Fortunately, with two Saints on hand, they began treating Frey the moment he fell. Within minutes, his skin returned to normal and his body looked as it had before the purification rites began.
This time, though, the cursed darkness infesting him was gone. Color returned to his flesh, and power stirred through his veins again. And then something else drew his eye .. a new line on his system interface:
Shadow Adaptation: 4/7
At last, after a long grind, Frey had reached the next stage of his strongest ability .. one that would grant him the extra power he desperately needed to survive what was coming.
"That shadow shows only a glimpse of its master," Liora said once she’d finished healing him. She knew Wisker’s strength surpassed her own by a terrifying margin, but she hadn’t expected the gap to be this wide. Even that fragment alone had given her no end of trouble, despite being nothing like the full might of its owner.
"No point dwelling on it," Frey said as he rose again. "Rank Four hasn’t shown himself yet. We focus on what’s in front of us." He glanced around. "Our work here is done."
"But the war isn’t over," Snow added immediately, and Frey nodded. "We need to get back fast. We don’t know what happened while we were gone."
The war between the Empire and the Ultras was still raging. With the Church gone, at least the Empire had removed a persistent enemy snapping at its heels.
As they turned to leave, Uriel looked back to Liora. "Please come with us, my lady. With you there, we’ll have a huge edge in this war!"
At Uriel’s plea, Snow and Frey both turned as well. An SSS-class combatant like Liora would be an enormous, welcome addition; both supported bringing her along.
But Liora only shook her head with a gentle smile. "I’m sorry .. but I can’t join you for the moment."
Pointing to the space around them, Liora spoke calmly.
"Once I leave, this place will collapse completely, and there are things I must do before that happens .. the World Tree’s remnants are still here."
Liora refused to join them right away, but she did promise to catch up later.
"Saint of Dawn... Liora, I don’t know everything your generation went through, but this is your chance to fight for your people again. We don’t know where this war is headed, but I hope you’ll aid us when the time comes. We don’t know what our enemies are hiding," said Snow Lionheart, pressing her to come.
She reassured him.
"Don’t worry, Snow Lionheart. I’ve already decided .. I’ll take part in this war and fight in it. Focus on the task in front of you, and trust that the heroes of the past stand with you all."
Affirming her intent, Liora guided Frey and the others to the gate that would carry them down, back to the Holy Isle of Sicilia.
"I wish you luck in the battles to come. Each of you has enough strength to change much .. and I’m confident you can win," Liora said, opening the gate.
The three thanked her in turn.
"We wouldn’t have survived without you. You have our gratitude and respect," said Snow as they bid farewell to the Saint of Dawn, leaving her behind.
In those final moments as the three departed, Uriel Platini heard Liora’s voice once more inside her mind:
"Be careful, Uriel Platini. Do not grow attached to Frey Starlight .. I see a pitch darkness rising from his depths."
Hearing that veiled warning, Uriel spun around to find Liora still waving them off with a gentle smile. Wearing a pained expression, Uriel bowed to her one last time, then left with Frey and Snow through the waterfall.
And so Liora was left alone up above. Barely seconds passed before her face tightened with a sorrowful smile.
"It seems I don’t have much time left."
As the words left her, an ominous crack sounded. The golden barrier she’d cast to cloak the site began to collapse at an alarming rate.
The instant it fell, a terrifying pressure flooded the air.
Liora turned slowly toward its source.
"Ah... I’ve finally found you."
From Noctherra’s dark sky, an unexpected visitor descended out of nowhere, and the Saint of Dawn shifted into battle stance at once.
The figure before her was strange .. a demon, young and fresh-faced, with ash-gray hair and unsettling eyes that swept over Liora from head to toe.
"You and your friends hide so well I nearly died of boredom trying to find you. But you decided to show yourself! Thank you! Hahaha!"
Overflowing with delight, the Rank Thirteen demon, Geppetto, laughed aloud.
Liora didn’t answer .. and his laughter tapered off.
"Why the scowl, Saint of Dawn? Are you afraid of dying?" Geppetto grinned, while Liora’s body lit with that same golden radiance.
"I am a warrior. I learned how to die a long time ago. As for you, demon .. I’ve nothing to say to a vile thing like you."
Gathering her strength, she called up everything she had. Geppetto s eyes narrowed.
"I see. Then let’s begin."
His foot struck the ground, and a wave of foul, potent darkness surged across it. Under its weight, Liora’s very being quivered.
"You’ll make a splendid piece in my collection, Saint. Don’t disappoint me!"
Madness unfurled .. and so began the battle between Geppetto and Liora.
Liora fought savagely, with everything she had. She’d known this would come sooner or later.
It was the price for revealing herself to the world again.
Ever since she did, it was inevitable she would be the first to fall.
"At least... I managed to get them away in time."
Had she delayed even a little, Frey and the others would have been dragged into this fight .. and the outcome for them would have been catastrophic.
They had no idea how many monsters lurked in the shadows, and her reappearance had done nothing but drag those monsters into the light.
That was why she’d stayed hidden all those years .. and now, having broken that vow, she would bear the consequences.
Face-to-face with the Rank Thirteen demon, the Saint of Dawn waged a thunderous battle .. far from the world’s eyes, and far from Frey and the others who left, unaware of what they’d left behind.