Vera is jumping again and again, but still finds herself stuck at the starting point in the Void Realm. Her limbs are sore, and frustration bubbles inside her. "Why is it so much harder this time!? I flew through this with ease last time!"
"Damn this Void Realm! I've challenged you countless times before, and I refuse to believe I can't get past you!" Her voice echoes through the vast emptiness, but the Void remains indifferent.
"Besides, I made a promise to Master. No matter what, I won't let you stop me!" She clenches her fists, the energy in her veins flaring with determination.
She looks down at her wrist, trying to focus her spiritual energy. Her brows furrow when she realizes her reserves are dangerously low—most of her power has been drained while guarding her Master elsewhere. Her heart sinks. She has been burning her own soul to protect him, but she doesn't mind. As long as she can keep him safe, that's all that matters.
Yet, even as she gathers her remaining strength, a pang of doubt creeps into her chest. She can feel the weight of exhaustion pulling at her limbs, but she can't stop. She won't.
Lowering her head, Vera traces her fingers lightly through the air, weaving a delicate pattern in the Void's fabric. She draws the Mirror of the Void—her only means of observing her Master from afar, hidden from his sight.
The mirror shimmers faintly, a reflection of the world she has long been trying to protect. Vera understands the importance of staying unseen. Only here, in the Void, can she watch over him without him ever knowing.
Her gaze lingers on the steel plates ahead, ever shifting, ever transforming. The world seems to stretch and distort in every direction, and with each jump, Vera feels herself pulled further from her goal. She can see the pattern now, the layers of steel forming a seemingly impossible labyrinth.
"How many years has it been now? How many centuries? Still, the same forces of evil persist, gathering strength over millennia, threatening the gods, chasing us through time..." Her thoughts drift as her gaze hardens. She can feel the endless struggle pressing down on her, an unyielding weight.
In an era where the gods are constantly persecuted, Vera's Master shoulders the burden of governing all things. His is a responsibility that no one else can bear, a task that comes with great sacrifice.
As for Vera, she has once been called upon by the gods themselves, tasked with saving and purifying countless souls—a mission that echoes through the ages.
But despite their pleas, Vera has refused. Time and time again, she turned away, even as divine punishments rain down upon her. The gods try to force her hand, but she never flinches. She never yields.
In those days when she still fulfilled her duties as a goddess, Vera knows that every lie she told could bring divine retribution. Every falsehood, every secret she kept, could send the heavens or hell crashing down on her. Yet, she chooses to conceal the truth, to hide her burden from her Master.
She can't bear to add to his suffering. He has enough to worry about.
Her Master has already been through so much. He has already given so much of himself. How can she possibly burden him more?
Vera's decision is simple, yet it comes at a great cost: she chooses to protect what she holds most dear—her Master. She will never let him fall. She will never let him face the darkness alone.
Her mind wanders back to the countless memories she has of her Master. She can still remember the soft touch of his hand on her hair, his voice gentle and warm like the changing seasons. "Vera, from now on, no matter what troubles you face, you must tell me. You don't have to keep everything hidden inside. Come to me, and let me share your burdens."
Those words are a lifeline to her, a promise of comfort, of safety. But Vera has never kept that promise. Instead, she has buried her pain, her doubts, her fear. She has chosen silence over honesty. She has chosen to lie.
Now, as she struggles with every jump, feeling her energy draining with each failed attempt, the guilt gnaws at her. She has promised him that she will always be there for him, that she will never leave his side. But how long can she keep that promise?
Her life, she knows, is running out. Through her spiritual senses, she glimpses the future—distant, uncertain, and terrifying. In a time that seems impossibly far away, she will no longer exist. Her life will last only a single moment, a fraction of time. A single second in the vastness of the cosmos. And in that moment, every breath, every heartbeat will be a miracle.
With that future in her mind, Vera jumps once more, this time with even more desperation. Her body trembles from the effort, but she doesn't care. Every fall, every scrape, every bruise—it's all worth it if she can just get through to the other side. She has to.
"Please, Master, don't let him know how much my energy has drained," Vera whispers to herself, her voice barely audible against the vast silence of the Void. "If he finds out, it will break him."
She falls again, her body hitting the steel plate with a painful thud. The impact sends a shockwave of pain through her, but she pushes through, rising again. She is determined. No matter how many times she falls, she will rise.
She glances again at the Mirror of the Void. Through the shimmering glass, she sees her Master, waiting. His silhouette is framed against the soft glow of the distant stars. He doesn't know what she's enduring. He doesn't know how close she is to breaking.
Vera's heart twists with emotion. She has once promised to stay by his side, to be there for him no matter what. But how can she keep that promise when she doesn't even know how much longer she will last?
The thought is unbearable.
"I will not fail you, Master," Vera whispers through clenched teeth. "I will not let you down. No matter what happens, I will protect you."
The weight of her words sinks into her chest, a solemn vow that echoes through the Void. Every step she takes, every jump, every fall, is a testament to her unyielding resolve.
As long as she has breath, as long as she has strength, she will continue. For her Master. For herself. And for the future that they both deserve.