Under normal circumstances, 【Holy Flame】 did not have any particularly obvious differences from ordinary fire.
A golden outer flame.
An almost pure white core.
It was simply a bit brighter than normal fire.
But once it actually came into contact with a target, the difference manifested immediately.
Cecia raised her hand.
A fireball appeared in her palm with almost no preparation.
It was much more natural than before.
It wasn't even "casting."
It felt more like breathing.
Like raising her hand.
Like blinking.
【Blazing Sun Affinity】 blurred the existing boundary between light and fire, while 【Protection of the Blazing Sun】 made Cecia's control over these two powers exceptionally easy.
She even had the illusion that even if she fell asleep, if she suddenly encountered a fatal attack, the light and fire around her body would react on their own.
“So this is Protection of the Blazing Sun...”
Cecia looked down at her hands.
It really was a bit ridiculous.
A land breeze swept across the beach.
It whipped up the long hair of the two girls.
Under the bright moonlight,
the shadow beneath Vesper's feet was stretched long.
Dozens of pitch-black tentacles extended from within, dragging swarms of Starfolk into the shadow.
Crack.
Crack.
Carapaces shattered.
Flesh tore apart.
However, there were simply too many Starfolk.
No matter how strong Vesper was, a few would always slip through the gaps in the shadows.
This was perfect.
Cecia was just worrying about having no test subjects.
“Perfect timing.”
She raised her hand.
The golden fireball flew from her hand.
There was no violent explosion.
It merely landed gently on one of the Starfolk.
In the next second—
Boom!
The golden flames suddenly erupted.
The residual Abyss aura inside the Starfolk's body was like oil thrown into a fire.
The flame, which was originally only the size of a fist, instantly spread across its entire body.
Carapace.
Flesh.
Those interwoven tissues that looked like plant roots.
All of it was swallowed by the golden flames.
Even the viscous Abyss pollution on the ground let out a harsh, sizzling sound.
Sizzle—
Black smoke rose.
In the blink of an eye, nothing remained but a pile of ash on the ground.
Cecia blinked.
"..."
So powerful?
Yesterday, dealing with a single Starfolk required her to have Lan split the carapace first, then use 【Starhunter】 to find a weakness, and finally set it on fire.
Now, a single fireball took care of it.
It wasn't because her Fireball spell had suddenly become much stronger.
Rather, it was because 【Holy Flame】 was incredibly effective against the Abyss and pollution.
Ordinary targets might only feel the flames were hotter.
But if an Abyss creature got touched by it—
it was probably like a gas tank meeting a lighter.
“This is good stuff.”
Cecia grew increasingly satisfied.
She was just about to continue testing.
Beside her, Vesper suddenly stopped.
The young girl tilted her head.
Through her white blindfold, she stared at the fire in Cecia's hand.
“Nightingale.”
“Yes?”
“Is that Holy Flame?”
“The system says so.”
“Oh.”
Vesper extended a slender finger.
Poof.
A small plume of black fire ignited at her fingertip.
It was the exact opposite of Cecia's fire.
Pitch-black, viscous, and completely devoid of light.
It even gave off the illusion that everything around it was being slowly consumed by it.
Though it was fire, it offered no warmth whatsoever.
Instead, it constantly radiated an uncomfortable aura.
Cecia instinctively took half a step back.
“You have it too?”
“Yes.”
Vesper gently shook her hand.
The black flame went out.
“The Cult calls this kind of thing Abyss Holy Fire.”
“Holy Flame doesn't necessarily belong to the Holy Light.”
“Nor does it necessarily belong to a Holy Maiden.”
“As long as one's power is altered by some sufficiently high-level authority, similar properties can manifest.”
“Oh...”
Understanding dawned on Cecia.
That made much more sense.
But in the next moment,
Vesper suddenly took a step forward.
As she closed the distance, Cecia instinctively took another step back.
“What's wrong?”
Vesper didn't answer.
She just looked at her.
To be precise, she was looking at her hand.
Cecia looked down in the same direction.
On the back of her hand, the dark-gold, broken segment of a celestial track was faintly glowing.
【Mark of the Returning Sun】.
Vesper's voice suddenly grew quiet.
“You didn't have this before.”
“This?”
Cecia shook her hand.
“It only appeared recently.”
“Who left it?”
“The King of Dawn and Dusk.”
"..."
The shadow beneath her feet suddenly froze.
Cecia sensed something was off.
“Potato?”
Vesper still did not speak.
Only after several seconds passed did she slowly open her mouth:
“Shadow of the Sun?”
“He should be called the King of Dawn and Dusk now,” Cecia corrected, “He's not quite the same as before.”
Vesper's facial expression was hidden from view.
But the shadows beneath her feet were clearly starting to grow restless.
Smack!
A tentacle suddenly lashed out, striking a nearby Starfolk.
The hard carapace shattered on the spot.
Right after, a second and third one followed.
The Starfolk that were originally surrounding the two girls suddenly became the targets of an incredibly brutal venting of anger.
One was grabbed and slammed viciously into the sandy beach.
Another one was about to crawl back up, only to be slapped right back down by a shadow.
Cecia's eyelids twitched.
They had fought all night yesterday, yet she had never seen Vesper act this fierce.
Of course, for this girl, it probably didn't require much effort.
At most, she would just be hungrier after the fight.
Vesper turned her face to the other side, refusing to look at Cecia.
“Potato?”
No response.
Cecia stepped closer.
“Potato, Potato.”
Still no response.
She reached out, planning to pat Vesper's shoulder, but the girl dodged to the side.
"..."
Cecia's hand stopped in midair.
Eh?
Is she really angry?
I haven't even gotten angry yet.
“Is it because I didn't tell you before?”
“No.”
“Because of the King of Dawn and Dusk?”
"..."
The shadows slapped another Starfolk to death.
Smack!
Understood.
It really was because of that.
Cecia was momentarily filled with question marks.
“So, why?”
Vesper squatted down, hugging her knees.
Her voice sounded muffled.
“Your soul has been marked by another god.”
“Huh?”
Cecia looked down at her hand.
“Is this thing really that serious?”
“Very serious,” Vesper said, “Ordinary Blessings only leave traces on the body or mind.”
“But this is different.”
“It is already bound to your soul.”
“Your fire has changed.”
“Your light has changed.”
“Even your aura is different from before.”
Cecia listened, completely dumbfounded.
“And then?”
Vesper's voice dropped even lower.
“I originally wanted to bring you back with me.”
“Back where?”
“To the Abyss Cult.”
"..."
Cecia nearly choked on her breath.
After all this time, you've been planning this all along the way?
“You've been wanting to kidnap me into the Abyss Cult?”
“It's not kidnapping,” Vesper corrected very seriously, “It's inviting.”
“Is there any difference?”
“Yes.”
“Like what?”
“Inviting sounds better.”
"..."
Fine.
At least she was honest.
Vesper continued:
“You have Abyss Erosion on you.”
“There are people in the Cult who know how to handle it.”
“Even if they can't completely eliminate it, they can at least keep it quiet for a long time.”
“You haven't officially joined any church yet, nor do you have a teacher constantly following you.”
“So...”
She paused.
“I thought you could come back with me.”
Cecia was taken aback.
So that was why.
This wasn't entirely about proselytizing.
She really wanted to help her?
“But that won't work now?”
Vesper looked at the back of her hand.
“It's very troublesome.”
“Why?”
“Because another high-ranking existence has already left a path inside your soul.”
“If you want the Abyss Cult's ritual to actually work on you, we must first make sure that path won't conflict with it.”
“If we force it...”
Vesper paused here.
“On the lighter side, it will hurt a lot.”
“And on the heavier side?”
“It will damage your soul.”
"..."
My goodness.
Cecia felt a chill run down her spine.
Vesper, however, seemed to be seriously considering solutions.
“If you really want to go, there is a way.”
“The Cult has methods to wash away divine marks.”
“Stop.”
Cecia immediately held up a hand.
“That already sounds incredibly painful.”
“It is very painful.”
“Then say no more!”
Vesper stood up.
She approached Cecia step by step.
“If we don't use that method...”
The young girl's tone grew increasingly serious.
“we can also scrape and wash your soul.”
The corner of Cecia's mouth twitched.
“Do either of those terms sound like a normal medical procedure?”
“The bishop said the success rate is very high.”
“What if it fails?”
"..."
“Why did you stop talking?!”
Vesper took another step forward.
For some reason, even though the person in front of her was just a young girl around her age, Cecia suddenly remembered—
this girl who seemed dazed, loved to eat potatoes, and would even throw a tantrum over grilled fish—
was the Saintess of the Abyss Cult.
When it actually came to matters involving faith and souls, her train of thought might not be the same as a normal person's.
Vesper drew closer and closer.
“If it isn't too painful...”
“I actually think we could try it.”
“Don't go making terrifying decisions like that on my behalf!”
Cecia let out a couple of dry laughs, backing away.
“Isn't things fine the way they are now?”
“We eat good food,”
“stroll the streets,”
“and slaughter Starfolk.”
“How is this fine!”
Vesper's voice suddenly rose.
Boom!
A large patch of shadow beneath her feet abruptly exploded.
Countless viscous tentacles surged out from within.
They thrashed against the beach, sweeping up Starfolk, and even cracking the surrounding reefs.
Those tentacles coiled around the young girl, looking like a pack of black venomous snakes constantly flickering their tongues.
Cecia froze.
Something was truly wrong this time.
Vesper lowered her head.
Her white blindfold was gradually getting soaked with tears.
Her cheeks were flushed, and her shoulders trembled slightly.
“How is this fine...”
Her voice suddenly became very small again.
“Potato?”
Vesper didn't answer.
“Nightingale.”
“Yes?”
“Once this Echo is over...”
She raised her head.
“will I never be able to find you again?”
Cecia fell silent.
“I don't even know what your real name is.”
“I don't know where you live.”
“I don't even know if you live in the same era as me.”
Vesper slowly reached out her hand.
“If after leaving this place...”
“what if you disappear?”
Cecia opened her mouth, but no words came out.
So—
it was this.
The King of Dawn and Dusk was merely the fuse.
The Mark of the Returning Sun had simply made Vesper suddenly realize:
Cecia had a past she knew nothing about.
An entirely different deity.
An entirely different world.
And perhaps even a path that she herself could never participate in.
“Nightingale,” Vesper's voice carried a hint of a sniffle, “can we be friends for life?”
“Come back with me to the Abyss Cult.”
“As long as you return with me, I will never lose you.”
The young girl opened her arms, seemingly wanting to embrace Cecia.
Yet those dozens of thrashing tentacles behind her also moved toward her at the same time.
Cecia's expression changed instantly.
“Wait, wait, wait, wait!”
She backed up several steps in succession.
It wasn't that she didn't want to hug her.
It was mostly because the background was simply too terrifying.
“Potato.”
“Put those things behind you away first!”
Vesper didn't withdraw them.
In fact, a shadow even quietly wound its way behind Cecia and wrapped around her ankle.
It was cold and slimy.
Cecia immediately broke out in goosebumps.
How was this inviting someone to her home?
This was clearly preparation for a kidnapping, wasn't it?!
“Potato.”
“Calm down first!”
Cecia tried to pacify her.
Yet her backing away only caused Vesper to freeze.
The look of grievance on the young girl's face grew more and more obvious.
The tentacles beneath her feet also began to squirm uneasily.
Cecia finally realized.
She seemed to have done something very bad.
She was afraid of those tentacles.
But what Vesper likely saw was—
that she was avoiding her.
Since childhood, Vesper had everything.
Power.
Status.
Prestige.
Money.
Countless people revolved around her.
As long as she spoke up, there was almost nothing she couldn't obtain.
Save for freedom.
Now, for the first time, she was far away from the Abyss Cult.
For the first time, she was eating what she wanted to eat without any reservations.
For the first time, she was wandering around the night market.
For the first time, she was holding the hand of a peer.
For the first time, she had a friend who knew nothing of her true identity, who even dared to call her "Potato."
And so she suddenly discovered: this was what freedom felt like.
This was what a friend felt like.
Yet, this time was destined to have an end.
Once the Historical Echoes ended, the two of them would likely be like two raindrops that had chanced to meet, only to fall toward entirely different places.
A person on the verge of dying of thirst was suddenly handed a full glass of water.
Even if they would ultimately drown in it, they wouldn't be able to bring themselves to let go.
“Nightingale...”
Vesper's voice began to tremble.
“Don't disappear.”
She seemed to have completely lost all idea of how to express this emotion.
She could only repeat over and over:
“Don't disappear.”
“Don't leave me here alone.”
Cecia stood in place.
She looked at the young girl in front of her, crying her eyes out yet still controlling dozens of Abyss tentacles to surround her.
She remained silent for a long time.
In the end, she sighed softly.
“You silly Potato.”
“When did I ever say—”
“that I wouldn't want you anymore after the Echo ends?”
Rate on N.U.
