Luca was shaken.
The battle raged around him—screams, spells, the clash of metal—but to him, it was all just... noise. Distant. Faded. As if he were underwater, drowning beneath the weight of something far heavier than any wound.
Selena called his name, frantic. Vincent shouted for him to move. But Luca remained where he was, kneeling amidst the chaos, staring blankly ahead.
Everyone around him exchanged worried glances. What had happened to him?
But inside—within Luca's mind—a storm far more violent was raging.
I don't know if he's right or wrong.
I don't even know if I have the right to judge him.
The flash of that woman's face resurfaced in his mind. Just a glimpse—bare feet, a hollow gaze, and a whisper like a dying prayer:
"May the Goddess bless you with a smile."
A smile… even after everything.
His chest tightened painfully. That smile was the same as hers.
Mirelle's.
