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The wind screamed across the ruined capital.
Snow mixed with ash as the fractured sky continued trembling above the kingdom like a wound splitting wider and wider apart.
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But nobody moved.
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Not the knights.
Not the nobles watching from afar.
Not even the creature chained beneath the golden restraints.
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Because every single person present could feel it—
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Something inside Rosy had changed.
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The way she looked at the Void creature now…
Was no longer fear.
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It was understanding.
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And that terrified everyone far more.
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Her father noticed it too.
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Which was why his expression became colder than before.
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"…You're repeating the same mistake."
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Rosy slowly looked toward him.
"…Mistake?"
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Golden chains tightened violently around the creature again.
Its scream shook the battlefield.
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"You allow your emotions to cloud your judgment."
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Rosy's eyes darkened instantly.
"…You call compassion a mistake?"
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"I call weakness dangerous."
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The words echoed sharply through the frozen city.
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For one brief second—
Nobody breathed.
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Then Rosy laughed softly.
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Not amused.
Not warm.
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Broken.
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"…That explains everything."
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Her father's gaze sharpened.
"…Meaning."
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Rosy slowly stepped forward.
Darkness flickering faintly around her feet.
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"…You were never afraid of my power."
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A pause.
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"You were afraid I'd choose differently than you."
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Silence crashed through the battlefield.
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Azrael quietly closed his eyes for a second.
Because she was right.
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Her father's expression remained calm.
Too calm.
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"…I was afraid you'd destroy yourself trying to save creatures incapable of coexistence."
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Rosy immediately answered.
"…Humans aren't exactly good at coexistence either."
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Several nobles visibly flinched.
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Because she wasn't wrong.
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Her father's voice hardened slightly.
"…The Void consumes worlds."
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"And humans slaughter anything they fear."
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Another step forward.
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"So tell me honestly."
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Her violet-black eyes met his directly.
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"Which one sounds more monstrous?"
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The silence afterward felt suffocating.
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Kael watched Rosy carefully now.
Not fearfully.
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Sadly.
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Because the more memories she regained—
The more she resembled the original Isle.
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And Kael remembered exactly how that story ended.
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With Isle standing alone against both worlds.
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The creature suddenly spoke again.
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"THE SUN SUFFERS."
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Rosy's chest tightened painfully.
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"…Stop calling me that."
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The creature tilted its massive head slowly.
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"YOU ARE OUR SUN."
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Another memory struck instantly.
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Tiny shadow creatures gathering around Isle excitedly while she laughed softly.
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"You glow."
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"No I don't."
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"You do to us."
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Rosy's breathing faltered.
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The memory hurt.
Because it felt warm.
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Azrael noticed immediately.
"…Rosy."
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But before she could respond—
A scream erupted from below.
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One of the knights suddenly collapsed.
Then another.
Then five more.
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Black veins spread beneath their skin rapidly.
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The battlefield erupted into panic.
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"What's happening?!"
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"MOVE THEM BACK!"
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"HEALERS!"
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Kael's eyes narrowed instantly.
"…Void corruption."
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Rosy froze.
"…What?"
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Her father's expression darkened.
"…Its presence is infecting the capital."
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The chained creature immediately looked horrified.
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"NO."
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Its massive body trembled violently against the restraints.
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"NOT INTENTIONAL."
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But the corruption kept spreading.
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The knights screamed in agony as black patterns crawled across their bodies unnaturally.
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Rosy instinctively stepped forward.
"…Move."
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Azrael grabbed her wrist instantly.
"…Wait."
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Her eyes snapped toward him.
"…They're dying."
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"…And you don't know what touching that corruption will do to you."
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Rosy looked toward the suffering knights again.
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One young knight couldn't have been older than sixteen.
He was crying.
Begging for help.
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Something inside her snapped immediately.
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"…I don't care."
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Dark energy surged around her violently.
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Before anyone could stop her—
Rosy jumped from the wall.
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"ROSY!"
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The battlefield gasped.
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She landed directly beside the corrupted knights, black and violet power exploding outward beneath her feet.
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The corruption reacted instantly.
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Not attacking.
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Recoiling.
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Rosy stared at it in shock.
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The black veins crawling across the knight's body slowly retreated from her touch.
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The young knight looked up at her weakly.
Terrified.
Hopeful.
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"…G-Grand Duke…"
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Rosy placed a hand carefully against his chest.
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And suddenly—
The shadow inside her moved.
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Not violently.
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Gently.
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The corruption flowed out of the knight's body and into her hand like smoke returning home.
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Everyone froze.
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Even her father looked shocked.
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The knight gasped sharply as the black veins disappeared completely.
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Silence exploded across the battlefield.
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Rosy blinked slowly at her own hand.
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"…I absorbed it."
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Kael's eyes widened slightly.
"…Impossible."
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Another knight collapsed nearby.
Rosy moved immediately again.
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And once more—
The corruption fled from the injured person into her body.
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Like it recognized her.
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Like it belonged there.
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The creature chained nearby lowered its head tremblingly.
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"SUN… FORGIVE…"
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Rosy looked toward it quietly.
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"…You didn't mean to hurt them."
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"NO."
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Its voice sounded devastated.
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"WE WERE ONLY SEARCHING."
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Rosy closed her eyes briefly.
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Because now she understood.
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The Void creatures weren't invaders.
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They were survivors.
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And humanity—
Had turned their desperation into war.
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More corruption spread through the battlefield.
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Rosy continued moving from knight to knight without hesitation.
Absorbing every trace of darkness into herself.
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Azrael's expression slowly changed.
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"…She's taking too much."
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Kael immediately looked toward him.
"…What happens if she absorbs all of it?"
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Azrael didn't answer immediately.
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Which terrified Kael.
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Finally—
"…The Void will recognize her completely."
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Silence.
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Kael's icy aura sharpened instantly.
"…Meaning."
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Azrael looked toward Rosy quietly.
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"…She may stop being able to remain human."
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Below them—
Rosy healed another knight.
Another.
Another.
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Each time—
The darkness inside her grew stronger.
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The fractured sky above the kingdom trembled violently in response.
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And Rosy could feel it.
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The Void inside her awakening happily.
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Welcoming her back.
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But despite the danger—
She kept helping people anyway.
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Because someone was crying.
Because someone was afraid.
Because someone needed her.
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Exactly like before.
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Kael watched silently for a long moment.
Then quietly whispered:
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"…Humanity really did create its own tragedy."
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Azrael's gaze never left Rosy.
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"…No."
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A pause.
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"We created a girl who loved too much."
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And somehow—
That was far more dangerous.
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End of Chapter 29