Dawn painted the ruins of Arvendale in gold.
The northern wind blew sharp, lifting snow and dust like veils of battle.
Celestine stood tall, sword in hand, her dark cloak fluttering.
Before her waited Raoul — firm, silent, with the gaze of a man who knew war better than time itself.
> "Today, Duchess, you will stop learning," he said, his voice low and grave.
"Today, you will fight."
Celestine tightened her grip.
> "Then so be it."
Raoul drew his blade.
The metallic sound rang through the air — a warning that there would be no mercy.
---
⚔️ The First Strike
The master moved with astonishing speed.
Celestine raised her sword to block — the impact vibrated through her arms down to the bone.
She staggered back, trying to recover balance, but Raoul gave her no chance.
Another strike. And another.
The rhythm quickened, the clash of steel echoing between shattered pillars.
Raoul spoke between blows:
> "You think too much! The body must decide before the mind does!"
Celestine dodged a horizontal slash, spinning aside.
The blade grazed her dress, cutting a strand of silver hair.
She growled through her teeth.
> "Then let the body decide!"
She lunged forward.
The first strike was clumsy. The second—stronger.
By the third, Raoul's brows rose. Something in her gaze had changed.
The Void pulsed in her blood, echoing her movements like a living rhythm.
But she didn't let it rule her—she guided it, in harmony.
Her sword sliced through the air in a perfect arc.
Raoul blocked on instinct, but the impact forced him a step back.
For the briefest moment, he smiled.
> "Now that's it, girl of the North."
---
🌑 The Whisper of the Void
The duel continued.
Celestine's breath merged with the rhythm of blades, with the pounding of her heart.
But within her, the Void began to speak—soft, seductive.
> "Let me guide your hand...
Together, we can dance like shadows."
She felt power flooding her muscles, her senses sharpening, time itself slowing.
The world turned crystalline—every move of Raoul visible before it even happened.
For a moment, she gave in.
Her blade shone black—the steel darkened into night.
Raoul blocked, but the surge of energy hurled him backward, tearing a line across the ground.
He fell to one knee, panting.
Celestine stared at him—her gaze hollow.
Her ruby eyes had turned into bottomless pits.
> "More... give me more…"
The Void's voice echoed inside her, multiplying.
She raised the sword for the final strike.
And then—
---
⚜️ The Sound of a Heart
> "CELLE!"
Leonhardt's voice thundered across the field.
She froze.
The blade trembled in her hands.
He limped toward her from the tower, his body still frail but his eyes steady.
> "You're letting the Void fight for you!"
Celestine gasped—the cold air burned her chest.
She looked down at her sword and saw the reflection: colorless eyes, a soulless face.
> "No."
She fell to her knees, letting the sword drop.
The dark glow scattered like smoke.
Raoul, still kneeling, watched in silence.
The Void roared inside her, furious:
> "Why do you deny what's yours?"
> "Because power without choice is slavery!" she screamed—and the echo shook the ruins.
A blinding light enveloped the field.
Snow melted, the ground hissed.
When the glow faded, the Void grew silent.
And Celestine, exhausted, collapsed into Leonhardt's arms.
---
🌹 The Silence After the Storm
Later, at sunset, Celestine sat before the fireplace.
Raoul approached, his arm bandaged, a faint smile on his lips.
> "You won," he said.
She looked up.
> "Won? I nearly killed you."
> "No. You conquered yourself."
He knelt, placing the sword between them.
> "Now it's truly yours. A blade obeys only those who understand the weight of wielding it."
Celestine took the sword.
The metal felt light, almost natural.
She stared at it for a moment—and sensed the Void within her pulsing calmly.
Not as a master, but as a companion.
Leonhardt entered, leaning against the wall.
> "You know, Celle… when I saw you fight, I realized something."
> "What is it?"
> "You're the kind of villain even the gods fear to lose."
She looked at him, surprised—but smiled faintly.
> "Then let them fear. Because I'm only just beginning."
---
⚔️ Epilogue – The Name of the Blade
That night, beneath the moonlight, Celestine drove her sword into the ground before the castle and whispered:
> "Let all who challenge me know your name…"
The wind stirred, and an ancient voice answered within her:
> "Call me Eclipsa, the Blade of the Void."
From that moment on, Celestine d'Arnoir was no longer merely a villain.
She was the warrior of shadows—bearer of the sword that bound the world of the living to the abyss.
And far beyond the northern ruins, destiny began to move once more.