Light didn't flash.
The air didn't explode.
There was no roar, no dramatic arrival.
One moment the forest was full of trees.
The next…
a white-clad figure simply was there.
The Silent Saint stood on the moss, unmoving, his veil of holy chains shimmering like trapped moonlight.
He carried no weapon.
He didn't need one.
Every breath he took steepened gravity around them.
Kaela swore under her breath, fangs gritted.
Rion felt something inside his chest… twist.
Like a soul shrinking.
Azrath hissed,
"Do. Not. Move."
But Rion couldn't help it—his knees buckled as the Saint's presence pressed down on him.
Kaela stepped in front of Rion, blade drawn, body shaking from the overwhelming force.
"If you want him…"
"…You go through me."
The Saint didn't react.
Didn't even acknowledge her.
Instead, he lifted one finger.
A single chain unraveled from around his arm—
softly, silently—
and drifted across the forest floor like a white serpent smelling blood.
Rion's breath hitched.
Azrath roared inside Rion's skull.
"DON'T ATTACK HIM!"
Rion gasped, clutching his temples.
"I'm not—"
"You are," Azrath snapped.
"Your instincts are forcing you toward rage. That's how the corruption starts."
The shadows under Rion's skin began to ripple.
Kaela noticed instantly.
"Stop it!" she hissed.
"If you lose control now, you'll die before he even raises a hand!"
Rion gritted his teeth.
He could feel the anger crawling up his spine,
the same anger that had erupted at the shrine.
Like a living thing trying to burst free.
"Azrath, I can't—"
"YOU CAN."
"Because I am stopping you."
Rion felt something clamp down inside him—
like Azrath shackling the shadows with his own essence.
The demonic surge faltered.
Rion gasped for breath.
Azrath's voice dropped to a harsh whisper.
"If you lose control again… I might not be able to pull you back."
The chain crept closer.
Kaela planted her feet and slashed at it with her Fangblade.
Sparks exploded.
Her blade—an enchanted beast-forged weapon—
didn't even scratch the chain.
The chain slid around her defenses, glowing softly, as if pitying her effort.
Kaela braced herself.
"Rion, when I say run—"
She never finished.
A pulse of holy energy surged from the Saint.
Kaela was launched backward like a rag doll, slamming into a tree with a sickening crunch.
Rion cried out.
"KAELA!"
She coughed, blood dripping from her lip.
"Still alive… idiot…"
"…Don't make that effort worthless…"
Azrath snarled.
"He didn't even look at her. He only wants you."
Rion stepped forward despite Azrath's warnings.
"Why? Why me?"
The Saint finally raised his head.
Chains around his veil parted slightly.
And a single, golden eye stared at Rion.
Ancient.
Soft.
Terrifying.
---
Not far away, Seraphine sprinted through the forest, cloak torn by branches, her breath ragged.
She used every spell she knew to keep running.
Her boots skidded to a stop as a shockwave of holy power slammed through the trees.
Seraphine's heart dropped.
"He's here…"
She threw away the Death Mandate scroll, letting it burn in her palm.
"Rion… please don't be gone…"
She forced her legs to move again, faster than she ever had.
The Silent Saint's chains froze mid-air.
The air stilled.
Even Azrath went quiet.
That lone golden eye seemed to pierce Rion's soul, reading through him like pages of a book.
Rion trembled.
"…Are you here to kill me?"
The Silent Saint did not nod.
Did not shake his head.
He raised one hand—
Rion tensed—
and the chain that had hovered inches from his face…
gently lifted his chin.
A whisper escaped the Saint.
The first word he had spoken in years.
"…Uncertain."
Rion blinked.
Kaela froze.
Azrath recoiled in confusion.
The Saint continued, voice faint as wind through broken glass:
"He is… not yet… the vessel."
Rion swallowed hard.
"Then what am I?"
The chain glowed brighter.
The Saint's eye gleamed with something colder than hatred—
something like duty.
"…Judgment required…"
He stepped closer.
"…before… corruption decides… your fate."
Rion's heart hammered.
"You're… judging me?"
"…Yes."
"To see if I deserve to live?"
"…No."
The Saint's voice sharpened with power that shook the forest.
"…To see if you deserve to remain human."
The forest went silent.
Kaela's breath hitched.
Azrath finally spoke, voice tinged with real fear.
"…Rion. He's not here to kill you."
Rion's blood ran cold.
"…He's here to decide what you become."
The Silent Saint lifted both hands.
Chains spread out like wings of holy light.
And Rion's trial began.