Eros moved composedly through the reflections of the academy, advancing steadily toward his destination. Meanwhile, inside Ayesha’s single dormitory.

  Ayesha, who had been sleeping soundly, suddenly snapped her eyes open. Her spiritual intuition told her something was wrong. She trusted this intuition implicitly—it was freakishly accurate, though she didn't know why. She bolted upright in bed, her emerald eyes scanning the room with sharp vigilance.

  In the next second, her pupils contracted, and her heart nearly stopped.

  Aided by the silver moonlight from the window, she saw a figure sitting at the edge of her bed. The person was completely shrouded in shadow, revealing no details, but Ayesha had a gut feeling that this person had been watching her sleep for a long time. Her limbs turned cold from the sudden shock. One moment she was dreaming; the next, a creature of unknown nature was sitting by her pillow.

  Ayesha gasped for air, trying to steady her racing heart.

  Eros blinked as he watched Ayesha wake up. Something is definitely off, he thought. Ordinarily, Ayesha shouldn't have been able to sense Barbara’s power entering her body. Yet, the moment he activated the "Eyes of Eternal Night" to scan her, she had woken up. This level of spiritual intuition shouldn't belong to a mere Sequence 9—even a Transcendent might not have it.

  Ayesha definitely had a secret.

  Seeing her curled up at the head of the bed, tense and ready to strike, Eros tilted his head. He softened his voice slightly: "Don't be afraid! I’m your father!"

  Upon hearing this, Ayesha’s terror subsided slightly. Though she didn't understand the meaning behind the words, the fact that the intruder could speak meant he was rational—not some corrupted mutant or an eerie anomaly.

  "Who are you? Why are you here?" she asked warily.

  Eros looked around the room, then stood up and walked toward a corner. Ayesha’s eyes tracked his every move, ready to fight for her life at any moment. But with a click and a flare of light, a gas lamp illuminated the room. It wasn't as bright as daylight, but it was enough to see clearly.

  Ayesha immediately recognized the figure. It was that "Remnant of the Night" she had encountered twice before!

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  How was he here? This was an academy founded by the three major churches. Did he sneak in tonight, or had he been hiding his identity within the academy all along? And why break into her room? Had he discovered her identity?

  Countless questions flooded her mind, but she maintained her defensive posture. Eros spread his hands. "Relax, Ayesha!"

  The girl’s heart skipped a beat. He knows who I am. Was he certain, or just bluffing?

  Eros sat back down at the foot of the bed and beckoned to her. "Come closer. Get near so I can observe you properly."

  "What do you want?" Ayesha neither confirmed nor denied her identity, choosing instead to probe his intentions.

  Eros shrugged and spoke in a nonchalant, flippant tone: "Last night, your mother accepted my confession. We’re together now, so technically, I count as your father, right?"

  "As your dad, I noticed something wrong with you, so I thought I’d give you a check-up. You don't need to thank me—we’re family. Just call me 'Father'."

  Ayesha glared at him. "What kind of nonsense are you talking about?" If the man before her weren't so terrifyingly powerful, she would have attacked him for insulting her mother.

  "Child, why don't you believe the truth? Since you're being stubborn, I’ll have to use force."

  Eros snapped his fingers. Shadow tentacles instantly erupted from Ayesha’s own shadow, binding her firmly. Simultaneously, a shroud of pitch-black night spread from Eros, sealing the room in a soundproof barrier.

  As Ayesha was brought before him by the tentacles, Eros’s left eye turned into a bottomless void. Ayesha felt a foreign power invade her body, spreading through every fiber of her being. She tensed, not knowing what this "Remnant" was doing to her.

  A while later, as the power withdrew, Ayesha felt completely drained, gasping for air. Even so, her glare remained fixed on Eros, filled with vigilance and fury.

  Eros ignored her gaze. He was busy asking Barbara in his mind: "Did you find anything?"

  "Yes. She was created to be a vessel for a portion of a deity's will."

  "You mean... a vessel for Divine Descent?" Eros was shocked.

  "Precisely. That is why she is special and could sense my power. Even her 'simple' disguise—amplified by her constitution—is enough to deceive Transcendents," Barbara explained calmly.

  Divine Descent. Indiles. Nineteen years ago.

  Did the Silver Moon Goddess start preparing for this Indiles operation nineteen years ago? No—perhaps even earlier. But what kind of operation requires a deity to descend with part of their will? Or was he wrong? Maybe Ayesha’s role had nothing to do with the current mission and was for something else entirely?

  Regardless, the Silver Moon Goddess was indeed trying to descend into the mortal realm.

  "If the Descent happens, what happens to Ayesha?" Eros asked, his voice laced with genuine concern. She was, after all, his "daughter" now.

  Barbara glanced at him, her voice devoid of emotion: "She is not like you. Her soul cannot carry the will of a Great One, not even a fraction of it."

  "At the moment of Descent, her soul will shatter completely. Her body is merely a temporary vessel—it cannot sustain a Great One’s will for long. Therefore, once the Descent ends, her physical form will mutate into a horrific monster due to the divine corruption."