The longhouse fell into a reverent hush as Sora stepped toward the simple bed where Eldrin's son lay.
Aric's breathing was shallow, each rise of his chest uneven. Dark, vein-like corruption still clung to his injured leg, pulsing faintly with residual demonic traces. His wife knelt beside him, hands clasped so tightly her knuckles had turned white.
"Please…" she whispered, voice breaking. "Please save him."
Sora knelt beside the wounded man.
Corruption.
It clung to him like a second shadow.
Up close, the damage was clearer.
The leg was not merely injured—it was wrong. Mana channels beneath the flesh twisted unnaturally, their flow disrupted and snarled as though something had clawed through them and left hooks behind. Faint black veins pulsed intermittently, receding whenever Sora's presence pressed against them.
Null stood back, arms crossed, silent. He could feel it too—the holy mana radiating from Sora, soft but absolute, pushing back against the corruption like a rising tide.
Sora placed two fingers lightly against Aric's ankle.
"Can you feel this?" she asked.
Aric swallowed and nodded. "Barely."
"That's enough," she said.
She closed her eyes.
"—Litany of Grace," she whispered.
Then—
Light bloomed.
Not the familiar golden radiance of conventional holy arts.
But bright cyan, luminous—like condensed dawn.
It poured from Sora's palms like liquid dawn, illuminating the longhouse in soft, radiant hues. The air itself seemed to shimmer, as though infused with life.
Warmth spread outward in gentle waves.
The gentle aura spread outward, carrying with it a sensation that was difficult to describe. It was not just warmth—it was vitality. As if the room had been infused with the quiet promise of renewal.
The others felt it in their bones.
The fatigue in their limbs eased. The tightness in their chests loosened. Even the ancient oak outside rustled softly, as if responding to the presence of something profoundly alive.
The cyan light did not merely cleanse.
It nurtured.
It flowed into Aric's body, weaving through his mana channels like living water. Where the dark veins once pulsed, they now recoiled, shrinking back as if afraid. The corrupted mana unraveled, overwritten by a purer, gentler force.
Aric gasped—not in pain, but in astonishment.
"I… I can feel it," he murmured. "I feel… alive,"
His wife pressed a trembling hand to her mouth, tears already spilling down her cheeks.
The black veins recoiled instantly, shrinking away from the glow as if terrified. Where the cyan light touched, the corruption didn't merely dissolve—it was overwritten. The twisted mana pathways straightened, regaining their natural flow.
The village healer, an elderly woman with decades of experience etched into her sharp eyes and steady posture, stepped closer. Her breath caught as she stared at the light.
"That light…" she whispered. "That isn't standard holy resonance."
"Holy arts are golden. Always golden. But this—this cyan radiance carries pure vitality."
Her hands trembled slightly.
"This isn't just purification," she said in awe. "It's restoration."
Sora's lips moved—but not in prayer.
No chant.
No invocation.
No communion with divine spirits, as holy arts traditionally required.
She simply focused.
The cyan aura pulsed softly, radiating a profound life-giving presence.
The healer noticed.
Her eyes narrowed in thoughtful silence.
"She's not calling upon the divine," she realized. "She is the conduit."
The light pulsed once more, then slowly began to recede.
Where corruption once marred Aric's leg, healthy flesh remained. His mana flow stabilized, smooth and unbroken. His breathing evened, strength returning to his body.
Sora withdrew her hands.
For a moment, no one spoke.
Then Aric sat up.
His wife let out a soft cry of disbelief and threw her arms around him, sobbing openly.
"You're warm," she laughed through tears. "You're really warm… You're alive!"
Eldrin staggered forward, his stoic composure finally cracking.
"My son…" his voice broke.
Aric smiled weakly. "I think I'm going to be alright, Father."
The village healer bowed deeply to Sora, her voice thick with emotion.
"I have studied healing for over forty years," she said. "And I have never witnessed anything like that. Your skills surpasses mine—not in power, but in essence."
Sora inclined her head gently. "Healing is not about superiority. It's about preserving life."
Nearby, Null leaned against a wooden pillar, watching quietly.
A whisper of omniscience brushed against his awareness.
[Observation: Saintess Sora channels divine energy through internal resonance.]
[Deviation: No external spiritual mediation detected.]
[Conclusion: Her soul structure allows autonomous divine conduction.]
[Result: Healing manifests as life-aspected cyan brilliance.]
The omniscient presence faded.
Null's lips curved slightly.
"Interesting," he murmured, a mysterious twinkle flashing in his dark red eyes.
Outside, the forest far away remained unnaturally silent.
But somewhere deep within its corrupted heart, something malevolent had felt the surge of living light—
—and it did not welcome what it sensed.
****
The forest greeted them with silence.
Not the peaceful kind.
The kind that pressed against the ears, heavy and watchful.
Sora and Null stood at the edge of Greythorn's woodland, where the warded fence ended and the twisted roots began. The trees here leaned inward, their bark darkened with vein-like streaks of corruption. Leaves hung limp, drained of color, and the air carried a faint metallic tang—like blood mixed with ash.
"The dark mana is denser here," she said. "It's already affecting the ley currents."
"It's not just spreading. It's being maintained."
"Something is feeding it," she continued calmly. "Or someone."
They stepped forward together.
The forest seemed to recoil.
The deeper they ventured, the heavier the forest became.
Not in sound—there was barely any of that—but in presence.
An oppressive pressure seeped into the air, as if the land itself were exhaling something foul and ancient.
The trees here were no longer merely twisted. Their trunks bore jagged scars where bark had split and reformed into dark, crystalline ridges. Veins of corrupted foil pulsed faintly beneath the surface, like a sick imitation of life.
Sora slowed her pace.
Then, without a word, she released her aura.
A pure white radiance bloomed from her form—soft, luminous, and serene, like moonlight given form. It did not shine like fire or glow like magic.
It simply existed.
The oppressive pressure recoiled instantly.
The air cleared. The suffocating weight lifted. The demonic mana surrounding them grew unstable, retreating like mist under sunlight.
Null briefly halted.
His dark red eyes eyes lingered on Sora's back, watching the way the white light framed her silhouette in pale luminescence, how it parted the corruption ahead of her as naturally as breath.
"…That's new," he murmured.
The cyan glow from earlier had felt sacred.
This white radiance felt celestial.
Fantasy Omniscience stirred within his consciousness.
[Would you like to activate Existential Perception on target: Sora?]
[Effect: Complete analysis of soul structure, mana origin, destiny threads, and hidden attributes.]
[Recommendation: High-value target. Data acquisition advised.]
Null's lips curved into a faint, amused smile.
'No,' he replied calmly.
'That would spoil the fun.'
[Fun?]
'She's an interesting character,' he said, eyes never leaving her. 'Figuring her out naturally is way more entertaining.'
[Noted.]
The presence faded.
Just then, Sora glanced over her shoulder
Her sky-blue eyes met his dark red ones.
"…You're staring," she said.
"Can you blame me?" Null didn't bother denying it. "You just turned the forest's horror setting to peaceful mode."
She sighed, but there was no irritation in it—only mild resignation.
"This white radiance—and the earlier cyan brilliance—are unique to me," she explained. "They don't come from holy invocation or supernatural power. They come from my constitution."
Null raised a brow. "Your constitution."
"Yes," she nodded. "I possess a unique supernatural source. A transcendental affinity for life and light that has never been seen in recorded history."
The white radiance continued to ripple around her, subtly reshaping the corrupted atmosphere.
"The cyan brilliance you saw earlier—that's my life affinity manifesting during healing," Sora continued. "It nurtures, restores, and revitalizes. But this white radiance?" She gestured vaguely to the luminous aura surrounding her. "This is my light affinity. It's… different. Purer. It doesn't just cleanse or heal—it repels corruption and evil forces on a fundamental level."
She looked at him, her expression softening.
"Because of that," she went on, "my Saintess status is… special. Even compared to saintesses of previous generations."
Null tilted his head slightly. "How special are we talking?"
"Special enough that only a minority of people know," she said.
"My family. My master. The higher-ups of the Divine Sanctum and a handful of acquaintances and instructors at Eden Academy."
Sora's voice grew quieter, more personal."It's… not something I share lightly."
Null tilted his head, a playful smile tugging at his lips.
"Interesting," he said. "So if this is such a classified secret…"
He leaned in slightly, voice dropping into something smoother, more flirtatious
"…why tell a nobody like me? We've barely known each other."
Sora stiffened.
"Did you develop that much trust in me already?" Null continued, his crimson eyes glinting with mischief. "If so, I really underestimated my charm."
He paused, his smile turning devilish."Or… is it because you like me?"
The forest could've collapsed and Sora wouldn't have noticed.
Her face flushed instantly, heat rushing up her neck to her ears.
""I—what?!" she sputtered, turning away too quickly. "You're just… annoying!"
Null chuckled softly. "That wasn't an answer."
She crossed her arms, the white radiance flickering slightly with her emotions.
"In your dreams," she muttered.
"Already there," He chuckled, the sound low and amused.
She shot him a glare—but her lips twitched despite herself.
They walked in comfortable silence for a few moments, the white radiance continuing to carve a safe path through the oppressive darkness.
"But seriously," Null said after a pause, his voice softer now, more genuine. "Thank you. For trusting me with that."
Sora glanced at him, surprise flickering across her face.Then she smiled—warm, sincere.
The demonic threat loomed ahead, dark and dangerous.
Yet between them, the atmosphere felt strangely light.