The final heartbeat of Aurora Vale was silent.
Aurora lay on frost, throat open, bells shattered. The white runes around her wrists guttered, then flared one last time—like a star choking on its own light. Serena held the scythe steady, blood sliding along the curve in slow crimson threads.
< Night-Sewn Path – Master Level achieved >
< Moves mastered: 3 of 9 >
< Celestial Mandate detected – dying core >
A pulse of light leapt from Aurora's chest—pure, cold, and screaming with mandate. It arrowed toward Serena, not as metal or memory, but as system essence.
< Absorb Celestial Mandate (Tier-3) ? >
< Warning: Irreversible. Advancement imminent. >
Serena did not hesitate. "Yes."
The light struck her sternum like a hammer. Frost exploded outward; shadows convulsed. She felt her own System of Vengeance unfold like a black maw, jaws closing around the dying star. Aurora's body dissolved into motes of white fire, drawn inward until nothing remained but a faint chime on the wind.
< System Absorption Complete >
< System of Vengeance → Tier-3 Advancement Available >
< Night-Sewn Path Quest – Complete within 30 days – SUCCESS >
< Reward: "Mirror of the First Breath" + Tier-3 Perk Tree >
Serena dropped to one knee, vision swimming. Mana howled through her meridians, hotter than forge-fire. Every wound from the five-day hunt flared, then sealed, skin knitting like silk. Frost melted into steam around her boots.
A second prompt unfolded, calm and precise.
< Initiate immediate System Tier-3 advancement ? >
< Estimated time: 6 hours. Vulnerability: High. >
She glanced at the forest—empty, but not safe. Six hours unconscious was six invitations to die. She chose consolidation instead.
"Delay advancement. Secure location first."
The prompt winked out, leaving only the steady pulse of new power in her veins.
---
Umbren limped from the treeline, ribs still rising hard. Serena knelt, pressed a hand to the wolf's flank, and fed a thread of darkness into the bruised muscle. He shuddered, then pressed against her leg, eyes violet and steady.
She stood, scythe across her shoulder, and surveyed the killing ground: frost melted, bells reduced to slag, no body left to mourn.
< Night-Sewn Path – Master Level >
< Current mastery: Step of the Wind Demon, Tap of the Scythe of Death, Dance of the Ten Thousand Death >
< Remaining moves: 6 of 9 locked >
She exhaled once, tasting salt and iron.
< 19 days remain on Night-Sewn Path full completion >
< Next milestone: unlock 4th move – "Whisper of the Hollow Moon" >
Serena turned south, cloak whipping in the wind. Somewhere beyond the cliffs, the world was already learning that a saintess had died.
Behind her, the last bell-note faded into the dark.