Night fell like a tide. The cliffs at the northern pass loomed beneath the starlight like slumbering beasts, their shadows devouring the distant outline of the sea of forests. The cold wind carried a bitter, metallic tang of blood and flame as it swept across the border and into the sacred domain of the Divine Academy.
At the summit of the mountain pass stood Eleonora. Her cloak snapped in the wind, her dark hair clinging to her pale cheeks like ink-drawn threads. Her fingers clenched the hilt of her sword so tightly that her knuckles turned white. In her palm, the sigil of the rune stone burned faintly warm, pulsing in rhythm with her heartbeat.
"So this is the scent of war... death draws near."
Below, a demon envoy led dozens of Abyssal Shades, advancing slowly. They wore shattered bone armor, and their dark red eyes glowed like embers in the night. The demonic aura roiled around them, thick as smoke.
"Elena, fall back to the rear lines!"Reyno's voice cut through the wind, low and urgent.
His sword was already drawn, its blade etched with oracle runes that shimmered silver-blue in the darkness. He stood before her, a tall, unyielding wall of flesh and steel.
Eleonora froze for a heartbeat, complex emotion flickering through her gaze.
"He always wants to shield me, but this is no longer my path. I am no longer the sacrificial white moonlight of some tale…"
She shook her head, her voice carried away by the wind but firm as iron."No. I will not fall back."
Reyno turned slightly, his deep blue eyes reflecting her cold, resolute face. His lips pressed into a thin line, his blade trembling—not with fear, but with the storm of love and terror within him.
On the flank stood Ronquis. His silver hair was tousled by the gale, his gaze icy as frost. A bitter smile ghosted his lips."You two, exchanging sweet words at a time like this? The demons won't wait for you to finish your love talk."
Before his voice faded, the demon envoy raised a bone staff, and the abyssal runes carved into it flared in the night as guttural chants echoed.
A tide of black mist surged forth.
Reyno swung his sword. The rune-light on the blade formed a silver wheel that sliced through the dark fog, halting the first wave of assault. The force of the impact drove him back a step, his blade humming.
Eleonora felt a strange tremor rise in her chest. She lifted her hand, and the sigil on her palm flared bright. In that instant, she heard the rune stone whisper from deep within—ancient, solemn.
"Stone of Edict. I grant you the right to break disorder. I grant you the power to bind evil… As your heart commands, so shall my strength follow."
She drew a deep breath. Her fingers trembled slightly as her will focused. The stone rose from her palm, transforming into silver chains of light that coiled around her.
The wind seemed to still.
Reyno froze, astonishment, pride—and deeper fear—filling his eyes. He stared at her, at that slender figure cloaked in silver radiance, the chains of light like halos bestowed by the gods, so pure it made his heart ache.
Ronquis's gaze grew colder. His sword pointed forward."Enough staring. The demons are upon us."
"Form the defense!" Reyno barked.
The demon envoy roared and swung the staff. Abyssal flames swept forward like a tide.
The force within Eleonora surged. She raised a single hand, and the silver chains spun outward, weaving into a radiant sigil that formed a barrier before them.
Boom! The fire struck the silver array, and the world shook.
Eleonora nearly dropped to her knees. Her arms went numb from the shock, a trickle of blood seeping from the corner of her lips. But the silver array held.
Reyno's eyes widened. He stepped to her side, seizing her wrist. His voice was hoarse."You'll die! Don't force it!"
She turned to him, tears glimmering in her eyes, yet she bit back a smile."If I don't, you will."
His chest heaved. His fingers trembled as he gripped hers, as if longing to pull her close, yet some invisible force held him back.
"She is no longer the Elena I could shelter at will," he thought bitterly.
Ronquis gave a cold snort. His blade flashed forth like a silver cascade, cleaving into the demon ranks.
"By the edict—bind the evil!" Eleonora cried. The silver array blazed brighter. The chains of light shot forward, scattering the black mist, wrapping around the demon envoy.
A piercing shriek rang out. The bone staff shattered, black mist bursting apart, vanishing into shards upon the night wind.
The night wind persisted. The stench of blood hung over the mountain pass. The starlight fell cold upon the cliffs, the scorched earth, the broken armor—rendering all pale and desolate.
Eleonora drew back the power of the stone. The chains dissolved into silver motes, lost to the sky. Her arm trembled; her breath came fast. The sigil on her palm glowed faintly red, as if to warn of the strain just borne.
Reyno stood close, his gaze fixed upon her. Slowly, he lifted a hand, wiping the blood from the corner of her lips. His fingers were cool, and they trembled despite his effort to steady them.
"You… you almost died." His voice broke, pain and fury and helpless sorrow mingling in his eyes.
Eleonora met his gaze, her own filled with stubborn gentleness."If I hadn't, you would have."
Her words cut like a blade, yet also like salvation, striking deep in his heart. His breath hitched; his fingers curled tighter, as if to embrace her—yet again he hesitated, restrained by some unseen barrier.
Ronquis sheathed his sword, silver hair whipping in the wind. He cast them a cold glance and sneered."How touching. But have you thought of this? This was only the beginning. The demons have glimpsed the light of the Divine Seal. Next time, it won't be mere envoys."
He turned away, his figure lone and wolf-like as he vanished into the night. Yet as he left, a low murmur drifted back on the wind."Next time… I may not be able to save you."
Eleonora watched his silhouette disappear, a strange ache rising within. She should have been wary of this cold, distant man—yet that lonely figure stirred a pang of sorrow in her heart.
The storm after battleDawn's first light spilled across the pass, casting its pale glow on bloodstains and broken blades. Disciples moved among the ruins, clearing the field. The air reeked of smoke and scorched earth.
Eleonora sat atop a shattered stone, her fingers unconsciously tracing the sigil on her palm. It no longer burned, but its weight lingered in her soul.
"This power… can I truly control it?" she wondered, eyes lifting to the distant horizon, her gaze clouded with confusion and doubt.
Reyno approached silently and sat beside her. The light caught in his golden hair, but his blue eyes were heavy with exhaustion and unyielding resolve.
"Elena… no, Eleonora." He used the name fully for the first time."Do you realize how close you came to death just now? I—" His voice broke, choked by feeling.
She turned toward him, a bittersweet ache filling her heart.
"He wants to protect me. But his love… it weighs too heavy. It terrifies me."
"I thank you, Reyno," she said softly. "But I won't live beneath another's wings. I must learn to face the storm myself."
His face stiffened. His hand clenched tight, veins standing out. He opened his mouth to argue—then only gave a bitter smile, his gaze falling to her palm.
"Then… let me guard you. Until the day you truly can stand alone. Will you allow that?"
His voice held surrender, frustration, and a love he could not let go.
Eleonora froze, tears glistening in her eyes. At last, she nodded.
Ronquis's unspoken thoughtsFar off on a crag, Ronquis stood alone, the wind whipping his silver hair wild. The cold light of dawn glinted in his steel-gray eyes, like ice over a lake.
"The Divine Seal… is she salvation, or calamity?"
His fingers tightened on his sword hilt, knuckles pale."So troublesome," he muttered, his voice lost to the morning breeze.
Foreshadowing at chapter's endDeep in the forest beyond the horizon, a tendril of black mist slipped into the earth, carrying the low murmur of the demon king.
"The Divine Seal has returned. The Abyss shall open. Let the Divine Academy be the first temple of blood."
And in Eleonora's palm, the sigil flared faintly warm again, as if answering the tide of fate that could no longer be turned back.