With a heavy mind, Rio slowly took a seat beside Reina.
The crimson-haired woman who now had onyx hair simply smiled.
She looked... different.
Not physically.
But the broken madness he remembered from their last encounter seemed absent. The obsession remained hidden somewhere beneath the surface, yet compared to the Reina standing amidst the ruins of the orphanage, this version of her appeared far calmer.
Far more composed.
The silver-haired woman noticed his gaze and chuckled softly.
"I apologize for our meeting being so rough, Rio~"
Her voice carried a dangerous charm.
The kind that made every word sound playful despite the pressure hidden beneath it.
Rio remained expressionless.
"What do you want from me?"
"Oh?"
Her crimson eyes curved slightly.
"Straight to the point."
Then suddenly—
Rio's eyes widened.
A moment ago, he had been sitting beside Reina.
Now—
He was sitting beside Cecilia.
His entire body tensed.
When did she—
The woman merely smiled.
"Don't you think I'm a charming woman~?"
Rio immediately moved away.
Or tried to.
Unfortunately, Cecilia's hand was already resting against his shoulder.
"Oh come on, Rio~"
Her fingers brushed against his shirt.
Reina's voice interrupted.
The silver-haired woman paused.
"Master. We are here for a purpose."
For a moment Cecilia simply stared at her disciple.
Then she pouted.
"Hmph."
She pinched Reina's cheek.
"My disciple can be so annoying."
Reina looked completely dead inside.
Eventually, Cecilia released her.
Then her attention returned toward Rio.
This time her playful expression softened slightly.
"Very well."
She elegantly crossed her legs.
"My name is Cecilia."
A faint smile appeared on her face.
"Or perhaps a title would be more appropriate."
Her crimson eyes gleamed.
"The Fifth Apostle of the Black Cross."
Rio's eyes narrowed.
"The Fifth Apostle?"
"Indeed."
Cecilia nodded.
"The Black Cross consists of ten Apostles."
She casually wrapped an arm around Reina's shoulders.
"Our cute little Reina here is the newest."
She squeezed her cheeks.
"The Tenth Apostle."
Reina looked ready to stab her.
Cecilia ignored it completely.
"And you see, Rio..."
Her gaze became sharper.
"We know everything about you."
A cold sensation crawled down Rio's spine.
"Everything."
"From your childhood within the Valen Family."
"To your years within Verilian."
"As Noctis."
Her smile never faded.
"We have been watching you for a very long time."
Rio's expression darkened.
"What do you want from me?"
"First?"
Cecilia tilted her head.
"We would like to apologize."
Rio blinked.
An apology?
The answer was so unexpected that he genuinely didn't know how to respond.
Cecilia continued.
"The doctor responsible for those experiments."
"The one who experimented on that little girl."
"He belonged to the Black Cross."
Rio already knew that.
"The failure of that operation brought considerable consequences to our organization."
For the first time, Cecilia's smile disappeared.
"We are not responsible for what occurred in Valorheim."
A brief pause followed.
"But responsibility and affiliation are not always separate matters."
Her crimson eyes met his.
"So."
"We apologize."
Rio stared at her.
Several seconds passed.
"...Okay?"
Cecilia laughed.
Reina sighed.
The Fifth Apostle looked genuinely entertained.
"You are surprisingly easy to apologize to."
Then she leaned back.
"Unfortunately, that isn't why you're here."
Rio knew it.
Of course he knew it.
Cecilia's eyes slowly narrowed.
"Rio."
"You are perhaps the greatest prodigy humanity has ever produced."
She raised a finger.
"Every elemental affinity."
A second finger.
"Space affinity."
A third.
"An SS-Rank Mana Core."
A fourth.
"A mysterious spirit whose origins even we cannot identify."
Her smile returned.
"And your swordsmanship."
Cecilia studied him carefully.
"As far as humanity is concerned..."
"...you are the embodiment of perfection."
Rio felt absolutely no comfort hearing that.
Especially not from her.
Unfortunately, Cecilia wasn't finished.
She lightly touched his chin.
Rio immediately moved away.
The Fifth Apostle giggled.
"Still shy."
Then her expression gradually became serious.
"The Verilian Empire already see you as their weapon."
"The Astryx Empire wants a weapon."
"The moment Astryx truly understands what you are..."
Her voice lowered.
"...they will attempt to claim you."
Not kill.
Not recruit.
Claim.
The distinction was important.
"And that is why we are making an offer."
Silence settled across the restaurant.
Even Reina watched quietly now.
Cecilia slowly extended her hand.
"Join us, Rio."
"Become the Eleventh Apostle."
Her crimson eyes gleamed with confidence.
"We already know the Retainers of Oblivion have begun taking interest in you."
"We can offer protection."
"We can offer freedom."
"We can offer time."
Her hand slowly lowered.
Then she leaned closer.
Close enough for only him to hear.
And spoke the one thing capable of shaking him.
"We can fix your mana circuits."
Rio's pupils contracted.
For the first time since entering the restaurant—
His composure truly broke.
...
For several seconds, Rio simply sat there, staring at the table.
Fix his mana circuits.
Just like that.
The words echoed endlessly within his mind.
And now—
someone was offering it to him as though it were a simple transaction.
Rio slowly lowered his head.
His hands trembled.
If he accepted...
If he truly accepted...
Then he could wield mana again.
No more shattered circuits.
No more limitations.
No more pretending that he was content with swordsmanship alone.
He could reclaim what he had lost.
Inside his mind, Astravax finally spoke.
[It's your choice.]
The Dragon's voice was unusually calm.
Rio remained silent for a moment before answering.
But don't you hate the gods?
If I joined the followers of the Lady of Velvet Sin... wouldn't you hate that too?
Astravax snorted.
[Of course I hate them.]
[I hate all those self-righteous beings who sit above the world and call themselves gods.]
The Dragon's golden eyes narrowed.
[But at the end of the day...]
[It's still your choice, Rio.]
The words lingered.
Then silence returned.
Soon, Reina looked toward Cecilia.
"Master."
The Fifth Apostle glanced over.
"Could I have some time alone with him?"
Cecilia blinked.
Then a mischievous smile spread across her face.
"Hehe~"
"Of course."
The space around her distorted.
And just like that—
she vanished.
Leaving only Rio and Reina behind.
Silence settled over the restaurant.
The darkness beyond the windows remained unchanged.
Neither spoke for a while.
Eventually—
Reina broke the silence.
"It seems it's been a while since we've actually talked."
Rio slowly raised his eyes.
"Yes."
A faint smile appeared on Reina's face.
Not a happy one.
Not even a nostalgic one.
Just tired.
Then she looked down at the table.
"Let me tell you about myself, Rio."
Her voice was quiet.
Far quieter than he remembered.
"When I was young, do you know what my mother gave me?"
She laughed softly.
"There was never any affection."
"There was never any warmth."
"Only expectations."
Her fingers tightened slightly.
"She wanted me to become her masterpiece."
"The strongest mage on the planet."
"The future of the Emberheart Family."
"The star of our bloodline."
A bitter smile appeared on her face.
"That was my purpose."
"When I was five years old, she began placing me inside molten chambers."
Rio's eyes narrowed slightly.
"The heat was unbearable."
"The pain was unbearable."
"But she told me it would make me stronger."
"So I endured."
Reina stared at her reflection in the table.
"I wasn't allowed outside."
"I wasn't allowed friends."
"I wasn't allowed a childhood."
"There was only training."
"Endless training."
She paused.
Then sighed.
"The funny thing is..."
"I eventually agreed with her."
Her voice trembled slightly.
"I truly believed weakness was a sin."
A long silence followed.
Then she spoke again.
"Did you know I had an older brother?"
Rio remained quiet.
Reina continued.
"His name was Oliver Emberheart."
For the first time—
a genuine smile appeared on her face.
Small.
Fragile.
"He was kind."
"Far too kind."
"He was born with only a single affinity."
"Ice."
The smile slowly faded.
"The heir of the Emberheart Family."
"The future of a lineage built upon fire."
"Born with Ice."
Her eyes lowered.
"My mother considered him a curse."
"He disappointed her simply by existing."
"She treated him horribly."
"Yet he never stopped trying."
"He kept moving forward."
"No matter how many times she broke him."
"No matter how many times she humiliated him."
Her fingers tightened.
"Then I was born."
The restaurant fell silent.
"My mother immediately replaced him."
"The title of heir."
"The future of the family."
"Everything."
"It all became mine."
Reina looked away.
"When I was younger, I thought he was pathetic."
"A burden."
"A stain on the Emberheart name."
A tear rolled down her cheek.
"He once asked me to spar with him."
"I accepted."
"I wanted to impress my mother."
Her voice cracked.
"So I humiliated him."
"I defeated him completely."
"I made sure everyone watching knew how inferior he was."
Rio remained silent.
Reina's hands shook.
"But do you know what happened afterward?"
A weak laugh escaped her lips.
"He smiled."
The tears began falling more frequently.
"He wasn't angry."
"He wasn't jealous."
"He wasn't bitter."
"He was happy."
"Happy that his little sister had become so strong."
Her shoulders trembled.
"Then he patted my head."
The tears would not stop now.
"I hated him."
"I hated how weak he was."
"I hated how pathetic he looked."
Her voice broke.
"But..."
"Why did I like it?"
"Why did I feel happy when he praised me?"
"Why did I keep looking forward to seeing him?"
She lowered her head.
"Years passed."
"We met less and less."
"But whenever we did..."
A small smile appeared.
"He always made me smile."
Then it vanished.
Completely.
The restaurant suddenly felt colder.
"My mother noticed."
Rio already knew where this was going.
Yet he remained silent.
Reina's voice became hollow.
"She didn't want a daughter."
"She didn't want a family."
"She wanted a weapon."
"And Oliver..."
"...was ruining everything."
Her nails dug into her palms.
"So while I was away..."
Her breathing became uneven.
"She tortured him."
The words felt heavy.
Almost impossible to say.
"Her own son."
"She tortured him until he broke."
"Until he couldn't take it anymore."
"Until..."
A tear fell onto the table.
"...he killed himself."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Rio could hear nothing except Reina's uneven breathing.
When she finally looked up—
her crimson eyes were completely filled with tears.
"The last time I saw him..."
Her voice barely existed anymore.
"The last look my brother ever gave me wasn't hatred."
"It wasn't anger."
"It wasn't disappointment."
She closed her eyes.
As though the memory itself hurt.
"When he looked at me..."
A shudder ran through her body.
"He was afraid."
"Afraid of me, Rio."
"And that's the memory that never leaves."