Even though nearly three weeks had passed since the day of the Black Cataclysm, victims were still being found all across the continent. Due to the near-total destruction of the south, and its regional proximity to the Gran Empire, the Lawrence Duchy was chosen as the State's reception center.
When Ethan finally arrived at the Duchy's capital, cold sweat became a constant on the pale face of the Duke as he sat at his desk in the office. He caught up on the information from the time he had spent in the capital of Athenian.
However, his concentration was abruptly broken by an almost immediate announcement. A soldier burst into the office without permission, shouting loudly:
"My lord! The duchess is here."
When the guards stepped aside and revealed the Duchess walking slowly, with a nearly fainting expression, Ethan felt a sharp pain roar in his chest. Seeing the woman he had sworn to protect, in sickness and in health, in that state, sealed yet another truth Ethan had been trying to escape.
Meanwhile, beyond his mother, Theo felt a wave of despair upon seeing the young girl with red hair and round glasses walking just ahead of the Duchess in short steps.
Agnes's lips trembled, wavering in a dance of pain. She shrank into herself, a chill running through her bones. Her eyes drooped into such an apathetic state that no emotion could be described.
None but grief.
"Agnes…" Theo murmured.
She sobbed, trying to hide her fragility.
Dropping a bag onto the nearest table, Theo ran toward them, dodging nearby furniture. He grabbed her by the shoulders, careful not to shake her, his eyes drowning in concern.
"What happened?" he asked, respecting her expression.
Camille walked carefully across the office toward her husband until she reached him and collapsed into his embrace.
"Agnes's mother died…" she whispered, barely audible, yet heard by everyone. As she broke down just by saying it, Agnes did the same.
The girl's heart raced as her vision blurred with tears, unable to steady herself. Soon, she fell into Theo's arms, and he held her tightly, staring blankly at the corridor wall.
Before imagining Agnes's pain, he sank into the suffering they both shared. The weakness he felt when he saw Michel being slowly crushed. Clouds of smoke turned what had been a clear, bright day into a true apocalyptic scene.
Theo sniffled, holding her by the back of the head and pulling her into a calming embrace, trying to stay composed. Ethan did the same, though they both failed to project strength.
"Agnes…" he murmured, unable to comfort her.
"Theo…" Ethan said, carrying Camille to a bench in the office. "Can you take her outside for some air?"
Looking at the Duke with a soldier's focus, Theo saw his father breaking down alone in that same moment. Then he realized—it wasn't just for Agnes, but to protect himself as well.
"Alright, father…"
Taking Agnes by the hand, he guided her down the corridor, searching for a place where she could breathe.
At that moment, the office doors closed behind them.
Camille couldn't have been more shattered. After enduring the feeling of nearly losing a close friend, she now truly faced that loss. Something that once seemed stable and distant from danger had become an unbearable reality.
Miss Hansen had been Camille's best friend. The only one.
Kneeling in front of his wife, Ethan took a deep breath as his vision flickered with distorted flashes of light. They were memories disguised as reality, distorting his will.
"All of them…" Ethan muttered, trying to breathe. "Everyone in the Hansen family is dead…"
"Only the girl remains," Luanne said, appearing in the dark corner of the room, surrounded by faint, silver particles, almost translucent, as if hiding within the light. "It's sad to think that the Five Great Families of the infamous Emerald Island, those who once ruled the world in another era, are being extinguished like this…"
"How many are left?" Camille asked, holding back her tears.
"Few. The Hansen family has only the girl… The Bonecrowns still hold some influence, but they're collapsing. The O'Reilly, Monspeliart, and Aardeson clans are disappearing. I don't know whether they were erased by time or are hiding somewhere in this world, but it seems to be their end…"
The sound of shattering glass filled the room. When both women turned to find the source, they saw a broken glass on the table, shards cutting into the Duke's hand.
Ethan took a deep breath.
As if he were to blame.
Not him—but his family.
"All because of the curse the Caesar and Windsor families placed on them…" he muttered, filled with anger.
Then he felt a hand rest on his shoulder.
"You're not to blame for the conspiracy, dear," Camille said, looking away. "You know, Ethan… while you were away, I couldn't find Magnum anywhere. He was probably taken by reinforcements from the other duchies—he must be in some military program or adoption system by now…"
"I'll find him," Ethan stated heavily. "Don't worry."
"I'm relieved," she said, releasing some of the weight on her shoulders. "But… I don't want the same to happen to Agnes. I want to adopt her as our daughter, Ethan."
Thoughtful, barely hearing the request, the Duke freed himself from the burdens weighing him down. Straightening his posture, he looked at Luanne, seeking her opinion.
In truth, the Priestess hesitated. Considering her own views and controversial actions, she would have suggested sending the girl to a family far from the spotlight of nobility.
But even if placing Agnes among the nobles was a mistake—given her nearly forgotten lineage—Ethan didn't want to lose control over her.
It was a responsibility that shouldn't be his, yet the Lawrence family had always defied the norms of their noble roots.
"Alright… We'll begin the adoption process immediately."
Camille's eyes widened, filled with genuine tears. But they fell in joy.
"Thank you…" she said, nearly crying. "Thank you…"
☽✪☾
The wind swept across the rooftop of the Duke's Palace, on the edge of the capital Loureto, where Theo and Agnes overlooked the city from above. It was an organized chaos, like a great city after a long war.
A slow restoration that made no effort to hide the wound of failure. Streets nearly lifeless, houses dark. Tables stood with overturned chairs and empty seats.
There was space to mourn and space to celebrate those who remained alive.
Yet in the hearts of the children, there was confusion—something inexplicable and unforgivable.
"I'm sorry, Agnes…" Theo said, sitting at the edge of the roof. "What we went through…"
"It's something I don't want to understand right now," she said, making him hesitate. "But…"
Her hesitation alerted him, and he paid attention to every word.
"Do you believe in ghosts? Beings from another world, invisible to ours?"
A white cloud formed before Theo's eyes. Then came the neigh of a horse and an announcement spoken by an almost ancient voice that stirred his insides.
"Beings that… can destroy our lives with a word… or with a scream?"
"What are you talking about?" he said, raising an eyebrow, adopting a completely skeptical expression.
"I saw it, Theo!" Agnes said. "I was there! When my mother was still breathing… a pale woman appeared in the window and…" she sniffled, holding back tears. "She screamed… shattered the windows… my mother's heart raced, and then… she died."
"Agnes…"
"My mother always told stories about a spirit that haunts our family, capable of killing humans just by saying their names… A black knight and his pale lady…"
"Agnes!" Theo exclaimed, hiding the truth he still carried. "That doesn't exist…"
She broke down. Her shoulders dropped, her eyes arched in confusion, unable to understand his agitation.
"The real culprits are out there… living the lives they stole… The guilty ones aren't from another world. They're from this one!" he said, squeezing his eyes shut, nearly grinding his teeth.
Standing up, Theo looked out over the capital again. The orange sky of dusk faded behind the clouds, trying to hide the motherly moon. That was when a white owl flew by, as if watching over the palace.
It dragged its wings toward the stars before finally settling on the rooftop, perched on a spike, watching the two children.
Shielding the light that guarded the heart of a golden moon.
"And I promise… for those like us who fell in this same time of despair…" Theo said, clenching his fists as tears streamed down his cheeks. "I promise I will bring light into this chaos and destroy any chance for evil to spread."
As he uttered the vow of the Egorians—a vow he once hated—he felt anger at his own hypocrisy. But this time, it was different.
"I promise I will bring peace to this world in the name of those who cannot."
"Theo…"
His clenched fist nearly burst the veins in his forearm. Though his words were filled with righteousness, his expression carried a thirst for vengeance that only his alter ego bore.
Turning his face sharply, tears of pain and rage scattering, he declared fiercely:
"I will inherit the legacy of Vagus and his revolutionaries! I will become the regent of life…"
The owl's eyes shone with admiration and joy, reflecting Theo's image within its pupils.
"I will be…"
The moon finally emerged, claiming the night in its freedom. And beneath its maternal glow of liberty and life, Theo accepted it.
"I will be… Lumen."