The Saintess opened her eyes in anticipation.
"I…" Rosalina drew in a deep breath. "I agree, as long as you keep your word." A single tear fell to the ground—not of sorrow, but of joy.
"Well done. That was a marvellous choice, love," the Saintess said, smiling gently.
"Come along now, child. Hero of Flos—your name will be remembered. Hathor, the bringer of life." With a sweep of her hand, she whisked Rosalina away.
The scenery changed once more, and the boys found themselves swallowed by darkness. They couldn't see anything until a small flame flickered to life, dimly lighting the space. And there she was—Rosalina.
She stood like a sculpture carved by ancient hands. Her hand rested over her chest, holding a single rose. Vines wrapped around her body, crawling over her as if she had become a living tree.
"Can you feel that enormous life coming from her? It feels… endless. Like the sky," Remy whispered, stepping toward her.
"I understand now," he murmured, a single tear falling from his eye.
As the words left him, a familiar voice echoed through the chamber.
"Now you know, Flos. And now you know yourself."
A young girl stepped out from the shadows and approached Remy.
Remy smiled softly. "What a life you lived, Rosa. Even in death, you are the same. Kind. Even now, you've been protecting the people of this land for centuries."
He stepped forward and embraced the little girl.
"There's no need to fight alone anymore. I will fulfil your dream for you," he whispered as he pulled back.
"Even if it takes a lifetime… I will return Flos to you."
"Thank you… so much…" Rosalina's echoed like a distant bell.
And for the last time, the world around the boys began to blur.
Everything dissolved into a whirl of light and shadow. They felt themselves falling—back first—but instead of hitting the floor, they slipped through it, weightless, until they landed upright again.
They were back in August, surrounded by the stacked stone. Only this time, they recognised the place. What once stood proud was now a ruin—the very place they had just witnessed moments ago.
Remy stepped forward, taking a deep breath. "Come out. I know you were listening to the whole thing." His voice echoed sharply.
"What?" Chad jerked in alarm, immediately anticipating an enemy.
Then, beneath Remy's feet, his shadow stretched—longer, darker—and began to swell. The darkness twisted, moulded, and took shape. The outline became clear: a raven.
It shot upward with incredible speed, circling once in the sky before landing gracefully on Remy's shoulder.
"You can finally hear my voice again," the raven spoke. "It took you long enough. You've finally reached Stage (sān) Three." Its dark feathers shimmered with blue and purple, and its three eyes blinked out of rhythm, unsettlingly.
"Yeah… I guess," Remy muttered, staring at the creature on his shoulder.
Chad rushed forward, frantic. "Since when did you form a contract with a familiar—especially a high-ranking one like that? Was it yours—the one I saw in the memory?" His words tumbled out, but Remy looked too overwhelmed to answer.
"No," the raven replied in his place. "What you saw there is something different. Something far older than that witch who calls herself a Saintess."
"What?!" Remy and Chad shouted together.
"I cannot tell you much about it," the raven added. "You are just far too weak right now."
"What!" Remy wanted to protest, but Chad cut him off. "He's right. Look—we couldn't even save Charles." Chad's voice cracked, frustration and guilt mixing.
Remy inhaled sharply, eyes falling to the ground. "Yeah…"
"What should we do then?" he asked, turning to the raven.
"For one—leave. Run. Even if you've grown stronger, you are no match for that witch. Going back now will only get you killed," Raven said.
"I know the Herald of the Sacred Clown—the one you call Tear—might be able to face her. But even then, I suspect both would die in that battle."
Remy frowned. "Just who are you? Last time I saw you, you were only a phantom in my dreams."
"You are far too weak," the raven replied calmly. "Even if I told you everything, your soul might crack under the knowledge. Follow what I say for now. Run. We will sort out the rest later."
Just then, from the distance, came barking—sharp, relentless. The boys turned to see soldiers moving in, their beasts straining forward.
"Follow me!" Raven shot off Remy's shoulder, streaking through the air like a falling star against the crimson sky.
Without hesitation, Remy and Chad ran after him.
"You're leading us toward them!"
"Are you trying to get us killed?" Chad barked.
"Why are we even listening to a talking bird?" he muttered.
"Have some trust, kid," Raven murmured.
As they approached the soldiers, darkness burst around them like a cloak.
Shadows wrapped around their bodies, soft and cold, and in the next heartbeat they slipped past the dogs and knights without being seen—phantoms moving through the living.
"This is one of the skills you must learn—Shadow Cloak. With the amount of mystic you've built up, you should grasp it quickly," Raven said, flying high above them.
"Keep up."
He dived sharply, increasing his speed. "I can only maintain it for five minutes. The current me has lost most of my power. If the cloak fades before we reach the gates, she will find us—and most likely kill the one who controls events."
Remy's stomach twisted at the thought of losing Chad as well. Their pace quickened, both boys pushing themselves harder. They became blurs—their speed was unnatural, footsteps echoing half a beat behind them, as if time itself lagged.
Everything felt stagnant.
Their bodies hurt.
But they did not stop.
"It feels like my legs will fall off at any moment," Chad choked out, dodging a collapsed stand in his path. Sweat dripped, breath burnt—but ahead, finally, they saw it: the gate that led out of the country.
"Ha! No guards," Raven muttered, drifting above them. "They must believe their barrier is impenetrable. Pathetic…"
They leapt over the barricades, cleared the gate, and for the first time, it felt as though freedom was only a single step away. Raven hovered near the crimson barrier, studying it with narrowed, shimmering eyes.
"This one is strange… far more powerful than the one they used in your hometown," he murmured. A thin thread of darkness stretched from his wingtip and touched the barrier's surface.
"Mmm. Just as I thought." He floated back toward the boys, his feathers glinting in the eerie light.
"You there—help me open a hole here," he said, pointing his beak toward Chad.
"What? How?" Chad asked, utterly puzzled.
"I know you have the power of Stasis, but you've been reckless with it. You flaunt your authority everywhere and pray for miracles. Foolish." Raven clicked his beak. "You must focus on a single point."
"Concentrate."
He tapped the barrier again with his shadow-thread.
"Touch it," Raven instructed. "Think of a time when it was not there. Push your mystic into that memory and control that event. Stasis bends the world to your will."
Raven hopped onto Chad's head.
"I'm dropping the cloak now. We only have a thirty-second window. If you fail…" He let out a dry, amused laugh. "...we're all dead. Hahaha."
"It's so funny that we're going to die—doesn't that include you?" Remy roared.
"No, it doesn't. Just you," Raven replied coolly. "I'll reincarnate after a century and try again. But you… mm. What a shame if you were to fail."
"We won't fail." Chad stopped walking and placed both hands on the barrier. He gathered all his mystic, all his concentration—exactly as Raven had instructed.
Raven's form rippled and twisted, shrinking until he became a dark crown atop Chad's head.
The moment he settled, Chad's body trembled as unimaginable strength coursed through him.
Remy heard it—a ticking clock, faint but echoing through his bones.
Then crack.
A hole opened in the barrier.
Remy leapt forward instantly, pushing Chad through with him.
"Yes! You did it!" Remy shouted—
"Oho—!" Chad coughed blood, splattering it across the dusty ground before collapsing.
"Chad! Chad!" Remy dropped beside him, shaking him, but Chad had already fallen unconscious.
"Ahh… just as I thought," Raven muttered, landing lightly beside them. "It was too much for him. A few seconds longer and he would have died. Good job bringing him along."
"You…you knew this would happen?" Remy's voice shook with fury.
"Yes," Raven answered plainly.
"What—why didn't you sa—"
Raven cut him off sharply.
"So what if I told you? What exactly would you have done? Stay there and die? You don't have the power to change anything—not yet. Just keep quiet and be thankful he held through. Now carry him and leave before they come and find you here."
The words sliced deep.
Remy fell silent.
He lifted Chad onto his back, staggering slightly.
Behind him, August remained—nothing more than a blur now, but a memory that would haunt him for years.