For Nightingale, the fleeting moments she shared with Felicia were the happiest time of her life. Felicia is a DeathWhizkersz too, but for some reason, the warmth in her eyes, the tenderness of her touch, the sincerity of her smile, they were all like the warm sun, melting all the ice away. 

But now… 

As the door slams shut, Nightingale collapses on her knees, tears pouring down from her eyes. 

Her whole body is shaking.

Because it hurts.

It hurts so much…

This pain…

Nightingale is struggling to understand… 

The thing is, she isn’t even afraid of pain. Because she’s a DeathWhizkersz, pain is nothing new to her. She can endure anything. An insatiable hunger, a crippling pain, a burning cold or searing heat, name anything. Yet, she is now hugging her chest tight, her breath coming in ragged gasps, her heart pounding like a drum. She claws at her chest, as if trying to physically tear out the ache that threatens to consume her. Tears flowing down, each one is a searing drop of pain that burns a path down her cheeks. 

She did the right thing… right?

She has to let Felicia go, right?

There is no other way…

But…

"Liar..." 

Felicia’s words echo in Nightingale's mind. The warmth of her hand still lingers.  

Yes, she’s a liar, and a fool.

A fool who lied to herself. 

How foolish of her, thinking that she can find happiness someday.

And how foolish of her, reaching for love as a DeathWhizkersz.

Turning back, the once celestial tapestry of stars in her inner world is now a suffocating void. The water, once reflective of their luminescence, turns inky black. And then, from its depths, countless shadowy tendrils rise, reaching, beckoning. She doesn’t even have the will to fight anymore.

Because to her now, maybe that’s okay.

Perhaps, it’s time for her to come back to where she belongs. An empty world, a world devoid of pain, of hope, of love.

Yes, the engulfing darkness promises one thing: silence.

So at least, she can now silence this crying heart, and put an end to this relentless ache, this insatiable longing. 

And just like that, the tendrils entwine her, dragging her deeper. 

She closes her eyes, merges with the abyss, becoming one with her eternal night.

…

…

---

BUT LIKE HELL YOU GONNA LET THAT HAPPEN!

With fierce determination, you tear through the dark tendrils! Seizing Nightingale’s arm, you summon every ounce of strength to drag her back!

“NIGHTINGALE!”

Your voice, raw with desperation, reverberates, dispelling the encroaching void. She is yours now, and if any force – Kataros or demon or whatever the hell that is – wishes to claim her, they'd have to kill you first!

With your help, Nightingale’s freed from the abyss's grasp. You catch her mid-fall, and together, you crash onto the still surface of the lake.

“Oh no… Nightingale…” you then call her name, holding her tight in your arms. Your voice is shaking, in pain, and in anger.

“Fe… licia?” Nightingale opens her eyes. She mutters your name. Yet, her voice is just a whisper, barely any strength now.

Oh that’s good. You heave a sigh of relief. So she’s okay, you made it in time.

“Yes, I’m here nya.” You reply to her. “Don’t worry, I won’t let it take you away nya…”

“But… how?”

Nightingale pushed you through that door, out of her inner world. You shouldn’t be here. How did you come back?

Yet before you can explain further, another voice pierces the atmosphere.

“So, this is the source of the demonic energy, huh? As I thought, a fragment of Kataros, which has evolved to have a will of its own.”

And that voice, it’s Asteria! She’s the one who helped you get back in!

But hell, that girl is so furious right now!

Looking back at Asteria, you can see the bloodlust in her blazing red eyes and the killing intent materializes in the form of a thick, dark smoke. Each of her movements sends a shock wave rippling through the air. It's as if the very world is bending under her might, submitting to her dominating will.

You are shocked.

So… this is Asteria’s dark side. This girl, she’s truly, truly terrifying!

“What!? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?”

From the abyss, a demonic voice erupts. All the darkness converges, and the demon itself materializes — a colossal eyeball hovering in the sky, glaring down at the three of you like an eldritch deity inspecting insignificant ants.

Yet Asteria remains unfazed.

“Ha! Do you still believe that you are in control of this space?”

She says, then with a mere snap of her fingers...

BOOM!

The demonic eyeball crashes to the ground as if gravity's pull on it has multiplied a million times over. It's flattened, like a pancake!

“And do you think you are the only one who can devour souls?”

Huh? Devouring… souls?

Hearing that, you are confused. 

“Asteria, did you…”

“Yes, it eats your soul, so I just eat it back!”

Aha! So that's how she did it! Looking around, this is not Nightingale’s inner world anymore. This is your world! Your mountain top! With its canopy of stars and shimmering constellations!

But still, eating souls, can Asteria really do that too? Isn’t that the thing only demons can do?

“Aaaaa!”

The demon eyeball suddenly screams, then in a desperate attempt, unleashes thousands of tendrils aiming for Asteria.

But she just smirks like it’s no big deal!

“Felicia,” Asteria turns to you. “Do you remember what I said? Think of yourself as a shining beacon of light. That way, no darkness can get through.”

And just like that, Asteria doesn’t even have to do anything. A barrier of light just appears. It protects you and Nightingale. The dark tendrils can't penetrate!

Then, “Time to end this.”

Asteria says, and starts chanting a spell in divine tongue.

“Astra venire, lumen clarie…” (Star of the heavens, the light shines brightly…)

The words reverberate in the air, each syllable imbued with a profound energy. As the chant reaches its climax, a white, shining spear appears, its tip glinting with a light that seems to pierce the very soul of the darkness. You thought that Eosphoros was bright. But comparing that sword to this spear in Asteria’s hand, it’s nothing! Yet, the light is so warm and kind. It doesn’t hurt your eyes at all. 

However, the spear appears incomplete. It’s missing a half for some reason.

“Di– divine weapon? NO! IMPOSSIBLE!” 

The demonic eye trembles with a mix of rage and terror.

Nightingale, witnessing all of this, also mutters. 

“Are you… Aquilonyan?”

Hearing that, another shock hits you. Nightingale is telling you… that Asteria is Aquilonyan, the Goddess of Catgirls!?

Yes, thinking about it, this is perhaps the only plausible explanation. You’ve read about weapon ranking in this world. Highest ranks are legendary, mythical and divine. The Herculean String is a legendary weapon, since it can be crafted. The Eosphoros you used is mythical grade one time use artifact, cannot be crafted, but bestowed by gods to their followers. And at the highest rank are divine weapons, the weapons of gods themselves. Because of this, a divine weapon can only be held by Gods or Goddesses, no mortal can ever touch it. So, as Asteria is holding that spear right now, she must be a goddess. A goddess and also a catgirl? While being extremely knowledgeable about the Auraelis Aquilonia constellation?

Who else can she be, except the Goddess Aquilonyan!?

But Asteria doesn’t say anything to answer Nightingale's question. Her attention wholly on the fragment of Kataros before her. The world itself appears to stand still, holding its breath as she raises the ethereal spear.

And then, 

“Die.”

With a whisper command, the spear rockets itself forward. All you can see is a trail of light. The immense speed left the demonic eye with no time to react, no time to even register the impending doom.

BOOM! The impact was cataclysmic.

Upon hit, the demonic eye is destroyed instantly. Its once grotesque body now exploded into shining particles.