Kaden listened quietly to the words pouring out of Sora's mouth. Her lyrics.

Words of fire. Words of blood. Words of death. Words of pride. Words of dream.

He listened intently, realizing that this was Sora at her deepest.

This was Sora unveiling herself to the world… to him. She was showing him who she truly was, beyond the name of Asterion.

And remembering Asael's words about the importance of listening… Kaden listened.

Everything else in his mind became irrelevant as he gave his full attention to this young woman who was finally breaking free of the golden cage she had built inside her own heart.

He listened as Sora sang of her childhood, of the grandeur of the Asterion line and of the crushing weight of being the sun of an entire empire.

He listened as she revealed how singing had saved her life, how it gave her strength to endure the suffocating duties and endless obligations she was bound to.

He listened as she confessed her struggles, her endless attempts to find a way to sing without being met with scorn, without… without her parents' disappointment.

And so he listened. Yes, he just listened. And in doing so, he began to know Sora. Slowly, steadily, she revealed herself to him — not because she had chosen to, but because her heart, her soul… her song demanded it.

And so she did.

And soon, Sora's song was about to end.

That was when Kaden noticed, the more Sora sang, the more the realm stabilized instead of collapsing.

And by the time her song ended, the realm had been completely transformed.

The ground was dried and cracked, fractures spreading everywhere like glass splintered into uncountable shards. The sky had turned crimson, their sun looming above, drenching the world in bloodlight until it felt as if they were submerged in an ocean of crimson.

Red lightning flickered across the horizon, arcs lacing through the mist that now suffused the expanse, a mist heavy with the stench of death and the scorch of burning flesh.

They were no longer standing in a frozen hell. They stood now in a desiccated wasteland beneath a bloody sun dripping with thick, sticky gore — blood that fell only to turn into mist laced with lightning the instant it touched the ground.

The realm was drowned in crimson.

And all of this… had been wrought by two beings barely at the Intermediate rank.

It was madness.

"How was it?" Kaden asked simply, his gaze fixed on the sun struggling in the sky above, locked in its final battle with what remained of the moon.

That fragment seemed alive, resisting with all its might, casting down snow and shadow in desperate waves as it fought against the consuming sun.

Kaden could have sworn he heard something screaming.

"It was… it was liberating," Sora answered as she stood beside him, her gaze also lifted to the sky.

"I never imagined it would feel like this, to finally touch what you've always wanted but…"

Her fist clenched tightly.

"…but it's not over. I need to elevate this craft further… just… just like you said." Her voice caught with sudden embarrassment as the words left her lips.

Kaden chuckled. "Aye. You've got a long way to go before your craft stands beside blacksmiths, alchemists, and runesmiths."

He turned toward her, a grin curving his lips.

"But if you do manage it, you'd be counted almost at the same level as The Witch, the one they call the mother of alchemy and runes." he said with another chuckle, recalling the tales.

Sora tilted her head. "I never thought you'd believe in such stories spread by the mundane people. Most of the time — if not always — they're false or exaggerated."

"Possibly. But rumors don't spring from nothing. Something must have happened. And I'm curious about her — The Witch." he said, his tone carrying clear fascination.

He had heard countless folktales in both Fokay and Darklore, but the two that intrigued him most were the legend of the Golden Woman said to be the richest in all of history and the tale of The Witch, ancestor of both alchemy and runesmithing.

Sora shook her head without replying. Instead, her attention was drawn back to the sky, where something was plummeting straight toward them with intense speed.

Together, they instinctively stepped back.

BOOM!

The impact split the already fractured ground apart, shattering it into shards that sprayed in every direction.

"Ah! Stupid sun! I hate you! I'll kill you!" a shrill voice screamed as the dust cleared and before them stood a sight so strange it defied belief.

A minuscule being lay sprawled on the ground, her back pressed into the cracked earth, a delicate pair of wings behind her scattering faint trails of moonlit dust. Her entire body shimmered in shades of blue, and on her forehead burned two strange tattoos — one half-moon glowing faintly with a murky light on the left, the other half-moon shining with glacial blue brilliance on the right.

Her eyes fluttered open, moon-shaped pupils locking directly onto Kaden and Sora.

"You—!" she snarled.

Before she could utter another word, Kaden's hand closed around her tiny body, his palm easily encasing her fragile form. He lifted her to his face, studying her closely, his eyes glittering with childlike wonder.

"What is this?" he murmured, genuine curiosity flickering across his expression.

It looked almost cute to him. But Sora thought otherwise.

A mocking sound slipped from her lips. "You really are a barbarian. You don't even recognize the appearance of a fairy." She scoffed.

"Fairy?" Kaden repeated, blinking in confusion.

Sora pointed toward the squirming little creature in his grip, parting her lips with deliberate disdain.

"What you're holding is a fairy. Extremely rare beings, born only when a mythic artifact is created. This one, clearly, is a moon fairy — which means the artifact in question is of moon-type origin. She must have been the one controlling the moon's phases." Her tone dripped with condescension, as though expecting him to bow in gratitude for her lesson.

Kaden gave her a sideways look of disdain. "Now you act all high and mighty after I helped you with your song, huh?"

"What an ungrateful child." he spat.

Sora's mouth fell open, her tongue caught…because it was true.

She groaned, irritation flashing across her face, and ignored him entirely, turning instead toward the fairy, who stared back at her with scornful eyes.

Her brow furrowed. "How dare you look at me like that?"

"You have no place here," the fairy snapped. "This trial belongs to the Moon, not the Sun. And yet you come here dragging along one who reeks of blood and death."

Her tone dripped with disgust as she glared at Sora like she were filth.

"Your forefathers would be disappointed in you," she hissed.

Sora didn't answer immediately. She only stared coldly at the fairy before lifting her gaze toward Kaden who was squinting his eyes into crescent slits, smiling mockingly.

Her lips twitched.

"Hand me this trash and I'll melt her mouth shut." she growled.

"Nah…" Kaden shook his head, his attention returning to the fairy trapped in his palm. She glared back at him, but her defiance faltered as his expression shifted.

"You must be the one holding the rewards for this trial…" he said evenly.

His left hand ignited, black flames devouring it whole. Then he layered Soulbrand atop it, his killing intent seeping outward.

The fairy shuddered violently, sensing the dreadful aspect lurking behind those flames.

Kaden smirked.

"I'm not fond of wasting time. Give me every reward now, or you'll find yourself begging for a death that will never come."

The fairy broke into a cold sweat, forcing an awkward smile.

"Good sir, why such hostility? I'll give you the rewards, all of them! Just… could you please push those dreadful flames away from my beautiful face?"

Kaden's grin widened into something manic.

Sora clicked her tongue in disdain. "Are threats the only thing you're good at?"

"Shut up, golden voice." he shot back.

—End of Chapter 220—

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