The ceremony ended, though I could still feel eyes on me as I stepped out of the awakening hall. The children whispered behind my back, some with mockery, others with fear. But the loudest sound was the silence of Ardyn's gaze, lingering even as I left.
The street outside was quieter. Lanterns swayed gently in the evening wind, their glow faint compared to the darkness pulsing faintly in my palm before I hid it again.
My footsteps carried me down the worn path toward the orphanage. The familiar creak of wooden fences, the scent of cooking smoke, the laughter of younger children—it all should have felt comforting. Yet the weight in my chest only grew heavier.
I stopped, looking up at the sky. The stars were scattered like fragments of light, distant and unreachable. The Pure Darkness Ball floated quietly within me, heavy and endless.
What lies ahead of me?
Spirit Hall's eyes. The whispers of the children. The shadows in my memories.
I tightened my fists.
"No matter what they see in me… this is my spirit. My path. And I will find out what it means."
With that thought, I turned toward the orphanage gates. My journey had only just begun.