The black longsword wielded by the phantom of the Evernight Goddess pierced Raphael's chest.
The sword seemed to drain all his strength. He slowly toppled forward, and Audrey, whom he had been carrying over his shoulder, fell to the ground.
Just as Raphael was about to collapse, Audrey caught him.
A trace of madness still lingered in Audrey's eyes, but she had mostly regained her senses. She hurriedly supported Raphael while pushing open the stone door with her other hand.
Whoosh!
The stone door swung open, revealing a pitch-black passage.
The Mother of Heaven hanging from the hall's ceiling seemed not to have expected Audrey to open the exit so easily. She began thrashing violently, trying to break free of the restraints overhead.
The phantom of the Evernight Goddess then withdrew her gaze from Raphael and Audrey and turned toward the Mother of Heaven.
In an instant, an indescribable silence enveloped the entire hall. Audrey and Raphael's eyelids grew heavy, and they had to struggle to keep from falling asleep.
They crossed the stone doorway and glanced back. Clusters of black light appeared throughout the hall and gathered at the ceiling, forming what looked like surging black waves that rushed toward the Mother of Heaven.
The stone door closed on its own. The last thing Raphael and Audrey saw was the surging black tide engulfing the Mother of Heaven's face, which was filled with defiance.
Once the stone door shut completely, everything before them went black. It was an absolute darkness without a single ray of light; even with their eyes open, they could see nothing.
Guided by their spirituality, they moved forward step by step. Raphael walked increasingly slowly. Although the black sword had vanished, the wound remained numb, as though all the strength in his body were pouring