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The corruption hurt.
Not physically.
Not completely.
---
It felt like swallowing grief.
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Every strand of darkness Rosy absorbed carried emotions inside it—
Fear.
Loneliness.
Hunger.
Desperation.
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And the more she absorbed—
The louder the whispers inside her became.
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Home.
Sun.
Stay.
Please don't leave us again.
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Rosy's breathing became uneven as she knelt beside another fallen knight.
Black smoke curled from the young man's body into her trembling hands.
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The knight gasped violently.
Then collapsed unconscious—
Alive.
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The surrounding soldiers stared at Rosy like they no longer understood what she was.
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Moments ago—
They feared her.
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Now—
She was saving them.
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One knight whispered shakily:
"…The Grand Duke is purifying the corruption…"
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Another looked horrified.
"…No… she's absorbing it."
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And somehow—
That sounded worse.
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Rosy slowly stood.
Dark violet cracks flickered faintly beneath her skin now before disappearing again.
---
Azrael landed beside her immediately.
"…Enough."
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She looked at him weakly.
"…There are still injured people."
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"There will always be more."
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His voice was calm.
Too calm.
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"Your body is reaching its limit."
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Rosy laughed softly.
Tiredly.
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"…I don't think this body even knows what a limit is anymore."
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But Azrael's expression didn't change.
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Which worried her.
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"…Azrael."
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He looked directly into her eyes.
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"…Your aura is changing."
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Silence.
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Rosy froze slightly.
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Because she already knew.
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She could feel it too.
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The darkness inside her no longer felt foreign.
---
It felt awake.
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Alive.
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Comforting.
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That terrified her more than pain ever could.
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Kael landed beside them next, ice still spreading across the ruined streets behind him to slow the creature's movements.
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His icy blue eyes immediately scanned Rosy carefully.
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"…Your eyes are darker."
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Rosy blinked slowly.
"…That sounds dramatic."
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"…I'm serious."
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Azrael gently tilted her chin upward before she could protest.
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Rosy instantly froze.
---
"…W-what are you doing."
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His gaze sharpened slightly while studying her eyes.
---
"…Kael's right."
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Her pupils had changed.
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The violet glow inside them now swirled with endless blackness underneath—
Like galaxies collapsing into shadows.
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Not human.
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Rosy immediately pulled away.
"…Don't look at me like that."
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Azrael frowned slightly.
"…Like what."
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Her fingers tightened at her sides.
---
"…Like you're worried I'll disappear."
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Silence.
---
Because that was exactly what he feared.
---
Kael looked between them quietly.
Then away.
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Because suddenly he felt like he was intruding on something painfully personal.
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Before anyone could continue—
A scream echoed from deeper within the capital.
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Everyone's expressions changed instantly.
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Another wave of corruption exploded through the city streets.
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Black tendrils crawled across buildings and walls like living shadows.
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The creature chained nearby suddenly jerked violently.
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"NO—"
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Its voice shook the battlefield.
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"THE VOID GATE IS OPENING."
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Rosy's chest tightened sharply.
"…Gate?"
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The ground trembled.
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Then—
A massive crack split open in the center of the capital.
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The world screamed.
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Not metaphorically.
---
Actually screamed.
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The sound came from reality itself tearing apart.
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Nobles collapsed covering their ears.
Knights stumbled backward in terror.
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And from the crack—
Darkness began pouring out.
---
Not ordinary darkness.
---
Living darkness.
---
Dozens of distorted creatures crawled from the opening slowly.
Smaller than the first one.
But far more aggressive.
---
The capital erupted into chaos instantly.
---
"MORE OF THEM?!"
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"PROTECT THE CIVILIANS!"
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"FALL BACK!"
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The creatures moved unnaturally fast.
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One leapt toward a fleeing child—
Only for ice to spear through its skull instantly.
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Kael stood calmly atop a frozen rooftop.
Snowstorm swirling violently around him.
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"Don't touch the civilians."
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The creature shattered into frozen black fragments.
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Another lunged toward soldiers.
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Azrael appeared before it effortlessly.
Dark pressure exploded outward—
And the creature disintegrated midair.
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Rosy stared at the battlefield in horror.
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There were too many.
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And more kept crawling from the crack.
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The chained creature suddenly looked toward her desperately.
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"THEY ARE STARVING."
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Its massive body trembled violently.
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"THE VOID IS COLLAPSING."
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Rosy's brows furrowed sharply.
"…What does that mean?"
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The creature's countless eyes filled with something horrifyingly close to grief.
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"WITHOUT THE SUN… EVERYTHING DIES."
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Silence crashed around her.
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Another memory struck.
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An endless black world illuminated by soft golden-violet light spreading from her own body.
Void creatures gathering peacefully beneath it.
Plants made of shadows blooming.
Children laughing.
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Then—
That light disappearing.
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The world collapsing afterward.
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Rosy staggered backward sharply.
"…No…"
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Azrael caught her instantly.
"…Rosy."
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Her breathing became shaky.
---
"…I kept them alive."
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The realization hit like a blade through her chest.
---
Not metaphorically.
Literally.
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Pain surged violently through her body as more memories returned.
---
She remembered now.
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The Void was dying long before the war.
---
Its creatures were born incomplete.
Starving.
Fading slowly into madness.
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And Isle—
Using her own power—
Became their light source.
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Their sun.
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The Eternal Sunlight.
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Not because she ruled them.
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Because she loved them enough to stay.
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Tears blurred Rosy's vision.
---
"…I promised I'd come back…"
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But then the war started.
The empire panicked.
Humanity feared the Void.
---
And Isle was forced to choose.
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One world or the other.
---
She failed both.
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Another creature lunged toward nearby civilians.
Rosy moved instinctively.
---
Darkness exploded around her.
---
The creature froze midair.
Not by force.
---
By submission.
---
All the smaller Void creatures suddenly stopped moving.
---
Then slowly—
Every single one turned toward Rosy.
---
And kneeled.
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The entire capital went silent.
---
Hundreds of shadow creatures lowered themselves before her like worshippers greeting their god.
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Rosy stared blankly.
---
"…What…"
---
The creature chained beneath the golden restraints whispered softly:
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"THE SUN HAS RETURNED."
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Fear spread through the humans instantly.
---
Because the monsters were obeying her.
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Nobles stepped backward in terror.
Knights tightened their weapons nervously.
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And Rosy saw it happen.
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The fear.
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Even after she saved them.
---
Even after she healed them.
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They still looked at her like she was becoming something horrifying.
---
Her chest hurt quietly.
---
"…I see."
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Azrael noticed the change in her expression immediately.
"…Rosy."
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But her gaze remained fixed on the terrified humans around her.
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One noble whispered shakily:
"…She controls them…"
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Another muttered:
"…She really is the calamity…"
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Rosy laughed softly.
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Brokenly.
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"…Funny."
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Darkness curled gently around her feet.
---
"…They begged me to save them."
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Her eyes slowly lifted toward the frightened crowd.
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"…But the moment I actually can…"
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A long silence.
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"…they're terrified anyway."
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No one answered.
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Because no one could deny it.
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Kael's hands tightened slightly at his sides.
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Her father watched silently from above the ruined walls.
Expression unreadable.
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And Azrael—
Azrael looked at Rosy like he could physically see her heart breaking.
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That expression alone nearly destroyed him.
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Because this was exactly how it happened before.
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Humanity feared her kindness more than her cruelty.
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And slowly—
That fear turned the girl who wanted to save everyone…
Into the monster history blamed for everything.
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End of Chapter 30