The next morning came slowly.
But the air over the Divine Academy still carried a weight no sun could burn away.
Aven knelt before a stone altar deep beneath Aurellion. Alone. Unarmored.
Above him, sacred law etched into crystal rotated, replaying the moment Jiwoon's punch cracked his shield.
"No divine resistance detected," the system repeated.
"Impact source: Unregistered Sinbound Core."
"Verdict: Classification unknown. Countermeasures… insufficient."
"Insufficient," Aven repeated, voice empty.
He stood—eyes dull.
The law had failed. He had failed.
Not because he lost.
But because his belief cracked.
Meanwhile – Divine Academy
Jiwoon sat at the courtyard, staring at the broken tiles he'd created.
His gauntlet was dormant, no longer glowing, but the weight hadn't lifted.
Across the courtyard, Kaelya approached, her usual confident steps slower, quieter.
"He hasn't come back to challenge you," she said softly.
"You broke more than just his weapon."
Jiwoon didn't answer. His gaze didn't shift.
Kaelya sat beside him.
"Why do you always look like you're waiting to be judged?"
That made him pause.
"Because I am."
Kaelya's eyes narrowed. "By who?"
Jiwoon gave the smallest, saddest smile.
"Myself."
Elsewhere – Vera's Room
She sat cross-legged on her bed, clutching her own marked eye.
The vision from last night still echoed. The dragon. The loneliness. The version of Jiwoon who stood alone on a crumbling world.
"Why are you always bleeding where no one can see…"
She exhaled and stood.
"Then I'll see you. Even if it breaks me."
That night – Jiwoon's dorm
Kaelya knocked once, then stepped inside without waiting. Vera followed silently behind her.
Jiwoon looked up—surprised, but not annoyed.
"Is this a pattern now?" he asked.
Kaelya sat on his bed without invitation.
Vera didn't speak. She simply walked over and sat beside him, close—not touching, but near enough that her presence wrapped around him.
Kaelya leaned back, arms folded behind her head.
"No more judgment tonight," she murmured.
"Tonight, we just… stay."
Jiwoon didn't argue.
For once, he didn't carry alone.
Even if the cracks remained.