The entire Council Hall held its breath.
Not a single whisper, not a single rustle of clothing, not a single quiet heartbeat disturbed the heavy silence.
All eyes were fixed on Lord Odin.
All hope, fear, and doubt hung on his next move.
Leah stood frozen, her face as white as the gown she wore. Her hands trembled at her sides, no longer hidden by the gentle, saintly posture she'd mastered since childhood.
She was cornered.
Trapped.
Her carefully woven web of lies was unraveling faster than she could stitch it back together.
Samuel stood between the two women, his posture rigid, his gaze flickering between Ella and Leah like a man lost.
For his entire life, he'd had only one purpose: protect Leah. Obey Leah. Believe in Leah.
She was the Chosen One. The light. The salvation of Asgard.
But now, for the first time, doubt gnawed at him like a starving beast.
Ella's accusations. Leah's uncharacteristic panic. The strange, unreadable power Ella wielded.
Everything he'd ever known felt like it was shifting beneath his feet.
Lord Odin stepped forward slowly, his starlight eyes sharp and unyielding. His presence alone was enough to make even the strongest elder mages bow their heads.
He stopped between Ella and Leah, his gaze sweeping over both of them once, twice, a third time, as if trying to parse the truth from the tension in the air.
"You both stand accused of things that could shake Asgard to its core," he said, his voice deep and resonant, filling every corner of the hall.
"Dark magic. Deceit. Betrayal. These are not small charges. They are punishable by imprisonment… or worse."
He paused, his gaze landing on Leah first.
Leah flinched, but she quickly forced her features back into a look of gentle, wounded innocence. "I have nothing to hide, my lord. My heart is pure. My magic is blessed. I will submit to any examination you command."
Her voice was steady, but Ella could hear the faint tremor beneath it.
She could feel the panic swirling inside Leah's mana core, chaotic and desperate, trying to hide the faint, sticky taint of Nether energy.
Ella smiled faintly, unimpressed.
Lord Odin's gaze shifted to Ella.
"You, however, show no humility. No fear. No willingness to bow to the laws of this realm. Many would call that a sign of corruption already."
"I do not bow to injustice," Ella replied calmly, her voice clear and strong. "I will submit to your examination. But I will not apologize for defending myself. And I will not let lies bury the truth."
A faint flicker of approval crossed Lord Odin's face, so fast that no one else would have seen it.
But Ella saw it.
Her psyche perception picked up everything.
"Very well," Lord Odin said. "We will begin with the Chosen One."
Leah's face drained of what little color it had left.
She'd hoped he would examine Ella first.
She'd hoped he would find some way to twist Ella's strange psyche power into dark magic, using that to condemn her before her own secret was exposed.
But Lord Odin was not a fool.
He would look at the beloved hero first.
He would eliminate the most unlikely liar before turning to the already condemned vessel.
Leah's lips trembled, but she nodded, forcing a brave smile. "As you wish, my lord."
She stepped forward, closing her eyes, lifting her chin, baring her mana core to his inspection.
Lord Odin raised one hand. A soft, golden light wrapped around his fingers, warm and ancient, the purest divine magic in all of Asgard.
He placed his hand gently over Leah's chest, right above her mana core.
The hall went so quiet that everyone could hear the faint hum of magic.
Seconds passed.
Then a minute.
Leah's body began to tremble harder.
Sweat beaded on her forehead.
Lord Odin's expression did not change. His eyes remained closed, his focus entirely on the magic flowing beneath his hand.
But Ella could see it.
She could see the golden light of Odin's magic brushing against the hidden Nether taint in Leah's core.
She could see the way the dark energy recoiled, trying to shrink, trying to hide, trying to pretend it did not exist.
She could see the exact moment Lord Odin noticed it.
His fingers tensed.
His brows furrowed, just a little.
A faint, almost imperceptible frown crossed his face.
Leah's eyes flew open, wild with terror. "My lord? What is it? What's wrong?"
Lord Odin did not answer immediately.
He held his hand in place for a few more seconds, as if confirming what he'd found, before slowly pulling it away.
The golden light faded.
He opened his eyes, and his gaze was no longer warm or gentle.
It was cold.
Sharp.
Disappointed.
Leah's heart sank.
"Lord Odin," she whispered, panic breaking through her voice. "Whatever you felt… it's not mine. It's hers! Ella planted it on me! She used her dark power to frame me!"
She spun toward Ella, pointing an accusing finger, tears streaming down her face. "You wicked thing! You want to ruin me! You want to take everything I have!"
The hall erupted in noise.
Disciples shouted over each other.
Elders leaned forward, shocked and confused.
Samuel stared at Leah, his jaw tight, his doubt growing stronger by the second.
Ella did not flinch.
She did not panic.
She simply stood there, calm and unbroken, and waited for the noise to fade.
When the hall finally fell silent again, Lord Odin raised a hand.
"Silence."
The command cut through everything.
No one dared speak.
Lord Odin's gaze did not leave Leah.
"The energy I detected is not foreign," he said, his voice cold and final. "It is not planted. It is woven into your mana core. It has been there for months… maybe longer. It is yours."
Gasps exploded through the hall.
The unthinkable had just been confirmed.
The Chosen One carried the taint of the Nether Realm.
Leah stumbled back, as if struck. "No… no, that's not true! You're wrong! I'm pure! I'm the Chosen One!"
"The title does not make you pure," Lord Odin said, his voice hard. "The gods do not bless those who consort with darkness."
He turned away from Leah, his gaze landing on Ella.
"Now it is your turn, Oracle Vessel. Let me see your core."
Ella stepped forward without hesitation.
She closed her eyes, lifted her chin, and bared her mana core completely.
No fear.
No hesitation.
No hidden secrets.
Lord Odin raised his hand again, golden light flickering to life once more.
He placed his hand over Ella's chest.
And immediately, his eyes widened.
The energy he felt was not dark.
It was not corrupted.
It was not evil.
It was something he had never felt before in all his centuries of life.
Wild, untamed, and sharp.
Cold and clear and unyielding.
It was not mana.
It was something older. Something rarer. Something tied to the very soul itself.
Psyche.
Pure, uncorrupted, divine psyche power.
The lost magic of the ancient Oracles.
Lord Odin's breath caught in his throat.
He pulled his hand back as if burned, his starlight eyes wide with awe and disbelief.
He stared at Ella like he was seeing her for the very first time.
Like he was seeing the truth of who she really was.
Leah saw the look on his face, and she knew she was ruined.
"No," she shrieked, hysterical. "It's a trick! It's all a trick! She's corrupted him! She's using her dark magic to control him!"
She lunged forward, as if she intended to attack Ella, but Samuel moved faster.
He stepped between them, his hand on his sword, his gaze cold as he looked at Leah.
"Enough, Leah," he said.
His voice was not gentle.
It was not loyal.
It was final.
Leah froze, staring at him in disbelief. "Samuel… you believe her over me? I'm the Chosen One! I'm the one you're supposed to protect!"
"I protect the light," Samuel said, his voice rough. "But you are not the light. Not anymore."
The words hit Leah like a blade to the heart.
She collapsed to her knees, sobbing, her saintly mask shattered into a million irreparable pieces.
The hall was in chaos, but Lord Odin raised his hand once more, and silence fell again.
He looked out at the crowd, his voice strong and clear, for everyone to hear.
"The Oracle Vessel, Ella, carries no dark magic. No corruption. No taint."
"The power she wields is ancient psyche magic, a gift long lost to Asgard. She is innocent of all charges."
A cheer rose up from some of the younger disciples, those who had long suspected Kael's cruelty and Leah's lies.
The elders bowed their heads, humbled.
Kael paled, realizing he was about to face punishment for his months of bullying.
Lord Odin's gaze turned back to Leah, cold and unforgiving.
"As for the Chosen One… Leah. You stand accused of consorting with the Nether Realm, of lying to the council, and of letting your followers torment innocent disciples. You will be placed under immediate investigation. Your titles and privileges are suspended until your guilt or innocence is fully determined."
Two guards stepped forward immediately, taking Leah by the arms.
She did not resist.
She stared at Ella, her eyes filled with hatred and despair.
Ella met her gaze without flinching, without sympathy.
This was only the beginning.
[DING!]
[Main Quest: Survive the Mana Core Inspection – COMPLETED!]
[Rewards Applied:]
[Mana Conversion Rate increased by 10% → Now 50%!]
[Psyche Perception permanently upgraded!]
[New Skill Unlocked: Psyche Shield Lv.1]
[Side Quest: Expose Leah's First Lie – COMPLETED!]
[Rewards Applied: Mana Conversion Rate +15% → Now 65%!]
[Access to the Forbidden Library Unlocked!]
[Hidden Achievement Unlocked: The Broken Vessel Rises]
[All disciples' favorable opinion toward you increased significantly!]
[Samuel Voss's bias shifted permanently. Loyalty to Leah broken. Curiosity & respect toward you unlocked!]
Ella stood tall in the center of the Council Hall, surrounded by the quiet roar of a world that had just been rewritten.
She was no longer the broken, disposable Oracle Vessel.
She was the wielder of ancient psyche power.
The one who had exposed the fake Chosen One.
The one who had defied fate.
Lord Odin looked at her, a faint, respectful glint in his eyes.
"You have a great power inside you, Ella. A power that could save Asgard… or change it forever. Use it wisely."
Ella nodded, her lips curling into a quiet, determined smile.
She had no intention of being a hero written by someone else's story.
She would write her own.
She would claim her power.
She would burn every last lie that tried to chain her.
And she would rise, unbroken, unstoppable, and unforgiving.
The false saint had fallen.
The real hero had just begun her fight.