"Hey, Garld, we caught a lucky break, huh?" said one of the tall, lanky mercenaries leading the group at the front of the caravan.
"Yes, we sure did, Feil," the sturdy man named Garld replied with a rough laugh. "Normally we encounter one or two Fallen on the way to the city. This time, though? Smooth ride."
"At this rate we'll reach the city five hours ahead of sche—"
Garld abruptly cut himself off.
Up ahead, the bushes lining the dirt road shifted.
In an instant, his hand tightened around the hilt of his sword.
The other mercenaries immediately noticed the change in his expression. Feil drew his blade without hesitation, while the remaining two mercenaries followed suit, their eyes fixed on the rustling vegetation.
The group slowly approached.
Then, to everyone's surprise, a woman and a child stepped out from the bushes.
Both had long crimson hair.
The mercenaries visibly froze for a brief moment.
Garld was the first to recover. Sword still in hand, he stepped forward cautiously toward the unusual pair.
"Hey," he called out, narrowing his eyes. "What are you two doing out here?"
The older woman said nothing.
She simply raised one slender arm.
Then, with a smooth and elegant motion—
Snap.
**
They had just finished changing the daughter into the rough rags the slaves wore, using spare clothing from the caravan's supplies.
Which Light completely understood.
What he didn't understand was how the entire mercenary group—including the slaves being transported—had become utterly uninterested in the pair's existence.
It happened the moment the woman snapped her fingers.
Light assumed it was one of her abilities.
He had even tried activating his own blessing to inspect the woman, hoping the familiar translucent box would appear before him.
Nothing happened.
Not a single response.
Now, the crimson-haired mother helped her daughter climb into the carriage alongside the other slaves while the mercenaries waited patiently nearby, as though this entire situation were perfectly normal.
"This is goodbye," the mother whispered, holding back tears. "I love you, ******."
"I know, Mama," the daughter replied softly. "I love you too."
They had already said everything that needed to be said earlier that morning.
There were no comforting words left.
No miracle waiting for either of them.
"Goodbye."
Taking a few slow steps backward, the mother gradually distanced herself from her daughter.
To Light's surprise, she didn't head toward the road.
Instead, she walked deeper into the forest.
Just before she disappeared beyond the girl's senses, the woman turned around one final time, tears visible in her eyes.
Then—
Snap.
Just like before.
And then she vanished into the trees.
Light couldn't tell what she had done this time.
But he had a feeling it was directed toward her own daughter.
Because the next second, the girl's demeanor completely changed.
Gone was the desperate child staring after her mother, trying to hold onto her fading presence for even a moment longer.
Instead, she quietly sat down inside the carriage and stared blankly ahead with dull, lifeless eyes.
Only then did Light finally understand.
The strange emptiness the girl had shown when he first met her…
It was because of her mother.
Still, too many mysteries remained.
What exactly had the woman done to the mercenaries?
What had she done to her daughter?
What kind of blessing was capable of something like this?
But in the end, none of it truly mattered.
There were more immediate problems ahead.
The carriage resumed its journey.
Only a few minutes remained before they would leave the forest behind.
And only a few short hours before the young girl would experience the cruelty of the world firsthand.
Then—
The instant the caravan stepped out into the open fields…
The moment sunlight touched his skin—
The scenery changed.
***
He was back.
Back within the endless abyss.
His body remained suspended in the vast emptiness, completely restrained by the incomprehensible force governing this void.
The last time he had been here, he'd been dragged into the memories of the crimson-haired girl.
But now…
There was nothing.
No memories.
No voices.
No movement.
Just endless darkness.
Light waited.
And waited.
Yet nothing happened.
'No more memories?'
A part of him felt relieved.
Judging solely from the girl's condition in reality, he already knew her future had been terrible.
Still…
Another part of him wanted to know.
"So now what?" he muttered internally.
Ever since the girl touched the soul chains, everything had spiraled beyond his control.
Even now, floating helplessly within this abyss, there was absolutely nothing he could do.
Well…
There was one thing he hadn't tried yet.
His blessing.
Though considering he couldn't even move, he doubted it would work.
'Not like I have anything else to do.'
Focusing the mana within himself toward his eyes, Light activated his ability.
The moment he did—
A blinding golden light exploded across his vision.
Light instinctively shut his eyes.
When he finally regained focus, he froze.
A figure stood several feet away from him.
It was the silhouette of the short crimson-haired girl—
Except her entire body was made of radiant golden light.
The glowing figure stood motionless within the abyss.
If it had eyes, Light was certain it was staring directly at him.
Then he noticed it.
A small light shining from the girl's chest.
Slowly, it emerged outward.
Stretching toward him.
As it approached, Light realized the light wasn't random at all.
Countless links rapidly formed together, interlocking one after another.
Like something being forged.
Something familiar.
His eyes widened.
"A… chain?"
The instant the thought crossed his mind, the glowing chains accelerated violently.
Within moments, they reached his chest.
But they didn't stop there.
As though his physical body were meaningless, the chains pierced through him effortlessly, sinking deeper and deeper into the core of his existence itself.
Then he felt it.
A tug.
Small at first.
Weak.
Almost harmless.
But with every passing second, the force intensified.
Pain followed soon after.
At first, it felt like a child pulling at him.
Then—
Like an adult trying to rip his heart out through his chest.
That was when Light noticed something horrifying.
Something was being dragged out of him.
Not his heart.
Not flesh.
But a strange black liquid-like substance emerging directly from the depths of his being.
It extended toward the chains as if desperately trying to reach the girl.
"The girl—"
Light snapped his attention toward the golden silhouette.
A similar substance was emerging from her chest as well.
Except hers was crimson red.
The two liquids stretched toward one another through the chains.
Then—
The moment they touched—
Everything stopped.
The golden silhouette vanished.
The chains disappeared.
The pain ceased entirely.
Leaving behind only silence within the endless void.
And a single translucent box floating before his eyes.
[Soul Link Completed]