Inside the Great Wizard Hospital, whispers spread faster than any sickness.
Rumors of Lady Elestia Ronin's arrogance were everywhere — the tainted daughter who disrespected the Saintess, ungrateful to her noble lineage, and corrupted by jealousy.Carmila and Lucia, meanwhile, shone under the public eye — the radiant saintesses beloved by the Church, praised by nobles, adored by commoners.
And Elestia? The world saw her as a shadow of scandal, her name slowly sinking into disgrace.
Only Clara and a few others knew the truth — that Elestia had already awakened days ago, her body still frail but her mind clear. Clara had chosen silence. If the Church or royal court found out too early, the girl would never rest again.
That afternoon, Ciel arrived at the Great Wizard Hospital — the Crown Prince of the Fiena Empire and supreme authority over both the Mage Division and the Holy Court. His white uniform gleamed under the crystal chandeliers, his cold golden eyes sharp as if he could see through souls.
His arrival caused immediate chaos — priests kneeling, guards saluting, healers bowing their heads in reverence.
"Where is Lady Elestia Ronin?" Ciel asked curtly. His voice carried quiet authority that silenced the entire hall.
"In—In recovery chamber two, Your Highness," a priest stammered.
"Prepare the chamber for inspection. No one enters but me."
The air grew colder as he walked away.
Elestia, already awake, sat by the window. The sunlight painted her hair in faint silver-gold streaks. She looked fragile yet distant, like a portrait of a woman untouched by time. Sirene — her spirit fairy — hovered silently beside her shoulder, newly returned from evolution, her body now translucent and tinged with faint blue.
You've grown quiet, my master, Sirene whispered softly in her mind.
Elestia smiled faintly. I've learned that silence protects more than words ever could.
The door opened — and in walked the man everyone whispered about.
"Your Highness," Elestia said, standing automatically.
Ciel observed her without a word. He didn't ask for permission; he simply looked. His eyes traced the faint marks along her wrists and neck — scars the priests couldn't heal — before stopping at the spot above her heart, where faint golden runes pulsed beneath her skin.
"You may sit," he finally said. "You've been through enough."
Elestia obeyed quietly. Ciel moved closer, his presence intimidating yet strangely gentle.
"I've read your records," he began. "You were discovered with the Saintess Carmila, both showing divine aptitude. Yet only one of you bears the mark of the curse. Why?"
"I wouldn't know," Elestia replied calmly. "Perhaps the gods find me amusing."
Ciel's eyes flickered with interest. "You've been accused of disobedience to the Church, insubordination to your father, and manipulation of holy mana. Do you deny them?"
"Deny?" Her voice trembled faintly — not from fear, but from restraint. "There's no point in denying what they already believe. Truth means nothing when lies are more entertaining."
Ciel studied her. "You speak like someone who's given up."
Elestia smiled bitterly. "I gave up the moment they decided what I was supposed to be."
For a brief second, something unreadable passed across the prince's eyes. He reached into his coat, pulling out a crystal orb.
"This will read your mana flow directly," he said. "If you are human, it will shine blue. If cursed, black. If divine…" — he hesitated — "it will turn gold."
He extended it toward her. "Will you allow me to test it?"
Elestia's fingers trembled, but she nodded. The orb hovered between them — glowing faintly blue at first… then slowly bleeding into a deep crimson, before bursting into gold and black light intertwined.
The air turned heavy.
Sirene shrieked, fluttering violently around her master. "Master! Stop—!"
The orb cracked, splitting in half. A surge of light flooded the chamber.
Ciel covered his eyes, but even through the glare he could see Elestia's mana swirling — chaotic, beautiful, divine and cursed all at once. It was the same power described in the first prophecy.
When the light faded, Elestia was panting, her eyes faintly glowing amber.
"Interesting," Ciel murmured. "You are neither fully blessed nor damned."
Elestia looked up at him weakly. "Then what am I, Your Highness?"
He didn't answer. Instead, he extended a gloved hand, his expression unreadable. "Someone the world fears to understand."
Before she could respond, the door burst open — Kiel stormed in, his face pale with anger.
"Your Highness! What are you doing to her?" he shouted, pulling Elestia behind him instinctively.
Ciel arched a brow. "Inspecting a national anomaly, Prince Kiel. Should I remind you of your rank?"
"She's not a specimen!" Kiel snapped. His voice cracked with raw emotion.
Ciel's golden eyes glinted faintly with amusement. "Then protect her well. Because the Church won't stop here."
He turned and walked away, his cloak fluttering behind him. The moment he left, Elestia's knees buckled, and Kiel caught her.
"Why… why are you always pushing yourself?" he whispered, guilt thick in his voice.
Elestia didn't answer. She was staring at her trembling hands — at the faint gold lines now crawling across her veins.
"…Because if I don't," she murmured faintly, "the curse will consume me."
Outside, under the crimson banners of the Holy Tower, Ciel walked silently with his guard.
"Your Highness, the result—"
"I saw it," Ciel interrupted. "She's real."
"Then… she's the Saintess of Prophecy?"
Ciel stopped. "No. She's something worse." His gaze turned distant, toward the horizon where the twin moons rose over the empire's spires. "She's the one who will decide which prophecy comes true."
Meanwhile, far in the west, the Clock of Destiny, silent for centuries, began to tick once more.
And somewhere in the darkness, the Great Demon Licht rose from his throne.
"The girl has awakened," he said, his voice echoing through the void."The time of convergence begins."