Shadow Walking Beneath the Light

At daybreak, the candle flames in the ruined chapel flickered unsteadily.

She knelt before the statue of Iomedae, the Goddess, depicting a broken sword, her hands clasped together.

"Great Goddess of Justice, please guide this lost lamb..."

As soon as the words left her mouth, she suddenly stopped.

She knew this prayer by heart. Celia's memories were guiding her lips and tongue. But who, exactly, was the one speaking those words?

This question had plagued her from the very first day she awakened.

She possessed all of Celia's gentle, kind memories, yet she had also inherited Soteria's pain and struggles.

Two utterly different lives had become entwined, often leaving her in turmoil.

Worse still was the conflict within her body.

At that very moment, a familiar hunger surged from the depths of her soul. The succubus instinct was roaring, yearning for the nourishment of life force. Her fingers twitched involuntarily, her nails sharpening in an instant before quickly returning to normal.

"No..." She clenched her teeth, fine beads of sweat seeping across her forehead.

Celia's kindness bound her like chains. Whenever the desires of the Abyss rose within her, that girl's pure will would let out a soundless wail. The sensation of being torn apart was unbearable.

She staggered to her feet and walked to the window. The world outside brimmed with life. Birds sang from the branches, and wildflowers bloomed stubbornly amid the ruins. All of it was beautiful to humans, but to her, it was another kind of torment.

"I need..."

Before she could finish, she abruptly covered her mouth. That word was too terrifying; Celia's memories resisted it.

But reason told her that if she continued suppressing it, she would wither away and die, just like Soteria before her.

And if she died, Celia's soul would completely