They reached the edge of the golden shield.
Where the light touched the earth, it rippled, trembling like an invisible wall.
The commander shouted:
> "Send her through!"
The soldiers unchained Koharu and shoved her forward.
She stepped into the emptiness.
The golden light sealed shut behind her.
The sight before her was unlike anything she had ever known.
The sky was shrouded in pitch-black clouds.
Everywhere, a blackish mist drifted.
The ground bore no trace of life.
An endless… desert.
But even a desert had never felt this dead.
Never before had any being crossed to the other side of the golden shield.
Koharu was the first.
She turned back.
The shield still gleamed, glowing with golden light.
But already, the mist had seeped into her flesh.
Grayish marks, like the onset of rot, spread across her skin.
She raised her hand to the surface of the shield.
Agony pierced her palms, as though she had touched fire.
It was unbearable.
She was forced to pull away.
Koharu walked for a long time.
Barren soil… cracked earth… no sign of life.
With each step, the stones beneath her feet crumbled,
dust rising and folding back into the black mist.
Hours passed.
Not a single living creature appeared.
No animal's cry, no rustle of leaves.
At last, among the rocks, she found a strange patch.
It looked like a mixture of mud and swamp.
Its surface was covered with black, slimy, moss-like growths.
Her stomach growled.
Hunger clouded her vision.
She hesitated for a moment.
But she had no choice.
She plunged her hand into the muck,
tore off a piece of the black moss.
When she put it in her mouth, a vile taste spread across her tongue.
It was like mud—sour, with the rusty tang of metal.
Her stomach churned.
She collapsed to her knees and vomited.
But the hunger remained.
With trembling hands, she tore off another piece.
Unwillingly… she swallowed it down.
She ripped a strip of cloth from her dress.
Scooping the filthy, muddy water into it, she tried to filter it.
The water was still murky, but she had to drink.
Just as she raised it to her lips…
A sound behind her.
A rustle… a scraping… the gnash of teeth…
Koharu's heart raced.
She snapped her head around.
From the rocks, dozens of creatures leapt out.
The size of cats… they resembled rats.
But their eyes burned crimson.
Their fur had fallen away; their skin looked half-rotted.
The black mist shimmered around them like sparks.
Koharu stepped back.
Her heart rose to her throat.
The creatures snarled, shrieking as they rushed toward her.
At that moment, Koharu looked at her hands.
They trembled.
But the mark within her…
The power hidden behind her cursed sight—the eyes that beheld hearts—
suddenly surged forth.
At her fingertips, a white light flared.
It blazed like a torch.
The light grew.
In an instant, it engulfed her whole body.
A pure white flame rose against the darkness.
The rats faltered.
With shrill, screeching cries, they recoiled.
As the light swelled,
they panicked and scattered into the shadows.
Koharu gasped for breath.
For the first time… she had used her Aurora.
Once the creatures vanished, she leaned against a rock.
Her breathing was ragged, chest rising and falling.
She lifted her gaze to the golden shield.
Her eyes narrowed.
Upon the shield's surface… a shadow moved.
Something… struck the shield with force.
BOOM!
The shockwave rippled skyward.
At the point of impact, the golden light flared like sparks.
Then… black smoke rose.
Koharu's heart pounded.
For a moment, she forgot to breathe.
The figure soared up again.
It bent like a drawn bow, then slammed against the shield once more.
BOOM!
The golden surface shone again,
but from the point of impact, black smoke spread in waves.
Koharu rubbed her eyes.
From the distance, she could make out only a silhouette.
Were those wings… or something else? She could not tell.
But one truth was certain:
Someone was attacking the golden shield.
> "Who… would dare such a thing?"