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!"

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

"No!!"

Rumble―!

pieces crumbled down, unable to remain in a single

"Nooooo!"

screamed, watching the statue before

worse was the fact that the many pieces of rock directly crashed onto her,

only part of the nun that wasn't buried was her hand,

that would never

'Ohm' 'Ohm' 'Ohm'

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

the shattered remains of the statue, their glow illuminated the chapel, casting an eerie light on the walls and

orbs pulsed with otherworldly energy as if they were alive

each other, their blue light intensifying with each rotation. They moved faster and faster, creating a vortex of energy that

the chapel grew thick with tension, as if something significant was

rubble, but even in death, she seemed to be aware of the strange events unfolding around

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

like shooting stars. They passed

moment the orbs vanished, the chapel was plunged into silence

candles flickered and went out, leaving

a deep rumbling sound filled the air, and

and more insistent. The walls began to crack

the chapel began to cave in, and debris rained down upon

Crash―!

The chapel collapsed.

***

[Union Tower, Top floor]

looking calm and serene as he

Flip―! Flip―!

There was no hint of expression on his face, and his features remained blank as he sifted through

"Hm?"

of place. His eyes, usually calm and hazy, flicked toward the window behind him, and his

out at the sky. A large

"What's going on?"

himself, his voice low

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

tangible wave of…

place as the wave crashed down

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

But this was different.

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

Swoosh―!

over the earth like a giant

surge, increasing rapidly and without warning. He could feel himself getting closer and closer to the threshold of , just one step

out of nowhere, a blue orb appeared in front of

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

"Ukh."

head recoiling backward as he tried

in the air, the space around

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

"Haaaa... Haaaa..."

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

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

of emotions

hands, feeling a sense of

and so did his mouth

"I...I'm free."

***

[Apartment ― 1576]

"Hmm."

Liam's face, they would be utterly astounded,

"Hmmmm."

jaw. It seemed as though the more time that went by, the

"Hmmmmmmmmm."