With his eyes to the broken ceiling above, Ren questioned their escape.
"How do we even—"
Before he could finish, Eva's hand slipped into his, her fingers wrapped around his wrist.
"Come," She whispered, her voice like brittle glass. "This way…"
Ren's eyes widened at the lack of hesitation in her grip.
"…Alright," Ren murmured.
The incline of stone shambles stretched before them, and the climb to freedom began.
She placed her foot carefully on the first outcrop.
"Careful..." Ren said softly, steadying her with his free hand at her back.
Her head inclined just slightly in acknowledgment, as she continued to climb.
Their pace was slow, making sure the debris they stood on was stable enough to climb.
Ren followed closely, his hand still locked in her grip. Eva took the lead, though Ren's hand hovered near her back, steadying her whenever a piece of stone cracked under her weight.
But Eva suddenly stopped.
"…Ren."
Ren looked up at her back.
"Yes?"
"What really happened down here? What…I can't remember."
He swallowed hard, eyes dropping to the ruined stone beneath them.
"You probably wouldn't believe me if I told you," Ren muttered.
Eva turned her head slightly, enough that he could see the sharp line of her cheek against the pale light. Her closed eyes softened when she spoke.
"…Then tell me anyway."
He looked up at her, lips parting, but the words refused to leave him.
Ren wanted to say it—that he had killed Nocstella. That he had felt her blood run down his fingers, had watched her body crumple underneath him. That a false moon had torn open, birthing something unspeakable, and that before that, he had died. Again and again, over one hundred times. And those ink-like tendrils, he could still remember the pain they caused.
"Ren?" Eva's voice carried down to him.
He froze, blinking as her voice cut through the thoughts.
"…Sorry, I—I can't. Not right now." Ren lifted his gaze to her—to the faint outline of her face. "…I'll explain it later. If that's okay?"
Eva tilted her head toward him, giving a small nod of understanding.
"Later, then," She whispered.
Ren felt relief; Eva's understanding helped put him at ease.
Their climb seemed endless, but the incline finally broke into a narrow ledge. The corridor they descended from was just ahead. Though there was an issue.
The pathway was broken, with a gap between where they stood and the corridor entrance.
Ren tested the distance—a narrow leap, but a risky one with the broken stone crumbling under their feet. "Can you make it?" Ren asked softly.
Eva tilted her head slightly over the ledge. The distance wasn't far, but beneath the gap was a straight fall down to the very bottom. Her hands trembled at the sight, unsure of her own capabilities.
"You okay?"
Her breath caught at his voice.
"I…I don't think I can," She whispered, her voice low in humiliation. Then, after a pause, she tilted her head toward him. "…Would you…mind going first?"
Ren studied her for a moment, then gave a steady nod. "Yeah...I can,"
He took a step back, boots scraping over loose rubble, and judged the distance once again.
With a quick breath, he leapt—landing smoothly on the corridor's platform.
He turned back to her with arms outstretched.
"Your turn," He called to her, keeping his voice steady.
Eva hesitated, then took a deep breath. The space between them seemed to stretch wider the longer she stared at it. Until finally, she pushed off the ledge across the gap. Her feet landed unevenly, and she stumbled forward instinctively. But Ren caught her before she could fall, one arm gripping her forearm, the other steadying her by the shoulder.
"I've got you," He murmured.
For a brief second, Eva stayed there, hands clutching his sleeve, before her breathing slowed. Ren let her go only when he was certain she had her balance back.
The two of them moved into the corridor, now disconnected from the sanctum entirely, a path winding away from the broken ascent behind them.
Ren cast one last glance back over the ledge.
Far below, Nocstella's body was almost gone—her form dissolving into thin air. Her perfect skin that once shone in the light was now flaking off in bits of blackened ash. It was only her face that lingered for just a while longer before completely evaporating into the air.
"Ren."
Eva's voice was soft, but it pulled him back.
"…I'm coming," Ren said, his voice quieter than he intended.
Ren turned and followed behind her, the corridor narrowing into a sloping stairway that wound upward. The ceiling sloped lower with every few paces, forcing Ren to duck his head, and the walls pressed even tighter, enough that his shoulders brushed the damp stone.
Moss clung to every crack in the wall, slick beneath their fingertips, as they reached out for balance. From above them, water trickled through the stone, pattering in soft, uneven drops.
Hummmmm
The sound was low—barely there, a vibration in the walls more than an actual noise.
They both stopped, the sound getting louder and louder.
HUMMMMM
The narrow stairway trembled.
The drops of water leaked faster.
And then—
BOOM
And from the explosion of sound, a ghostly scream. It was hollow and stretched thin, like rusted metal dragged across stone. The scream twisted into a shriek that seemed to come from everywhere at once—from the walls, from the ceiling, from every direction.
And just when it felt like it would tear the world apart—
Silence.
As if nothing had happened.
The water dripping through the cracks had slowed again. Back to its lazy, uneven rhythm.
Ren slowly turned his head.
Eva was leaning against the wall, her hand pressed flat to the stone for balance. Her long hair fell over her face, her lashes sealed tightly, and her chest rose and fell in shallow gasps.
"You…okay?" Ren whispered.
Her head tilted slightly toward him, though she didn't move away from the wall.
"Are you?"
"...Yeah." Ren swallowed, his mouth dry. "...That sound. What was that?"
"...I don't know." She shifted her weight from the wall, straightening slowly. "But we should leave...quickly."
"Right..." Ren said, recouping from the piercing scream. "Right, yeah, let's get out of here..."
The walls began to widen, the ceiling lifting enough that Ren no longer had to duck. He could see it ahead now—the place where he'd descended before.
Eva slowed, her hand reaching out to feel along the rough surface.
"It's...blocked." She said softly, almost like she was confirming his fear.
Ren stepped up beside her, pressing his palms flat against the wall of stone and rubble that sealed their exit. Some of it crumbled under his fingers—weak enough to bust through.
"I think I should be able to clear it." He said, pressing his shoulder into the rubble.
The stone groaned against the pressure, dust and debris tumbling down onto his hair. With one hard shove, a slab cracked free, leaving a narrow gap where faint light spilled through.
"There's light?" Ren breathed, wiping the grit from his cheek with the back of his hand.
He widened the opening with a few sharp pulls until there was just enough space for a body to squeeze through. He glanced back at Eva.
"I'll go first. Wait here."
Eva's head dipped in a small nod, strands of her hair catching in the dim light as she stepped back to give him room. Ren crawled forward, his shoulders scraping against jagged stone.
Finally, he spilled out onto solid ground.
He rose to his knees, brushing dust from his cloak, and looked around at the chapel.
It was not what he remembered.
What had been a place of pristine silence—untouched by time and swallowed in perfect darkness—was now a grave of fractured stone and splintered wood. Pillars lay toppled and cracked, their once-flawless finish now veined with soot and dust. Pews were shattered, their jagged remains strewn across the floor. The altar where no light had entered was no longer than just rubble, its ornate carvings reduced to meaningless scraps of stone.
And above it all, the ceiling gaped open, a yawning wound where the sky poured through.
"This…" Ren muttered. "What happened here?"
Eva emerged beside him, shoulders brushing against his as they both gazed through the hole in the roof. The sky was no longer dark with a crimson array, but a soft, light grey.
"The sky...It has lightened, hasn't it..." She whispered, voice soft as silk. "Do you think...this cruel nightmare is finally over?"