"It's okay… she'll be fine," Claude said softly to himself.Six months had passed since Elestia vanished without a trace.
No matter how many teams were dispatched, how many mages searched through mana trails and prophetic mirrors — there was nothing.It was as if she'd never existed.
Their last conversation had been on the night of the Emperor's birthday banquet — the night when everything began to fracture.
"Captain," Relo muttered beside him, breaking the silence. "It's not your fault."
Claude didn't answer. His fingers tightened around the pendant Elestia once carried — a small, cracked gem that faintly glowed whenever she smiled.
He wore it now as a reminder. Or perhaps, as an anchor to guilt.
Meanwhile, in the grand hall of the Imperial Palace, laughter echoed.
A young woman stood beside Claude — silver-haired, serene, wearing the uniform of a Magic Knight. Her smile was soft and graceful, the perfect picture of composure.
"Is it good?" she asked playfully, spinning once to show off her uniform.
Claude chuckled. "You look great, Elestia."
But deep down, something about her aura… felt different.Her eyes gleamed warmer, her tone lighter — but her presence was heavier.
When they entered the throne room together, the hall fell quiet.
The Emperor of Fiena, Zephkiel, raised a golden goblet and laughed."Well, well! If it's you, Claude, then I can rest easy tonight! Hahaha!"
But as his laughter faded, his sharp gaze slid toward the woman beside him.His smile thinned.
That aura… it's not what my mages described.
For an instant, Zephkiel's imperial instincts screamed at him — that thing before him was not the Saintess who once stood bathed in divine light.Her mana was too calm. Too balanced.Too artificial.
Eussia, the second soul, lowered her head — hiding her smirk.
Ah, so this king already senses it. How delightful.
"Announcing the arrival of His Holiness, Pope Raphael!"
The herald's voice rang out, and Eussia's heart skipped a beat.She hadn't expected him to appear — not now.
Her holy aura instantly shifted — smooth as silk, flawless as her twin's once was.A faint shimmer ran across her body as she cloaked herself in Elestia's divine signature.
Tch. Change of plans. I can't act tonight.
She forced a calm expression as Sirene whispered discreetly beside her ear.
"My Lady, someone's approaching. He hides his aura, but his gaze… it's on you."
"It's fine," Eussia murmured. "I know him."
Her golden eyes lifted just enough to catch the faint outline of a man cloaked in black at the far end of the hall — Licht, the Great Demon himself, now disguised as a foreign envoy.He glanced her way once, a wry smile forming.
"Are you the King or the Queen?" she whispered, her lips barely moving.
Licht's faint nod was answer enough.
The King is revived… soon the Queen will awaken too, he thought as he melted back into the crowd.
His mission was complete. And with that, he vanished.
A messenger arrived moments later."Miss Elestia, His Majesty requests your presence."
Eussia inclined her head. "Understood."
As she walked toward the upper chamber, her gaze passed by Lucia and Carmila — the so-called saintesses of another world. Their painted smiles made her fingers twitch with barely restrained malice.
"Mortals," she murmured, her voice laced with venom. "So greedy."
Carmila's smug grin faltered for half a second as Eussia's eyes flashed gold.The air around her thickened with a suffocating, invisible pressure.
"Saintess… my ass," Eussia whispered with a cold chuckle. "You'll learn soon enough."
She knew everything — both her own and Elestia's memories intertwined like twin reflections. Every dream, every wound, every betrayal.And among them, one name burned brighter than all:
Zhask… the man who turned her into the Saintess.
The man of origin. The key to my resurrection.
She clenched her fist, hiding the motion within her sleeve, her voice a soft murmur.
"I will make you suffer, sister. But first… I need him."
Inside the private chamber, two powerful figures awaited her — Emperor Zephkiel and Pope Raphael himself.
Eussia's steps were measured and graceful as she entered."Your Majesty. Your Holiness."
"Welcome, Elestia," Raphael greeted her kindly.But his expression didn't match his tone — it was sharp, knowing. "The girl from prophecy… we finally meet."
"Prophecy?" Eussia tilted her head with practiced innocence. "I'm afraid I don't understand."
A dangerous smile spread across the Pope's face."Oh, I believe you do. After all, if the prophecy came from the gods, surely the one foretold would feel it within their soul."
Eussia froze — just enough to betray a flicker of unease.'They're testing me,' she realized instantly.'So the Church suspects… no, they know.'
"Perhaps," she said lightly, "but I've had so many dreams lately, it's hard to tell what's divine and what's not."
The Emperor's eyes narrowed. "Dreams, you say?"
"Yes," she smiled, pure and gentle. "Of another me."
The two men exchanged a glance. Neither spoke, but their silence was enough to confirm their shared fear — and anticipation.
Two souls in one vessel.
If this was true… she was not a Saintess at all.She was the embodiment of duality itself — the dormant Queen of the Holy Land reborn in mortal flesh.
Outside the chamber, behind the closed doors, Kiel stood beside Ciel, his jaw tight.
"She's changed," Kiel said quietly. "It's not her anymore."
"I know," Ciel replied calmly, his voice cold and measured. "That's why I let you near her."
Kiel turned sharply. "What are you saying?"
"You were my test, Kiel. To see how long it would take before she—or whatever is inside her—shifted. You failed to notice for months."
Kiel's fist clenched. "You used me?"
Ciel smiled faintly, his mismatched eyes reflecting candlelight."No. I used her love for you."
Back in the chamber, Eussia met the Pope's stare head-on.
"Resurrection of the Queen of the Holy Land," he said softly. "That is what the prophecy calls you."
Her lips curved upward."The Queen, huh… sounds quite fitting."
And that was the last moment anyone saw the "Saintess" known as Elestia — for by dawn, she was gone.
But her disappearance brought not relief… only trembling expectation.
Because across the continent, both light and darkness began to stir once again —and the prophecy whispered to life:
"When the twin souls awaken, the heavens will split, and the King and Queen shall walk the earth once more."