"N-Nihar," Nathan's voice cracks as he keeps repeating the name of their fallen comrade, his tears running down his cheeks like a river. He's kneeling on the floor next to Nihar, who's lying in a pool of crimson blood and flesh, his arms and legs blown to smithereens. Where his heart once was, there is now only a hole. The pungent odor of his blood pervades the entire atmosphere.

"Nathan, Nihar is . . . " Raiden's voice fades into silence as if he doesn't know what to say. Tears continue to stain his face no matter how many times he wipes them away.

Sunshine is quietly sobbing beside Nathan. Her white-blonde hair is pulled back into a messy ponytail, with some strands falling loosely onto her tear-stained face.

Raia feels compelled to say something while looking at them. Her comrades have been like this since the hooded Blood Demon left. But what is she supposed to say? She doesn't even know Nihar that much unlike them. It's better to remain silent than to say something meaningless or phony.

She averts her gaze from them, instead focusing on the broken door. Sunlight streams in through the gaping opening, and she allows her mind to wander elsewhere. Another Blood Demon has appeared, bringing with it a mysterious and threatening aura.

Nihar didn't appear to be seriously hurt when the Blood Demon arrived, but his body began exploding shortly after. Coins fell every time a part of him blew up.

So the hooded Blood Demon's Curse is a bomb disguised as a coin? If that's the case, he must have already implanted coins in Nihar's body that will explode at a predetermined time before they arrived.

While deep in thought, a sudden memory flashes through Raia's mind. She recalls something the dollish Blood Demon said. The person responsible for the nightmare is known as Chaos.

She must be referring to the hooded man, Raia thinks with narrowed eyes.

There's another enemy that they must watch out for.

"Raia!" Nathan yells, disrupting her train of thoughts. "Heal Nihar!"

Raia's eyes widen in disbelief. For a brief moment, she doubts her own hearing. "What?"

"Nathan . . . " Raiden, who appears surprised as well, says.

"Please," Nathan begs, his eyes pleading, tears streaming down his cheeks. "Heal him."

Raia tightens her jaw. "I'm sorry, but I can't bring someone who is already dead."

She purses her lips in a stern expression. Is this how it feels to lose someone? Will it cause someone to lose their mind? But looking at Nathan, he doesn't really seem insane. He looks . . . desperate.

Her chest tightens for a split second. She recalls her nightmare and how desperate she was to get Kaylee out of her cage. She remembers how guilt pricked her heart and how the meaning of friendship dawned on her.

Nathan clenches his teeth, his brow furrowed in frustration. "You won't know unless you try!"

"Nathan, calm down," Sunshine says, tapping a hand on his shoulder, but Nathan doesn't even spare her a glance.

"You're a miracle, right?" Nathan snaps, his sharp voice echoing. "Then do it. J-just try it."

Of course, Raia already tried that. She'd been asked to do it before in the orphanage, but she'd always collapsed from the effort. She can't fix an empty vessel.

"I can't," Raia says in a firm voice, and Nathan's face flushes.

"I told you to try it first!" Nathan yells, his fists shaking. "There's no harm in trying, right? Just do it. Be the miracle you are!"

"I am a healer," Raia growls, her eyes boring into his, unable to contain her frustration. "And I've already tried that. I can't bring the dead back to life." She pauses. "I may be a miracle, as you claim, but I'm no god."

Nathan stiffens and everts his eyes. He lowers his head in shame. "I'm sorry, I'm just . . ."

Ignoring him, Raia walks over to the front pew and picks up Sunshine's amputated hand from the bloodied floor. Tacky blood coats the skin. The flesh and bone are cut perfectly straight, indicating how sharp the Blood Demon's threads had become. Raia can't help but think about how fortunate they were that the demon didn't aim for their necks, or they'd be dead in an instant.

"Raia . . . " Sunshine breathes as Raia approaches her.

Raia gently removes the blood-soaked cloth from Sunshine's right arm. The bleeding has stopped, and blood has coagulated around her wound.

Sunshine bites her bottom lip, her hands shaking as she grimaces at her gruesome injury.

"I'm going to heal you," Raia says in a soft voice, looking directly into Sunshine's eyes. Sunshine and the two men are surprised at the sudden change of air around Raia. Her demeanor has shifted, and her coldness has melted away. The same thing happened at the palace.

A rare sight.

Sunshine smiles at her after regaining her wits. "Thank you."

Raia shifts her gaze away from Sunshine's face and toward her wound. Still holding the girl's arm, she reattaches the severed hand and closes her eyes, taking a deep breath.

The warm, heavy energy within her twists and quivers before transmitting through her hands, channeling it into Sunshine's body. A scorching pain pierces Raia's chest shortly afterward. As if the pain were a bomb, it explodes in a new wave of agony that spreads throughout her body like poison. The familiar burning, lacerating pain threatens her head.

She screams.

Her mind is dominated by pain. Her internal organs are burning. Pain spreads farther and farther.

It hurts. It hurts. It hurts.

The pain is unbearable. Her entire body is ablaze. Something is clawing at her insides, and she fights the urge to cut herself open and extract whatever it is. Her hands are numb from the pain, and her legs quiver with the desire to give up, but she holds her ground and refuses to let go of Sunshine's hand.

Wave after wave of pain slams into her like a raging sea, while mana continues to pour out of her.

She endures.

This pain is nothing, and it will pass, Raia affirms to herself.

She stops screaming. The faint light emanating from her hand fades. The pain subsides, but she can still feel it. She staggers backward, dizziness creeping up her head, her vision blurring. Raiden catches her before she falls.

Surprisingly, Raia shows no signs of annoyance. She doesn't slap his helping hands or snap at him like she used to. Instead, she lets herself lean against him.

After regaining her focus, she pulls away and straightens up.

"Raia, be careful," Raiden says, placing a hand on the small of her back to steady her.

Raia turns to face him. She looks at his face for a few seconds before averting her gaze. "I'm okay. Don't worry."

Genuine . . .

Raiden's eyes widen with surprise as if he didn't expect to hear such gentleness in her voice. But then his face changes. "Wait, your wound -"

"Raia!" Sunshine exclaims, cutting Raiden off. She wraps her arms around Raia's waist, being careful not to aggravate her wound. Her small body shakes as she cries in muffled sobs against Raia's chest.

"I don't know how to thank you enough, Raia. But . . . ." Sunshine blurs the end of her sentence and pulls away from Raia. She waves her right hand and moves her fingers, her eyes sparkling. There is dried-up blood on her arm, but no scar or indication that it was severed as if she was never injured. She smiles. "Thank you for healing me . . . for fixing my hand. Thank you so much, dear friend."

Raia's eyes widen, an unfamiliar sensation tickles her insides, and something warm fills her chest as she stares at Sunshine, washing away any trace of her recent torment. She opens her mouth, but no words come out.

Genuine . . .

Nathan ruffles Sunshine's hair, making it a tangled mess. He gives Raia a half-smile. "Raia, I apologize for my recent outbursts at you; I know I crossed the line. But I hope you will forgive me."

Raia barely nods. "Don't worry about it," she mumbles as she turns around. He has nothing to apologize for because she doesn't really mind. She understands that he is distraught over the death of his friend and that his emotions have taken over. Besides, she has no time for drama.

Raiden gently grabs Raia's arm. "Raia, your wound -" His words turn into a grimace. He collapses to his knees and coughs up blood.

Raia kneels in front of him and places her hand on his bleeding chest. She frowns as she begins to heal him. "You're lucky that your heart wasn't affected. However, you have broken ribs and a lot of blood loss." She raises her head and looks at him. "How come you didn't tell me you were hurt?"

Cyrus and Antoine's faces flash through her mind. They won't be pleased if Raiden returns with us as a corpse. And I still haven't figured out his secret. Besides . . .

Raia stares at him, an unreadable expression on her face.

As if guilty, Raiden lowers his head. "I'm sorry. I forgot about it."

Raia does not press him any further. She is aware of his grief over Nihar. Such an unexpected occurrence caused him to lose sight of his own. She grits her teeth as she starts to feel pain.

To her surprise, Raiden places his hand over hers. Her heart pounds as warmth envelopes her skin and spreads throughout her body, replacing the torment that has taken over her body and mind. She looks at him and opens her mouth to speak, but he cuts her off.

"Don't worry, I won't stop you," Raiden says softly, his golden eyes locked on her. "I just want to comfort you while you bear my pain."

Raia frowns. The warm sensation transforms into confusion and irritation. "What are you talking about? Get your hand off me."

Raiden quickly withdraws his hand and looks away. "I'm sorry." Then he looks at her again, a gentle smile drawing up one side of his mouth. He leans his head on her shoulder and lets out a small sigh.

Raia flinches.

"You're really alive," Raiden breathes. "I really thought we'd lost you there, I thought I..." He raises his head and looks her in the eyes. "I made a promise to myself that I will protect you, that I will not allow any harm to come to you. But if something happens to you, I won't be able to forgive myself."

Raia's heart skips a beat, and that familiar soothing warmth floods through her. His words, spoken with such sincerity. It's both pleasant and confusing at the same time.

"But don't take it wrong," Raiden says. "I'm not trying to imply that you're weak and in need of protection; I don't mean it that way. You're obviously strong, even stronger than me. But . . . I just want to do it. So just please let me."

Raia lowers her head and remains silent, unable to say anything. So she just lets the warmth of her healing reach him.

Raiden smiles at her, as if he understands what she can't express in words. "You're welcome."

After healing him, she rises to her feet and turns to face Nathan. She places her hand on his arm and heals him. Once she's done, Raiden approaches her.

"Wait, Raia," he calls.

Raia lifts an eyebrow at him.

"Your wound, the one I stabbed," Raiden continues. There's no hint of guilt in his voice or face, only urgency.

Raia places her hand on her stomach. She can still feel it throbbing painfully, but it doesn't hurt all that much. Given that the sword went deep and penetrated her spine, her wound isn't as deep as it should have been based on the intensity of the pain. Her wound seems to be healing much faster than before.

What is this? Am I finally able to heal myself quickly?

"I'm okay," Raia mutters, still deep in thought. "I think I can heal myself now."

They give her surprised looks, which quickly turn to awe.

Nathan beams and ruffles her hair. "That's great to hear, but you haven't fully recovered yet, right?"

"Nathan's right," Raiden agrees. "Don't dismiss your wound. Let me treat you."

"No, I'll handle it," Sunshine interjects, giving Raiden a look, who tilts his head in confusion.

"Come here, Raia. Let me treat your wound," Sunshine drags Raia to the front pew and forces her to sit.

Both men turn around in respect as Raia unbuttons her blood-soaked uniform. Sunshine bites her bottom lip as she inspects the cut on Raia's stomach. Her skin on her back and spine has already healed, and she can feel that her internal organs are nearly healed as well.

So her healing ability has been enhanced?

How did this happen? Raia wonders as Sunshine dresses her wound with a piece of cloth she ripped from her uniform with her bladed longbow. When Sunshine is finished, Raia buttons her uniform. She then stands up and looks at Sunshine.

Sunshine smiles as she returns her gaze.

"Thank you," Raia says, her voice so low it's almost inaudible.

Sunshine does a double-take, staring at her with wide, sparkling eyes, then her smile broadens.

"It's my pleasure."

"How is she?" Raiden asks as he and Nathan near the two.

"Her wound isn't that deep, and I'm guessing no internal organs are damaged," Sunshine responds.

"I can regenerate faster now," Raia says quietly, staring at her blood-stained palms. She then looks at Nathan, recalling what the Blood Demon said. "That's why you have such phenomenal strength and speed; you're a human experiment."

Nathan stares at her, an unreadable expression on his face. Sunshine and Raiden both regard him with a worried look.

"Now my secret is revealed," Nathan says after a moment. He scratches the nape of his neck. "Yeah. After bringing me to the headquarters, they transferred me to the Samaelean Branch to perform experiments on me. It's called the Halo Project. That is why my training was postponed for a year."

"The Order conduct human experimentations?" Raia blurts out with wide eyes, unable to believe what she has just discovered.

Nathan gives a small smile. "Not anymore. The Ministry shut down the project half a year ago after losing three Elysians. I am the last successful project. We're called Modified Aragons."

Raia's heart skips a beat, anger searing through her. "Losing three Elysians? So lives were lost in the process?"

Nathan averts his gaze. "Yeah."

Curling her hands into fists, Raia lowers her head. Her body temperature rises, and she feels her blood begin to boil. She can't believe such a holy organization could do such a thing. She isn't that surprised, though. Humans never cease to disgust her.

After a stretch of silence, she walks toward Nihar's body, stepping on the blood puddle, and then stops. She looks down at the corpse, her gaze wandering over his remains.

"What is it?" Raiden inquires as he makes his way toward her, with Sunshine and Nathan following close behind.

Raia looks at them. "Where did he usually wear his Blessing?"

Their eyes widen as they realize what Raia is up to. Nathan rushes over to Nihar's side and kneels. He clenches his teeth and stares at the face of his fallen comrade before dipping his bare hands into the crimson blood in search of a piece of jewelry.

"Dammit!" Nathan shouts as he stands up, a scowl on his face, then his eyes begin to water again. He takes a deep breath and releases it before speaking again. "It's gone. His Blessing. It's an anklet, and he wore it around his left ankle, but . . . " He wipes his tears away before looking at them.

"Could that Blood Demon . . . " Raiden falters. He doesn't need to finish his sentence because they understand exactly what he's trying to say.

"That demon took it, without a doubt," Nathan hisses, his fists clenched.

"But, surely, the divine power contained within the jewelry has worn off by now?" Sunshine bites her lower lip and lowers her eyes. "Or not."

"Taking them empty will be pointless," Nathan says. "They must have discovered a way to keep the power contained within the artifact."

"That Blood Demon," Raia gasps as she remembers something. Her eyes narrow to slits.

They all look at her.

"He's the same demon who killed Lorcan," Raia says, meeting their gazes. "According to the inspector, Lorcan's body was discovered without arms and legs. They were blown to pieces. Exactly like what happened to Nihar."

They tense up.

"That damn demon," Nathan snarls, his brow furrowed in a scowl.

"We should report this right away," Raiden says in a firm voice. When he looks at Nihar, his face softens slightly. He shifts his gaze to Nathan with slight hesitation. "How about Nihar?"

Nathan averts his gaze. "With his condition, we can't bring him with us."

Sunshine and Raiden lower their heads, a cloud of guilt and sorrow settling over their features.

Raia examines the bits of flesh scattered around Nihar in the pool of blood before shifting her gaze to his empty chest, where she notices a gleaming silver coin. Nathan is right; they can't bring Nihar with them.

"Wait," Sunshine says as she approaches Nihar's corpse. She closes her eyes and presses her hands together in front of her chest.

Raiden and Nathan blink back tears before imitating Sunshine's actions.

"Rest in peace, brother," Nathan whispers. Then his eyes flash open, his features darkening. "I will avenge you."

Raiden places a gentle hand on Nathan's shoulder. "Let's go."

Sunshine squeezes Nathan's arm before walking away. Nathan gives Nihar one last stare before following Sunshine with Raiden. Their footsteps clip-clop down the aisle, leaving behind red prints.

Raia looks at Nihar for a few moments before closing her eyes and bowing. She knows little about him, but she respects him as an Aragon. What happened to him was truly terrible, but as an Aragon, they should be prepared for death. Not just them, but everyone. No one is safe in their world, and everyone is on the verge of a tragedy. That is why humans should always be prepared. Especially them, the disciples.

Being an Aragon means making a sacrifice for the safety of many people. Because what other option do they have anyway? They have been chosen, which means they must carry out their responsibilities. Because if they don't, they'll face the consequences for failing to perform their duties. At least, that's what Cyrus said.

"Let's go home," Raiden says softly as Raia approaches them through the doorless entrance.

Sunshine nods. "Yeah, let's go home."

Outside, the sun is shining brightly in the cloudless sky. The team walks out of the church after a brief moment of silence. A circular ripple spreads out in the void as they emerge from thin air, as if from a mirror-like surface. When they look back, their eyes widen. Instead of a church, they find themselves staring at an endless carpet of yellowish-green fields. Trees with lush green leaves surround the area, and mountains in the distance are draped in evergreen. The rich, fragrant scent of the forest soon engulfs them.

A gentle breeze blows through their hair and ruffles the hems of their coats.

"Where the hell did we just come out?" Nathan blurts out. Soon after, the scenery in front of them glitches as if it were a transparent screen, and an old church appears in front of them.

Raiden, Nathan, and Sunshine all recoil in surprise, while Raia simply stares at the lone structure. She peers into the church and wrinkles her brows, as if deep in thought. So the church was under a spell the entire time they were inside? She looks around and raises her guard, but the area appears to be devoid of any presence other than theirs. She returns her gaze to the antique building, the expression on her face signifying that she has come to a conclusion.

"I suppose it's the hooded Blood Demon's spell?" Nathan says, his gaze fixed on the ancient building.

Raiden frowns. "Yeah, but I assume it's now broken?"

"That church was invisible just a second ago," Sunshine observes.

"They cast a spell on this church so no one can find us," Raia announces.

Her comrades nod in agreement.

"I see," Nathan remarks. "So I guess they planned to keep us there for a long time? So, how long were we sleeping?"

"Come to think of it," Raiden says, frowning. "What's the point of giving us nightmares instead of directly killing us?"

Sunshine nods. "Right. It's not that I'm complaining; in fact, I'm relieved they didn't kill us while we were sleeping. But it's strange. A Blood Demon sparing our lives?"

"No, they did not spare our lives," Raia responds. "They were attempting to accomplish something. The nightmare is meant to break us."

Nathan frowns. "They wanted to corrupt us."

"And become Depraved," Sunshine adds, her eyes narrowed.

Raia looks at them, remembering what Cyrus told her about an Aragon falling into Depravity, but he didn't tell her anything else. He wanted her to figure it out for herself. However, asking her comrades about it isn't what the man meant either. She must learn it on her own.

Her brows pucker. Is Cyrus expecting someone to fall into depravity? Because there is no other way for a person to learn something other than by seeing it for themselves.

"I almost lost to my nightmare," Raiden says, breaking the silence around them. "But, fortunately, I awoke before it devoured me."

"Me, too," Nathan and Sunshine agree.

"But, I think that nightmare made me realize something," Nathan whispers, gazing up at the sky.

Sunshine lowers her head and clenches her fists at her sides.

Raia stares at her hands as she mulls over the nightmare she had. It not only increased her healing power, but it also made her see things she had been blind to for years.

Kaylee.

Nathan heaves a huge sigh. "Well, come one. I'm sure they were looking for us right now. Besides, we have a report to send to Bishop Galbraith, and . . . " His voice trembles as he lowers his gaze.

Silence embraces them as their thoughts drift to Nihar once again.