High Priestess Jenna's prayers were supposed to last the whole night.

Evaya stood beside her within the candlelit chamber, arms folded neatly in front of her as the other priestesses chanted softly in the background.

The High Priestess's voice was calm and composed, but the slight pout tugging at her lips did not escape Evaya's sharp eyes.

Jenna leaned slightly toward her, lowering her voice just enough to whisper.

"Evaya, we should go check on Kana. What if something happens?"

She murmured.

Evaya shot her a flat look, her expression bordering on exasperation.

"High Priestess, you insisted on attending prayers tonight. So, pray."

She said under her breath, her tone firm.

Jenna blinked at her, offended.

"…I am praying."

"Then focus."

Evaya replied without missing a beat.

For a moment, Jenna simply stared at her assistant, affronted but silent. Then she sighed quietly, straightening her posture once more, though the slight pout on her lips remained.

Evaya held her position beside her, silent but alert, until the final chant echoed through the chamber. The moment the session ended, she bowed politely toward Jenna, her voice soft but decisive.

"Stay here for the post-prayer blessings. I'll return shortly."

She instructed.

Jenna raised a brow, feigning innocence.

"Where are you going?"

Evaya didn't answer. She was already walking out the door.

By the time she reached the corridor leading to Kana's assigned room, an uneasy feeling had begun to creep into her chest. The quiet was too heavy, the hallway too still.

She arrived at the door — and froze.

The lock was undone.

Her heart dropped. She had secured it herself before leaving for the prayers, layering her own magical seal over the mechanical lock.

There was no way Kana should've been able to open it… and yet the door stood slightly ajar.

"Kana…?"

Evaya whispered cautiously, stepping inside.

Empty.

Her gaze swept across the room — the neatly folded bedding, the untouched teacup on the table, the faint traces of Kana's presence lingering like a memory — but no sign of her.

Evaya's jaw tightened as she closed her eyes, summoning the faint blue glow of her tracking magic.

Tiny motes of light scattered from her fingertips, weaving along the floor and stretching down the corridor like delicate threads.

The trail was fresh.

Without wasting another second, Evaya followed.

The temple's outer halls were silent as she hurried past the wards, her boots barely making a sound against polished stone.

The trail led her farther than she expected, down two flights of stairs, past the inner wings, and toward the outer gates of the temple grounds.

When she finally spotted movement in the distance, her breath caught.

Kana.

She was standing at the massive bronze doors of the temple's entrance, her hand pressed against the wards protecting them.

Her expression was strangely blank, her eyes unfocused — as if she wasn't entirely here.

"...Kana! Stop right there!"

Evaya called sharply, her voice echoing across the empty hall.

But Kana didn't react.

Instead, her fingertips grazed the wards, and with an unnatural hum, the protective barrier flickered, bending faintly beneath her touch.

Evaya's pulse quickened. That shouldn't be possible.

She moved fast, darting forward in a blur, reaching out to seize Kana's wrist before she could push the barrier open —

And then everything exploded.

A sudden, violent wave of force surged from Kana's body, striking Evaya square in the chest and hurling her several meters back.

She landed hard, the breath knocked from her lungs, her palms skidding against the polished floor.

She pushed herself up instantly, coughing, her mind racing.

Kana hadn't even turned to look at her. The attack had been unconscious.

Evaya clenched her teeth, vanishing from her spot in a swift dash of shadow magic, reappearing directly behind Kana this time.

She reached for her again — this time reinforcing her grip with binding energy — but the moment her fingers brushed Kana's sleeve, an invisible force repelled her violently, sending her crashing against the far wall.

"What the—I can't… even touch her?"

Evaya hissed, wincing as she steadied herself, her mind struggling to comprehend it.

The commotion drew attention.

Several temple guards rounded the corner, drawn by the distant sounds of struggle.

"Evaya! Is something wrong?"

One of them called out, his boots striking hard against the marble floor as he approached.

Before she could respond, their eyes followed her line of sight — landing on Kana standing silently at the gates, her hand still resting on the flickering wards.

"Who is that?!"

Another guard barked, already unsheathing his spear.

"Stay back! Don't engage her—!"

Evaya shouted immediately, raising her hand in warning.

But her voice came too late.

The first guard lunged forward, spear aimed low in an attempt to sweep Kana off her feet.

And then everything happened at once.

Kana moved.

Her body twisted fluidly, her hand snapping out almost lazily — and yet with devastating precision.

Two fingers brushed the spear's shaft, shattering its wooden handle into splinters as though it were brittle glass.

The guard barely had time to react before Kana pivoted on her heel, stepping inside his guard with startling speed.

Her palm connected with his chest, a soft thud echoing through the corridor.

The force that erupted from that single strike sent him flying backward, his body slamming into the stone pillar several meters away before crumpling to the floor, groaning but conscious.

"What—?!"

One of the other guards gasped, eyes wide in shock.

Another guard yelled, charging her from behind with his blade raised.

Kana's head tilted slightly — almost absently — before she ducked beneath the swing without even looking. Her elbow shot back in one sharp motion, connecting with his ribs.

There was a crack.

The man dropped his sword immediately, falling to his knees as he gasped for breath.

"Kana, stop!"

Evaya yelled, her voice sharp and desperate this time.

But Kana didn't seem to hear her. Her blank, distant gaze remained fixed on the bronze doors, her movements mechanical — almost instinctive — as the third guard hesitated, then charged anyway.

She stepped forward lightly, pivoting on one foot, and her leg whipped out in a graceful, arcing kick.

The strike connected with the flat of his chest, sending him sprawling several meters back, his armor screeching as it scraped the polished floor.

The entire exchange had lasted less than ten seconds.

Three trained temple guards — down.

Evaya stood frozen for a heartbeat, her breath caught in her throat.

Kana's frame was small, almost fragile, and yet the force behind her movements, the raw precision, the fluid grace — it wasn't human. It wasn't even close.

Her throat went dry as she watched the girl continue forward, step by step, her hand reaching for the barrier once again as though nothing had happened.

Evaya clenched her fists, her heartbeat pounding in her ears.

She was fast.

She was strong.

But she didn't feel like a human.

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