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!"

was a crack like the many others that had littered the statue, but once this crack

"No!!"

Rumble―!

crumbled down, unable to

"Nooooo!"

watching the

pieces of rock directly crashed onto her, burying her beneath the rubble. Her scream didn't last for long, and

the nun that wasn't buried was her hand,

that would never

'Ohm' 'Ohm' 'Ohm'

size of a marble, and they levitated right above where the statue

statue, their glow illuminated

pulsed with otherworldly energy as if they were alive and searching for

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

tension, as if something significant was about to

nun's body lay buried under the rubble, but even in death, she seemed to be aware

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

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

orbs vanished, the chapel

candles flickered and went out,

not the only thing that engulfed the chapel. As the orbs disappeared, a deep rumbling sound filled the air, and the ground beneath the

sound echoed through the chapel once more, growing louder and more insistent. The walls began to crack and crumble, and

the chapel began to cave in, and debris rained down

Crash―!

The chapel collapsed.

***

[Union Tower, Top floor]

serene as he flipped through

Flip―! Flip―!

pages as he studied each one with a languid gaze. There was no hint of expression on his face, and his

"Hm?"

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

the window and looked out at the sky. A large crack had appeared, and

"What's going on?"

himself, his voice low

peering at it intently as he tried to discern what was happening. But before

tangible wave of…

freeze in place as

though he was standing on the shore of the ocean, watching as a powerful

But this was different.

be unable to affect the surroundings,

Swoosh―!

washing over the earth

mana levels surge, increasing rapidly and without warning. He could feel himself getting closer and closer to

blue orb appeared in front of

a speed that he couldn't react to, and before he could even attempt to dodge,

"Ukh."

recoiling backward as he tried to process what had

in the air, the space around him began to shift

he thought he had long since buried started to resurface in his

"Haaaa... Haaaa..."

breath coming in ragged gasps as he tried to keep

feelings began to rise up within him. His expression changed rapidly, alternating between a smile, a frown, and

a few seconds, he went through a myriad of emotions before finally settling on a smile that was accompanied

feeling a sense of exhilaration that

his body trembled, and so did his mouth as

"I...I'm free."

***

[Apartment ― 1576]

"Hmm."

anyone saw the expression on Liam's face, they would be utterly astounded, as

"Hmmmm."

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

"Hmmmmmmmmm."