The sudden turn of events caught everyone off guard. Jeanne and Lemuen stood frozen in place as they witnessed Cecilia's abnormal transformation.
While other Sankta might not have known what to make of this, Lemuen was all too familiar with the phenomenon. Years ago, she had watched one of her closest friends undergo the exact same change. It was the physical manifestation of breaking the laws etched into the very blood of the Sankta—Falling.
The problem was that Falling typically only occurred when a Sankta fired a gun at one of their own; even attacking with Arts usually wouldn't trigger it. But this child—who didn't even have a single bullet in her hand—had just shown the signs of becoming a Fallen Sankta right before their eyes.
"Sister, Cecilia feels so sick..."
The little girl looked incredibly frail, barely able to stand as if she had suddenly been struck by a severe illness. Her voice was weak and breathless. Yet, in that same moment, the halo above her head flickered back to stability, as if the darkness had never touched it.
"This situation... do you know what caused it?" Jeanne looked to Lemuen, hoping the local expert would have an answer.
Lemuen shook her head stiffly. She had never heard of a Sankta "partially Falling" and then recovering instantly. This was far beyond the understanding of a typical Sankta.
"If there are records of this, the higher-ups have likely buried them. Besides, this child is clearly an exception. If you want real answers, you'd be better off asking that old man, the Pope," Lemuen replied, sighing. She knew she had just stumbled into a massive headache.
Jeanne pulled the weak Cecilia into a hug, letting the girl rest against her chest. Strangely, once she was in Jeanne's arms, Cecilia's dim halo brightened slightly, and her pained expression softened.
"Wait here with her for a moment. I'm going to ask a 'professional' about this," Lemuen said after seeing Cecilia stabilize. She immediately moved aside to contact Mostima, hoping the Fallen Sankta might understand what was happening.
Meanwhile, the Pathfinders watching from the shadows turned their gazes toward Cecilia's mother, Feoria. They demanded to know what she was hiding. They knew any child their Leader took an interest in wouldn't be ordinary, but what they had just seen defied logic.
Under their intense scrutiny, Feoria finally revealed the secret: Cecilia was a hybrid—born of both Sankta and Sarkaz.
The revelation left the group in stunned silence. Now they understood why Andoain valued this child so much. She was likely the most potent weapon they had to strike at this "paradise" and pull the Sankta down from their pedestals.
However, Feoria clearly didn't want her daughter swept up in this storm.
"Regardless, we cannot let this child fall into the hands of the Laterano authorities! She'll be in grave danger!"
Though they disagreed with Feoria on the child's future role, they shared one immediate goal: keep her hidden. Seeing Lemuen leave to make a call, leaving only Jeanne behind, the Pathfinders saw their chance. To them, the Garrison officer was the threat; this young girl looking after the child didn't seem dangerous at all.
Their plan: surround the girl, distract her, and snatch Cecilia in the chaos.
As for Feoria? They kept her back. If she went out there, she might just get hauled off to the Basilica along with the child. The Pathfinders were convinced the Laterano government would kill to keep this secret. If a hybrid could be born a Sankta, this couldn't be the only case in a thousand years. It meant Laterano had likely spent centuries erasing every trace of such existence—possibly including the parents.
They moved in, feigning the role of casual festival-goers, slowly closing the circle around Jeanne.
What they didn't realize was that Jeanne had noticed them the moment they stepped out of the alley. Despite their "casual" act, the way they kept emerging from the same spot and exchanging meaningful glances was amateurish. Jeanne could practically see the sparks of communication flying between their eyes.
If you're going to claim you don't know each other, at least stop staring at each other, she thought.
Furthermore, they were all of different races. In a city where Sankta were the overwhelming majority, a sudden group of mixed races closing in was a massive red flag. Even if they all attacked at once, Jeanne could easily pin them to a wall with one hand. However, she was holding a child and didn't want to terrify her with violence, so she decided to move to a more crowded area.
Seeing her move, the group grew desperate. They had worked hard to lure the Notarial Hall agents away from this sector. If she got too far, any attempt to grab the kid would be spotted by the authorities.
As the leader of the group reached out to grab Jeanne's sleeve, he suddenly felt a colossal force. The world spun as he was slammed into the ground with a heavy thud.
The noise immediately alerted the nearby Sankta, who were still in high festival spirits. In the blink of an eye, dozens of citizens drew their guns, their expressions turning sharp and alert.
Jeanne stared at them in disbelief. It's a festival! Why is everyone carrying a gun? Aren't you worried about accidental discharges?
Seeing the wall of armed citizens, the would-be kidnappers vanished into the alleys as fast as they could. The locals crowded around Jeanne, offering comfort—mostly to the terrified Cecilia. It had been years since Laterano had seen an attempted kidnapping. Sankta simply didn't do that, and other races who tried usually ended up full of lead.
Cecilia, overwhelmed by the crowd, buried her face in Jeanne's chest and refused to look out. Fortunately, Lemuen returned and cleared a path for them.
"Cecilia, do you know those people?" Lemuen asked solemnly once they were safe. The girl simply shook her head.
"Ugh, what a mess," Lemuen sighed. "Is this really how my first New Year after recovery is going to go?"
She informed Jeanne that even Mostima was clueless about the "half-falling" situation, though the Pope had been notified. Jeanne suspected that even without the report, that old man probably knew exactly what was happening. She didn't believe for a second that Lemuen was the only one keeping an eye on her.
"The time is almost here. Let's head to the clock tower first," Lemuen suggested. "As for Cecilia... if we really can't find her mother by the time this is over, we'll just have to escort her home ourselves."