Nova smiled at Cardinal Shivere's question, and even bowed lightly to her. In terms of intellect and personality, she seemed to be head and shoulders above the others.

"We know it is weak to celestial energy. The moon represents the celestial, and its light can be used against beings like this. This light can be gathered, focused, and stored—as long as you have the right equipment."

"What will we need?" she asked, putting up two fingers on her own.

"The only important object is the storage device, and I'm honestly not sure what item would work best." Nova waved off her gesture. "Consider that question free."

She furrowed her brows, lowering one of her fingers. "Collier?"

The dark-skinned Cardinal stroked his chin. "Well, an item for storing energy… Could a refined soul stone work? Or some kind of magical object?"

"A soul stone might work, but the ones I've seen are far from strong enough to carry that much power." Nova's mind flashed to the simple black stones the soul traders used. "And the magical object would need to be made for this purpose."

Collier shook his head, clearly troubled by the implications. "Made for storing celestial energy? I didn't even know such a thing existed before today. Could any of our blacksmiths…?"

Cardinal Darius looked up into the air, past the towering pillars to where the rift waited unseen above them. "I don't know… Maybe Hertwig could make something, but this is a unique task."

"I can do it," Nova declared, sighing deeply. "Give me the raw material, and I'll forge you something before nightfall."

"And what will that cost us?" Cardinal Petyr asked sharply. His earlier fury hadn't faded—if anything, it seemed to have crystallized into something colder and more dangerous.

Nova met his eyes, frustrated by the boneheaded man. He would usually have assumed the rift had influenced him, but with his level of power, it was hard to imagine. "You should be more worried about how you're going to get it inside the rift."

"Won't the energy protect us?" Collier asked. He clearly understood enough of the theory, asking the right questions.

"It will, but not completely. And there's a big difference between the madness outside of the rift, and what you'll encounter on the inside." He glanced at Annelie as he spoke, seeing understanding flash across her face. She knew the horrors that waited in that darkness, but she couldn't speak without revealing her past lives.

"... Then, what should we do?" Cardinal Shivere raised her second finger again, making sure Nova knew she was keeping score.

"It's obvious," Petyr said, staring a hole in Nova's head. His essence gathered around him like a brewing storm. "He has a trait that keeps him from becoming mad. He can decide if he wants to go inside the rift himself, or if he wants us to relieve him of that trait."

Nova replied before anyone had time to react. "How kind of you."

"Petyr! We still need him!" Victoria yelled, stepping halfway between Nova and Petyr.

'You "still" need me, huh? I think a contract might be in order. Otherwise, I likely won't leave this place alive, despite the words of the Signus. But can I survive the void? I've never entered it myself, outside of using the shadow step.'

"You should all calm yourselves." Cardinal Shivere's voice cut through the tension like a cool breeze. She stood straight despite her earlier exhaustion, a pillar of reason among the chaos. "Without essence, your minds will be more susceptible to the rift's influence. Petyr, this goes for you especially."

"Again you take his side?!" Petyr shouted at Shivere with clenched fists. Then something shifted in his expression—a realization crossing his face. He drew a deep breath, forcing his shoulders to relax. "... What are you suggesting, then?"

Shivere's calm never wavered. "I paid for an answer, and so I expect our guest to give us a way." Her blue eyes were fixed on Nova, patient but expectant.

Nova's mind raced through possibilities as he spoke. "... As I see it, there are two options. One is creating a formation inside the magical object that lets it float toward the nearest and densest source of grounded essence, hopefully letting it find the rift being on its own. But this is quite risky and would require luck to succeed."

"... And the second is sending you in?"

Annelie's face turned to Nova at that moment, sending him a silent warning through an intense glare.

'I don't see any other solutions, Annelie. But I'll do my best to survive, and you know it.'

"Exactly." Nova nodded, watching the Cardinals' reactions carefully. "The chances of success will be greater, but I don't know how much danger I'll meet inside. If I could borrow a powerful soul for the mission, I would be much more certain of surviving."

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Cardinal Petyr scoffed. "Just borrow, huh? At your level, would you even last a minute with an archbishop's soul?"

"Well, if I could consume it, I would be much more certain." Nova kept his voice neutral despite the weight of the suggestion. Behind him, he sensed Annelie tensing at the dangerous territory he was entering.

"Right. That's out of the question." Petyr's words were firm.

"I'll need compensation," Nova tried to reason. "For the mission, as well as the forging. And if we add the sixty thousand Soul Power you already owe me, is it really so outrageous?"

"You seem very intelligent, Nova." Cardinal Shivere stated simply. Her eyes studied him with the careful attention of someone weighing precious metals. "What makes you think you'd be able to escape this city with your life if we give you this much?"

The question didn't seem like a threat, but rather a genuine curiosity. Cardinal Shivere fully expected someone to aim for his life if they no longer had use for him.

"I would be less certain if I told you," Nova replied, smiling at her. "But one thing that would help… I can make a contract between us."

"Like the one you made with Sar?" Cardinal Collier's eyes lit with scholarly interest. "I had the fortune of looking at the remnants of that spell… It seemed quite unbreakable. Even if I understood its functions, I doubt I would be able to do anything about it."

"Yes, like that. I wouldn't gamble my life on it if I didn't trust it to hold."

"Which one of us would you make it with, then?" Collier's gaze darted between his fellow Cardinals.

"All of you at once, I suppose."

"Fine," Cardinal Shivere replied before anyone else could speak. Her decision fell into the chamber like a stone into still water.

"Shivere! You can't be serious!" Petyr's shout bounced off the vaulted ceiling. His essence crackled around him as he jabbed a finger toward Nova. "I refuse!"

Shivere closed her eyes as she replied, looking like she was trying to remain calm. "No one in this room wants to die. But more so than death, I fear what might happen to the holy city if we refuse. How many hundreds of thousands are currently holding on to their sanity for dear life? How many have we lost? How many more will we lose if this continues?"

Nova watched Cardinal Shivere with growing respect. 'I'm calling it right now, this lady was too clever and reasonable to become the Signus. She would have realized how stupid the entire church is. There's no other explanation.'

"Besides," she continued, "I trust the deal will be fair. Only if we betray him will we die, and only if he betrays us will he. It is the best way to ensure we all make it out of this."

"... I concur," Collier said, crossing the cracked marble floor to stand beside Shivere. "Besides, I am curious about the contract."

Victoria's sharp features softened as she joined them. "I also agree."

Darius moved to join the group without a word. His eyes fixed on Petyr, waiting.

Petyr's lips twisted into a sneer as he turned away from his fellow Cardinals. "... Suit yourselves. I'll go hide somewhere while you guys solve things."

"No, you won't." Shivere's blue eyes hardened as she stared him down. "I don't trust you."

The temperature in the chamber seemed to drop as Petyr whirled back to face her. "What?! You damn scarlet bitch! Have you lost your mind?!"

Nova's muscles tensed as he sensed the coming violence. 'Oh fuck–'

Before he could move, Petyr vanished in a blur of emerald robes. He reappeared beside the Cardinals faster than Nova's enhanced senses could track, hand blazing with concentrated heat as he struck at Shivere's face. The very air distorted around his fingers from the intensity of his attack.

Shivere moved like flowing water, dodging Petyr's strike with practiced grace. Her motion suggested she'd been waiting for this moment, anticipating his attack. Power exploded through the chamber in a concussive wave, knocking both Nova and Annelie off their feet. The marble floor cracked further under the pressure of their clashing essence.

Despite their earlier exhaustion, the other Cardinals moved with deadly coordination. They struck from four directions at once, emerald robes blurring as they tackled Petyr. Each Cardinal seized a limb, driving him down against the shattered stone floor.

"Collier!" Victoria shouted through loose strands of black hair.

"On it!" Essence gathered around Collier's hands as he gripped Petyr's wrist.

"No! Don't you dare!" Petyr's essence flared against their hold, but he couldn't break free in time.

Massive chains burst from the great hall's walls, each one as thick as an ancient tree trunk. They moved with terrible purpose, wrapping around Petyr's pinned form as the cardinals moved away. Metal links bound each limb, two more chains coiled around his torso, and a final length circled his throat like a serpent. The chains pulled taut in perfect unison, lifting him into the air above the cracked marble floor.

"Damn you! Damn you all!" Petyr's voice echoed through the hall, with features twisted in rage. His essence crackled against the binding chains as he hung suspended in the middle of the room. Then he froze, like time itself was locked around him.

"... That should keep him in place until the rift is fixed." Collier lowered his arms and looked up at his suspended colleague. Sweat beaded on his dark skin from the effort of activating the binding. "We should create some other contingencies in case more of us are taken by the madness."

"But we would all know about it," Shivere said, furrowing her brows. "Perhaps if we go together in pairs, we could all have one option?"

Nova looked up at the frozen Petyr, studying the rage in his features. "When was it obvious to you that he was becoming mad?"

"After you left for the rift," Shivere replied, nearly tumbling to the ground as she turned. "At least I had an inkling. He seemed quick to anger, vulnerable to doubt." She glanced at Nova. "But I'm sure you had the same suspicions."

"Since the start." Nova kept his distance from the suspended Cardinal. "But I don't know any of you well enough to know for certain. We can at least be glad he wasn't possessed. That would be much worse."

"I was nervous when we activated the formation, thinking he might disrupt it on purpose. But I had faith his love for the church would let him see it through." Shivere looked exhausted, barely having enough essence to stand upright.

"Hmm..." Nova turned back to the remaining Cardinals, considering their mental states one by one.

'A contract with a crazed individual could be catastrophic. I'll need to separate their clauses, preventing them all from dying if one of them breaks the rules.

None of them seem to be affected by the rift, still able to trust each other and resist provocations. Shivere definitely angered Petyr on purpose to make sure.

I want her on my side. Or, at least, not on my enemy's side.'

"We can still do the contract with the four of you. Let's negotiate."

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