A scrawny little girl in a white tunic dress leans against a window and gazes up at the vast canvas of dazzling blue and blinding light. The clouds float in the air like marshmallows, filling her with gentle promises of a better tomorrow.

Maybe the next day will be different.

Her shoulder-length purple hair waves around as a gust of wind sweeps through the window. Her eyes sparkle when a flock of birds flies through the infinite canvas of the afternoon sky. Their lovely wings slash the silver linings of the cloud, sending her jolts of momentary freedom.

Freedom.

The sound of the door creaking and footsteps tapping softly on the hard surface break Raia's reverie. Another girl a few inches smaller than her joins her in gazing at the distant hope.

The clouds in the sky split up, and a bright ray of sunshine pierces through the cracks, showering them with blinding light. When the girl lifts her arm to shade her eyes, Raia spots a red line near her wrist.

"You're hurt?" she asks.

The girl lowers her hand and looks at the small cut on her arm. "I tripped."

Raia places a gentle hand on the girl's arm near the red line. Before the girl can say anything, the little wound vanishes. The girl blinks twice as she looks at her arm, then tilts her head to one side. Her face brightens as she rubs the blood from her skin. She gapes at Raia.

"How did you do that?" she blurts out, but Raia is leaning against the wall, cradling her head.

"It hurts," Raia whimpers, but the girl is too excited to notice her discomfort. She glances up and her eyes land on the girl's arm. "Y-your wound disappeared?"

The girl vigorously nods. "You made it disappear, how cool! I had no idea you could do magic. I should inform Ms. Alvarado of this. Maybe they'll be pleased if they find out about your magic. I'll be right back!" She hurries out of the dorm before Raia can say anything.

Raia clenches her small fists. "Maybe."

But the change she was hoping for tomorrow turned out to be a nightmare. A nightmare she could never wake up from.

***

"Raia." A soft voice echoes in the distance.

"Master?" Raia mumbles in a hoarse voice, still trapped in a deep slumber.

"Raia."

Raia's eyes flutter open, and she finds herself staring into deep brown eyes filled with worry.

"Raia, thank God you're awake." Sonnet lets out a sigh of relief. She leans away from Raia and sits on the seat next to the girl's bed. She's dressed in a crimson coat, with her blonde hair wrapped up in a bun.

Raia glances at herself. Her body is wrapped in a soft blanket as pure as the walls that surround them.

"Where am I?" Raia finds herself asking even though she already knows the answer.

Sonnet's lips curve into a small smile. "We're in Marietta at the hospital."

Raia gasps when the image of their fight with Loki flashes through her mind. She sits up, then winces as a sharp pain penetrates her stomach.

Sonnet leaps to her feet and gently places a hand on Raia's back.

"Be careful, you're not fully healed yet." Sonnet's voice is tinged with trepidation.

Raia clenches her teeth and yanks off the silky blanket. She's clothed in a white button-down shirt and pajamas. Someone must have changed her clothes while she was sleeping. Her shirt has been unbuttoned from the chest down, exposing a white bandage wrapped around her stomach. Her mind recalls the incident in which she stabbed herself with her own sword.

She frowns as she removes the bandage. Her jaw tightens when she sees raw, weeping flesh in various shades of pink and red in her stomach.

"How long have I been here?" Raia asks.

Sonnet takes a seat next to her on the bed. The door creaks open, and Cyrus strides inside the room before she can speak.

Cyrus is clad as a bishop and has a brown file folder tucked under his arm. His short caramel hair is tousled, as if he has been working for days without a rest. He blinks upon seeing Raia is already up. He adjusts his glasses and clears his throat.

"How are you feeling, Raia?" he inquires, peering at her through his rimless spectacles.

Raia's brows deepen. "How long have I been like this?"

"Almost a week."

Raia lowers her head and curses under her breath. It's been a week since their defeat at the hands of Loki. The last thing she remembers before losing consciousness is being encased in vines. She can't believe they're still alive when they're clearly on the losing side of the fight.

Did the Blood Demon spare them?

"H-how?" Raia's voice is more like a whisper.

Cyrus opens the file in his hand as if looking for a specific piece of information. "A resident of this town named Lunet called our line the morning after you two left." He looks up and meets Raia's gaze. "She reported that she discovered you and Kara unconscious on the vines on a roadway. So Miss Sonnet and I flew here right away. Fortunately, you two were already in the hospital when we arrived."

He closes the file, his face softening. "I guess Kara used his Blessing to save both you and himself."

"Vines," Raia mutters, recalling Raiden's ability to summon vines. The vines that shielded them.

Cyrus nods. "Yes. Kara's Blessing has the ability to summon and manipulate vines at will, but he can't use it effectively while fighting with a sword."

"I noticed he has to bury the blade or something to summon them."

"That's right. But he can also make vines with his sword without burying the blade into anything, but it will take a lot of concentration, as he hasn't yet mastered that part." Cyrus pauses, his gaze fixed on the floor. "Kara is the only Aragon who hasn't completed the one-year training."

Raia's eyes and mouth widen slightly in response to that statement.

"Kara is already a disciple hunting Outcasts without proper training," Cyrus says, earning a bewildered glance from the girl.

"What do you mean?"

Cyrus's lips form a small smile. "Kara has been living in the headquarters since before he became an Elysian, thus he was already a disciple. But he was a different person back then. He hadn't received sufficient training immediately after receiving a Blessing."

Raia's brows pull together in a deep frown, but she remains silent, allowing Cyrus to continue his speech.

"Let's just say he wasn't mentally fit at the time, and the Ministry wouldn't let him. But, a year ago, he joined Nathan and trained alongside him under the same Apostle, despite the fact that Nathan was already halfway through his apprenticeship at the time. So, after Nathan completed his training, Raiden's apprenticeship likewise came to an end."

He gives her a rueful smile. "And that, too, is a Ministry's decision."

A sudden look of understanding slides across Raia's face. So that explains Raiden's emotional inadequacy. He frequently loses focus during a fight due to his emotions.

She lowers her head. "Where's Kara?"

Cyrus averts his eyes. "He's in the room next to you. He hasn't regained consciousness yet."

Raia grasps the blanket. The image of Raiden being severely injured is still fresh in her mind. She clenches her hands, her nails piercing her skin. Her bones ache and her body trembles as a weight settles on her heart. She grits her teeth as a fire boils inside her, anger directed at herself. It's frustrating that she wasn't able to do anything against the demon, despite the fact that she received help from a disciple she barely knows.

I was saved. I guess I'm not strong enough.

Cyrus's expression softens when he sees her crumpled face. He sighs and places the folder on the bed. "Raia, I understand what you're thinking, but don't blame yourself for what happened. What matters is that both of you are alive. Such incidents are inevitable if the demon in question is particularly powerful."

"No, I'm not. I'm just . . . " Frustrated. She lifts her head and looks at him. "What is a Blood Demon?"

Cyrus's eyes widen and his face turns pale. "Blood Demon, you say? Was the one you encountered a Blood Demon?" His voice becomes strained all of a sudden.

Sonnet's body tenses as she and Cyrus share a gaze.

Raia raises an eyebrow, waiting for a response. Cyrus returns his eyes to her and sinks into the chair Sonnet had been sitting in earlier. He crosses his arms across his chest and narrows his eyes as if contemplating something.

"Blood Demons are high-level demons, second only to the Great Wizard. They are the ones who fought against the Twelve Prophets in the Holy War. They are . . . the first victims of the Great Wizard's deception."

Raia lets out a stunned gasp, but she does not attempt to interrupt Cyrus with comments. According to Simon, the Great Wizard built a temple to trick people into believing in the wrong god. And everyone who walked into that temple committed suicide. That's how he sacrificed a thousand souls to make a deal with Yuta, the God of Darkness.

"According to the book of Metanoia, there were nine of them, and they were known as the Nine Sinners," Cyrus adds, staring at the ground. "They were so dedicated to the God of Darkness that the Great Wizard made them his servants. They assisted him in deceiving even more innocent people. However, because they were only humans, they eventually aged and died.

"When the Twelve Prophets appeared and injured the Fallen Angel, the Great Wizard was enraged. He killed nine humans and summoned the spirits of his loyal servants to the victims' bodies. They are known as Blood Demons."

Cyrus unfolds his arms and rests his elbows on his knees. He leans forward, clasping his hands under his chin. "The Great Wizard and the Blood Demons mysteriously vanished without a trace after the war a thousand years ago."

Raia's eyes narrow in thought. "That spell he cast on the Fallen Angel's soul must have cost him a lot of power. He was weakened, which is why he vanished. He was hiding and regaining his strength during his absence."

Cyrus stares at her for a moment before smiling. "Ah, a smart kid; you're right, he's gotten weak. Five hundred years later, he returned and, along with the Blood Demons, reintroduced darkness into the world. But those seven demons . . . we haven't heard of them in a hundred years, and now you've encountered them."

"Yeah, but he's alone and he mentioned the Core. I'm guessing they're also looking for Cimmerians to find it."

Cyrus and Sonnet exchange a wary look.

"I see," Cyrus speaks in an undertone, his voice suddenly tense. "It's not surprising that the Fallen Angel will be awakened soon, given that the Core will form a new soul after a thousand years. The Great Wizard must have been desperate to find and secure it."

"Awaken?" Raia asks with a frown.

"Yes," Sonnet answers, and Raia looks at her.

"The Fallen Angel's Core is still a mysterious substance, but it is thought to reside in cursed souls. Once it awakens, our chances of closing the Western Gate will be greatly reduced."

And so my chance of achieving my freedom.

"Anyways," Cyrus says, breaking the silence that had descended on the room. "I need to contact the other branches right now. The Blood Demons have returned, and it's a serious matter. We must warn everyone to be more cautious." His gaze falls on Raia as if he wants to say something, but instead, he sighs and picks up the folder from the bed. "Well, then, I guess I should go."

"Wait," Raia blurts out, rising from her bed before Cyrus can leave.

Cyrus and Sonnet watch as Raia pulls her cloak from the metal hook on the white wall and clutches it against her chest. A flowery scent tickles her nostrils right away, indicating that her cloak has been washed clean.

"Take me to Kara," Raia orders, her voice low and solemn.

Cyrus's mouth widens in surprise as he stares at her, and Sonnet gives her a worried look. They both appear to be aware of what the girl is thinking.

"Raia," Cyrus begins, a hesitant tone in his voice. "You don't have to. You're not fully recovered yourself. You should take a rest for a while."

"What do you mean?"

Cyrus lowers his eyes to avoid her gaze. "I am aware of the consequences of your healing."

Raia stiffens. She scowls as she grips the cloak. Then she narrows her eyes and studies Cyrus's features, but when their gazes meet, the man averts his eyes once more.

"I will do it," Raia pronounces in a firm voice.

Cyrus's face looks surprised. "No, you don't have to . . . at least not right now. You should -"

"I'm a healer."

Cyrus stares at her, at a loss for words.

"You want me to heal him, right?" Raia continues, a hard expression on her face. "You're worried for him, which means he's in a bad state right now. So I'll do it, I'll heal him."

"But Raia -"

"What? You're worried about me? Or just feeling a bit sense of guilt?" Sarcasm rings in her deep voice. "It's no time for such a thing, Bishop Galbraith. Besides, I want to do it myself. Kara protected me from the Blood Demon and I despise it when I owe someone something. That's why I'll do it. To repay him."

Cyrus lowers his eyes, his jaw tightening.

Raia's mouth corners curve downward. Is he trying to pity me? Or is he just pretending just to feel less guilty?

Frustration flares up inside of her. Raia doesn't need anyone's sympathy. She knows that they're always out of pretense, and she finds it infuriating. Her time in the orphanage had already taught her everything she needed to know about the world. No one cares about anyone unless they need something. And in Raia's case, everyone always wants something from her.

They only want her gift.

Humans are cruel and selfish creatures. And they are predictable.

Besides, the consequence of her power only lasts during the healing process. So why fret about that when the pain will disappear once the patient is healed? It's better to get things done quickly than to waste time on something nonsensical.

This time, she heals whoever she chooses to heal.

"I'll heal him," Raia declares in a clearer voice. Her expression precludes any counter-argument.

Sonnet's eyes dart between the two with a troubled expression, but she remains silent.

"All right, then," Cyrus finally responds in hushed tones, flashing her a small smile.

"Just don't tell Kara," Raia says, lowering her head.

It's at this point that she remembers Raiden's words.

"And I don't want anyone to heal me if they have to bear my pain instead. I hate that. I don't want to be burdened with any more guilt."

Raia clenches her fists and pushes them out of her mind.