The night seemed to hold its breath as Leon prepared to speak, to finally share the burden he'd been carrying alone for so long.
He took a slow breath, feeling the cool air fill his lungs, and began from the beginning.
"When I left for the dimensional space," Leon started, his voice steady but carrying an undercurrent of weight, "it wasn't just to resolve a simple problem. I needed to create something—a mana heart using my holy element."
Seraphine remained silent, her purple eyes fixed on his face with absolute focus. The starlight cast shadows across her features, making her expression difficult to read, but her grip on his arm remained firm.
"The process required trials," Leon continued, choosing his words carefully. No need to tell her every horrific detail. "Tests of willpower, endurance, and control. The holy element is... unforgiving. It demands purity, absolute conviction. Any hesitation, any weakness, and it rejects you."
