Redemption

"Hello, my name is Monica."

"Then we are practically your subjects from birth."

"We shall pledge our loyalty to you from now on—you didn't specify whether it was for the first half or the second half of our lives."

The girl spun around, her emerald eyes shining like polished jade.

She seemed to be always smiling; the oppression and agony found in other Banshees were nowhere to be seen in her. She was born to be a ray of sunlight piercing the deep sea.

On her twisted flesh, an eye opened, and murky tears slid down.

Why does it hurt so much...

Pain is an illusion of the mind.

Monica told herself.

She twisted and squeezed herself like a towel, wringing out smiles and joy for her kin who were suffering in torment.

This was the only thing she could do; the unspeakable pain and her hollow, withered heart were things she kept to herself.

She swallowed them down along with the cold, hard food and the bitter seawater.

The body is a prison for the soul.

She was imprisoned here, in a place without light.

Fortunately, she was about to die.

She hadn't been in this world for many years, but she had already made up her mind.

I won't come back next time.

Slavery, endless forced labor.

Parting, watching one kin after another drift away from her.

The tribe was saved, the curse had vanished, and her world had found light—

The little girl looked up.

The swollen, twisted monster looked around in confusion, then looked at itself.

So that was it; salvation was nothing more than an illusion.

Life is an illusion of pain.

Just an illusion.

Monica closed her eyes again.

Don't open them again, just leave it at that.

She had long known what this world was like; everyone had their own suffering, and everywhere she looked, there were tortured souls.

I'm a bit tired of looking at it.

It will be over soon, very soon.

Suddenly, she felt something touch her.

She didn't want to care anymore, but after a moment of hesitation, she opened her eyes.

The whole world was a bit blurry, with shadowy figures standing around her—they were so small.

The chaotic sounds were like whispers in her ears while sleeping, vague and indistinct, as if separated from this world by thick, frosted glass.

She followed the sensation on her body and looked at the small person on her.

The next moment, she locked eyes with Theus.

He didn't say anything, but the moment she saw that gaze, Monica knew what he meant—

"I have come to save you."

A ray of light shone into the tiny cage.

The glass shattered instantly, and a crystal-clear voice resonated in her heart. Her dull green eyes widened in an instant.

"Contract—Symbiosis!"

Monica blankly followed his intent, and by the time she realized what had happened, the contract had already been signed.

"No!!!!"

She cried out in alarm, watching in terror as the corruption surged into the body of Theus through the contract.

It was over; he was going to be corrupted. Monica knew how terrifying that corruption was, and her lord was merely a mortal.

But the next second, the surging corruption rushed back at a speed even faster than it had gone. Monica watched in confusion; why did she feel like the corruption inside her was... afraid?

Then, a torrent of vitality flowed from Theus, surging through the contract. That scorching vitality was like boiling water poured onto snow, causing the corruption on her body to dissipate with a roar.

Oh no, Theus is only a mortal; where would he get so much life force? He will be... he will be...

Monica looked up at Theus, who wore a smile. Where was there any sign of his life force being exhausted?

"Ah!"

Monica suddenly let out a cry of pain. The swollen flesh on her body rapidly retracted, and the corruption crawled out of her skin through countless holes, leaving her on the verge of death in an instant.

Yet, the life force flooding in seemed endless. Wherever it flowed, wounds were healed, and the corruption wailed as it scattered and fled.

"Ahhhhhhhh!!!!"

Monica screamed. She felt as if she were being crushed—crushed and restored simultaneously. She wanted to lose consciousness, but she couldn't; the vigorous life force forced her to wake up the moment she began to fade.

Sitting dazed within her cage of flesh, Monica suddenly realized someone had pushed open the door. Without her noticing, her lord, Theus, was standing at the entrance.

From that moment on, everything changed.

Blood and tears fell together. Her swollen body gradually returned to its original form under the tug-of-war between the corruption and the life force. She and Theus fell from the air, only to be caught by pairs of hands.

Monica looked at the faces of her kin in a daze.

"Sister Ash... Nini... My Lord... what happened..."

The past was an illusion, the pain was an illusion, the flesh was an illusion, and life itself was an illusion. Fragmented images and memories intertwined, and for a moment, Monica could not tell them apart.

But after thinking about it, she smiled with relief.

The warmth welling up in her heart right now was no illusion, and that was enough.

The corruption wailed frantically from within her body, squeezing out into the air before fleeing in all directions, as if there were something truly terrifying here that made the black corruption desperate to escape.

The Banshees surrounded Monica and Theus. At this moment, they didn't need a Mind Link to feel each other's excitement.

They tossed Theus and Monica high into the air and caught them, crying and laughing in celebration.

A muffled roll of thunder came from afar, dark clouds gathered, and it began to rain.

Not far away, Connor helped Nora up. She struggled to steady herself, looking at the celebrating Banshees in the distance, and revealed a weak smile.

"Castel, the fire and light in the storm..."

For some reason, this desolate and remote island gave her a different kind of feeling.

The Banshees saw her too, and they gradually gathered around.

Theus walked up to her. His originally exquisite and luxurious clothes were now full of tears and bloodstains, further soiled by the mud on the ground.

He reached out his hand to Nora.

"I cannot sign any contract with you." Nora's expression was blank. "I did not save Castel either."

"But your blood has also been spilled on this land, so this is your home as well."

Theus grasped her hand firmly. The blood and mud did not hinder the two hands from clasping together.

"Friendship forged in blood needs no contract as a witness."

Nora stared blankly at Theus.

"My name is Theus Corsica Simmons Stuart, the Border Count of Castel Island in the Saint Mir Empire. By the Holy Covenant and the edict of the Empress, I am the rightful lord of this land, and I hereby make a promise:"

"Castel will always keep its doors open to the people of the Northern Territory, and this place shall be your home."

"You are no longer refugees; you no longer need to wander."

"Welcome home."

The heavy rain fell like a waterfall, washing the stains from her armor and soaking her hair.

Rainwater fell into Nora's eyes, and she wiped them desperately, but it never seemed to end.