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 to remain in a

"Nooooo!"

watching the

of rock directly crashed onto her, burying

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

that would

'Ohm' 'Ohm' 'Ohm'

They were the size of a marble, and

remains of the statue, their glow illuminated the chapel, casting an

energy as if they were alive and searching

around each other, their blue light intensifying with each rotation. They moved faster and faster, creating a

grew thick with tension,

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

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

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

moment the orbs vanished, the chapel was plunged into silence once

flickered and went out, leaving the chapel

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

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

roof of the chapel began to cave in, and debris rained down upon the shattered remains

Crash―!

The chapel collapsed.

***

[Union Tower, Top floor]

calm and serene as he flipped through the papers that lay scattered in front of

Flip―! Flip―!

gaze. There was no hint of expression on his face, and his features

"Hm?"

something out of place. His eyes, usually calm and

to his feet, he approached the window and looked out at the sky. A large crack had appeared,

"What's going on?"

murmured to himself, his voice low and unusually

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

wave of…

his body freeze in place as the wave crashed down around

the ocean, watching as a powerful wave came

But this was different.

to affect the surroundings, appearing more

Swoosh―!

mana splashed everywhere, washing over the earth like

own mana levels surge, increasing rapidly and without warning. He could feel himself getting closer and closer to the threshold of , just one step away from the pinnacle

of nowhere, a blue orb appeared in front of

to, and before he could even attempt to dodge, it slammed into his forehead with a

"Ukh."

head recoiling backward as he

air, the space around

thought he had long

"Haaaa... Haaaa..."

air, his breath coming in ragged gasps as he tried to

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

of emotions before finally settling on

at his hands, feeling a sense

body trembled, and so did his

"I...I'm free."

***

[Apartment ― 1576]

"Hmm."

the expression on Liam's face, they would be utterly

"Hmmmm."

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

"Hmmmmmmmmm."