Elara stared at her reflection.
She didn't blink. She barely breathed.
Her fingers gripped the edge of the dressing table as she examined the familiar face staring back at her. The same delicate features. The same eyes. The same woman who had spent most of her life avoiding the tangled affairs of politics and religion.
Yet, somehow, that woman had been identified as a weapon of destruction.
Her lips parted slightly, but no words came out.
Why me?
The question echoed through her mind, unanswered.
She had never sought power. She had never desired influence over the Empire or the Church. She had lived quietly beneath the protection of her family, content to remain distant from the ambitions of nobles and the endless disputes between religious authorities.
She had never considered herself particularly important.
And now, the Divine Saintess had looked into the future and seen something horrifying.
Her.
Not as a nobleman's daughter.
Not as a woman with a family, a home, and a future she had barely begun to imagine.
But as a weapon.
A vessel through which destruction would enter the world.
Elara slowly lowered her gaze.
The memories of her private meeting with Aoi returned with painful clarity.
The Saintess had sat opposite her, her expression unusually solemn. Gone was the composed confidence Elara had expected from a woman blessed with divine visions. In its place had been something far more unsettling.
Concern.
Genuine concern.
And perhaps even fear.
"Elara, what I saw in my vision was not an ordinary change in fate."
Aoi's voice echoed in her memory.
"Your future is connected to the birth of a new goddess."
Elara remembered how she had stared at the Saintess in confusion.
A new goddess?
Such a thing was almost incomprehensible.
The Church worshipped Seraphina, the divine being whose name had been revered for generations. The scriptures spoke of divine messengers, sacred miracles, and the eternal struggle between light and darkness.
But the birth of an entirely new goddess?
That was something Elara had never imagined.
And then Aoi had explained what made the vision so terrifying.
"A goddess of pain and destruction."
Elara's fingers tightened around the edge of the dressing table.
Pain.
Destruction.
Two words that seemed to carry a weight far beyond their ordinary meanings.
According to Aoi, the goddess would not simply manifest somewhere in the world. She would require a physical vessel.
A living body through which her divine existence could take shape.
And that vessel was supposed to be Elara.
Her.
The daughter of Duke Cedrick.
A woman who had never even participated in the political struggles that consumed so many of the Empire's powerful families.
How could someone like her become the embodiment of something so terrible?
She closed her eyes, desperately trying to find some explanation that would make the vision less frightening.
Perhaps Aoi had misunderstood what she had seen.
Perhaps the vision had been symbolic.
Perhaps there was some hidden meaning that neither of them had yet discovered.
But every attempt to reassure herself crumbled beneath the memory of the Saintess's expression.
Aoi had not spoken as though she were describing a distant possibility.
She had spoken as though she were warning Elara about a disaster that had already begun moving toward her.
And there was another detail she could not ignore.
The goddess was associated with pain.
Not merely destruction, but pain itself.
Elara had spent her life believing that suffering was something people endured, something that could be eased through kindness, wealth, or the protection of those who loved them.
Now she was being told that she might become the very source of it.
She opened her eyes and stared at her reflection again.
For the first time, the familiar face before her seemed strangely foreign.
If this is truly my fate, what happens when the goddess awakens?
The question sent a chill through her body.
Would she remain herself?
Would she retain her memories, her emotions, and her ability to make her own decisions?
Or would she become nothing more than an empty vessel, her body occupied by an existence that had no regard for human life?
She remembered Aoi's warning, and her stomach twisted.
There had been no promise that Elara would survive the process.
No assurance that she could resist the goddess.
And certainly no guarantee that the people around her would remain safe.
Her parents.
Her father, Duke Cedrick, whose authority and reputation had protected their family for years.
Her mother, Clarisse, whose quiet affection had always made their home feel like a sanctuary from the world beyond its walls.
What would happen to them if the vision came true?
Elara rose abruptly from her chair.
She took several steps toward the window, staring out at the estate grounds. Servants moved along the pathways, carrying out their daily duties. Guards stood at their posts. Somewhere in the distance, she could hear the faint sound of laughter.
Everything appeared normal.
Peaceful.
Almost painfully ordinary.
None of them knew what Aoi had seen.
None of them knew that the woman who had grown up among them might one day become a vessel for a goddess of pain and destruction.
Elara pressed a hand against her chest.
She wanted to tell her parents.
The thought came instinctively.
Her father would know what to do. He had navigated the complicated world of nobles and imperial politics for years. If anyone could find a way to investigate the vision, surely it would be him.
And her mother...
Elara's throat tightened.
She wanted to sit beside Clarisse, take her hand, and admit that she was frightened.
She wanted someone to tell her that everything would be all right.
But what if telling them only made things worse?
If the Church discovered that the daughter of Duke Cedrick was destined to become the vessel of a destructive goddess, would they leave her alone?
Would the Emperor consider her a threat?
Would rival nobles see an opportunity to destroy her family before the prophecy could come to pass?
And if the goddess truly awakened within her, would her parents be spared simply because they loved her?
Elara could not find an answer.
One by one, the possibilities unfolded in her mind, each more terrible than the last.
If she remained silent, her family might walk blindly into danger.
If she told them, she might draw that danger directly to their doorstep.
And if she did nothing...
She turned away from the window.
For several moments, she stood completely still.
Then her expression changed.
The fear did not disappear. Neither did the uncertainty.
But beneath them, something else began to take shape.
Resolve.
She could not control what Aoi had seen. She could not yet understand the goddess, the vision, or the mysterious forces that might be guiding her toward such a fate.
But she could decide what to do next.
Elara returned to the dressing table and opened a drawer. Inside lay several personal belongings, including a small piece of jewelry that had been given to her by her mother.
She picked it up and held it tightly in her palm.
For a moment, she considered calling for a servant.
Then she stopped.
No.
If she was going to make this decision, she would have to do it herself.
Her gaze returned to the mirror.
This time, she did not look away.
She was afraid. She was confused. And she had no certainty that the path she was considering would save anyone.
But she could no longer pretend that her life belonged only to her.
If she truly was destined to become the vessel of a goddess of pain and destruction, then the consequences would reach far beyond her own existence.
Her family could become targets.
Her father's position could be threatened.
Her mother's life could be placed in danger.
And the longer she waited, the less time she might have to protect them.
Elara slowly closed her fingers around the jewelry.
Then she made her decision.
She would leave the estate before anyone could discover the truth.
She would not tell her parents.
Not yet.
She would not allow her family to become entangled in a fate they had never chosen.
Instead, she would seek answers on her own terms, away from the protection of her title and the political influence of her father.
Perhaps she would find a way to prevent the goddess from awakening.
Perhaps she would discover that Aoi's vision had been misunderstood.
Or perhaps she would uncover a truth far more terrifying than anything the Saintess had revealed.
Elara did not know.
But she knew one thing with absolute certainty.
She would not wait for the day when her own body became the instrument of her family's destruction.
She lifted her chin, wiped the moisture gathering at the corner of her eye, and looked at her reflection one final time.
The woman staring back at her was still Elara.
For now.
And she intended to remain that way for as long as she could.
Whatever awaited her beyond the estate gates, she would face it before the goddess could claim her.
..........
Kael stood in the training grounds, his sword flashing through the air as he exchanged blows with Hiryuu.
The sound of metal striking against something impossibly hard echoed throughout the compound.
CLANG!
Kael's sword collided with Hiryuu's forearm, sending sparks scattering through the air.
Despite the force behind his strike, her dragon scales remained completely unscathed. Her skin was harder than ordinary metal, capable of withstanding attacks that would shatter the weapons of most warriors.
Hiryuu glanced at the blade pressed against her arm before raising an eyebrow.
"Is that all you've got?"
Kael smirked.
"Careful. Keep provoking me, and I might start taking this seriously."
"Oh? And here I was thinking you were already trying your hardest."
Before Kael could respond, Hiryuu twisted her body and swung a powerful kick toward him.
He immediately raised his sword to block.
BOOM!
The impact sent him sliding several steps backward, his boots scraping against the ground.
Kael steadied himself, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
"Now that's more like it."
He rushed forward again.
Their weapons and bodies clashed repeatedly, the training grounds filling with the thunderous sounds of their exchange. Hiryuu fought with the overwhelming physical strength of a dragon, while Kael relied on his speed, technique, and growing mastery of the sword.
Neither of them showed any intention of backing down.
Then, suddenly, Hiryuu's expression changed.
Her eyes narrowed.
Kael noticed the shift immediately.
"What is it?"
Hiryuu turned her head slightly, her attention fixed beyond the training grounds.
"Someone is approaching."
Kael's smile faded.
"Someone?"
"Yes. And judging by the presence, I doubt they're here to admire our training."
For a moment, neither of them moved.
Then Kael slowly lowered his sword.
A strange smile crept across his face.
"Well, well..."
He turned toward the entrance of the compound.
"Looks like our guest has finally arrived."
Hiryuu studied him for a moment.
"You know who it is?"
Kael's smile widened.
"Let's just say I've been waiting for him."
Without wasting another second, the two of them left the training grounds and headed toward the front of the building, moving away from the compound itself.
They stopped outside, where the road stretched before them.
A few moments later, the sound of approaching wheels reached their ears.
A carriage appeared in the distance.
It rolled toward the compound before gradually slowing to a halt directly in front of them.
The carriage door opened.
A man stepped out, dressed in the garments of a priest.
His expression carried the confidence of someone who believed the world had already arranged itself in his favor. He adjusted his clothing and looked at Kael with undisguised satisfaction.
The Priest had finally found him.
And as far as he was concerned, the difficult part was already over.
He walked toward them with his chin raised.
"Well, well. Kael Ryunosuke."
His eyes briefly shifted toward Hiryuu before returning to Kael.
"I must admit, finding you was considerably easier than I expected."
Kael said nothing.
The Priest chuckled.
"Who would have thought that all I needed to do was follow the trail through Rin? She practically made the search effortless."
His smile grew more arrogant.
"And now, here we are."
He spread his arms slightly, as though presenting the inevitable conclusion of a game he had already won.
"You're coming with me, Kael. You possess something important that belongs to us, and I've been instructed to retrieve it."
For a moment, silence settled between them.
Then Kael chuckled.
It was a quiet sound, but something about it made the Priest's smile falter.
Kael raised his sword and pointed its tip directly at the man's chest.
"That's funny."
His eyes narrowed.
"Because I was just thinking the same thing about you."
The Priest frowned.
Kael tilted his head.
"You have something that belongs to me."
His voice became colder.
"So why don't you tell me where it is?"
The Priest's expression hardened.
"You're in no position to make demands."
"Really?"
Kael's smile returned.
"Then I suppose we'll have to settle this the hard way."
The Priest's eyes flashed.
A translucent screen suddenly appeared before him.
[SYSTEM ACTIVATION]
[MANA OUTPUT: INCREASING]
[COMBAT SKILL: DIVINE JUDGMENT]
A violent surge of mana erupted around his body.
The air trembled as he raised his hand, gathering the energy into a concentrated mass. The power swirled around his arm, growing brighter and more destructive with every passing second.
"Since you refuse to cooperate, I'll simply take you by force!"
He thrust his hand forward.
"DIVINE JUDGMENT!"
The mana-powered attack tore through the air toward Kael.
But before it could reach him, Hiryuu moved.
Her figure blurred.
In the next instant, she was standing between Kael and the incoming attack.
The Priest's eyes widened.
"What?!"
Hiryuu raised her arm.
BOOOOM!
Her strike collided with the incoming mana attack.
For a split second, the two forces struggled against each other.
Then Hiryuu's overwhelming power crushed the attack completely.
The energy dispersed into countless fragments of light.
And her fist continued forward.
It struck the Priest with devastating force.
CRAAASH!
His body was launched backward, flying through the air before crashing violently onto the road.
Blood splattered across his face.
The impact left him sprawled on the ground, his body trembling from the sheer force of the blow.
For several seconds, he couldn't even move.
Then he slowly pushed himself upright.
His expression twisted with rage.
"You...!"
He wiped the blood from his mouth, staring at Hiryuu with disbelief.
Hiryuu merely lowered her arm.
"What was that supposed to be?"
Her voice carried an almost insulting degree of disappointment.
"An attack? I thought you were trying to hurt someone."
The Priest's face darkened.
Kael, meanwhile, had begun laughing.
He rested his sword against his shoulder, looking at the injured man with amusement.
"Come on, Priest. Did you really think I'd stand here and let you attack me without doing anything?"
He glanced toward Hiryuu.
"Obviously, she wasn't going to sit back and let you touch me."
Hiryuu smiled faintly.
"Of course not."
She turned her attention back to the Priest.
"Besides, I was enjoying myself before you interrupted us."
Her eyes narrowed.
"And I don't particularly appreciate interruptions."
Before the Priest could gather himself, Hiryuu charged.
The ground cracked beneath her feet as she crossed the distance between them.
The Priest's eyes widened.
He hurriedly raised both arms, attempting to summon another defensive barrier.
"WAIT!"
Too late.
Hiryuu's fist slammed into his guard.
BOOOOM!
The barrier shattered almost instantly.
Her strike continued through the broken defense, catching him squarely and sending him crashing back to the ground.
His body rolled across the road before finally coming to a stop.
He coughed violently, more blood spilling from his mouth.
The Priest struggled to lift his head.
He had expected resistance.
Perhaps a difficult fight.
But this...
This was something else entirely.
Hiryuu stood over him, her expression growing increasingly cold.
She brought her hands together.
Mana began gathering between her palms.
At first, it was a faint glow.
Then the energy intensified, spreading outward in violent waves that distorted the air around her.
The atmosphere changed.
The wind began to howl.
Dust and loose stones rose from the ground as the pressure of her mana continued to increase.
Even the space around them seemed to tremble beneath the force she was gathering.
The Priest stared at her in horror.
"W-What kind of power is that?"
Hiryuu said nothing.
She simply continued gathering mana.
Behind her, Kael began walking toward the fallen Priest.
His footsteps were unhurried.
He stopped beside the injured man and lowered his sword until its tip hovered dangerously close to his throat.
The Priest froze.
Kael looked down at him.
"You know, I was expecting something more impressive."
He tilted his head slightly.
"You came all this way, activated your precious System, and tried to hit me with that pathetic attack."
His smile disappeared.
"And now look at you."
The Priest clenched his teeth.
Kael pressed the tip of his sword closer.
"You didn't come prepared at all."
His voice dropped to a chilling whisper.
"So let's stop wasting each other's time."
He crouched slightly, ensuring the Priest could see the cold determination in his eyes.
"Tell me where the System you're working for is keeping Lyra."
The Priest's expression changed.
For the first time since arriving, genuine fear flickered across his face.
Kael noticed it.
His smile returned, but there was nothing friendly about it.
"I'll ask you one more time."
He pressed the blade against the man's skin.
"Where is Lyra?"
The Priest remained silent.
Kael sighed.
"Wrong answer."
He rose slowly, his sword never leaving its threatening position.
"You can tell me everything you know, or you can keep your mouth shut and find out how much pain you can endure before you start talking."
His eyes hardened.
"But understand something, Priest."
Kael leaned closer.
"You're not leaving this place until I get my answers."
Behind him, Hiryuu's mana continued to surge.
The Priest glanced between them, his face pale beneath the blood.
For the first time, he began to understand the terrible mistake he had made.
He had come expecting to capture Kael Ryunosuke.
Instead, he had walked straight into a nightmare.
And neither Kael nor the Dragon Queen appeared willing to let him escape.
***
Inside the compound, Mira knelt in silent prayer.
Her hands were clasped tightly before her chest, and her eyes remained closed as she recited the sacred words she had learned since childhood.
The room was quiet.
A gentle light filtered through the windows, illuminating the divine book resting on the nearby table.
Mira's lips moved continuously.
Every word was spoken with devotion.
Every breath was offered in reverence.
She had always believed that prayer was a sanctuary, a place where the heart could find peace even when the world beyond its walls was filled with uncertainty.
But today, something felt wrong.
She couldn't explain it.
There was a strange heaviness in the air, a pressure that seemed to settle deep within her soul.
Her fingers tightened.
The words of her prayer faltered.
Then she abruptly opened her eyes.
Her pupils contracted.
A sharp pain pierced through her chest.
"Guh...!"
Mira clutched at her throat.
Before she could even understand what was happening, a violent wave of blood surged into her mouth.
She coughed.
Blood splattered across the floor.
Her body lurched forward, and she collapsed onto her hands and knees.
Another cough tore through her chest.
More blood spilled from her lips.
"W-What...?"
Her voice trembled.
She tried to breathe, but the pressure inside her body seemed to intensify with every passing second.
It felt as though something immense had drawn near.
Something that should never have existed.
Something so terrifying that even her prayers seemed incapable of reaching it.
Mira struggled to lift her head.
Her gaze fell upon the divine book resting on the table.
With trembling fingers, she reached toward it.
Her arm shook violently.
She tried to rise, but her strength had almost completely abandoned her.
"No... I have to..."
She dragged herself forward, leaving a faint trail of blood behind her.
At last, her fingertips brushed against the edge of the book.
She pulled it toward herself and opened its pages.
The familiar sacred script stared back at her.
But the words she began to recite were not the prayers she usually offered.
They were older.
Far older.
A language she had learned through sacred teachings, a language rarely spoken outside the most solemn rites of the faith.
Her voice was barely audible as she began to chant.
The room seemed to grow colder.
The divine book trembled beneath her hands.
Mira's eyes widened as she reached the final lines of the prayer.
Then she whispered a sentence that made even her own heart tremble.
"An evil being... of divine measure..."
She coughed again, blood staining the pages.
Her breathing grew weaker.
"...is approaching."
Her fingers dug into the book as she forced herself to continue.
"An existence that brings pain..."
Her voice broke.
"...and destruction."
For one brief moment, the light in the room flickered.
Mira stared into the empty space before her, tears gathering in her eyes.
She did not know where the being was.
She did not know when it would arrive.
But deep within her soul, something had recognized its presence.
Something ancient.
Something that understood the true weight of the words she had spoken.
A goddess of pain and destruction was drawing near.
And Mira feared that whatever was coming would be beyond anything their world had ever faced.
..........
Aoi sat quietly within her chambers, her scriptures open before her as she whispered her daily prayers to Serephina. The familiar silence of the room brought her peace, allowing her to lose herself in the sacred words she had read countless times before.
That peace shattered when the doors burst open.
"Lady Aoi!"
Yui rushed inside, her breathing uneven and panic written across her face.
Aoi lifted her head. "Yui? What happened?"
"It's terrible." Yui struggled to steady her voice. "I've just received news from the soldiers accompanying the shipping merchants. They went to deliver supplies to a nearby village called Bellhaven, but when they arrived..."
She hesitated, visibly shaken.
"When they arrived, they found everyone dead. The entire village. Every house was filled with rotting corpses, and there wasn't a single living person in sight."
Aoi's fingers tightened around her scriptures.
"Everyone?" she whispered.
"Everyone."
For several moments, Aoi said nothing. Then she slowly closed the sacred book.
"Have they informed the kingdom?"
"No." Yui shook her head. "They came to me first. They said something about the atmosphere. According to them, the moment they entered the village, something felt terribly wrong. They couldn't explain it, but it frightened them enough to leave immediately."
Yui swallowed.
"They believe this may be something spiritual. They don't want to alert the kingdom and cause widespread panic before understanding what happened."
Aoi rose from her seat.
"Spiritual..."
The word barely escaped her lips.
A terrible sensation crept through her chest, tightening around her heart like an invisible hand.
*Please. Let my instincts be wrong.*
Without another word, she hurried toward the small altar in her chambers, where a sacred silver stone rested beneath the statue of Serephina.
She knelt and clasped her hands together.
"Great Goddess Serephina, please hear my prayer..."
Then the wind came.
A violent, ominous gust swept through the chambers, scattering scriptures, overturning ornaments, and sending loose pages spiraling through the air. The candles flickered wildly before extinguishing all at once.
Yet this wind was not confined to Aoi's chambers.
Across the entire district, the same unnatural force swept through the streets and buildings.
Within the Imperial Castle, servants and guards felt the sudden chill as curtains whipped violently and objects trembled in place.
Elsewhere, Kaizen paused as the air around him grew unbearably heavy.
Within Duke Cedrick's estate, the wind swept through the corridors and rattled the windows. Clarisse and Isolde felt its dreadful presence, while Duke Cedrick's expression darkened as the atmosphere seemed to change around them.
And Elara...
The moment the wind touched her, an inexplicable heaviness settled deep within her chest. Her body stiffened, and a cold sensation crawled along her skin.
Something was wrong.
Something terribly wrong.
Yet no one could explain what they were feeling, or why the very air seemed to carry an invisible threat.
Back in her chambers, Aoi trembled but refused to retreat.
She had to know.
With shaking hands, she reached for a small ceremonial blade and drew it across her palm. Blood welled from the cut, and she pressed her wounded hand against the divine silver stone, using her blood to inscribe a desperate request for guidance.
The stone began to glow.
Aoi held her breath.
Then, letters slowly emerged across its silver surface.
**[GODDESS OF PAIN AND DESTRUCTION]**
Her blood ran cold.
The words remained before her, mercilessly clear.
Aoi stared at the inscription, her lips parting as the dreadful meaning settled into her mind.
This was no ordinary tragedy. No mere curse. No calamity that the Church could resolve through prayers and rituals.
Whatever was coming lay beyond her power.
For the first time in a long while, the Saintess felt genuine fear.
She rose abruptly and turned toward Yui.
"Prepare my journey to the Imperial Castle."
Yui blinked. "Lady Aoi?"
"Immediately." Aoi's voice was firm, despite the tremor beneath it. "I must speak with the Emperor. There is something I need to investigate before it's too late."
Her gaze returned briefly to the divine silver stone.
**Goddess of Pain and Destruction.**
The name lingered in her thoughts like a sentence carved into fate.
And deep within her heart, Aoi feared that the worst had yet to begin.