The Author's POV

[Ashton City Community Orphanage]

The dimly lit candles within the chapel flickered continuously, casting an eerie glow over the interior.

The alternating orange and black hues of the room created an unsettling atmosphere, one that was heightened by the silence within.

The only sound that could be heard was the gentle whistling of the wind outside, which seemed to creep in through the cracks and crevices of the old building.

Clank―!

As the minutes ticked by, the silence was suddenly broken by a loud clank. A certain door within the chapel burst open, and a nun rushed out from it.

"Oh, no,no,no... no..."

She had a panicked expression on her face, her eyes wide with fear.

"No… no, how can it be?"

There was a certain madness in her face as she muttered to herself in a voice barely above a whisper. Her words were barely coherent, as if she were speaking to someone who wasn't there.

"It must be a mistake."

The nun's pace quickened as she moved across the chapel, her feet making little noise on the stone floor.

"No... no... no..."

Her gaze was fixed on a certain statue, and as she drew closer, her expression grew even more desperate. With trembling hands, she clasped her hands together and fell to her knees.

Thump!

"Protector."

She whispered, her voice barely audible.

Her eyes burned with reverence as she looked up at the statue, which towered over her from above.

The statue was her faith, the embodiment of all that she held sacred. And yet, just moments before, she had felt her faith shaken.

She wasn't sure why, but the feeling had been so strong that she couldn't ignore it.

Believing that she had sinned in some way, she rushed toward the statue in order to amend her mistake.

Crack―! It was right when she was about to pray that a sharp sound shattered the quiet of the chapel.

The nun's gaze shot to the statue, her eyes widening in horror.

Cracks had formed on the outer shell of the statue, spiderwebbing out in all directions. The sight froze the nun, whose expression paled considerably.

"P..Protector," she whispered, her hoarse voice echoing within the empty chapel. Her eyes shook slightly as she felt her throat become dry, all semblance of energy leaving her aged body.

Crack! Crack!

More cracks formed on the statue, further shocking the nun, who simply gazed at the statue in utter shock.

She found herself unable to move, and by the time a minute had passed, the statue was littered with cracks.

"I..it can't be..."

With each crack that formed on the statue, the more the nun's expression changed. It was as if the statue were a living being, and the nun could sense its pain.

Wobble.

"No!"

She cried out, rushing toward the statue. She could feel that it was soon going to fall.

"No!"

She hugged the statue, trying her best to stop it from falling. She was desperate. The statue represented her faith, her beliefs, and her very being. If it broke apart, so would she.

She couldn't allow it to happen!

But...

"N,no!"

crack like the many others that had littered the statue, but once this crack formed, the entire structure

"No!!"

Rumble―!

crumbled down, unable

"Nooooo!"

nun screamed, watching the

was even worse was the fact that the many pieces of rock directly crashed onto her, burying her beneath the rubble. Her scream didn't last for long, and silence returned to the

that wasn't buried was her hand, which was outstretched to the side as

that would

'Ohm' 'Ohm' 'Ohm'

collapse of the statue. They were the size of a marble, and

hovered above the shattered remains of the statue, their

otherworldly energy as if they were alive and searching

with each rotation. They moved faster and faster, creating a vortex

thick with tension, as if something significant

buried under the rubble, but even in death, she seemed to

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

orbs shot away from the statue, streaking through the air like shooting stars. They passed through the walls of

vanished, the chapel was plunged into

candles flickered and went out, leaving the chapel

disappeared, a deep rumbling sound filled the air,

The walls began to crack and crumble, and

in, and

Crash―!

The chapel collapsed.

***

[Union Tower, Top floor]

sat in his high-backed chair, looking calm and serene as he flipped through the papers that lay scattered in front of

Flip―! Flip―!

a languid gaze. There was no hint of expression

"Hm?"

brows furrowed as he sensed something out of place. His eyes, usually calm and hazy, flicked toward the window behind him, and his expression

at the sky. A large crack had appeared, and

"What's going on?"

his voice low

intently as he tried to discern what was happening. But before he could get any closer, the crack widened even further, revealing

tangible wave of…

felt his body freeze in place as the wave crashed down

was as though he was standing on the shore of the ocean, watching as a powerful wave came crashing down on

But this was different.

seemed to be unable to affect the surroundings, appearing more like a projection

Swoosh―!

washing over the

felt his own mana levels surge, increasing rapidly and without warning. He could feel himself getting closer and closer to the threshold of

nowhere, a blue orb appeared in front

towards him with a speed that he couldn't react to, and before he could even attempt to dodge, it slammed into his forehead with a

"Ukh."

recoiling backward as he tried to process what

he hung in the air, the space around

thought he had long since buried

"Haaaa... Haaaa..."

for air, his breath coming in ragged gasps as he

his eyes cleared, and forgotten feelings began to rise up within him. His expression changed rapidly, alternating between a smile, a frown, and tears that threatened to

myriad of emotions before

sense of exhilaration that he had

did his

"I...I'm free."

***

[Apartment ― 1576]

"Hmm."

they would be utterly astounded, as they had never before witnessed such uncommon

"Hmmmm."

even more tightly, and he tightened his jaw. It seemed as though the more time that went by, the

"Hmmmmmmmmm."