Zay slowly glanced around, lowering his gaze to his hands. They were wrapped in black bandages—the same ones he had worn back when he was known as Sable. A strange unease settled in his chest, but before he could dwell on it, the familiar golden orb of light came into view. It hovered in the air, silent and pulsing, before circling around him three full times in smooth, glowing arcs. Then, it stopped directly in front of him, waiting.
He didn't think. Something deep within him compelled him forward. He reached out with his right hand and gently touched the orb.
The world around him faded.
When he opened his eyes again, the first thing he saw was the lake.
It stretched before him like a pool of glass, calm and vast. Moonlight spilled across its surface in silvery streaks, dancing with every subtle ripple. The full moon itself hung high above, its pale glow mirrored perfectly in the water below. Stars glittered faintly in the night sky, scattered between thin trails of drifting clouds. The air was still, cool, and serene. Around the lake, tall oak trees stood like silent sentinels. Their wide canopies rustled gently in the breeze, their rough trunks casting long shadows across the grass. The faint scent of damp earth and leaves filled the air.
Zay sat in a leather chair near the lake's edge. He turned slightly, the movement light, his body feeling freer than before. It was as if something had been lifted from his chest, a weight he hadn't even realized was there. He took a deep breath. For the first time in a long while, it didn't feel strained.
He stood and threw a quick jab into the air. It felt sharper. His body moved easier. Faster. Lighter.
Turning his head to look behind the chair, he saw Iris. She was on her knees, her arms resting over the back of the chair, her chest rising and falling with tired breaths. Her expression was exhausted, but steady. She swallowed, then slowly pushed herself to her feet, wobbling for just a moment before she regained her balance.
"Do you... feel any better?" she asked, her gaze settling on him. The wild, leaking aura that had once surrounded him was now completely gone.
Zay stood in silence for nearly a full minute. To be exact, he remained still for forty-seven seconds before finally giving a small nod. "I feel... as if burdens have been lifted."
Iris gave a small, soft giggle and sank into the chair, looking up at him as their eyes met.
"The first was dread, a feeling of helplessness. That was the first trial," she said gently. "With how much aura you were bleeding out, I doubt the memory it showed you was one you'd want to revisit. The second trial... was different. It was a time in your past where you felt joy. Happiness. A sense of belonging."
Her voice softened further, her eyelids drooping, but she fought off the pull of sleep and forced her eyes open again.
"Trials?" Zay asked, his brow slightly furrowed. "Are there always two?"
"I figured it out," Iris said, forcing herself to sit up straighter. "You have a very high degree of divinity within you. When I first touched your shoulders and sent my aura into your body, something began devouring my divinity. Slowly at first. Subtly. I didn't notice until it had taken quite a bit."
Her words hung heavy in the quiet night as she paused, gathering her thoughts. Then she stood again, just to stay awake.
"I spent nearly an hour tracing the source. Eventually, I found it. There's a barrier over your Aura Core, something I've never seen before. I couldn't even get near it without risking part of my soul being taken. Over that core was a swirling aura, black and red, twisting inwards, defending it. But surrounding that darkness was something else..."
She looked at him, her voice low, almost reverent.
"Divinity; It was wrapped in two bands, each one radiating a violet aura, forged entirely from divine essence and nothing else. When I saw them, I tried casting you into two trials. I thought... maybe that was the requirement for you to control it fully, to seal it away. And it... seems like it worked. That's... g-good."
Iris's voice faltered, her exhaustion catching up to her. Her eyes fluttered shut, then open again, trying to fight the heaviness weighing them down. But her strength gave out, and she collapsed forward, unable to maintain her balance any longer.
Zay caught her around the waist before she could hit the ground. He carefully lifted her into his arms and activated his Resonance Lens to check the time. It read 10:45 P.M. He knew there wasn't much time before lights out as Roland said and knowing that, he wanted to try to make it. Activating his aura, he noticed something instantly.
It was no longer the same. His eyes widened as he watched the energy swirl around him, a striking fusion of violet and dark blue, blending into a rich, royal amethyst hue. It shimmered in waves around his body, deeper and more stable than before.
He didn't dwell on it. Time was short after all.
Without hesitation, he took off running, holding the priestess firmly in his arms, securely, but with enough care not to harm her. Her snow-white hair streamed behind them, catching the wind stirred by his speed.
With the enhancements from the Demoness Seal and the weight lifted from his chest, his agility had surged. His speed more than doubled. What had taken an hour to walk now took him only five minutes.
At 10:50 P.M., just ten minutes before lights out, Zay reached the front gates of the mansion.
He stepped inside the gates and saw the same large knight from earlier that day. The shovel was gone, replaced by a great steel axe. The blade glistened under the sunlit moonlight as the knight looked over at Zay, then glanced down at the priestess.
"What the hell happened to her?" he asked, looking around before lifting his gaze to the stars, as if expecting enemies to descend from them.
Zay walked past the knight. "Just exhaustion. Do you mind opening the door?"
The knight let out a sigh of relief, turned to the mansion, and carefully placed his axe on the grass. He ran to the front door and opened it. Zay stepped inside and gave him a small nod.
The knight closed the door behind him, jogged back to his axe, and lifted it into his arms before staring up at the sky once again. "I know they'll arrive!" he shouted with a grin, pretending to strike at the stars as another knight laughed nearby, watching him.
"Damn, can't believe you actually did that. Well, I guess drinks are on me," the second knight said, stepping out from a small, hidden door set into the wall.
"When there's a bet about pretending or acting, you know I have to go through with it. Especially if drinks are involved," the first knight replied with a chuckle, glancing his way.
The second knight wore dull, dirt-streaked silver armor stained with blood. He stood at about five-foot-seven, one hand resting on the hilt of his sword at his side.
"Well, we're getting off soon, and the night guards will be taking over in a few minutes. Want to head to Harland and grab those drinks tonight?"
"Hell yeah!"
As the two laughed, Zay carried Iris upstairs. Not knowing where her room was, he spotted one of the children he had seen earlier running around.
"Where is the priestess's room?" Zay asked, softening his tone and adding a smile.
The child looked up at him with a curious expression but didn't speak. Instead, he pointed toward the ceiling to the right.
"Thank you," Zay said, assuming the boy meant the fifth floor since they were already on the fourth. He continued up the stairs, turned to the right, and began walking down the hallway.
Rain began to pour down over the mansion, rivulets trailing along the outside of the windows. Zay looked over, reminded of Ovaris, where it rained constantly. He let out a quiet sigh before continuing. Turning right at the end of the hall, he passed his own room without a glance.
His footsteps were muffled against the carpet as he turned into the same corridor where he had first seen the priestess. The entire hallway stretched forward with only a single door near the end, just a few steps away.
'An entire hallway of this magnitude, empty? Strange,' he thought, his eyes settling on the oak door. Bending down, he gently positioned Iris against the wall, making sure she was stable. He placed a hand on her shoulder to ensure she wouldn't fall while still asleep.
Zay reached for the door handle and noticed it wasn't locked. He opened it—lifted Iris back into his arms, and stepped inside.
The room was massive. He paused and counted twenty-five windows lining a single wall. The other three walls were painted a deep, dark blue. Floral arrangements were scattered throughout, and the walls were adorned with intricate golden illustrations of butterflies and foxes.
Zay gave a slight nod to himself. 'Well... I get why the entire hallway was empty now.'
At the center of the room stood a large bed covered in white blankets, surrounded by several dressers. Some of the drawers were slightly open, with dresses peeking out. Not wanting to pry, he made his way to the bed, gently laid the priestess down, then turned and walked out without another glance.
He closed the door behind him, turned right, and made his way down the corridor. After turning left, he reached his room, J5, and stepped inside.
He shut the door and walked over to the wall sconce. Gripping a small chain, he gave it a tug. The light dimmed, then slowly faded out, leaving the room in complete darkness, save for the moonlight peeking through the window. The sound of rain flowed down the sides of the mansion as Zay got into bed and closed his eyes.