Lucia's body was failing her. Each step toward the glowing gateway felt like her limbs were made of glass, splintering with every motion.
Her once radiant form, woven of divine essence, cracked and shimmered faintly, as if even the light that defined her existence no longer wished to cling to her.
Still, she pressed forward, her eyes filled with a mixture of sorrow and relief.
"This… this is all I can do."
She whispered, her voice barely audible over the pulsing roar of the collapsing system around her.
The system's interface flickered beside her, lines of code and streams of divine energy bending to her will.
She knew it should have resisted, that the Chief God's commands would normally overwrite her interference, yet it allowed her through.
The truth settled in her fading heart: the system had chosen to trust her, to give her this final chance.
"System, thank you… for lending me this moment. For letting me stand in his path one last time."
