"Everything will be fine now." Nova put a hand on the boy's trembling shoulder. "The madness will fade soon. Just stay inside for a few more hours to be safe. Find your family, or if they're possessed, notify the church."

The boy's face crumpled as tears welled up in his eyes. His shoulders shook under Nova's palm as weeks of fear and tension finally broke free. "Th-Thank you, little angel!"

'Ah, of course that's what he'd think… I should probably stay to make sure he's alright, but Millie needs me more right now. And I can't break my contract.'

"I have to go." Nova gave the boy's shoulder a gentle squeeze before heading for the door. Quiet sobs followed him down the stairs and out into the street.

Morning sunlight warmed the white stone beneath his feet as Nova walked through the city. A few faces peered out from behind curtains or cracked doors, drawn by the massive sound of the rift's death. Their eyes held a mix of confusion and lingering fear as they watched him pass.

'At least some of them survived. But how many did we lose? How many let the void pull them in? And where the hell is the Signus?!'

The question had bothered him for too long already. Was he vulnerable to the void? Did the spatial disturbance sever the link between his small dimension and the cathedral? Was he scared?

Nova picked up his pace as his anger increased. His blood-stained clothes drew worried glances from the survivors, but no one seemed to dare speak to him about it.

The grand cathedral rose before him, catching the early sunlight with magnificent beauty.

'It truly is a shame that such a place belongs to the source of all my problems… But I guess I'm not surprised. Great wonders are rarely built with a focus on ethics.'

Annelie stood at the base of the steps, still wearing his robe and with the silver helmet in her hand. Her fingers twisted in the fabric as she spotted him approach. Nova could read the conflicting emotions on her face—relief at seeing him alive warring with urgent concern.

"Hey!" Nova raised his hands as he climbed the steps, trying to look steady despite his fatigue. "I'm fine, don't worry."

"You don't look it! There's a trail of dried blood behind you." Annelie pointed at the white stone steps where flakes of dark red marked his path.

Nova glanced back at the crimson trail. "You've got to expect a little pain when using a soul like that. But I'm good now." He ran a hand through his hair, grimacing as dried blood crumbled between his fingers.

"Your hair is more red than white, Nova..." Annelie shook her head. "But fine, let's go inside."

She turned and started walking toward the cathedral entrance. Nova followed close behind, noting how different the place felt. Before, the halls had been empty and silent, but now priests and attendants hurried past.

"You're fine to walk now?"

"Yeah… But not much more. I'm on the verge of falling asleep as well."

"Right. You should have taken a nap as well yesterday."

"And ignore Millie's desperate plea to bathe?" A tired smile crossed her face. "I could never."

"Hah, fair enough." Nova matched her pace through the corridor. "I could carry you again."

"How would we explain me coming back with you?" She glanced at the priests passing by, reminding him of their need for secrecy.

"Well, since you're coming along to Collport either way, maybe it's time you tell them the truth?"

"... Wouldn't it be better to sneak away?" Annelie slowed her steps. "I doubt they'd let me leave."

"They owe us that much..." Nova frowned in thought. "But you have a point. Go to your room and sleep, then. I'll make sure Millie is okay, and that my contract is upheld."

"Yeah, that's for the best." Annelie gave him a tired smile. "You can go ahead. I'm sure you want to run off."

Nova returned the smile with a quick nod. "I'll see you later, then. The room will be open."

He broke into a run, leaving Annelie behind.

'Shivere will probably be there, right? She had to ensure Millie's safety, after all.'

The corridor lights blurred past as Nova pushed himself faster. The familiar door came into view ahead, but something was wrong. The heavy wood hung askew on broken hinges, revealing glimpses of destruction within the room.

His heart dropped. The contract not triggering meant Millie had to be alive, but seeing the ruined doorway sent his mind spinning through terrible possibilities. Splintered wood and torn fabric littered the floor inside.

'...Shivere took her somewhere safe. I need to check the Cardinal room.'

Nova raced past their ruined room, pushing his tired legs faster. Every patch of shadow became a shortcut as he used Shadow Step to close the distance. And finally, he arrived at the white and golden door.

It was closed, but he didn't bother being polite. With his feet firmly planted on the ground, he pushed, equipping the Archbishop's soul to ensure the flimsy seal knew its place.

With a mighty crash, the door flew open, alerting everyone in the room. All two of them. Shivere and Millie both stared back at him, sitting on top of the table.

"Nova!" Millie's voice cracked with emotion. She jumped down from the table and sprinted toward him, with tears streaming down her face.

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Nova caught her in his arms, pulling her close. A wave of relief washed through him as he felt her breathe against his chest. "Thank god you're safe, Millie."

Millie pressed her face into his shoulder, her body shaking with silent sobs. The force of her grip told Nova all he needed to know about what she'd endured.

"Thank you for keeping her safe, Shivere. It can't have been easy." Nova met the Cardinal's gaze over Millie's head.

Shivere stood from the table, looking at them with a neutral expression. "I am the one who should be thanking you, Nova. You have saved more lives than I care to count. As the highest representative of the Church of Order, you have my deepest gratitude." She bowed deeply before him, taking the small white hat into her hand.

"...It was necessary," Nova replied. His arms tightened protectively around Millie. "I take it the Signus is still missing, then?"

"He is." Shivere straightened from her bow. "I had hoped the closing of the rift would see him return, but nothing yet."

"...Can you tell me what happened while I was gone? I know you and Petyr are the only Cardinals remaining now."

Shivere shook her head. "Petyr is also dead, I'm afraid. Only I remain…"

'Even Petyr? What an incredible loss for the church! Or, I guess, as long as they have the souls, the loss of power isn't all that great.'

"I'm sorry to hear that." Nova stroked Millie's hair as she continued to cry softly against his chest.

"It's simply the way it is." Shivere's blue eyes fixed on his hand. "I hope you understand the importance of securing their souls..."

"Oh, right..." Nova nodded. "How do I hand them over?"

"Put your hand on this soul stone." Shivere reached back to the table, lifting a perfectly round sphere. The translucent material caught the light like morning dew. "It can fit an entire Cardinal soul. I'll take them into my core one by one as you insert them."

"Okay. Can you bring it over?" Nova kept one arm wrapped around Millie while extending the other toward Shivere. The girl's tears had soaked through his already blood-stained robe.

Shivere crossed the chamber with measured steps. The soul stone settled into Nova's palm with surprising warmth. "Just one at a time, remember."

"Yeah, yeah." Nova focused his essence into the sphere, channeling Darius's soul through his palm. "What happened to Darius?"

"Not long after you left, he started showing signs of irritation." Shivere watched the transfer with careful attention. "It was quite unlike him, so I followed him on his way back from the celestial formation. I tried speaking with him about the situation, but he still seemed off..."

The soul shifted into the sphere, giving it a bright white glow. Then, soon after, it was retrieved into Shivere's hands.

"After that, I didn't see him again, but he was headed for your room. I still don't know why. Maybe to protect this child?"

"...And that's when the madness kicked in and made him a threat..." Nova channeled Collier's soul through his palm. Fresh light bloomed in the sphere. "Then Collier?"

"I left him alone outside, and that might have been a mistake. We had plans to make a contingency to restrain the next person going mad, but we never got to setting it up. I met him again later in this room, and he seemed off…"

Another soul entered and left the soul stone.

"Then a loud noise came from the direction of your room, so I went to investigate. That's when Darius died…"

Millie pressed closer against Nova's chest. Her tears had stopped, but her small body still trembled as she listened. Occasional sniffles broke the heavy silence.

"Your room was a mess, but he didn't get to do much damage before dying." Shivere's voice carried a mix of relief and regret. "I believe we have you to thank for that. Otherwise, we would all be dead."

"It was a surprise, but I didn't hesitate. I knew what it might mean."

"Then after that, we all gathered here, taking her with us. It would be easier for us to prevent an attack if we were two against one, was the logic. But Collier disagreed and left for his quarters. I went to go after him, but not long after, he also died. How he broke the contract, I don't even know."

Nova took a deep breath, suspecting Shivere wasn't telling the full truth. 'Based on her explanation, nothing should have increased their madness so much in so little time. I expected them to last for a week at least, figuring Petyr was a weak point.'

"Intention to harm could be reason enough for the contract to trigger. I assume Collier fell to the madness on his own…" Nova pushed the final Cardinal soul into the sphere, trying to dismiss the dark thoughts taking shape in his mind. "And Victoria?"

"We stayed here for a long time, just the three of us." Shivere's blue eyes turned distant. "I believe she took the deaths of the others quite hard, and it was clear she was affected. But in hindsight, it was more likely a symptom of madness, just like before. I set a barrier in this room to protect the girl, then I asked Victoria to come with me for a short walk, to get her away."

"And soon after, she was mad. Right?"

"Correct." The word fell flat between them.

'And every single time before someone turned mad, Shivere was alone with them. Including the time with Petyr, when the two went to the main hall before the rest. And she's the one who included the condition about handing the Cardinal souls back to one of the others… I'm growing suspicious.'

The final soul transferred to Shivere, marking the end of Nova's obligations.

"And what about Petyr?" Nova's arms tightened around Millie.

"With everything else that happened, no one had time to check on him during the night." Shivere turned toward the window. "He eventually broke free, and I had to end him myself to keep the girl safe. He was taken by the madness at that point, so it wasn't much of a challenge."

"And you're unable to harm either of us for another twenty years." Nova kept his voice neutral despite the growing suspicion.

"Correct. And as long as you are here, I must ensure your safety." Shivere held out the soul stone. "You need to hand over the Archbishop's soul as well, by the way."

Nova sighed and pressed his palm against the sphere. Whatever dark game Shivere might be playing, he had no way to fight back here. But the contract meant she couldn't touch them either.

'But what would be her motive? If she somehow managed to summon the rift, is it to weaken the church? To create a situation where she is the hero while the Signus is nowhere to be seen? Revenge? Power? But if that was the case, why would she work so hard to keep the formation—'

The Archbishop's soul flowed into the stone with a dim glow, far weaker than the Cardinals' souls had been. The sight sparked a chilling realization in Nova's mind.

'...Was she using all that energy to prevent the formation from working properly?'

"That's all of them. Thank you again, Nova." Shivere drew the final soul into her core.

"Yeah..." Nova studied her face for any trace of deception. "It would be a shame if I failed, right? Or got trapped in there? Good thing you had a contingency for that as well."

She smiled. "Good planning is important in all serious matters. Unfortunately, you won't receive the hundred thousand Soul Power we agreed upon. It required all members of the contract to be alive, after all."

Nova fought back a smile. The materials and soul from the Void Lord would far outweigh any lost bonus. They would be harder to convert to value, but that was a future problem.

"Yeah… But you still owe me sixty thousand."

'Those will be very important when I return. Whatever Sar and I agree to, I will need Soul Power to release the children from Newark.'

"Of course." Shivere inclined her head. "I will have them ready tomorrow. Today, I believe you deserve to rest. You can use my quarters if you want."

"...No thanks." Nova shifted his weight, ready to leave.

"It would be easier for me to ensure your safety that way. Even if the rift is closed, you are still vulnerable targets."

"I appreciate that, but we can ensure our own safety." Nova met her gaze steadily. "Lend us some decent guards if you're really worried."

"Your room is ruined."

"We'll find another one. There were empty ones, as I recall."

"...Fine then." A flicker of something crossed Shivere's face. "I wish you a good rest."

"Thanks." Nova turned toward the door, guiding Millie with gentle pressure.

'I'm afraid there's one more act in this play before we can leave this damn city…'

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