The ceremony had drawn to a close. Sacred hymns faded into the vaulted silence of the cathedral, and gentle beams of morning sunlight filtered through the stained-glass windows, casting kaleidoscopic reflections on the marble floors. The faithful had begun to rise, offering silent prayers or murmuring thanks before leaving the divine sanctuary.
.. But Naoko Roche had not moved..
She remained standing—unbending, impassive, like a monolith forged of cold silver and darkness. Throughout the entire ritual, she had neither knelt nor murmured a single word. Her arms had remained crossed, her silver eyes vacant, detached from the sanctity surrounding her. To her left, Amelia Emberhart remained seated—still and silent—not as an act of disrespect, but out of sheer pride. Though she did not participate in the religious rites, she still acknowledged the sanctity of the space and the position of the woman who led it.
Naoko, however, had not so much as glanced at the altar.
Celestina's golden hair glowed under the candlelight as she gave her final blessings to the gathered faithful. Her eyes, however, had frequently—and unwillingly—drifted toward the silver-haired specter in the rear of the cathedral. Though she knew well the presence she allowed within her sacred walls, it did not lessen the tension that gripped her chest.
A faint wind moved through the church as the doors creaked open. The silence was broken by the shuffle of departing feet, and still, Naoko did not flinch. Only when the final note of the ritual had passed did she stir. In one fluid motion, she turned on her heel—her regal black gown whispering against the floor—and began her silent departure.
She walked slowly, her heels clicking with unnerving elegance on the marble, her expression carved from cold indifference. As she passed the rows of benches, a small boy in a white tunic, clutching a sacred text, stumbled and dropped his book at the center of the aisle.
It landed at her feet.
The child froze. His eyes widened, face pale. His trembling hands moved to retrieve it.
But before he could, Naoko's heel descended.
With the clean precision of inevitability, she stepped squarely upon the holy book, her black stiletto crushing the embossed cover beneath her weight. She did not pause, nor glance at the child. She simply continued walking, her gaze fixed ahead, unaffected—as if she had not even noticed the child, the book, or the act itself.
The cathedral fell into stunned silence.
Gasps rose from the crowd. Celestina's golden eyes widened in horror, her hands tightening around the sacred staff she carried. Her lips parted, as if to rebuke—but nothing came. She remained still, breath caught in her throat.
Because she knew. Everyone did.
There was no correcting Naoko Roche.
To confront her was to invite annihilation.
Amelia saw everything from where she sat. Her golden gaze narrowed slightly, but she showed no outward emotion. Only a slow exhale escaped her lips as she stood with composure and began to walk toward the cathedral's exit, her crimson heels clicking softly behind her.
Outside, the sun had fully risen, casting long shadows across the paved courtyard. The Emberhart car—sleek and white, its golden phoenix emblem gleaming—was parked along the path. One of the rear tires had burst, and the family's attendant knelt beside it, working with silent urgency to replace the wheel.
Amelia stepped out, exhaling softly into the cool morning air. With a subtle gesture of her hand, fire-tinged mana swirled from her fingertips. From that energy, a table, chair, and parasol materialized beside her car, glowing briefly before solidifying into polished wood and embroidered silk.
She seated herself beneath the parasol, crossing her legs gracefully as she waited. Her eyes drifted momentarily to the other side of the courtyard.
There it was.
A car of obsidian black, its surface polished to mirror-like perfection, stood parked in complete stillness. On its hood glimmered the symbol of the Roche clan—a crescent moon, carved from pure diamond. The vehicle radiated silence and power, its presence alone enough to command attention.
The car's driver stood beside it, arms folded, saying nothing.
Then the door opened.
Naoko stepped out.
The moment she appeared, the world seemed to pause. Her silver hair shimmered under the sun, cascading down her back like moonlight captured in strands. Her flawless face, pale and perfect, was a mask of detachment. She moved without hurry, without hesitation. The very air bent around her presence.
Amelia stood and approached with slow, deliberate steps. Her crimson dress fluttered faintly in the wind, and her golden eyes locked onto Naoko with unwavering focus.
Naoko stopped walking as Amelia neared. She lifted her gaze slowly, meeting Amelia's without a flicker of emotion. With a simple flick of her fingers, a second chair formed from dark ethereal mana—black as the void, woven from shadows and power.
It was a silent invitation.
Amelia accepted it.
She sat down, folding her hands over her lap, and leaned back with practiced elegance. For a moment, neither woman spoke. The wind carried the quiet hum of the city beyond the cathedral walls.
Then Amelia's voice, refined and cool, broke the silence.
"You could have stepped around the book."
Her tone was not angry. It was observant, thoughtful—like someone commenting on an unexpected change in weather.
Naoko tilted her head faintly. The sunlight caught in her silver eyes, making them gleam like glass. Her voice was soft, but held no warmth.
"It was in my way."
"You could have bent slightly. Taken a different step. It wouldn't have harmed you."
Naoko's lips curved—not into a smile, but something colder. Her eyes never wavered from Amelia's.
"It is not my burden that the child's hands were weak. If something falls in my path, I walk through it. I do not adjust my steps for foolish sentiment."
Amelia studied her.
Her posture remained composed, but her eyes narrowed just slightly. "And if it had been a sacred blade? Or a wounded soldier?"
Naoko's expression didn't change. "I would have stepped on the sword, and ignored the soldier."
Amelia exhaled through her nose, a slight frown touching her lips. "Even if it is a holy book?"
Naoko turned her head slightly, letting her hair fall like a silver veil over her shoulder.
"I do not kneel to paper. I do not fear the judgment of fiction. If your gods take offense, they are welcome to strike me down."
Amelia said nothing for a moment. Her thoughts wandered—to all the rumors surrounding the woman before her. That she had killed an angel. That she had destroyed an entire divine sect. That even gods feared her name.
And here she was, unmoved by a cathedral's sacred walls.
In her heart, Amelia knew: *Naoko Roche does not belong to this world. She merely walks through it.*
And still, there was something both magnificent and terrifying about her—like a black flame that burned cold.
Celestina's words echoed in her mind: *"Naoko is a curse and a miracle both. Do not try to understand her. Simply… stay out of her path."*
Amelia straightened her posture.
"I did not expect you to come," she said at last.
Naoko looked to the sky. "I was nearby. Business in the district."
"So this was not for Celestina?"
A soft chuckle escaped Naoko's lips—low, dry, humorless.
"I do not kneel for angels. Why would I kneel for a woman who serves them?"
And with that, she stood.
Amelia rose as well.
Their eyes met once more—gold and silver, pride and detachment.
Naoko turned, and with the same unhurried grace, walked toward her car.
But just before entering, she paused.
"Do not expect kindness from wolves, Amelia. You've raised a phoenix, not a dove."
Then she stepped into the car.
And the door closed.
Amelia stood in silence, her eyes following the black car as it slid away into the shadows of the street.
The crescent moon upon its hood shimmered—cold, merciless, eternal.
.........
Heat: Note!!! / First of all, thank you very much for reading. I have a lot of chapters for this novel stored on my device, but they need to be edited. Because this novel is in the stage of review and review. As for the character images, they are ready, but I cannot download them or add them to the character list because I need a contract, I think. Basically, I do not know how to add them. I searched in the settings and did not find the add section, so I gave up. So, maybe I will add the characters and their images, perhaps through a link in the novel. Well, until then, thank you very much for reading.