The wind blew fiercely that morning.
So fiercely it tore pieces of snow from the ramparts and hurled them into the gray sky.
Celestine, still exhausted from her trial in the Void, rested her hands on the parapet.
Her body felt lighter, yet at the same time… heavier with responsibility.
The woman who awakened that morning was not the same who had fallen asleep.
The invisible crown — the blessing of the Void — pulsed beneath her skin.
---
1. The Sign in the Heavens
Leonhardt climbed up to the ramparts beside her.
"You look… different," he said, still choosing his words carefully.
Celestine gave a faint, sideways smile.
"'Different' is the only thing I seem capable of being lately."
Leonhardt opened his mouth to reply, but there was no time.
A thunderous sound echoed across the mountains.
Not thunder.
Not an avalanche.
Something tore through the sky.
A glowing fracture split the clouds above Fort Argenteus, as if the firmament itself were made of glass.
Soldiers shouted, pointing upward.
Animals panicked.
The very earth trembled.
"What is that?!" Leonhardt yelled.
Celestine recognized it.
She had seen that light once before — in a dream that wasn't hers.
"It's… a descent," she whispered.
And from the tear in the sky, white wings emerged.
Gigantic.
Imposing.
Sacred and terrifying.
The sky opened wide like a dawn made of gold, and from it descended the figure of a man wreathed in light:
Seraphiel.
The Archangel.
The executor of gods.
The slayer of cities.
---
2. The Archangel's Arrival
The entire fort fell to its knees in instinctive despair.
Battle-hardened knights trembled.
Mages lost control of their runes.
Some soldiers cried without knowing why.
Seraphiel's presence crushed the soul.
Only Celestine remained standing.
The archangel landed gently in the central courtyard, without a speck of snow clinging to his sandals.
His golden eyes scanned the area — analytical, cold.
And they stopped on her.
"Celestine d'Arnoir," he said.
His voice seemed woven from a thousand overlapping echoes.
"Seraphiel," she replied, masking her tension.
"So you are the bearer."
The soldiers flinched at the word.
Bearer.
Of what?
Seraphiel slowly spread his wings.
Each feather radiated pure light — and pure light burned shadow.
The air around Celestine grew unnaturally warm.
"In the name of the gods, I am here to judge you," he declared.
Leonhardt froze.
Selene, watching from afar, began to tremble.
The commanders exchanged terrified looks, unsure whether to flee or attack.
Celestine breathed in deeply.
"And what does this judgment determine?"
Seraphiel tilted his head.
"That you exist when you should not."
Silence fell.
Even the wind stopped.
---
3. The Unexpected Confrontation
Celestine descended the steps and approached.
"Explain yourself."
The archangel smiled — softly, almost pityingly.
"You are a living contradiction."
"How so?"
"The Void was reborn inside a human body."
"I didn't choose this."
"But you are becoming it."
Celestine's eyes widened just slightly.
Seraphiel continued:
"You carry two possible destinies:
1. To liberate the world.
2. Or to destroy it.
"And the gods wish to ensure that neither comes to pass."
Leonhardt's breath caught.
"So you came to kill me," Celestine said, steady.
"No," Seraphiel replied.
"I came to take you to the Heavens. They will judge you there. If deemed an absolute threat… your destruction will be complete."
Celestine clenched her fists.
"I'm not going."
Seraphiel sighed.
"I suspected you'd say that."
The light around his wings intensified.
The Void within her growled:
"He wants to take you. To bind you. To use you."
Seraphiel raised his right hand.
A spear of pure light formed.
"You have my promise it will not hurt long."
He moved.
---
4. The Power That Should Not Exist
The spear of light fell —
pure death,
pure divine authority.
On instinct, Celestine lifted her hand to block it — fully expecting to die.
But she didn't.
The spear froze midair, inches from her palm.
And then it unraveled…
absorbed by something Seraphiel himself had not foreseen.
The Void.
Gray and black tendrils coiled around Celestine's hand like living tattoos.
Seraphiel stepped back — shocked for the first time.
"…You awakened."
Celestine raised her face.
Her eyes were not normal — a deep gray glow swirled within them, almost liquid.
"I'm not going anywhere."
Her aura erupted.
Shadows and light clashed in the center of the fort.
Black flames and golden dust drifted in the air.
Soldiers were thrown aside like leaves in a storm.
The world seemed ready to split apart.
Seraphiel gritted his teeth.
"So you choose to fight."
"I choose to live."
He spread his wings with a force that cracked the stone walls.
"Then this world shall witness what it means to face an archangel."
Celestine raised her hand — and the Void raised its warped light in answer.
The first great clash was about to happen.
But before their powers collided, a third force exploded between them:
A massive rune appeared beneath the ground.
It split the courtyard in half.
And a deep voice thundered:
"ENOUGH!"
Everyone froze.
A hooded figure rose from the center of the seal.