One Isn't Enough

Hearing his daughter bring up her mother again, Logan's pupils trembled twice as he sank into memory.

It had happened five or six years ago. Back then, the family of three still lived in a red-brick house in the Old City, leading an ordinary but contented life.

Every morning, his wife baked bread in the kitchen, its aroma filling the entire house.

In the evenings, the three of them would drink the black tea his wife had brewed in the courtyard and watch the sunset sink behind the distant church spires.

Those happy days lasted until that fateful rally.

The square was packed that day, with the flags of various parties snapping in the evening breeze.

Logan Gustav, a rising city councilman at City Hall, had to attend on behalf of his party and deliver a speech to the crowd.

His wife had made an unprecedented request that day: she wanted to go with him, saying she wanted to see what he was like when he gave a serious speech.

Under his wife's admiring gaze, Logan agreed on impulse and let her stay by his side as his assistant.

Little Diana had been too short to see much, so she'd stood at the highest point in the crowd, where a Peace Officer from the city had looked after her. Looking back, that had been a mercy of fate.

His speech was only halfway through when a commotion suddenly broke out at the rear of the crowd. Some people shouted slogans, while others hurled stones at the stage.

Before Logan could react, a piercing gunshot tore through the clamor. The old musket's shot wasn't very powerful, but it was lethal enough.

The instant she heard the shot, his wife instinctively shoved him aside. Logan stumbled to the ground, only to see blood staining the hem of her light-colored dress.

His wife's lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but the Peace Officers pushing in beside her and the surrounding din swallowed her words.

"No!"

Logan threw himself over her fallen body, feeling the warmth in his arms slowly fade. All around them, people descended into chaos. Protesters and Peace Officers shoved each other as smoke and dust filled the air.

Little Diana stared at the scene from a distance, too stunned to move. Her small figure looked so helpless amid the crowd.

That scene was etched deep into his mind. From then on, he transferred his guilt over his wife's death onto his daughter.

He always did everything he could to make little Diana happy, so she could grow up without a care in the world.

To him, Diana was not only his daughter, but also his sole connection to the past and the only reason he had to keep living.

"Diana..." Logan came back to himself, his voice a little hoarse.

"Dad, I'm not blaming you," Diana said, looking up, resolve shining in her deep blue eyes.

"I just want to become stronger, so that one day I can protect you and more people."

Silence fell once more.

Shadows from the church dome settled over them. The colors cast by the stained glass shifted faintly across the floor, as if silently watching them.

Bishop Tarik stood with his hands clasped before him, quietly watching the father and daughter. He didn't interrupt, though the faintest smile lingered at the corner of his mouth.

Logan remained silent for a long while. A father's instinct urged him to shield his daughter from every danger.

He sighed and looked back at Bishop Tarik, his voice tinged with clear exasperation.

"Tarik, isn't there a safer way?"

Bishop Tarik leaned forward slightly, hands clasped before him, his expression gentle and sure.

"Oh, my dear Logan, believe me. Miss Diana is far stronger than she looks.

"You must trust that her will is enough to see her through the Lord's trial."

Logan kept pressing him for details, still unwilling to give in.

Could the eyeball be kept in a sealed box? Could she carry it only during the day? Could someone else hold on to it for her?...

Tarik only smiled and shook his head, stressing that Diana had to carry it on her person at all times, day and night.

He assured them that this was merely a test of Diana's willpower. If anything unusual happened, he would deal with it properly and ensure she came to no real harm.

In the end, Logan relented.

Looking at the expectation in his daughter's eyes, he knew he couldn't refuse her choice, just as he hadn't been able to stop his wife from following him to that rally.

"All right," he said quietly. "But if anything feels wrong, I'll end this test at once and throw this cursed thing as far away as I can."

Bishop Tarik nodded, seemingly accepting the condition.

He said no more, turning toward the altar to perform the Holy Blood Baptism Ceremony they had missed.

Inside the carriage, Ivan listened to Diana's thoughts and silently sighed.

He hadn't expected something like that to have happened to her.

"So this is why Diana chose the Order Aspect: so she could gain the strength to protect her family..."

After a long while, Diana and Mr. Logan returned to the steam carriage.

The sky outside had begun to darken. To put Logan at ease, they had spent nearly a whole day at the church.

After confirming the eyeball didn't seem to cause any problems beyond occasional, unexplained headaches, Mr. Logan finally left with Diana, somewhat reassured.

Inside the carriage, Ivan watched Diana in silence.

Her pale golden hair was gently tied back with a ribbon, and she sat quietly in the carriage like a lamb.

"Hmm, the Knight is a pretty good actress. No one would guess from the way she looks that she's already a Punishment Knight in the supernatural world."

Ivan stared at the wooden box in her hands, recalling what the eyeball looked like.

"God Eye, a sheep's eye, and God Blood, duck's blood..."

"Tsk, tsk. The god worshipped by the Church of Divine Grace isn't made up of fragments of the Creator's body. It's practically some kind of strange animal..."

He imagined the Church of Divine Grace kneeling before a strange animal and found the scene oddly familiar.

"Hmm, I'm not sure if that eyeball left any traces the Church of Divine Grace could track."

"I'd better wait a couple of days, then devour it somewhere in the East District or some other secluded corner, and give the Gift ability to Gais."

Having settled on his next steps, he sent a message to Diana, who sat upright across from him.

"You did well, Miss Knight."

"You can keep the eyeball for now. In a couple of days, I'll arrange a suitable use for it."

Hearing the Lord's revelation, Diana nodded excitedly to herself, though she kept her expression unchanged.

"I will follow your instructions, great Lord of All Spirits."

She clutched the little wooden box in her palm a little tighter, a smile rising involuntarily to her lips.

The steam carriage let out a series of mournful whistles as it trundled along the road back to the villa.

After Diana and her father left, the church's main hall had grown dim and stood empty.

In the adjoining side hall, copper lamps flickered on the walls. Bishop Tarik sat with his back to the door in a high-backed chair.

He had taken off the vestments he'd worn while presiding over the Holy Blood Ritual and changed into light, casual clothes. His face was hidden in the shadow of the chair.

Knock, knock. Two dull thuds sounded from outside the heavy hall door.

"Come in."

The oak door swung inward, revealing the church's Deacon in the shadows outside. He bowed toward the chair.

"Bishop Tarik, I just saw that the Gustav family seemed to have obtained a God Eye..."

Before he could finish, Tarik cut him off, his voice calm and gentle.

"I gave it to them."

The Deacon seemed puzzled. He adjusted the tassel-trimmed glasses perched on his face.

The setting sun shone from behind him, obscuring his features. He seemed to raise his head slightly.

His shadow stretched farther, falling across the back of the chair as he asked respectfully, "Oh? Your Excellency, are you trying to nurture another Beyonder...?"

Though he couldn't see the movement, he could tell the Bishop had nodded. The Bishop's voice came from the shadows.

"One isn't enough."