The snow hadn't stopped since the battle.
The wind howled like a lament, as if the mountains themselves were mourning the dead.
At the top of the hill, Celestine watched the devastated battlefield.
Imperial bodies were half-buried in the snow, and the Void's black roots still pulsed beneath the ground, slowly dissolving.
The metallic scent of blood mingled with the frozen air.
Beside her, Selene, the mage of the Void, kept her eyes glowing with an unsettling violet hue.
"The Void is… satisfied," she said.
"And you?" Celestine asked.
"Me? I'm alive. That's enough."
Celestine looked away.
Victory felt heavy—strange—almost as if every soul consumed by the Void had left a mark inside her mind.
---
⚔️ The North's Reaction
Back at the fortress, the atmosphere was completely different.
Troops celebrated.
Imperial banners burned in the firepits.
And for the first time in decades, the North felt as if it could win.
Raoul, his arm wrapped in bandages, found Celestine the moment she entered the courtyard.
"Duchess! The soldiers say they fought alongside living shadows! Some swear they saw creatures rising from the mist itself! Was… was that you?"
She hesitated only a moment.
"Yes."
Raoul let out a low whistle.
"Then I suppose it's fair to say… the North has its own goddess now."
Celestine didn't respond.
The compliment bothered her.
A "goddess" was responsible for something.
But she knew that part of what happened in the valley hadn't been entirely her will.
---
🌫️ When the Void Whispers
In the silence of her room, Celestine removed her armor.
The warm water in the basin began to tremble when her reflection appeared—but it wasn't just her.
Behind her image, like a distorted mirror, rose the silhouette of a woman made of liquid shadow.
The Voice spoke:
"We have grown, bearer."
Celestine gripped the table's edge.
"Do not grow inside me."
"I can shrink… but only if you stop using what I am."
She took a deep breath.
"I don't want to destroy the world."
"And who said I wish to destroy it?
The world changes, bearer.
We simply accelerate the inevitable."
Celestine clenched her hands.
"If you keep talking like that, I'll start believing I have a demon inside me."
The shadow smiled without a mouth.
"I am no demon.
I am freedom.
I am everything the gods tried to hide."
And then, as always, it vanished—leaving Celestine with an echo in her mind that didn't belong to her.
---
🏛️ In the Empire – The Throne Gathering
While the North celebrated, the Empire burned with fury.
The golden throne shook beneath the voice of Emperor Edric IV.
"Four legions! ERASED! Massacred by ONE woman and her profane witchcraft!"
Around him, generals and advisors trembled.
And then the doors opened.
Bathed in golden light, a man entered, his white wings folding gently at his back.
Seraphiel.
The Archangel of Judgment.
The "son of the gods."
The man who, in the past, had annihilated an entire city to enforce divine will.
The hall knelt—except for the emperor, who only gritted his teeth.
Seraphiel approached the throne, his clear eyes glowing with celestial coldness.
"Edric," he said, his voice resonating like a distant bell, "I bring the gods' answer."
The emperor raised his head.
"And what is their answer to such humiliation?"
Seraphiel smiled.
Cold. Beautiful. Deadly.
"They order the complete annihilation of the North."
A deadly silence fell across the hall.
"And the capture of the Void's bearer," Seraphiel continued,
"alive. The gods wish to judge her personally."
Edric rose.
"And you?"
Seraphiel spread his wings—and every feather radiated light.
"I will descend to the battlefield."
---
🔥 In the North – The Seed of Corruption
Back in the fortress, Celestine tried to sleep.
But something was wrong.
Her chest burned.
A dark light pulsed beneath her skin, like a living brand.
She fell to her knees, clutching her heart.
"Stop… stop… STOP!"
The Void answered—not with words, but with emotion:
Fury. Hunger. Expansion. Power.
The mark spread up her arms, black veins like ink under the skin.
Her breathing grew heavy.
The walls began to tremble.
The door burst open.
Leonhardt rushed to her side.
"Celestine! What's happening?!"
She lifted her face.
Her eyes… were no longer merely silver.
Black seeped into the irises, as if the Void were trying to take control.
She whispered:
"It… the Void… it's growing too fast."
Leonhardt held her shoulders.
"Then we'll fight it together!"
She shut her eyes, battling not to lose control.
And the Void murmured inside her—clearer than ever:
"Seraphiel is coming.
Prepare yourself, bearer.
Your true enemy has awakened."
Celestine opened her eyes—now fully silver, shining like stars.
"Leonhardt… the war has just changed."