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!"

had littered the statue, but

"No!!"

Rumble―!

thousand different pieces crumbled down, unable

"Nooooo!"

watching the statue before

rock directly crashed onto her, burying her beneath

buried was her hand, which was outstretched to the side

would never

'Ohm' 'Ohm' 'Ohm'

statue. They were the size of

statue, their

if

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

thick with tension, as if something significant was about

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

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

air like shooting stars. They passed through the walls of

orbs vanished, the chapel

and went out,

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

The walls began to crack and crumble, and the pews were tossed about like twigs in

began to cave in, and

Crash―!

The chapel collapsed.

***

[Union Tower, Top floor]

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

Flip―! Flip―!

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

"Hm?"

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

window and looked out at the

"What's going on?"

his voice low and unusually

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

tangible wave

place as the wave crashed down around

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

But this was different.

to affect the surroundings,

Swoosh―!

washing over

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

nowhere, a blue orb appeared in

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

"Ukh."

his head recoiling backward as he tried to process what had just

in the air, the space around him began to shift and fluctuate

a pain that he thought he had long since buried started to resurface

"Haaaa... Haaaa..."

gasped for air, his breath coming in ragged

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

he went through a myriad of emotions before

feeling a sense of exhilaration that he had never experienced

body trembled, and so did his mouth as he

"I...I'm free."

***

[Apartment ― 1576]

"Hmm."

utterly solemn. If anyone saw the expression on Liam's face, they would be utterly astounded, as they had never before

"Hmmmm."

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

"Hmmmmmmmmm."