Azreal rested his head on Aria's hand, lost in thought. Then he felt warmth — a gentle touch on his head. He raised his gaze and saw Aria was awake.

Azreal's eyes widened in shock. "Aria!"

Tears flowed down Aria's cheeks as she whispered, "Azreal… I'm glad you're okay."

Azreal smiled softly. "Welcome back, Aria."

Aria nodded weakly.

The door opened, and they both turned to see Nena standing there. She froze in surprise, then her face lit up with delight. "Aria… my dear, you're awake!"

She hurried to Aria's side and sat on the other side of the bed, reaching for her hand. "I'm so glad you woke up. We were all worried about you."

"I'm sorry I troubled you," Aria murmured.

Nena shook her head firmly. "No, you didn't. If there's anyone you troubled, it's Azreal. He was so worried about you."

Aria turned to look at Azreal. Their eyes met and lingered in silence until Nena cleared her throat softly. "I'll inform the others of the good news." She stood and quietly left, closing the door behind her.

Aria opened her mouth to speak, but Azreal gently pressed his hand against her lips. "You shouldn't talk too much, Aria. You just woke up. You need to rest. Get some sleep. If you need anything, call me. I'll send the maids to bring your paintbrush and canvas to keep you busy."

Aria shook her head. "No, I'm fine. I don't feel like resting." She tried to sit up, and Azreal carefully supported her. She smiled faintly. "I'm glad you're alright, Azreal."

"Why? What happened?" Azreal asked.

Tears welled in her eyes again as she whispered, "I thought… I thought you had died."

Azreal chuckled softly and brushed her tears away. "Did you really think I'd die that easily? I'm not that weak, Aria."

Aria gave a small laugh through her tears. "But still… I didn't do anything to help you. If I had known about the war sooner, I could have fought too. Maybe then you wouldn't have been hurt so badly."

Azreal shook his head. "Aria, you did help — by staying away. You were our greatest asset in the battle. Remember, you are the vessel of Yuzara. You must be kept safe. I don't even know how you got to the battlefield in the first place. That Veymar… he couldn't even do one thing right."

Aria shook her head quickly. "No, it isn't Lord Veymar's fault. He told the guards and maids to watch me, but I was the one who ran away after learning about the war. I just couldn't sit idly by and watch while knowing everything that's happened… it's all my fault."

Azreal frowned. "Why do you think it's your fault, Aria?"

Her voice broke as she confessed, "It was through me that Y'tharion gained his complete evolved infernal army and waged war against the Gates of Hell. And now… because of me, he has the key to the Hollow Realm."

Azreal shook his head firmly. "It's not your fault, Aria. It's mine. You were kidnapped under my watch. I should have protected you better. You don't need to blame yourself. What matters is that everything ended well."

"Right… the war." Aria's voice trembled. "Is it over? How is everyone?"

Azreal nodded. "The war ended in our favor, Aria. There's nothing to worry about."

"I see…" she whispered, but then an image of Y'tharion flashed in her mind. Her eyes widened. "What about Y'tharion? What happened to him? He was there on the battlefield!"

"Calm down, Aria," Azreal said gently. "He's been taken care of. He's dead."

Aria stared in disbelief. "H-he's dead?"

"Yes," Azreal replied. "I defeated him. And, Aria… there is no Y'tharion."

Confusion filled her face. "What do you mean?"

Azreal's voice lowered. "That person you saw… was Zarion. Y'tharion, Sin, and Death — they are all fragments of his soul. Zarion is the true body. He fooled us, and even the Gods, through soul refraction. When the Gods sought to seal him, he split his soul and created Y'tharion. That's how Y'tharion came to be.

But later, we discovered Zarion was sealed in the Graveyard of Reason. He refracted further into Death and Sin. Sin has been the one pulling the strings, orchestrating all the plans to resurrect Death and Y'tharion — to restore Zarion's full body."

Aria's eyes widened in horror. "So the real body is Zarion… I can't believe he fooled the Gods for all these years. But then… what about the key? Since you defeated him, you must have it, right?"

Azreal shook his head. "No, I don't. It seems he hid the key. During our fight, it was not in his possession. But wait — Aria, you were with them. Do you know where he might have hidden it?"

She lowered her head. "No… I don't. When he acquired the key, I was still unconscious. I don't know what he did with it."

Azreal exhaled slowly. "Then the key is still somewhere in Hell. What we do know is that he planned to use it to merge the Hollow Realm with this world. But he failed, and for now… we should be grateful. We just need to find that key."

Aria nodded quickly. "Yes. It would be terrible if another enemy got their hands on it. Azreal, I think we should start searching right away, before it's too late."

Azreal placed a hand on her shoulder. "Relax, Aria. I've already set things in motion. The Hell Guards are searching for it."

"I see…" Aria whispered.

"That's enough talk. You need to rest," Azreal said as he climbed onto the bed, sitting beside her.

Aria leaned her head gently against his shoulder. Her voice softened to a whisper. "Azreal… have you ever wondered about a peaceful world?"

Azreal was shocked as he said, "What are you talking about, Aria?"

Aria replied, "Remember I told you what Sin said to me? He said he would build a peaceful world — a world without good or bad, without heaven or hell. A just world, where everyone can live happily, without fear of doing the wrong thing or being punished."

Azreal shook his head. "You shouldn't think about such things, Aria. He was just trying to get into your head."

"I know that he wanted me to help him," Aria said softly, "but Azreal, take some time and think about it. When I met him, when he told me those things, I felt pain from him in his words. He hated the Gods… just the same way Selmora hated the Gods.

In Selmora's case, she found you — and you guided her, gave her a position in Hell. And after hearing her story, the Gods truly wronged her.

I learned about devotion, belief, and worship through her.

The same goes for Sin. He must have his own story… his own life that made him choose the wrong path. The Gods must have truly wronged him, just as they did Selmora.

Azreal, honestly… I think Sin's anger is justified. In the world he imagined, he only wanted everyone to live peacefully — even if it meant doing it the wrong way. Where Selmora had you to guide her, he had no one. That's why he turned out like this."

"Aria—" Azreal began, but she quickly interrupted.

"I'm not saying he's right!" she cried. "But still… he's not wrong either. It's just his way of solving the problem that is wrong. I believe we should help him. I know he's dead… but we should help him achieve his goal somehow, Azreal."

Azreal's expression darkened. "Aria… you've let his words take root in your heart. But listen carefully, and think with reason, not hope.

A world without good or evil? Without heaven or hell? Do you understand what that truly means? It means stripping away the very foundation of existence itself.

Good cannot exist without evil. Justice has no meaning without injustice. Light shines only because darkness surrounds it. Erase one, and the other ceases to have purpose. You are left with nothing. Emptiness. Stagnation.

Sin calls it peace. But what he seeks… is a void. A silence that swallows all will, all conflict, all growth. Life thrives because of struggle. It is through pain that we find strength. Through loss, we find meaning. Through death, we learn the value of living. Removed those truths, and you remove what it means to be alive.

Tell me, Aria… if there is no evil, why would one choose to be good? If there is no punishment, what restrains cruelty? If there is no reward, why strive to rise above? Strip the world of consequence, and you strip it of choice.

What Sin offers is not peace. It is a dream… fragile, shallow — a glass world that will shatter the moment reality touches it.

And I refuse to build such a world. Because a false paradise… is far crueler than any Hell. At least in Hell, you know you are alive."

Aria's voice trembled as she whispered, "Azreal… tell me something. What does it mean to sin?

Is it stealing when you're starving?

Is it lying when the truth would shatter the person you love?

Is it killing when it's the only way to protect someone precious?

If those are sins… then who decides? The heavens? The Gods? Or the chains of Hell?

Tell me, Azreal!"

Her voice rose as tears spilled down her cheeks, her body trembling as she clutched her chest.

"Because I don't understand anymore… I don't!

The heavens claim justice when they strike us down. Hell claims order when it drags us into the flames. But all I've ever seen from them is suffering! Suffering for the living, suffering for the dead!

And the Gods…!"

She gasped, her voice cracking as more tears slid down her face.

"The Gods… I have never seen them lift a hand to help! Not once! All they do is judge from above — and their judgment always ends in pain! They cause the wounds, and we are the ones who bleed for it!

So tell me, Azreal… where is their mercy? Where is their justice?!"

Azreal looked at her silently as her tears dropped onto the bedsheet.

"Sin… he wasn't wrong to dream!" Aria cried. "He wanted equality. Peace. A world where people didn't live in fear of some cruel judgment. A world where one mistake didn't mean eternal chains!

Is it really so evil… to want a world like that?"

She clenched her fists tightly, trembling.

"You always told me to think… to believe in something greater. But right now, all I believe is this:

If Heaven's light and Hell's chains only bring pain… then maybe — maybe the true sin… is the Gods themselves!

The Gods are in the wrong!"

To be continued...

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