The war beyond the temple walls pressed against the air like a living thing.

Even from here, Salem could feel it- thick, restless, suffocating.

Not that she cared.

This world, its politics, its wars - it meant nothing to her. All she wanted was to leave this place. To get out. To find somewhere- anywhere- she could finally rest.

The doors opened without resistance. No blinding light greeted her this time. Instead, sound crashed into her.

Cries. Steel. Chaos- 

Not inside the temple… But just beyond it.

When her vision adjusted, she saw them.

Two forces. Opposing. Separated not by distance, but by allegiance- clear in their armor.

They stood frozen.

Silent.

Not because of each other-

But because of her.

She had stepped out of the sacred chamber.

That room…

The one only saints, popes, or those chosen by a god could enter.

Even then, it wasn’t guaranteed.

And the truth- the secret whispered beneath power…

No one had entered that chamber in centuries.

Until now.

So they stared.

And they did not move.

Near the back, one young knight faltered.

A soldier of Dawne’s temple.

An aspiring paladin. Someone who believed in righteousness - power guided by faith and discipline.

He had always trusted his instincts.

Now…

They were screaming at him.

The being in front of him-

She wasn’t just dangerous.

She was wrong.

Her presence crushed the air. It dwarfed everything he had ever felt before- even the Pope himself. Looking at her felt like staring at something he wasn’t meant to comprehend.

Then she spoke.

And time… seemed to stop.

“…Is my hair white?”

Her voice scraped against the silence. Hoarse. Dry. Empty.

Her eyes scanned a soldier’s shield, using its reflection like a mirror.

“My eyes…”

A pause.

“…are they red?”

There was no panic in her tone.

No shock.

Only absence.

The only emotion she showed was a faint crease in her brow.

The young knight swallowed hard.

Breathing felt impossible beneath the pressure she emitted.

If he struggled this much-

Then what about the others?

She lowered her gaze. Looked over the soldiers in front of her with complete disinterest.

That’s when he noticed them-

The two egg-like shapes were floating beside her head. Encased in a faint shimmer.

Where had they come from?

What else had she taken?

“The demon from the prison!”

That single shout shattered the stillness.

Everything changed.

Recognition spread like fire.

Weapons shifted.

Stances tightened.

They moved- ready to fight. The young knight’s gaze snapped back to her.

And for the first time-

She reacted.

The word obviously struck something.

Deep. Violent.

“…Demon?”

Demon.

The word echoed.

Again.

And again.

And again.

It had followed her for centuries.

Branded her. Defined her.

Broken her.

Salem’s eyes sharpened.

Cold. Dangerous.

She could ignore her reflection. Ignore what she had become.

But this?

This label?

This hatred?

No.

Not anymore.

Her gaze shifted to the group on her right as they moved into formation.

She didn’t even acknowledge the others.

Her power answered before her thoughts fully formed.

The air moved. No grand gesture. No warning.

Just silence-

Then death.

A blade of wind cut clean through the formation.

Swift. Precise. Effortless.

For a single, suspended moment-

Nothing happened.

Then-

Heads fell.

Bodies remained standing for half a breath before collapsing. Blood erupted upward in violent arcs, staining the air crimson.

Salem didn’t flinch.

Didn’t watch.

Didn’t care.

Her gaze had already moved on.

I thought I would at least feel something after killing someone… But then again, they didn’t treat her like a human in all the years they held her captive. Why should she care that she killed the abusers standing in her way?

She turned to the remaining group.

“Are you with the temple as well?”

Her voice was flat.

Devoid of even the slightest emotion or remorse.

The soldiers froze.

Their armor- gold with dark accents- marked them clearly different.

The man at the front stepped forward. Barely.

He tried to speak.

Failed.

Tried again.

“N-no… ma’am…”

His voice trembled violently.

“We’re… with the rebellion… trying to… to build a unified empire…”

Every man behind him shook.

Salem watched him.

Cold. Measuring.

“Empire…” she murmured.

Her gaze flicked briefly to the massacre behind her.

Then away.

No emotion stirred.

None worth acknowledging, anyway.

She could feel a presence fleeing- fast, frantic. Salem could even hear the faint, clumsy steps as whoever it was ran away.

Back toward the temple.

She let it go.

It wasn’t worth the effort.

“I see.”

A pause.

“Where is the exit?”

The man raised a trembling arm and pointed.

She followed the direction with her eyes.

Then closed them.

Letting her awareness stretch outward-

Feeling. Mapping. Understanding.

Satisfied-

She nodded.

“Thank you.”

And she walked forward.

The soldiers parted instantly.

No hesitation.

No resistance.

No one dared stop her.

Gerald didn’t breathe again until she was gone.

Until her presence finally lifted from them.

Only then did his legs threaten to give out.

“Vice-captain…”

Felix’s voice shook beside him. His eyes were wide, wet with fear.

“Do we… report this?”

Gerald stared at the empty corridor.

Still trying to steady his heartbeat.

“I…”

He swallowed hard.

“I don’t know.”

A long pause.

“Finish the mission first.”

His voice came out quieter than he intended.

“Then… we decide what to tell His Majesty.”

But even as he said it-

He knew.

Whatever they had just witnessed…

Would change everything.