THE VILLAIN'S POV

"I do not deserve thanks," she said gently. "For years, I stood by as the Church committed its sins and atrocities, and I did nothing to stop it."

Her words, spoken from guilt, only deepened Uriel's curiosity. She dared to ask:

"My lady, forgive my impertinence… but I must know—what truly happened in the past? Why did you spend all these years hidden away? And why now, of all times?"

Uriel's questions were many. Liora merely smiled in reply.

"I promise you, every question in your heart will be answered. But first, let us wait until they awaken. I am certain they will want to hear the story as well."

Uriel nodded. There was much mystery yet to be unraveled, and many truths only Liora could provide—truths from someone who had lived through the Great War centuries ago, the war that ended with Kazis Valerion's sacrifice.

Both Frey and Snow deserved to hear those truths. So, until they stirred, Liora and Uriel stood at the edge of the great temple, gazing at the wondrous sight of millions of lights—souls rising one by one into the heavens.

Uriel, in particular, was overwhelmed. She felt the crushing weight of guilt as she watched the liberated souls vanish into the sky, souls taken and slaughtered because of her.

"You are not guilty, Uriel Platini," Liora reassured her softly. "Like those countless souls, you too were only a sacrifice—an unwilling pawn in the schemes and horrors of others. Of Blattier… and of whoever it was that pulled his strings from the shadows."

Uriel understood, but shook her head.

"I know I was manipulated. I know I had no choice. But that doesn't change the fact that I was the direct cause of their deaths. Of all those innocent lives…"

She lifted both her trembling hands, despising her own weakness and helplessness.

"If only I had enough power… enough courage… perhaps it would not have ended this way."

Listening, Liora shook her head gently. She placed her hand on Uriel's arm, and with her golden light, began to purify the twisted blood-runes carved into her skin.

"Power is not always the answer, Uriel Platini," Liora said. "No matter how strong you become, there will always be someone stronger. I am proof of that."

The golden radiance spread, cleansing the corruption from Uriel's body, as Liora infused her with sacred light.

"It is not power that defines us, child. It is the choices we make, the paths we walk, the destinies we forge with our own hands." She smiled warmly.

"I see now. They injected you with my blood… along with the blood of the other Saints."

Uriel lowered her head, ashamed, but nodded.

"This was how they preserved the Saint's legacy—by forcing fragments of our blood into others. Your strength is part of us."

But Liora shook her head.

"No. Those foreign traces do not strengthen you. They bind you. They limit you."

She released more of her golden aura, purging the foreign blood entirely from Uriel's body.

Uriel stared at her in shock, not understanding. Liora explained:

"The strength was always within you. All you need is to awaken it—not through twisted rites, nor through sacrifice, nor through blood, but through true awakening. Through your own potential. You carry it deep inside, as I do. Train yourself, and one day… you will reach it."

Liora's voice carried absolute certainty. She had felt that same golden spark hidden within Uriel's soul.

Still, Uriel was unconvinced.

"You mean to tell me… that one day I could reach your level? That I could wield the same golden light as you?"

Liora nodded.

"Perhaps you might even surpass it."

Those last words shook Uriel to her core. This was the First Saint—the Dawn Saint herself—whose level had never been matched in centuries. Yet she claimed Uriel might one day exceed her.

Uriel dared not refute her. She could only remain silent… until their conversation was cut short.

For in that moment, Frey and Snow stirred. Their bodies, once broken, moved faintly for the first time since falling to Blattier. Seconds later, they opened their eyes almost in unison.

The sight of them alive overwhelmed Uriel. Her emotions burst forth as she embraced them both tightly, unable to stop herself.

Everything happened so fast. Surprise was written across their faces—especially Snow's, who could not comprehend how he had survived at all. Frey, however, was calmer. Gently patting Uriel's back, he eased himself free of her arms.

"…We're alive?" Snow whispered in disbelief. His last memory was of Blattier's final attack, followed by darkness. He still could not accept that he was breathing now, as if nothing had happened.

Then both of them noticed her—the figure who had changed the entire flow of aura around them, who had saved them.

With one look, they knew.

Liora did not keep them waiting. Stepping forward, she addressed them with a soft smile.

"Frey Starlight, Snow Lionheart… I know you must have many questions. But first, allow me to thank you both for all you have done. I am truly glad to see you alive."

Then she turned her covered gaze toward Frey, whose silence had been steady until now.

"I have no eyes to see you with. But from your aura, I can tell—you are not surprised, unlike your friend. Isn't that right, Frey Starlight?"

Liora smiled. Frey held his silence for a long breath before finally answering.

"To be honest… I had a feeling I wouldn't die here. Not like this, not in this place." His voice was heavy, remembering all the times death had eluded him, all the times he had failed to end his life.

He had been forced to live, again and again, dragged back by forces outside himself. Death had never claimed him before. He could not believe this time would be any different.

"I expected something would intervene, something to change the outcome. And it seems your arrival was that something. For that, I suppose I should thank you… Saint."

Liora's smile deepened.

"You realized who I was so quickly… remarkable."

Snow, still regaining his sense of reality, struggled to follow the conversation. Unlike Frey, he had been certain they were doomed. He needed time to accept survival.

But Frey's violet eyes glowed as he looked at her.

"A presence of SSS rank… a sacred aura unlike any other… and your appearance, your very features. Identifying you is hardly difficult. You're the one who dealt with Blattier, aren't you?"

Liora nodded.

"My name is Liora. I am the Saint who once walked beside the First Hero, Kazis Valerion. And yes… as you guessed, I am the one who ended Blattier and saved you both."

Her words confirmed Frey's suspicions, and at last revealed the truth of who she was.

"The Saint who stood with the First Hero… but wasn't she supposed to have died centuries ago?" Snow asked in disbelief.

"Yes," Frey answered. "She should be long dead. Yet here she stands before us."

His tone held equal parts curiosity and suspicion. He had never imagined such a figure could still exist.

Liora tilted her head, her faint smile never faltering.

"I can see you both have much you wish to say…"

"That's right," Frey answered at once, rising back to his feet.