Luna Ashwood…
To put it simply, she was someone who believed in everything good, was deeply devoted to the Mother Goddess, and was convinced that everything happened for a reason.
She would be the first to bear the wounds if it meant others could be happy, never once hesitating.
That was who she was… Luna Ashwood.
“Hmm… I feel like I know this kind of character,” Aether mused, his tone carrying a hint of amusement.
Dora chuckled, shaking her head. “Oh, indeed… She’s a lot like Helena. Or rather, I should say Helena turned out similar to her, though if we’re being honest, Luna was on a whole other level! Hah!”
Aether nodded with a small smirk, already forming an image of Luna in his mind. ‘Do all Saintesses come from the same mold or something?’ he thought, amused by the pattern he was noticing.
Dora’s expression softened, her voice growing a little nostalgic,
“Luna was… even more naive than Helena. At least Helena has some common sense now, but Luna? Ugh, she was beyond saving! She would literally give away everything she owned to help those in need, without even stopping to think twice.
And the worst part? She couldn’t even tell the difference between a lie and the truth! You could trick her with a straight face, and she’d still believe in you with all her heart!”
Aether raised an eyebrow. ‘That’s not just naive—that’s downright dangerous,’ he thought.
Anyone could be kind, but only a rare few became too good for their own good!!
“She would go out of her way to help people, asking for absolutely nothing in return. Just a pure, selfless soul—so much so that, in all my life, I’ve never met another like her,” Dora added softly, her small smile tinged with something deeper… longing.
Aether glanced at her, then raised an eyebrow playfully. “What about me?”
Dora shot him a look so deadpan it was almost comical as if saying, ‘You? The most impure soul I’ve ever had the misfortune of meeting!’
Aether chuckled, tightening his grip on her hips. Dora, on the other hand, wanted to slap his hand away—not just because of his audacity but because of the way her own heart was betraying her.
Damn it, why did this brat have to make her feel things she didn’t want to?
‘Fuck me!!’ she cursed herself internally, frustrated at how easily he was worming his way into her heart.
“So… what exactly do you mean? She sacrificed herself?” Aether asked, his tone shifting slightly, laced with caution.
Dora’s expression darkened, the warmth in her gaze slowly replaced by something heavy, something painful. “Well… remember when you asked me why I didn’t search my friend Noir back then?”
Aether nodded immediately, recalling that conversation clearly.
Dora took a deep breath, her fingers unconsciously curling into fists,
“Because… I did search for her but…. sigh, while I was searching for answers, trying to find the truth… I lost Luna. I lost her because of my own stupidity. Because I let my emotions cloud my judgment. I was tricked by the trial, and in the end… I lost her. Forever.”
Her voice grew quieter toward the end, her gaze drifting toward the bright sky, her expression unreadable.
That day… that one day that she could still remember as vividly as if it had just happened yesterday…
Isadora Pinkheart’s POV – During One of Her Trials
“All you need to do is surrender yourself completely… and I will grant you what you truly desire,” the grotesque monster muttered, its voice dripping with a sly, tempting tone. Its twisted grin stretched unnaturally, eyes glowing with eerie delight as it loomed over me.
I, who had been desperately searching for answers about my friend’s death, felt like this was an opportunity—a chance I could not afford to ignore. A once-in-a-lifetime offer that might just bring me the truth I had been yearning for.
The gods had betrayed me…. The Mother Goddess refused to reveal the real truth behind my friend’s death, leaving me to drown in an ocean of unanswered questions.
Everything felt wrong…. No, it was all manipulated, twisted beyond recognition.
Why?
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Why did my friend—my best friend—have to die for the so-called greater good?
What a load of bull crap that Mother Goddess kept preaching.
I wasn’t blind, nor was I stupid… I could see through the lies!
And now, before me, lay the only opportunity to uncover the truth… and even might bring my only friend back…. The one person who had ever truly mattered to me!!
If the gods refused to answer me, then so be it… I wouldn’t mind reaching out to the devil himself.
I-I raised my hand, hesitantly reaching toward the monster’s outstretched claws. Its grotesque grin widened as if savouring my desperation, revelling in my weakness.
I knew—deep down—I knew this was wrong, that this was a mistake I could never take back. And yet, the hope of seeing my friend again, even just one last time, drowned out all logic.
I couldn’t let go of this chance.
But just as I was about to clasp its hand—
“Stop!!”
A blinding white light erupted, searing through the darkness. The monster shrieked in agony, its flesh sizzling under the divine radiance.
Before I could fully process what had happened, there she was… A golden-haired girl… The saintess.
Luna.
She stood before me, panting, her hands trembling as she extended them toward me, hurriedly casting healing magic over my wounds.
“What the hell is wrong with you?! You do realize this is a trial, don’t you?!” she shouted, tears welling in her eyes. “Everything here is an illusion meant to deceive your heart! Please, don’t fall for their tricks!”
Why… why did she look so worried about me? Even though she was the one far more wounded than I was?
What was wrong with her?
Before either of us could say another word, monstrous creatures began closing in from all sides. They were grotesque, misshapen figures with twisted limbs and soulless eyes, their bodies writhing unnaturally as they crept closer.
There were too many…. Far too many for us to face head-on!!
We desperately ran with our weak bodies!
There was no other choice.
As we fled through the labyrinth of darkness, the relentless creatures howled behind us. Their grotesque hands scraped against the walls… Along the way, we encountered other chosen ones—others who had also been running, desperately trying to escape the nightmare unfolding around us.
“We can’t kill these fucking things!”
“There’s no blood to dance, damn it! This is insane!!”
“To hell with this trial!!”
Desperation filled the air.
Panic clung to everyone’s faces, and just as we finally neared the portal that had brought us here—our only way out—
We were cornered.
The monsters came in endless waves, clawing, and shrieking, their hungry eyes locked onto us like predators eyeing their prey.
“J-Just a few meters away!”
“Ahhh! Someone help us!!”
Panic surged through the group. Even Scarlet—who was usually unfazed by anything—looked tense. It felt as if this trial had been designed to kill us all, like a twisted game where survival was never an option to begin with.
And then—
“I’ll hold them off.”
Luna stepped forward, her tattered robes soaked in blood. Despite her injuries, she raised her hands, casting a radiant barrier that blocked the creatures from reaching them and the portal.
Relief washed over the others as they saw the barrier hold. Even though Luna was just a healer, at times like this, she was more useful than any of us.
However—
“You all need to leave. Now!” she urged desperation creeping into her voice.
I frowned, “What about you?”
Luna merely smiled. A soft, unwavering, and strangely peaceful smile. “I can’t move while maintaining a barrier strong enough to hold back this many monsters. I need to focus. Unless there were two of us…” Her gaze briefly flickered toward Apostle, the Empire’s other chosen one.
But that cowardly bastard immediately shouted, “I-I can’t use my power anymore! I’ve already reached my limit!!” and bolted without another word.
“What the fuck?” I muttered in disbelief.
“Cough, cough… Well, I guess he really must have reached his limit…” Luna mumbled, her tone naïve, as if she actually believed the blatant lie that had just left his mouth.
Still, she turned to the rest of us and nodded. “Please go now. I can’t hold it much longer!”
Many of them didn’t hesitate. Without looking back, they turned and ran.
“W-Wait!” I muttered, hesitating as I watched them flee.
“Come on, Isadora! What the hell are you waiting for?! Run!! Cough, cough—!” Luna screamed as cracks began forming in the barrier, the sheer number of monsters pressing against it overwhelming her magic.
“I-I can’t… I just—” My body had already reached its limit. It was a miracle I had even managed to run this far.
“It’s okay, Isadora…” Luna whispered, blood dripping from her lips. Yet, she smiled—without fear, without worry, without pain.
“Friends help each other, right?” she said, her smile stretching wider—the warmest, most genuine smile I had ever seen… just like the ones that my friend once showed me!
Friend?
No.
We were not friends.
The truth was, no one had ever truly considered her a friend.
Because of her naivety…. Because of how useless she was.
None of us had ever wanted to be friends with her.
This was War! Except Noir, I didn’t even care for others… That was the cold, hard truth. Even I couldn’t deny it.
And yet—
Here she was, calling us her friends.
Was she delusional?
Or… was she just that kind?
Regardless, I couldn’t abandon her.
I had my own reasons, my own goals, but I wasn’t a backstabber.
I gritted my teeth, ready to stand my ground.
But—
“You know you can’t, right?”
Scarlet’s voice rang in my ear, cold and indifferent. I turned and saw that only she remained for whatever reason…. Everyone else had already fled.
“I… I won’t—”
Before I could react, Scarlet grabbed me like a sack of potatoes and bolted.
“W-Wait!!” I shouted, struggling against her grip, but she didn’t stop.
She didn’t care.
And before I could do anything, we leaped through the portal—
The last thing I saw before the barrier shattered was Luna’s smiling face.
And then—
The portal closed.