North looked at Cedar, who stood beside Raka.
For a fleeting moment, he considered asking her to heal him .
And in the same moment, he dismissed the thought.
It was too dangerous.
Cedar Puregreen was possessive by nature. Not cruel, not malicious but her love was overwhelming, devouring. She would never intend to harm Raka, yet intention meant little when facing corruption born not from one, but multiple Demonic Gods.
Even North could not ignore the unease tightening his chest.
Saint Samuel returned then, stepping swiftly to Raka's side after completing his duties. His gaze swept over the scene, lingering on the faint emerald traces still clinging to Raka's body.
"…The corruption hasn't disappeared," Samuel said quietly.
"No," North replied. "It has merely been lulled."
Nearby, Yuria stood beside General Noxelle, her hands clenched tightly at her sides. North had brought her here for a reason.
"I wanted Lady Yuria to attempt healing," North said, his voice steady. "But she has yet to gain full control over her blessings."
Yuria lowered her head slightly. "…I can feel them," she admitted softly. "But I cannot invoke them by my own will. Not yet."
After the Court of Stillness had ended its emergency assembly, angels and saints alike had followed, filling the sanctum with silent witnesses.
No one spoke.
No one dared.
And as North had expected!
The moment Cedar reached Raka, all restraint vanished.
She knelt and pulled him into her arms without hesitation, ignoring the murmurs, the warnings, the divine seals. She held him tightly, as if afraid the world itself might steal him away.
Green light bloomed around them.
It was Gentle.
It was Warm.
It was Alive.
Nature's divinity wrapped around Raka like ivy reclaiming ruined stone. The glow lasted nearly two minutes, bathing the sanctum in soft emerald radiance.
Noxelle watched with narrowed eyes. "That's not healing," she muttered. "That's bonding."
When the light finally faded, Cedar abruptly stood.
She turned to North.
Her hands were trembling.
"I…" Her voice wavered. "I cannot fully heal him."
The court stiffened.
"The characteristics of Lust, Greed, and Sloth," Cedar continued, swallowing hard, "are engraved too deeply into his mind. They are no longer mere corruption. They have left… impressions."
Samuel's fingers tightened around his prayer beads.
Cedar clenched her fists.
"He will live," she said firmly. "He will not collapse or die from this corruption. But there will be moments times when he cannot stabilize his thoughts, when he gives in to those traits."
Her gaze sharpened.
"Especially Lust."
She looked pointedly at North.
"Do not allow women near him for the time being. His restraint is compromised."
A tense silence followed.
Then Cedar spoke again, quieter but far more dangerous.
"I will take him to my palace."
North's eyes narrowed slightly. "You're claiming responsibility."
"I am claiming him," Cedar corrected.
Yuria felt a chill crawl up her spine.
This was not a request.
This was a declaration.
Around them, the angels exchanged uneasy glances. Noxelle's wings flexed subtly, while Samuel bowed his head, whispering a prayer not for healing but for restraint.
North said nothing for several long seconds.
Then, slowly
"…Very well," he said. "But understand this, Cedar Puregreen."
His voice carried the weight of time itself.
"If your love becomes the blade that breaks him I will stop you."
Cedar met his gaze without flinching.
"Then pray," she replied softly, "that my love is stronger than your fear."
She turned back to Raka, lifting him into her arms as if he weighed nothing.
And as she vanished in a surge of emerald light, one truth echoed in every heart within the sanctum:
The corruption had not ended.
It had merely changed its form.
....
After Sometimes...
Palace of Nature — Virelyndor
The palace welcomed Cedar Puregreen like a living entity.
Vines parted willingly, roots shifted beneath her steps, and flowers bloomed only to wither moments later, unable to decide whether to rejoice or recoil. The emerald gates sealed behind her as she crossed into the inner sanctum, carrying Raka Frozenlight in her arms.
She laid him upon a bed woven of sacred bark and moonlit leaves.
Too gently.
Her hands lingered far longer than necessary.
"Rest," she whispered, brushing frost-darkened strands from his forehead. "You're safe now , No ice , No chains and No judgmental eyes."
Raka stirred faintly.
His breathing was uneven, far too warm for an Angel of Frost.
"…Cedar," he murmured, voice heavy with exhaustion. "You shouldn't have brought me here."
She smiled softly.
Within Raka's consciousness
Something laughed.
How generous she is, whispered Greed, smooth and eager.
All this power. All this devotion. Why should you ever let it go?
She wants you, purred Lust, coiling through his thoughts like heated smoke.
Look how she touches you. You don't need restraint anymore.
Beneath them both, Sloth yawned.
Why fight?
Why struggle?
Let her decide.
Let her carry you.
Raka's fingers twitched.
His eyes opened slowly.
Green met frost as Cedar leaned closer.
"You're awake," she whispered, relief flooding her expression.
"…You're hovering," Raka said quietly.
She laughed softly. "You noticed."
"I always notice you."
The words pleased her more than they should have.
She rested her forehead against his.
"Stay," she murmured. "Let me protect you this time and Let me fix what others couldn't."
Raka smiled.
His gaze dropped just for a moment to her lips.
Cedar noticed.
Her breath caught.
"Raka…?" she whispered.
He forced his eyes shut.
"This isn't me," he said through clenched teeth. "It's the corruption."
Cedar's hands tightened.
"Does it matter?" she asked softly. "You're still you."
Then, quieter
"And you're still mine."
Silence followed.
"…If I stay," Raka murmured, "you won't let me leave."
Cedar smiled.
"No," she said honestly. "I won't."