The test for becoming a Weeping Acolyte was hard and painful, but not for Rea. With her new distinction as the Sorrowful Bird and her renewed understanding of Fear, she cleared the trial with ease.

And by doing so with such unnatural grace, coupled with her Origin, one tailored to thrive within the Church of Sorrow, Rea had attracted attention.

And by attention, it meant not just the curiosity of her fellow Weeping Acolytes, but also the watchful eyes of the Disciples of Sorrow, and even… the Bright Priest himself.

With that sudden rise in recognition came a choice. The choice to remain neutral or to align herself under one of the factions ruled by the Disciples.

Here, Rea found herself at a crossroads.

Staying alone would mean a harsher start. The beginning would be a crucible of isolation and hostility, especially now that every influential figure in the Church had begun to weigh her worth. But if she endured, if she survived the first storm…the later road to becoming Saintess would open for her. She could then form her own faction, gathering her own believers, building her own power.

Yet there was a problem…or rather, several.

Her entry into the Church had not been through her own merit alone. She owed her initiation as a Weeping Acolyte to Mother Esmere, and Mother Esmere was a devoted servant of the Disciple of Loss, a woman renowned not only for her power, but for her cunning political skill.

To refuse her would be to defy the hand that had raised her to this place.

A dangerous thing, as Rea knew exactly what kind of hell awaited those who turned their back on favors in the Church of Sorrow.

If she denied that allegiance, she would not be left alone. Every step she took would be shadowed, every ally might be turned into a spy. Even the dream of creating her own following would become nearly impossible.

Rea struggled with that decision intensely.

She could either suffer early, walk the lonely, painful road without support or resources, until she grew strong enough to stand as her own…

Or she could bow her head now and gain easy access to power, influence, and protection, only to be bound later by the very chains of the faction she chose to serve.

After all, every Disciple of Sorrow was a candidate for the position of Saintess.

"This… this is problematic," Rea whispered to herself, sitting inside the simple room the Church had provided her, a room that smelled faintly of candle wax and incense, the walls painted lifeless grey.

They had given her a week to decide. And today was the last day.

Mother Esmere had come to see her multiple times, calling upon her with that same motherly tone but Rea had always found an excuse, feigning illness, meditation, or prayer.

Doubtless, the woman was growing suspicious.

But for now, Rea didn't care. She needed silence. She needed to realign her thoughts and decide, once and for all.

Her goal was clear. She wanted to become the Saintess of Sorrow.

To say it simply was to underestimate the immensity of it, for the path to sainthood was a labyrinth where countless beings had lost themselves to sorrow and pain.

But if she wanted even to take one true step toward that throne, she needed direction. She needed a path.

And there were only two.

Each one steep, each one cruel.

So at the end, she just needed to choose the pain she was willing to endure, the price she was willing to pay.

And yet… she hesitated.

Fear coiled around her heart like a serpent, tightening its grip with each passing moment.

If she bowed now, she would live comfortably but die as another's shadow, used as a stepping stone to someone else's dream.

If she resisted, she might be crushed before she even began and used as a warning, an example for others who dared to stand alone.

She was trapped between the cold of Antarctica and the heat of Hell.

'But you have to choose, Rea… you have to choose,' she whispered inwardly, forcing herself to face the inevitable.

She bit her lip hard enough to taste blood, then slowly lifted her gaze toward the ceiling, toward the lifeless gray expanse above, where the painted figure of a weeping woman looked down upon her with eternal sorrow.

The Goddess of Sorrow.

She smiled faintly. "…Ah, how I wish I had someone to talk to," she whispered, a sorrowful smile curving her lips.

She longed for her father's advice. She longed for her fiancé's hard truths.

Maybe with them beside her, she would have seen the path ahead more clearly. Maybe with them, the future wouldn't seem so shrouded in that thick, lifeless gray fog that threatened to choke her breathless.

Yes… maybe.

But they weren't here. And she had no friends here. She had no one.

So she would walk alone. She would choose alone. And she would be ready to swallow whatever consequences came with it.

With that final thought, Rea slowly sank back onto her bed, her eyelids heavy after a week of sleepless nights and restless thoughts. Her breathing steadied, soft and rhythmic, as she slipped into the stillness of dreamland.

There, she stood once again before the weeping woman, but this time, her face was more real than ever. Rea looked upon her the way one gazes at something they have grown far too used to. Her eyes, too, were weeping, tears of pure black streaming down her pale face.

Rea smiled, it was a broken, mad smile. Her decision was crystallizing, clearer than ever.

"You won't obtain what you seek from me," she said to the weeping woman.

"I assure you…"

Her smile widened, her face twisting as her black tears fell faster, burning through the void between them.

"…You won't."

Because I will bring you to Hell with me if I must.

…

Darklore — Waverith

Kaden walked outside Waverith, dressed in his crimson-gold clothes woven by his fire. His hands were tucked into his pockets, Rory perched lazily on his head as if nesting there, while Meris and Inara walked on each side of him.

They moved calmly through the night air, their steps slow, their voices weaving into soft conversation. It was a rare moment of harmony, with Kaden speaking only occasionally, offering quiet interjections while listening to the two women's chatter.

Inara was her usual self, animated, sharp-tongued, her enthusiasm punctuated by curses every other sentence. Kaden was long used to that side of her by now.

Meris, on the other hand, was gentle, her silver eyes soft, her hand intertwined with Kaden's as she smiled lovingly up at him, unashamed to show her love for all to see.

The night was peaceful. The streets were empty, the folk of Waverith returned to their homes, sharing words with family or drifting into the comfort of dreams.

"When will you go back to Fokay, hero?" Inara asked as they completed their quiet circuit of the stronghold, stopping before the edge of the Pit.

The darkness surrounding them was deep, heavy, yet even through it, they could clearly see one another's eyes.

Kaden's crimson gaze burned like ignited blood. Inara's green, slitted eyes gleamed with the predatory light of a monster poised in the stillness of the hunt. And Meris's silver eyes reflected them both, polished and perfect, like a mirror of the world itself.

Three beautiful beings. Beautiful in a way that was almost unfair.

"Fokay?" Kaden echoed, his crimson eyes glinting faintly under the dim light. "Not so soon. I need to get used to some of my power first and wait for Waverith to rise again, to stand stable once more."

"Oh, so you'll still be here when I come back!" Inara said, her voice filled with enthusiasm, afraid she might miss him once she left.

"Come back?" Kaden tilted his head, glancing sideways at her.

"I'm going back to Fokay to become a Master!" she declared proudly, her grin wide and defiant. "I can't accept you being ahead of me."

Kaden chuckled, the sound low and amused. "I've always been ahead of you, crybaby. You think that's going to change now… or even later?"

Meris chuckled softly beside him, while Inara's lips twitched in irritation.

"You're underestimating me," Inara muttered under her breath, sulking immediately afterward.

Meris smiled openly, her expression the picture of teasing, a silent mockery that made Inara's lips twitch harder, until finally…

"I'll go too," Meris added, her tone calm but her smirk victorious. "I've been Intermediate long enough, and I'm ready to become a Master." Her smile deepened as she added, "Besides, I received a Legendary Stone from my mother this time, so wait for me, my love. I'll be quick."

"Wait for me too," Inara added quickly, refusing to be left behind.

Kaden turned his head left, then right, looking at both of them with a small, quiet smile.

"I can't promise you anything," he said honestly. "There are things I must do as well. Still… I'll stay here and wait for you for as long as I can."

Both women smiled together.

Rory, as if struck by sudden clarity, suddenly flapped her wings and flew up, circling high above Waverith, her small body glowing faintly under the moonlight.

As if that simple act was a cue, Meris leaned toward Kaden, her breath unsteady, placing both her palms gently against his cheeks. The instant her skin touched his, she trembled.

His body was scorching hot. So hot she felt as though her flesh might melt away, as if she were a piece of wood set upon a holy fire meant to consume her completely.

But instead of retreating, Meris leaned closer. She embraced that heat, let it swallow her whole, let it melt her down to her bones as her lips found his.

Kaden saw everything — every twitch, every hesitation — and he could have avoided her touch a thousand times over, but he didn't.

He smiled faintly and accepted her ice, her coldness that couldn't match the magnitude of his inner fire.

Their lips met. It wasn't deep or long, closer to a soft smack than a real kiss, yet it was enough. Enough for Meris, enough to prove something.

When she pulled away, her breath was shallow, her heart racing, but her eyes gleamed with satisfaction. She looked over Kaden's shoulder then and saw Inara frozen, face red, hands covering her mouth as she peeked between her fingers with one eye.

She was mortified.

Meris smirked, a confident, triumphant smirk, before whispering into Kaden's ear, loud enough for Inara to hear, "I'm your favorite, right?"

Kaden's lips curved into a crooked smile. "I'm a fair man. I love equally."

A clean dodge.

Meris clicked her tongue, but still leaned against him, melting into his warmth.

Inara, after several seconds of flustered silence, finally broke out of her embarrassment and inched closer. She clung to Kaden's arm shyly, the blush still vivid on her cheeks, and the moment her skin touched his, she felt that same heat and she too began to melt.

Kaden exhaled with a wry smile.

Meris snarled lightly. Inara snarled back.

Each woman held one side of him, left and right, glaring at each other like two jealous cats fighting for the affection of their master.

Kaden didn't react. If he understood what was happening, his face betrayed none of it.

He just lifted his gaze to the sky, to the dark heavens of Darklore, and noticed that tonight…

…it was a starry night.

A faint smile tugged at his lips, almost invisible. But the two women beside him saw it immediately, and without speaking, they followed his gaze.

They looked together at the endless sea of stars, scattered like diamonds across the black expanse, glowing softly like distant souls watching from afar.

And for that single moment, they didn't speak. They didn't think.

They just stood there, warm bodies, peaceful hearts, silent minds, watching the world above them with quiet reverence.

It was rare moment of peace.

And only in that moment, beneath that celestial canopy, did they all realize…that life, no matter how hard, how cruel, or how heavy with suffering, was not always bleak.

Even when the world drowned in darkness… there would always be light to guide you through the storm.

It was hard, undeniably.

And yet, despite all that…

Life was…

"…beautiful," Inara whispered.

—End of Chapter 288—

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