Roland walked aimlessly, using no unnecessary power, as though he really were just an ordinary person.
As he walked, with winter still lingering, the gloomy sky did not drizzle as it had over the past few days. Instead, white snowflakes drifted down.
In weather like this, the streets were naturally deserted. The snow came thick and fast, coating the road in pure white.
Amid the falling snow and the cold wind slipping through his clothes, Roland stopped and exhaled.
Only at such close range did he sense her presence.
Roland's eyes widened slightly, and a shiver ran through his entire body at the emergence of that presence, as though he had sensed just how dangerous the person before him was.
An exquisite kimono, red-and-white swinging sleeves, and delicate floral patterns embroidered along the hem; black-lacquered wooden sandals with red straps made the dainty feet in pristine tabi socks all the more striking.
Her hair, as lovely as black silk, was not tied up but hung loose, just long enough to cover her ears, with a clean, neat beauty.
Her features were delicate and lovely, her skin fair. Even though she was not looking at him, Roland could tell from her profile that she was an exceptional beauty.
Even the breathing of the kimono-clad girl standing at the end of the street blended into the surrounding snowscape, giving her a breathtaking beauty.
As though she had appeared out of thin air, the girl stood quietly before Roland and reached out to catch a falling snowflake.
She was an existence that could exist only within the Root-or rather, her existence itself was the Root.
She was the existence Araya Souren sought yet dared not touch himself, the very thing the Counter Force specifically watched to prevent the world's destruction.
-{Shiki Ryougi}.
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