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!"

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

"No!!"

Rumble―!

unable

"Nooooo!"

watching the statue before

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

buried was her hand, which

that would

'Ohm' 'Ohm' 'Ohm'

blue orbs appeared following the collapse of the statue. They were the size of

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

if they were alive and searching for

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

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

under the rubble, but even in death, she seemed to be aware

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

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

moment the orbs vanished, the chapel was

went out,

only thing that engulfed the chapel. As the orbs disappeared, a deep rumbling sound filled the air,

growing louder and more insistent. The walls began to crack and crumble, and the pews

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

Crash―!

The chapel collapsed.

***

[Union Tower, Top floor]

he flipped through the papers

Flip―! Flip―!

turned the pages as he studied each one with a languid gaze. There was no hint of expression on

"Hm?"

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

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

"What's going on?"

murmured to himself, his voice low

was

wave of…

his body freeze in place as the

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

But this was different.

the surroundings,

Swoosh―!

over the earth like a giant

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

blue orb appeared in

before he could even attempt

"Ukh."

he tried to process

in the air, the space

pain that he thought he

"Haaaa... Haaaa..."

his breath coming in ragged gasps

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

seconds, he went through a myriad of emotions

gazed at his hands, feeling a sense of exhilaration that

sudden, his body trembled, and so did his mouth as he silently mumbled

"I...I'm free."

***

[Apartment ― 1576]

"Hmm."

was utterly solemn. If anyone saw the expression on Liam's face, they would be

"Hmmmm."

seemed as though the more time that

"Hmmmmmmmmm."