News traveled fast across the empire. Rumors became whispers, whispers became proclamations, until the halls of power trembled with the revelation: a divine authority had descended upon the earth. For the first time in centuries, the female Angel of Harmony, Raphael, had shown her blessing—through Euphemia.
At the estate, the Iron Duke of South and his advisors deliberated her future. "She is marked by the Elohim," the duke said, voice heavy with concern. "We must prepare her for her role."
Euphemia learned the truth: she would be handed over to the Seven Elohims' Church, groomed to become a divine authority. The thought weighed heavily on her.
When she confided in Noah, her voice trembled. "I… I don't want to be separated from you, Noah. Please… don't leave me."
Noah's chest tightened. He had given pieces of his heart to her, bit by bit, in the months they had shared laughter, teasing, and quiet companionship. He held back his own pain, maintaining his stern knightly facade. "You will be safe, Euphemia. I will see you every month. And when your training is complete, when you are a full-fledged divine authority, you will be free to make your own choices. I promise."
Tears streaked her cheeks. "Promise me… promise me you won't forget me."
"I could never forget," he whispered, holding her hand one last time before parting.
The Church did not honor their word. Noah was barred from seeing Euphemia, and her honor and fame grew with each passing month. The world whispered her name as a divine authority, while Noah was banished from the Veyrins, hunted due to his family ties and his brother's control over the underworld. He became a mercenary, wandering distant lands, consoling himself with stories of Euphemia's deeds.
Years later, war broke out between the Empire of Elysilam and Elmark, and the fractured Seven Elohims' Church fueled the conflict.
It was on the southern front that Noah first saw her again. Reports had reached him: the chosen one of Raphael had come to aid the soldiers. His heart pounded as he navigated the battlefield, dodging arrows and debris. Smoke and chaos swirled around him, and then—he saw her.
Euphemia, in golden-white armor, stood amidst the soldiers. But it wasn't her usual playful or serene self. Her golden eyes, normally sparkling with mischief, were shadowed with exhaustion. Her breath came in shallow gasps, and her armor was battered, showing the scars of battle and of the holy knights who had beaten anyone approaching her.
Noah approached cautiously, risking being branded a heretic for getting too close. His heart ached at the sight. Every teasing glance, every laugh he had once cherished, now felt like a memory from another life.
"Euphemia…" he murmured, voice low and steady, trying to anchor her in the chaos.
Her eyes met his, and for a brief moment, the divine aura around her flickered—not in power, but in vulnerability. "Noah…" she whispered. "Have I… been good? Have I… done what is expected of me?"
Noah saw through the carefully maintained facade of the divine authority. The tired, beaten, barely-alive girl was there, hidden beneath the aura of perfection. Every step, every smile, every duty she had fulfilled had come at a cost.
"You've been more than good," he said, voice firm but gentle, swallowing the surge of emotion in his chest. "You've endured far more than anyone could ask. You've held your courage even when the world crushed you."
Tears welled in her eyes again, though she tried to blink them away. "But… I wanted to see you, to be near you… and yet I was forbidden."
Noah's jaw clenched, pain cutting through him. "I couldn't—" he stopped himself. His stern facade returned, but his hands itched to shield her, to take her far from this battlefield. "You will survive this. I will find a way, Euphemia. I'll see you again, and one day, when you're ready, you'll have your freedom."
She nodded, clinging briefly to him, letting herself be human for the first time in months. "Promise me, Noah…"
"I promise," he said quietly, though the battlefield roared around them.
They parted then, under orders and circumstance, each stepping back into their respective roles. Euphemia returned to the soldiers, divine and untouchable to them, while Noah melted into the chaos, a mercenary and wanderer, haunted by the girl he had promised to protect.
But as he vanished into the smoke and blood of the southern front, he knew one truth: wherever the war took them, wherever the Church and the empire conspired, he would find a way to keep that promise.