The Tower of Benediction loomed over the city like a blade aimed at the heavens. Made from consecrated obsidian and angelsteel, it radiated divine pressure strong enough to crush lesser souls. Within its cold heart, Aria knelt in chains.
Her once-pristine robes were torn at the hems. The golden sigil on her forehead dimmed, flickering like a fading flame. Yet her eyes burned with confusion, defiance, and something dangerously close to longing.
Footsteps echoed.
Saintblade General Liora entered.
Clad in gleaming silver-and-gold armor etched with radiant script, Liora was the embodiment of Heaven's wrath. Her silver hair was bound in a tight braid, her eyes cold and piercing.
"Saintess Aria," she said, her voice devoid of warmth. "Explain yourself."
Aria didn't speak. Her fingers clenched around the prayer beads she no longer felt worthy to hold.
Liora stepped forward and struck her across the face with the back of her armored hand. The echo rang out like a judgment bell.
"You failed the Trial of Purity. You let him in."
Aria spat blood, but her voice trembled as she replied. "It wasn't just a test. He was inside me. The Light didn't stop him."
Liora's eyes narrowed. "Blasphemy."
"Truth," Aria snapped. "Why is it I felt safer in his illusions than in the Light's embrace? Why do I keep hearing his voice in my dreams?"
Liora raised her sword, the divine edge humming with celestial fire. "You are one step away from execution. Only my mercy stays this blade."
Aria closed her eyes. Why do I want him to save me right now?
Elsewhere: Aboard a Demon Flame Broadcast Rig
Deep underground, Velarion stood before an arcane array of corrupted tech and infernal crystals. Streams of light and data flowed through the rig, broadcasting false visions through hijacked Light Faction frequencies.
Cities lit up with grainy footage: Demon Flame soldiers rescuing innocents from rampaging monsters. Velarion healing a child. Nyx assassinating a rogue Light cultist.
Fake? Of course.
But effective.
> [World Influence +5%] [Light Faction Confusion Level: Moderate]
Selene appeared beside him, eyes glowing faintly from her Blood Sigil Queen evolution.
"You're playing a dangerous game."
"All the best ones are."
Back in the Tower of Benediction
News had begun to spread. Civilians in outer districts whispered of the Demon Flame Sect. Some even cheered for Velarion.
Aria heard the whispers through her window slit. He's helping people...
Her breath hitched.
Liora returned that evening, fury barely concealed.
"The people speak his name. Do you know what they call him now? The Ash King."
Aria's lips parted.
"He shouldn't be able to manipulate public favor," Liora continued. "Unless..."
She stared at Aria.
"Unless someone close to the Light is amplifying his connection. Someone dreaming of him."
Aria looked away.
Liora growled. "I'm petitioning the Tribunal. If your corruption hits 50%, you will be purged."
She left Aria in silence.
The Saintess trembled.
And far away, Velarion smiled in the dark.
> [System Update: Aria Corruption Level: 41.3%] [Next Threshold: 50% - Forbidden Emotion Unlock Imminent] [Light Faction Integrity: -3%] [Velarion Prestige: +2 Rank (Now #11 Global)]
The war wasn't won on battlefields.
It was won in hearts.
And Aria's heart was no longer pure.
Night fell over the Tower of Benediction.
But Aria could not sleep.
The moonlight streamed through the narrow slits in her cell, bathing her in pale luminance. It used to comfort her—light had always been her refuge. But now?
Now, the light felt like judgment.
She curled into herself, clutching the tattered hem of her robes. Her breath came in shallow bursts. And then—like it had so many times in recent nights—his voice whispered across her mind.
> "They chain you... because they fear what you might become."
Aria jolted, eyes wide. "No. No more."
But her heart betrayed her.
She longed for him again.
Velarion's phantom presence pressed against her soul—not invasive, not cruel, just… there. Waiting.
Watching.
> [Mind Drift Detected – Sync Thread: Stable] [Aria's Dream State Approaching – Passive Corruption Sync +2.1%]
Meanwhile: Inner Sanctum, Tower of Benediction
Saintblade General Liora stood before the Celestial Flame—an ancient relic of the Light Faction used only for divine clarity. She held her hands in prayer, but her voice trembled with doubt.
"She is breaking. But not in the way we intended."
One of the cloaked Tribunal Seers stepped forward. "Then destroy her."
Liora hesitated.
"She was my student. My sword-blood. I raised her for the mantle of Arch-Saintess."
"And now," the Seer rasped, "her dreams are open gates for the Enemy."
Liora's hand went to her blade's hilt. Her conviction was steel, but inside... something cracked.
"She's not lost yet," she whispered. "There's still a spark."
The Seer turned away. "We don't need sparks. We need weapons."
Broadcast Tower – Demon Flame Sect
Velarion stood over the projection table, images of Aria's broken form flickering through corrupted angelic crystals.
Selene crossed her arms. "You're obsessed."
Velarion said nothing for a moment.
Then: "She's the last thread binding the Light's lie to the world. If she chooses us... the heavens will collapse."
He waved a hand over the console, casting new illusions into the minds of the faithful across the outer cities. More false memories. More "sightings" of the Ash King performing miracles.
> [Propaganda Uplink – Success] [Urban Districts: Sympathy Rate for Demon Flame +12%] [Light Faction Denial Threshold Reached – Inquisitors Deployed to Silence Civilian Priests]
Selene's voice lowered. "What happens if she refuses you?"
Velarion smiled, but his eyes were cold.
"She won't."
Back in Aria's Cell
A humming noise stirred her from half-sleep. A glowing glyph appeared beneath her—carved into the floor in divine ink.
It pulsed with holy fire.
She screamed, writhing as the Light tried to purge her.
But the Light no longer felt righteous—it felt like torture.
> [Corruption Resistance Detected – Adaptive Defense: Activated] [Aria's Body Rejecting Celestial Branding – Synchronization with Forbidden Energy Detected]
Liora burst into the room seconds later, sword drawn—only to see Aria suspended in the air, surrounded by both holy and infernal sigils in conflict.
Her former student wept, glowing softly with both Light and Corruption.
And in that moment... Liora hesitated again.
Aria collapsed.
Somewhere unseen…
In the void between dungeons, a pair of ancient, slitted eyes opened.
> [Watcher Protocol: Reactivated] [Target: Velarion, Ash King] [Objective: Observe. Await Convergence.]
Something else was coming.
Not Light. Not Dark.
But something that remembered what Velarion had once been—and what he might become.
>cliffhanger
> [Aria's Corruption Level: 47.8% – Threshold Breach Imminent] [Saintblade General Liora – Alignment: Cracking | Faith vs Loyalty Conflict: 62%] [Velarion Global Prestige Rank: #10] [Warning: External Force "The Watcher" has begun observing the Demon Flame]