Celestine moved steadily down the village street, the fading rays of sunset painting everything around her in hues of orange and gold. Her posture was composed, regal, but she carried tension in the set of her shoulders, alert for any signs of danger. Behind her, footsteps echoed quietly in the empty street. A few paces back walked Elsie and Aria, their heads close together, voices animated as they whispered excitedly.

"I can't believe it, Elsie!" Aria was practically vibrating with energy, her blue eyes bright. "I'm actually on a real Tale, with the princess herself! Not just a Liberator, either—I could even become a Hero after just one Tale!"

Elsie clapped her hands gently, eyes sparkling in excitement. "Elsie understands completely! Elsie's whole life was meant for something like this, you know? Now Elsie is walking with the princess herself, the rose of the South, the star of the Liberatorium! Elsie is going to save everyone and make mountains of money doing it!"

Aria chuckled softly, shaking her head. "You really do think of money constantly, don't you?"

Elsie crossed her arms, chin raised proudly. "Elsie just understands the value of a good job. People will pay Liberators a lot to be rescued! Especially by someone as charming and heroic as Elsie."

Aria rolled her eyes, but couldn't stop smiling. "You really think highly of yourself, don't you?"

Elsie grinned widely. "Elsie thinks exactly as highly of herself as she should. Elsie has talent, beauty, charm—"

"And modesty," Aria finished, smirking slightly.

Elsie huffed dramatically, sticking out her long, snake like tongue. "Jealousy doesn't suit Aria."

Aria laughed openly, shoulders relaxing despite the seriousness of the moment. But Elsie nudged her slightly, eyes glittering with curiosity.

"But Elsie must know, Aria—" she leaned in conspiratorially, voice dropping to a whisper, "Who do you prefer spending time with more: Kaiser, the villainy villain, or Princess Celestine, the beautiful rose of the Liberatorium?"

Aria's eyes widened slightly, her face flushing pink at the sudden, unexpected question. She hesitated, mouth opening slightly as she scrambled for a proper response. After a moment, she managed to mumble, "You… you can't compare them. They're completely different."

Elsie tilted her head back, a victorious smirk spreading across her face. "Elsie knew it. Aria agrees with Elsie—how can a shady, villainous villain compare with our beautiful, kind princess—"

Aria stopped abruptly in the street, fists clenched at her sides. "Hey! Who are you calling villainous? Kaiser is anything but villainous! He's kind, he's strong, he's… he's the best!"

Elsie's eyebrows shot up, mouth falling open in exaggerated shock. "Oh? Elsie thinks someone might be a bit biased."

Aria's cheeks burned brighter, and she sputtered indignantly. "I'm not biased! I'm just… stating facts!"

"Sure, sure," Elsie teased, poking Aria gently in the shoulder. "Elsie sees exactly how it is. Aria is clearly blinded by Kaiser's villainy charms. It's okay, Elsie understands."

Aria swatted her friend's hand away, eyes narrowed. "You're the one who's blinded, Elsie! Kaiser isn't villainous. He's brave and loyal, and... and he saved my life!"

"Elsie knew it! That was the day Kaiser mercilessly slaughtered everyone and then kidnapped Aria," Elsie countered, eyes twinkling mischievously.

Aria stomped her foot. "He never did that!"

Elsie tapped her chin thoughtfully, ignoring Aria's protests. "Perhaps Aria simply suffers from a classic case of Villain Blindness. Elsie heard it's very common among young girls."

Celestine, walking several paces ahead, fought to suppress a smile, listening intently as the two girls continued their banter. She tried to keep her focus forward, scanning for any signs of that scream, but their playful argument was infectious, warming her heart despite the seriousness of their mission.

Aria crossed her arms stubbornly. "If Kaiser is a villain, then Elsie is an overly dramatic, money-obsessed princess fangirl."

Elsie gasped dramatically, clutching her heart in mock outrage. "Elsie takes offense at being called overly dramatic!"

"You literally just referred to yourself in the third person while pretending to be offended," Aria pointed out flatly.

Elsie hesitated, considering the point carefully, before waving dismissively. "Elsie refuses to dignify such an accurate statement with a response."

Aria cracked up completely at that, nearly doubling over with laughter, causing Elsie to grin in satisfaction, proud of her comedic prowess.

Ahead of them, Celestine bit her lip, struggling to maintain a serious expression. It was almost impossible not to laugh, and for just a moment, she allowed herself a quiet chuckle. She knew the gravity of their situation, the mystery of Logshare was dangerous, unsettling after all, but somehow, the genuine warmth of her companions managed to break through the shadows and remind her of the second reason she became a Liberator.

She shook her head fondly, quietly thankful that she'd been given such people to stand beside her on this journey. Perhaps the gods favored her more than she realized. But her brief moment of serenity shattered instantly, pierced by a sudden scream ripping through the street from somewhere just ahead.

All three snapped alert instantly. Celestine spun, golden eyes sharp, her heartbeat quickening. Behind her, Elsie and Aria had already begun sprinting toward the sound, Elsie effortlessly outpacing Aria, determination etched into her features.

Celestine watched them for a fleeting moment, heart swelling with pride. Whatever playful disputes these two might have, their bravery was unquestionable. They'd leapt into action without hesitation. She smiled faintly to herself, relief and gratitude mingling with urgency.

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Aria lagged slightly behind, breathing hard, but pushing herself forward regardless, bow drawn and eyes narrowed. Elsie was ahead of her, muscles flexing visibly beneath her tight new armor, cape billowing dramatically as she dashed down the street.

Celestine exhaled slowly, clearing her mind. It was her turn now. Lifting one hand to her face, she glanced down briefly at her armored palm, feeling the familiar pulse of Sol beneath her skin. With a burst of light, she surged forward, body shifting into pure radiance as she rocketed past Aria in a heartbeat and overtook Elsie just a second later, trailing streams of incandescent brilliance in her wake.

In less than five seconds, Celestine slammed through a heavy wooden door, shattering it effortlessly into splinters as she burst into the house, blinding light fading back into her usual form. She froze immediately, eyes wide with shock at the scene that greeted her.

Five seconds later, Elsie skidded to a stop beside her, fists raised, muscles tensed and eyes wild—only to freeze instantly as she took in the scene. Her mouth dropped open, wordless shock freezing her in place.

Another five seconds passed before Aria, breathing heavily, stumbled into the house, nearly colliding with Elsie in her rush. Sweat dotted her brow, bow still clenched in trembling hands. "What the hell are you two—"

Aria's voice died in her throat, replaced by stunned silence as she followed their gazes. Her eyes widened, jaw slack, disbelief etched deeply into her features.

There, rising before them, was a cat-shaped monster, if a cat could be two meters tall and built like a hulking, warped hound. Its body oozed liquid darkness, black ink sluicing off in fat, shining drops that pooled at its feet and hissed as they touched the wooden floor. Its fur was slick, its body smeared and swirling like a painting half-washed away. Worst were the mouths, dozens, perhaps hundreds, leering, twisted things with jagged fangs and groping, obscene tongues, all slavering and twitching, stretching hungrily for the shrieking child pinned against the far wall.

That sight, those black, inky tendrils pinning a tiny form, that child's mouth stretched in a silent, hopeless scream, it all made something ancient and fierce awaken behind Celestine's golden eyes.

Aria was the first to find her voice, if barely. She whispered, "Gods… what is that…?"

Beside her, Elsie's jaw clenched. "Elsie… has seen many cats. And she can confirm that this is not one of those cuties." She gripped her fists so tightly her knuckles turned white.

But neither had moved, not even as the monster shrieked, a pitch so high it curdled blood and made the walls tremble. The sound tore at their eardrums, a sound not meant for the human world.

Both Aria and Elsie instinctively covered their ears, faces twisted in pain, but Celestine did not flinch. She walked forward, step by measured step, like a force of nature: her eyes blazing, jaw clenched in utter fury. In her hand was not a blade, but a hilt, a simple, elegant thing of golden filigree and white leather.

As the monster's shriek reached a crescendo, Celestine flicked her wrist. Light, impossibly pure and sharp, exploded from the handle, forming a sword, a blade so blinding it cast strange, shifting shadows across the walls. The room seemed to recoil from her radiance. Where the light touched the ink, steam hissed and rose, as if boiling it away.

Elsie gasped, momentarily distracted from the pain. "Elsie knew the princess was powerful, but by the gods, look at her! Elsie wants a sword like that!"

Aria, clutching her ears, hissed, "If you want to be a Saint, try not to go deaf first!"

Celestine didn't answer. She was no longer simply the princess, nor even a Saint. She stepped further into the room, never lowering her eyes from the beast. She could sense more: two additional monsters, smaller, their bodies covered not with mouths, but with twitching, shifting eyes, eyes that followed her, that flickered and blinked in impossible rhythms.

A child's whimper snapped her attention back to the largest beast. It pressed its inky mass harder, pinning the child until the wall creaked and splinters rained down. Its mouths snapped open and shut, drooling black ooze.

The princess's patience snapped. She lunged, not with the clumsy desperation of fear, but with the deadly grace of a dancer. Her sword of light blurred, and in the space of a single heart's beat, she crossed the distance and slashed out.

A hundred cuts, one for every mouth. Each mouth that shrieked or bit, each tongue that lashed, was sliced clean through. Black ink sprayed in great sheets, but wherever it touched the glowing blade, it burned away, vaporized into steam.

The monster howled, its cries growing ever more shrill, but Celestine pressed the attack. Her blade moved in a series of intricate patterns, dazzling and lethal. She was everywhere at once—side, back, then high above, twisting midair, her hair haloed by the sunset streaming through the door.

To the right, an inky cat with a dozen eyes pounced, its gaze disorienting and hypnotic. Elsie snapped out of her awe, bolted forward, and slammed her shoulder into the monster's side. "Elsie thinks you need to blink a bit less!" she yelled, hacking at it with broad, powerful strikes. "Elsie will save the day, and the child, and the princess, and—oof!" One of the creature's tails slapped her aside, but she rolled with the blow, springing back up, cape fluttering. "Elsie meant to do that. Totally planned."

Aria had her bow out, breath steady despite the chaos. She drew, sighted, and loosed, her arrow striking the third beast in the cluster of its many eyes. "Try seeing with that!" she snapped, loosing a second arrow in rapid succession, then vaulting onto a toppled table for better height.

The monster she struck screamed, as if the arrow had wounded every part of its consciousness. Its bodies jerked and twisted, snapping inky jaws at empty air.

Meanwhile, Celestine spun past the largest beast. Her blade flashed, and with a series of impossibly quick, precise stabs, she pierced its skull again and again. The ink boiled and steamed, each wound burning white-hot with Sol. The creature collapsed with a shudder, the ink splattering in grotesque waves, revealing the small, wide-eyed child it had pinned.

But there was no time for relief. The remaining two cats closed in. One lashed at Celestine's back with a tendril of ink; she parried, her sword flickering, and countered with a blinding arc of light that severed the limb clean through.

Elsie barreled in from the left. "Elsie's got this side! Princess, duck!" she shouted, and, swinging with all her might, exploding the beast's whole body with a pure force of a punch, and the Sol in her new armor. "Elsie does not like cats anymore," she added, panting. "Never again. Doggies only. Maybe snakes."

Aria, nimble as a shadow, slipped besides the last monster. She grabbed the child and dragged her free, hurling herself and the girl under a splintered table as the last beast crashed down where they'd stood. "Stay low!" she ordered, arrow already nocked.

Celestine let out a battle cry, a sound both musical and terrible, and leapt onto the chandelier hanging crooked from the ceiling. She used it to swing, upside down, over the monsters—her dress and golden hair blazing in the last light of sunset. As she landed on the final beast, she slashed through all its tendrils and eyes, then, in one dazzling motion, beheaded it.

The monster's body shuddered and collapsed, melting into a puddle of ink that hissed and steamed in the light of Celestine's blade.

Elsie straightened, brushing inky droplets off her tight armor and striking a dramatic pose, cape fluttering. "Elsie thinks she deserves a statue after that. With a crown. And a cat—no, never mind, no cats. Maybe a big pile of Sul."

Aria let out a breathless laugh, but then turned serious, checking the child for wounds. "She's alive. Shaken, but alive. Princess—what do we do now?"

Celestine lowered her blade. Its light dimmed, then vanished, the hilt folding elegantly into her belt. She knelt beside the child, her touch gentle. "You're safe now," she murmured, voice soft, golden eyes filled with warmth and exhaustion.

Elsie knelt beside them, striking another pose. "Elsie thinks this is what being a Liberator is all about! Saving the innocent, slaying monsters, looking fabulous!"

Celestine looked at her, her own face finally relaxing into a true, unguarded smile. "I'm proud of you, both of you."

Aria flushed, and Elsie beamed. "Elsie is glad to be of service. Now, if only someone would offer a reward—"

The child in their arms whimpered softly, and the trio sobered instantly.

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