The journey back to the orphanage was far quieter than the trip to the cathedral.
Some of the children walked with bright smiles on their faces, excited about the soul cores they had managed to form.
Others dragged their feet in disappointment after failing to awaken any power at all.
The atmosphere was mixed—joy and heartbreak walking side by side beneath the same night sky.
Eventually, one of the younger children raised a hesitant hand and looked toward Lady Godspell.
“Lady Godspell,” the child asked curiously, “what’s really the difference between all the ranks we got today?
Awakened, Ascended, Supreme… I still don’t understand.”
Lady Godspell smiled faintly before slowing her pace.
“Listen carefully, all of you,” she began.
“As you already know, there are six known soul core ranks.
Once a person forms a core, they are permanently bound to that rank for the rest of their life.”
The children listened attentively.
“However,” she continued, “having a lower-ranked core does not automatically mean you are weaker than someone with a higher rank.”
Several children blinked in surprise.
“A Transcended being can still defeat a Supreme if they train harder, sharpen their abilities better, and gain more combat experience.
The appraisal was never meant to decide your future—it only measures the potential of the ability granted to you by the Flame.”
Her voice became slightly more serious.
“Higher-ranked abilities simply begin with greater advantages.
Sacred beings, for example, are treasured because their abilities are often extraordinary enough to influence wars, nations, and entire generations.”
The child who asked the question raised his hand again.
“Then… what about Divine beings?”
Everyone instinctively turned toward Mathew.
Lady Godspell paused for a moment before answering honestly.
“…I don’t know.”
The children looked shocked.
“I’ve never met someone with a Divine core before today,” she admitted.
“But if the legends are true, Divine beings possess limitless growth potential.
Some believe they can continue evolving endlessly… perhaps even reaching the level of the constellations themselves.”
The moment she finished speaking, all eyes shifted toward Mathew.
Especially Anika’s.
Suddenly, she stretched both arms dramatically toward him and began waving them around his face.
“Ohhh, great Divine being,” she said theatrically.
“Please bless us lowly mortals with your divine grace—”
Smack.
Mathew immediately hit her lightly on the head.
“Ow!”
Anika rubbed her forehead angrily.
“What was that for?!”
“You were being too loud,” Mathew replied calmly.
“So I fixed the problem.”
Anika puffed out her cheeks.
“I was only stating facts.”
“And who asked you to state them?”
Anika sighed dramatically before speaking again.
“Well… honestly, staying at the orphanage with a Divine rank still feels like a waste.”
Mathew glanced at her.
“Didn’t you make the exact same choice?”
“Yeah, but—”
“But nothing,” Mathew interrupted.
His expression softened slightly.
“You stayed because you care about this place.
And I do too.
So stop asking whether I made the wrong decision.”
For a brief moment, Anika simply stared at him.
Then she smiled brightly.
“…Okay,” she said softly.
“I won’t ask again.”
⸻
Not long after, the children returned to their dormitories to rest after the exhausting day.
Everyone except Mathew.
Instead of heading toward his room, he quietly made his way to Miss Irene’s quarters.
Knock.
Knock.
A gentle voice soon answered from inside.
“Come in.”
Mathew entered slowly and sat down across from her.
By now, news of the Divine core had already spread throughout the orphanage, so Miss Irene didn’t appear particularly surprised anymore.
Instead—
She immediately pulled him into a warm embrace.
“I’m proud of you,” she whispered.
Mathew froze slightly before relaxing into the hug.
After a while, she pulled back and smiled at him.
“But tell me something honestly,” she asked gently.
“Why did you choose to stay here?”
Mathew stood and slowly walked toward the window.
Moonlight reflected across his face as he spoke quietly.
“I stayed because of you, Mom.”
Miss Irene’s eyes widened slightly.
“Ever since I could remember,” he continued, “you’ve been the only person who treated me like family.
Like I was actually your son.”
His hands tightened slightly.
“And I can’t leave you behind knowing one day something bad could happen to you.”
He turned back toward her.
“So I decided to stay here and protect you because you’re my—”
Before he could finish, Miss Irene wrapped her arms around him tightly once again.
“You’ve always been my real son,” she whispered emotionally.
“And you always will be.”
For once, Mathew’s usually calm face softened completely.
“…Yeah,” he replied quietly.
“Thanks, Mom.”
⸻
Hours later…
Midnight arrived.
Outside the orphanage gates, six figures dressed in black robes stood beneath the darkness.
At their center stood a man with gray hair, a long leather coat, and a sword strapped across his back.
Arwen.
He glanced toward the orphanage with a faint smirk.
“Alright, boys,” he said casually.
“You know the plan.”
The masked men nodded silently.
“Burn the place down.
Kill anyone who gets in your way.”
His eyes narrowed slightly.
“But leave the three targets to me.”
“Yes, boss.”
Instantly, the cloaked figures scattered in different directions, surrounding the orphanage from every side.
Arwen cracked his neck slightly before beginning to walk forward.
“Well then…” he muttered with amusement.
“Let’s have some fun.”
⸻
Inside the orphanage, Lady Godspell had just finished assigning guards and organizing the night watch.
Exhausted, she finally returned to her office and collapsed into her chair with a long sigh.
“Haaa…”
She rubbed her temples tiredly.
“Those two children could’ve become nobles overnight… and yet they still chose this place.”
A faint smile appeared on her lips.
“Maybe things aren’t so bad after al—”
Her expression suddenly changed.
The smile vanished instantly.
She sensed it.
Multiple presences.
Fast.
Organized.
Surrounding the orphanage in a wide circle.
Her eyes sharpened.
“…Who are these people?”
Without hesitation, she rushed toward the door to alert the nuns—
BOOM!
Explosions suddenly erupted across the orphanage grounds.
The building trembled violently.
Before she could react further, a masked man burst through the window and lunged directly toward her.
Lady Godspell barely evaded the grab, quickly creating distance between them.
“Who are you?” she demanded coldly.
“Why attack this orphanage?”
The man chuckled darkly.
“That’s none of your business, old lady.”
He charged again.
But instead of fear—
Lady Godspell smiled.
A vermillion spear suddenly materialized in her hand, its curved blade gleaming ominously.
With a single swing—
BOOM!
A devastating gust of compressed force exploded outward, nearly tearing apart the room itself.
The attacker barely dodged in time before summoning two daggers—one black and one white.
“To release that much power from a casual swing…” he muttered.
“As expected of the Moon Slayer, Godspell.”
Lady Godspell’s eyes widened slightly.
“…That name.”
Very few people still remembered it.
“How do you know that title?”
The man smirked beneath his mask.
“Trade secret.”
Lady Godspell’s expression turned cold once more.
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Oh?” the man laughed.
“And why’s that?”
“Because,” she replied calmly, “everyone who knew that name died before sunrise.”
The attacker’s smile vanished instantly.
Then he rushed forward again.
This time far more cautiously.
Lady Godspell spun her spear gracefully, deflecting his daggers before coating her fist in soul essence.
She punched forward.
CRACK!
Both daggers shattered instantly as the man was blasted backward.
But she didn’t stop.
In the blink of an eye, she appeared directly in front of him.
Her spear swept horizontally toward his torso.
The attacker barely blocked with one remaining dagger while attempting a counterattack.
Lady Godspell pivoted smoothly, disrupting his balance with a sharp movement of her legs before augmenting her body with soul essence.
Then—
Slash.
Both of the man’s arms flew through the air.
He screamed in agony before desperately reaching for a glowing blue pill hidden inside his clothes.
But before he could swallow it—
BAM!
Lady Godspell punched him directly in the jaw, sending the pill flying.
She stared down at him coldly.
“All that confidence… and this is the best you could do?”
The wounded man suddenly laughed.
A low, disturbing laugh.
“You still don’t get it… do you?”
Lady Godspell narrowed her eyes.
“Get what?”
The man grinned through bloodied teeth.
“I was never supposed to beat you.”
Her expression changed instantly.
“My job…” he continued weakly, “…was only to stall you while the others completed their mission—”
Before he could finish—
Slash.
His head rolled across the floor.
Lady Godspell immediately rushed outside.
And the moment she stepped beyond the office doors—
She froze.
The orphanage had become a nightmare.