The Tower of Myths never truly slept.
Even in silence, it moved.
Massive dimensional rings rotated slowly beyond the endless windows of the higher floors while fractured constellations drifted through the dark void outside. Entire realities shimmered beneath the tower like reflections trapped beneath black water.
And somewhere far away—
Shiro was suffering again.
Yura felt it.
The moment it happened, her body reacted instinctively.
Ice exploded across the training chamber walls as her magic surged violently out of control. Frost spread through entire hallways while nearby dimensional scripture froze solid midair.
Amelia immediately stood from where she had been sparring.
"Yura?"
But Yura didn't answer immediately.
Her breathing had become uneven.
Not from exhaustion.
From connection.
Far beyond the tower…
through dimensions…
through broken realities…
she could feel Shiro's pain.
And this time—
it was worse.
Much worse.
Not simple torture.
Not beatings.
Something deeper.
Crueler.
Like Raiku was intentionally destroying whatever pieces of Shiro had started healing.
Yura's hands trembled slightly.
The emotional bond between sins had grown stronger over time, especially after everything they had endured together. Now that connection was feeding directly into her awakening.
The tower reacted to it immediately.
Desire.
Attachment.
Obsession.
Need.
The emotions wrapped around Yura's soul and evolved into something terrifyingly divine.
Her ice-blue eyes slowly began glowing violet.
The air changed.
Amelia's expression sharpened instantly.
"…Yura."
The temperature dropped hard enough to freeze nearby dimensional gates solid.
Then—
the frost stopped spreading.
Instead…
it obeyed her.
The ice around the chamber slowly lifted into the air like orbiting stars while thin streams of violet energy intertwined through the frozen structures elegantly.
Beautiful.
Dangerous.
Controlled.
Yura slowly exhaled.
And the entire room bent toward her presence.
Not physically.
Emotionally.
Like reality itself wanted to move closer.
Amelia blinked once.
"…Okay. That's new."
Yura looked down at her own hands silently.
The awakening felt strange.
Not overwhelming.
Natural.
As if something sleeping inside her had finally opened its eyes.
"The Sin of Lust…" she whispered softly.
Most people misunderstood lust.
They thought it was simple desire.
Simple temptation.
But this—
this was connection.
Attraction.
Emotional gravity.
The power to pull hearts, souls, and instincts toward herself.
Not through force.
Through inevitability.
Yura closed her eyes briefly.
And immediately saw him.
Shiro.
Collared.
Bleeding.
Forced to kneel again beneath crushing pressure while Raiku stood above him smiling.
The vision hit hard enough to crack the floor beneath her feet.
Amelia's expression darkened immediately.
"That bastard…"
Yura's voice trembled slightly for the first time in days.
"He was healing… and now they're breaking him again."
Not physically alone.
Mentally.
Emotionally.
Raiku was reopening every wound Shiro had barely survived before.
And because of the bond they shared—
Yura could feel fragments of it leaking through the connection.
The isolation.
The helpless rage.
The exhaustion.
Her awakening intensified violently in response.
The tower groaned softly around them.
Ice roses bloomed across the walls.
Dimensional scripture froze into crystalline patterns.
And suddenly—
the higher floors of the tower reacted.
Multiple ancient beings turned their attention downward simultaneously.
Not because of Yura's raw power.
Because of what she was becoming.
Amelia slowly stepped closer.
"You okay?"
Yura laughed softly.
Not cold.
Not distant.
Just tired.
"…No."
Then she looked toward Amelia.
"But I will be."
For a moment, silence settled between them.
Then Amelia smirked faintly and rested Duskpiercer against her shoulder.
"Well," she muttered, "if your awakening is responding to Shiro getting tortured again…"
Her crimson eyes sharpened dangerously.
"…then let's get stronger fast enough to make Raiku regret surviving."
That earned a small smile from Yura.
A real one.
Before either could continue—
soft footsteps echoed through the chamber.
Babylis approached quietly from the hallway entrance, pink hair swaying gently behind her.
But something had changed.
Her expression.
Her posture.
Decision had settled into her eyes.
"I'm leaving the tower temporarily," she said calmly.
Amelia frowned instantly.
"Convenient timing."
Babylis ignored the jab smoothly.
"There are preparations I need to make outside the tower." Her gaze shifted toward Yura briefly. "You'll continue climbing with Gramia guiding you."
Yura's future-sensitive instincts prickled immediately.
Not danger.
Manipulation.
Subtle.
Hidden.
Babylis smiled softly.
"I truly do hope you save him."
That sentence lingered strangely after she disappeared into dimensional light.
Amelia stared at where the goddess had vanished.
"…I don't trust her."
"Neither do I," Yura admitted quietly.
But neither of them stopped her.
Because despite everything—
Babylis had still helped them reach this far.
And because right now…
Shiro mattered more.
Far above them, the Tower of Myths rumbled once more.
The next dimensional floor had opened.
Yura slowly rose to her feet, violet frost swirling around her body like living silk.
The awakening had stabilized.
No longer simply the Ice Goddess.
No longer simply calm and untouchable.
Now there was hunger beneath the frost.
Not lust for flesh.
Lust for closeness.
For connection.
For the person stolen away from them.
Amelia grinned beside her, bloodfire flickering around her hands.
"Ready?"
Yura looked upward toward the endless higher layers of the tower.
Then toward the distant bond still connecting her to Shiro across realities.
"…Yeah."
Her eyes glowed softly.
"Let's go bring him home."