branched off into a few small rooms bedrooms perhaps, or storage. She ignored them all. Her boots pressed into the warped boards, and with each step the cheap wood groaned before splintering. Then, beneath her weight, the floor cracked, caving in slightly to reveal the outline of a trapdoor hidden under rotten planks.

Pathetic attempt at secrecy.

Without breaking stride, she tore it open with one strong stomp of her feet. Dust and a foul draft rushed up from below, carrying with it the unmistakable stench of decay. Nova descended into the darkness, her steps unhurried and expressions unreadable.

The staircase spiraled downward until it ended at a pitch-black chamber. The air was suffocating, thick with rot and iron. Nova raised her hand, and a sphere of violet fire bloomed above her palm, floating gently like a lantern. Its glow spread across the room, washing away the shadows.

And when the light revealed the room, Nova paused.

She said nothing even expression did not shift. Her eyes remained calm, cold, though she stood utterly still, gazing upon the sight before her.

Time passed in silence. She did not know how long she remained like that before footsteps sounded behind her, careful and cautious, approaching down the stairs.

Selena appeared, followed by her knights. They descended slowly, their armor clinking faintly in the heavy air, until they too reached the bottom.

Selena frowned, confused at the sight of Nova standing frozen. She stepped closer, tilting her head slightly. But then her eyes lifted, and she saw.

Her breath caught in her throat. A hand flew instantly to her mouth, stifling the cry that threatened to break free.

Three corpses were nailed to the wooden wall.

Their skins had been ripped away entirely, leaving only exposed veins, muscle, and frozen, dried blood. Even their scalps had been torn, hair yanked out brutally, leaving the grotesque shine of bone. Their eyes were missing, their teeth gone, their mouths open in silent screams. Nails pinned every limb to the wood as though fastening broken dolls into place.

And worst of all it had not been done after death. The way the flesh tore, the marks of struggle, the twisted positions of their bodies it was clear they had been alive when their skins were peeled away, tortured slowly, deliberately.

At the center of each forehead, a gold coin had been hammered in, wedged so deeply it looked fused to bone.

And carved into their chests, burned by molten silver, were words that glowed faintly in the violet fire:

"Debt Paid Off."

Selena's body convulsed violently. She staggered back, knees buckling, and vomited onto the ground. Her golden eyes blurred with tears as she gagged, the horror too much even for her hardened heart.

The knights said nothing. They stood stiff and pale, their lips pressed tight. Not one of them moved.

Nova's voice finally broke the silence, quiet, calm.

"Paid back, huh…" she whispered. Her eyes closed for a brief moment. "Seems he wasn't joking when he said those who wronged him had been paid back… and those left… will pay eventually."

Her eyes nerrowing in seriousness, though her voice remained steady.

Little brother… how different you've become.

Once, Razeal had been gentle sweet, kind, even soft-hearted in ways that had worried her. He'd been emotional, idealistic, a boy who felt too deeply. Now? Now he left scenes like this behind him.

Nova's flame trembled.

You have become quite different from how you used to be, little brother.

Nova's thoughts were heavy as she stood before the grotesque sight. Her eyes stayed fixed on the words carved into the chests of the corpses 'Debt paid off' but her mind was no longer in the present. It wandered back, tracing faint memories of the boy she once knew.

Back then, Razeal had been sweet. Almost painfully so. Kind to a fault, soft-hearted in ways that made others underestimate him. Even emotional, at times fragile, his empathy too wide for a world that was nothing but cruel. She remembered his laughter, the warmth in his eyes when he trusted, the way he used to look at life as if it was something worth protecting.

And now this.

This chamber was a monument of cruelty, drenched in pain and vengeance.

If I had handled that situation differently… Nova's jaw tightened. Would he have ever become like this? Would he have ever turned into someone capable of such cold brutality? Or… would he have been disgusted by this, the way he once would have been disgusted by even the smallest hint of cruelty?

The thought twisted in her chest like a knife. The answer haunted her.

Maybe, yes. Maybe this is my fault afterall.

She stood perfectly still, her violet flame hovering above her palm, illuminating her face. The firelight deepened the shadows under her eyes, painting her sharp features in violet light, but her expression was calm, detached a mask of control over a storm of guilt inside.

There is no excuse, she admitted silently, her lips pressing into a thin line. Maybe I should have destroyed that damned family rule myself. Maybe I should have taken some gentle approach. If I had done that… perhaps he would not have been pushed down this path.

Her gaze moved slowly from one mutilated corpse to the next, lingering on the coins, the carved letters, the raw agony preserved in twisted flesh.

And now, because of me, you've become this. Blinded by revenge to the point that you've forgotten what humanity is. Forgotten who you were. You were only what? Eleven back then… just a kid. And yet capable of doing something like this? Just... Honestly she doesn't even know how to react to it.. Its like her brother lost his innocence because of her strictness to teach him to become someone better as a person. But looking at this now.. This just seems sad.

Her eyes closed.

Her shoulders rose and fell once, a measured breath against the suffocating stench of blood and rot.

No worries. I will take responsibility for my actions since i am the one the ones that pushed you here. It won't be long before I find you again. And when I do, I will help you. I will help you find smoothness, warmth, even if only a fraction of what you lost. I will heal what wounds I can, even if they were carved into you because of me.

Her hand clenched, and the flame above her fingers flared brighter for an instant.

Forgive me, little brother. I was wrong. I shoulve have found better and gentler way.

Nova's eyes remained closed for a long moment, her inner confession sinking deep inside her. The silence in the chamber was broken only by the faint crackle of her flame and the ragged, wet sounds of someone retching behind her.

Selena.

The Saintess was on the ground, her body trembling as her guards surrounded her. She had dropped to her knees, squatting forward, vomiting violently. Tears streamed from her golden eyes as she struggled to breathe, her hands shaking as she pressed them to the floor for support. The knights bent down, trying to steady her, their faces tight and pale, but none dared to look at the wall again.

Nova's eyes opened slowly. She lifted her hand and flicked her fingers.

At once, a small flicker of purple flame leapt from her palm. It cut across the air like a streak of lightning and struck the wall where the corpses hung. The fire spread instantly, devouring the rotten flesh and broken wood alike. The room was bathed in violet blaze, shadows dancing wildly, the horror burning away into ash.

Nova turned.

Her gaze paused briefly on Selena. The Saintess was shaking, her cheeks wet, her eyes red, her lips trembling with the weight of guilt and grief.

A sigh escaped Nova's lips, soft but audible.

"It's alright," she said quietly, her voice calm, even soothing. "It wasn't your fault. Don't think too much of it."

Selena didn't answer. Her eyes dropped, tears still sliding down her flushed cheeks.

Nova stepped forward. She crouched slightly, her movements fluid and without hesitation, and slid one arm beneath Selena's back, the other beneath her legs. With ease, she lifted her into a princess carry. Selena didn't resist her body went slack in Nova's hold, her face pressed slightly against her shoulder as more tears slipped down.

The knights straightened but said nothing. Not one of them moved to interfere. They knew better than to question Nova. They knew the bond between her and Selena. And so they followed silently, their armor clinking softly, their eyes downcast.

Nova looked down at the woman in her arms. Selena's golden eyes were half-closed now, glassy with sorrow, her expression crushed beneath the weight of despair.

She continued to cry quietly, not with loud sobs, but with a steady stream of tears that wouldn't stop. Each drop burned Nova's chest more than she would admit.

The scene broke her too, Nova thought silently. The weight of what kind of man Razeal has become… because of a mistake. Because of her. Because of me. Together, we ruined his life. We turned his bright, flowery youth into this path of cruelty. Even if he was wrong they didn't hated him afterall.. They just wanted best of him. It was never there goal to give him pain or suffering only just wanted him to be best person around them.

Nova's lips tightened.

So I will not abandon him. Not again.

With Selena in her arms, she walked out of the underground chamber, her footsteps steady and unhurried. The knights trailed behind, silent as shadows, their gazes fixed on the floor.

When they emerged from the hut, the night air struck them, cool and fresh compared to the stench of death below. Selena shifted faintly in her arms, curling slightly against Nova's chest, still weeping softly.

Nova did not look back.

Behind them, as soon as her foot crossed the threshold, the entire house burst into purple flame. The fire devoured the structure instantly, swallowing wood, roof, and stone, consuming it all until there was nothing left but light and ash. The blaze roared high into the night sky, a pillar of violet fire that erased everything within.

She did not turn to watch.

She kept walking, her arms firm around Selena, her eyes fixed forward.

The knights followed in silence, their faces grim, the glow of the fire at their backs.

And in the eyes of both women Selena and Nova there was the same sadness. The same guilt. The same quiet, crushing grief that stole every word from their lips.

Neither spoke. Neither needed to.

The fire behind them burned until nothing remained.

----

Merisa Pov

High in the mountains, the air reeked of ash and scorched stone. Where once had stood a hidden stronghold a fortress feared even by the kingdoms itself said to be forbidden areas there now lay only devastation.

A spear of pure purple sold energy, massive enough to pierce the heart of a mountain, jutted through the range. From front to back, the entire peak was impaled, the colossal weapon still pulsing faintly with a purple, radiant glow. Purple flames clung to its edges, spiraling upward like living fire, scorching everything they touched. The land surrounding it was shattered, gouged into craters and ravines as though a war had erupted here. Yet there were no victors, no survivors only the howling wind sweeping over broken stone.

Not a single living ghost remained. Thousands of shadows trained to rival armies, warriors infamous for their ability to assassinate even kings of the Empires, had been reduced to fragments of soul-light. Their essence scattered into the void, crushed by a single woman.

And at the very edge of that monstrous spear stood Merisa.

Her purple hair fluttered in the burning winds, strands glowing with reflected light from the purple fire that still swirled through the ruins. Her gaze was as cold as the abyss itself, her presence pressing down on the broken land like a storm that refused to fade. In her right hand she held a ball of darkness, swirling and alive, its surface rippling like a pool of black liquid. Each pulse it gave off bent the air around it, as though reality itself resisted its existence.

Beneath her boot, pinned against shattered stone, lay what remained of a ghost.

He had once been one of the elders of the Ghost Clan an intangible race that thrived in void and was said to be impossible to fully kill. But here, with his limbs severed and his ghostly form flickering, he looked pitiful. His torso writhed uselessly, his spectral face twisted in agony as her boot pressed against his throat. Though no blood spilled from his body, the sheer anguish written across his expression betrayed the torment he was suffering.

Merisa stared down at him, her eyes sharp and merciless. Her voice, when it came, was flat stripped of emotion, carrying only authority.

"So," she said while holding ball of darkness, her tone cold as winter steel, "you're telling me someone sent you with orders to kill Razeal for this thing?"

The ghost trembled under her pressure, his flickering form quivering like a candle flame in a storm. His eyes darted not to her face, but to the sphere of darkness in her hand. Greed glimmered faintly there despite the terror that consumed him.

"Yes, yes, Your Lady!" he stammered, his voice strained with fear. "It was an order... we were told he possessed shadow affinity, a power no one else knows how to use. The one who sent us… he promised that if we succeeded, he would grant us the method to train it. As proof, he sent us this." His gaze fixed hungrily on the sphere. "That darkness you hold.. it is shadow essence itself. We tested it at our headquarters. It is real. We were only following orders. Please forgive us, Your Highness! Had I known that boy still cared upon by you, I would never have dared…"

Merisa did not blink.

The faint shift of her foot increased the pressure on his neck, drawing a distorted groan from the ghost. She had no interest in his excuses. Her gaze remained locked on the orb, but her silence made the air heavier.

The ghost continued desperately, clinging to even the faintest hope. His greed remained naked in his eyes, his hunger for the orb never once leaving despite his trembling pleas. He was all too aware of the consequences of his actions, of daring to carry out an assassination in the very heart of the Empire, under the noses of four dukes and an imperial princess. Yet still, in his heart, he thought of seizing that method for his race.

Merisa's eyes narrowed.

"Who gave you the order?" she asked at last.

The ghost flinched as if stabbed. His form flickered more violently, his voice breaking as he answered, hurried and stumbling.

"I… I don't know, my Lady. The command came shrouded in darkness, the same as the material you hold now. My senses my very soul.. could not pierce it. If I had known his identity, do you think I would have risked an assassination in the center of the Empire? No. I would have taken the boy alive, forced the knowledge from him. I would never.."

He cut off, his voice breaking into a sob. His fear was palpable. He knew as well as she did: there was no mercy for enemies. Not in her hands. Not in his own, were the roles reversed. Yet when death loomed, logic faltered. Even a ghost clung to illusions, begging for a life he knew would not be spared.

Merisa's boot pressed harder, grinding him against the fractured ground. The earth beneath them cracked, spiderwebbing outward from the force. Her eyes grew distant, lost in contemplation, her grip on the orb tightening.

Her thoughts ran sharp and swift.

The boy with shadow affinity. The orb in my hand. And these fools sent to kill him…

Her lips parted, her voice carrying a quiet finality.

"The person you tried to kill," she said, her tone low but heavy with weight, "was the same person I witnessed using shadow affinity yesterday."

The ghost froze.

His eyes widened, horror dawning across his broken face. He understood instantly. He had been tricked.

Used.

All his careful planning, all the pride of being one of the Ghost Clan's leaders, and he had been played like a pawn. His mind screamed the truth as it crashed down on him.

He gave his own assassination order.

The shock hollowed him, the realization gnawed at what little soul remained tethered to him. But he was not given long to dwell on it.

Merisa shifted her weight.

Her heel slammed down with a force that cracked the mountainside itself. A deafening boom shook the air as a crater dozens of kilometers wide rippled outward, the very earth caving beneath her might. The ghost's form shattered beneath her boot, his scream cut short as he fragmented into a thousand shards of pale light. His soul dispersed into nothingness, carried away like ash on the wind.

The mountain fell silent again.

Merisa's gaze lowered to the orb of shadow in her hand. It pulsed once, almost as if mocking her, its surface alive with shifting darkness. She stared at it, her thoughts tightening, pieces of the puzzle clicking into place.

"He wanted to send me away from the Empire," she whispered, her tone calm but her eyes blazing.

Her grip on the orb tightened. Without another word, she turned, her body lifting into the air. In the next instant, she vanished in a streak of violet light, shooting toward the direction of the Empire at terrifying speed.

Whatever reason Razeal had for trying to push her away, she would not allow it.

Not now.

Not ever.

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Hey guys, sorry for no update yesterday. I was extremely sick literally threw up seven times, then had to go to the doctor. My head was spinning so I ended up on a drip. I tried to push through, but with the fever I just couldn't think of anything.

Also, big thanks to Yuri_IsNTR for the Golden Gachapon! I had promised two extra chapters for it, but sadly I got sick. Sorry about that

Don't worry though you will get those two extra chapters ❣️🤞 Honestly, I feel worse about missing it than any of you do.

Thanks so much for reading, guys! And don't forget to drop those golden tickets and powerstones.

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