Episode 7
Pulled by a strong force, I hurried down the stairs after her.
“Ah—wait a minute, Arpina!”
Before I could stop her, I was dragged along. Her push urged me to climb aboard quickly, and before I knew it, I was sitting inside the carriage.
As soon as I took a seat, the high-ranking Purifiers threw me sidelong glances — the kind that said, “Why is a 4th-rank here?”
“I’m the type who gets nervous easily. I thought having Luiche with me might help me calm down.”
Arpina explained on my behalf. At her words, the sharp looks immediately softened.
Everyone was on edge.
Normally talkative Purifiers were now silent, their senses taut as bowstrings.
I wasn’t any better off. My head was spinning from the suddenness of it all.
Why had Jared’s berserk rate suddenly risen?
Ever since his outburst three years ago, the temple had kept a close eye on his instability — even assigning staff solely to monitor his berserk rate.
Though his condition had improved somewhat, the temple still sent Jared on missions because a single man could wield the power of an entire army — an advantage too great to abandon for the sake of safety.
The fact that no one noticed this latest spike meant that some unforeseen variable had intervened.
“Could that variable… be me?”
His body reacted only to my purification. Perhaps I had triggered an abnormal response.
If I had known this would happen, I wouldn’t have let him leave yesterday. If I’d stayed and shared dinner like he suggested, I might have sensed the disturbance sooner and warned someone.
“Why am I always like this…?”
For someone who calls herself a Purifier, I always realize too late — only when he’s already at his breaking point.
The carriage raced through the gates of the Grand Duke’s mansion. The place looked like a bomb had gone off — complete chaos.
When I stepped out, something crunched beneath my heel. Shards of glass.
“This way, please! Quickly!”
A servant led us not to the main building but to the first floor of the annex. It seemed Jared hadn’t even made it to the main house before collapsing.
The heavy door had been blasted in half; groans and panicked shouts echoed from within.
“The Purifiers from Harteion Temple have arrived!”
“Bring them in, fast!”
I wasn’t the one they were desperate for, but I followed the others into the bedchamber.
“Ugh—!”
It was as if clawed fire raked across my skin.
Jared lay unconscious on the bed. His face was calm, almost peaceful — but the aura he exuded was anything but.
If he woke up like this, it would be catastrophic. The gathered high-ranking Purifiers had been called precisely to prevent that from happening.
“Haah—hah…”
One of the Purifiers who’d been working collapsed, blood trickling from his nose. Pale and trembling, he shook his head — he couldn’t continue. A servant helped him out.
The others didn’t look any better.
“The energy’s draining us dry, but it won’t absorb!”
“If the Purifiers’ strength runs out, it could spread to the other Awakened!”
“So we’re just supposed to let the Duke go berserk? That would be a national disaster!”
“There were no signs—none! Why now?”
The tension rose, voices sharp with panic.
“I’ll do it.”
The clear, graceful voice sliced cleanly through the noise.
Everyone turned toward Arpina. She rolled up the long sleeves of her ceremonial robe, her face set with determination.
She looked like a savior standing before the end of the world. The room fell silent.
“I’m sorry, but I need everyone to leave. I can’t concentrate like this.”
She was right — the atmosphere was far too chaotic. If her purification worked, she might even have to move on to membrane purification, a procedure that required intense focus.
No one objected. One by one, everyone filed out.
As I was about to follow, I caught one last glimpse of Jared’s sleeping face.
“Luiche, could you stay?”
“…Me?”
“Of course. Why else would I have brought a 4th-rank like you?”
Her gentle tone flowed effortlessly, but before I could respond, the door clicked shut behind me.
The faint sound of the lock sliding into place echoed in my ears.
Given the circumstances, membrane purification was inevitable. It was a medical act, yes — but still, watching my ex-boyfriend and my friend perform it together…
“Even nightmares aren’t this cruel.”
“It’s for Lord Castion. Please.”
Her soft, steady voice pulled me back. I swallowed dryly and nodded.
“Only you can help me, Luiche. Thank you.”
I steadied myself.
“Get a grip.”
This wasn’t the time to think about my own feelings.
I tied up my messy hair and approached them.
“What should I do to help—”
“Don’t come closer.”
I froze mid-step.
“It’s too dangerous. You wouldn’t be able to withstand it.”
“…Right.”
I had done this before — endured worse, even. But Arpina was convinced I couldn’t handle it.
Maybe she simply couldn’t imagine what it was like to be anything below first rank.
Still, I couldn’t argue. From her perspective, a 4th-rank insisting on staying near a berserking 1st-rank probably looked reckless.
“Just tell me what you need.”
“Clean water and towels.”
“Got it.”
I buried the sting in my chest and ran out.
By the time I returned with the supplies, Arpina was already panting heavily, her face drained of color.
“Put them on the table. Don’t come any closer.”
She didn’t even turn her head as she spoke.
“How is he? Any better?”
She didn’t answer. Sitting beside Jared, she simply clasped his hand tightly.
Despite everything, hope flickered in me.
Maybe a 1st-rank’s purification really could reach him. Maybe she could do what none of us could.
“Lord Castion, it’s me — Arpina. The one you long for. I’ll take on all your pain, so please… please recognize me.”
Her voice trembled with desperate sincerity — so unlike the woman who’d once slapped him coldly against the wall of the Audrianne’s mansion.
It didn’t matter which version of her was real.
She was praying with everything she had, and her purification carried the weight of that love.
Standing apart, I also prayed — smoothing out the jagged edges of my own heart.
Like a silent audience member watching from the dark, I wished only that their story wouldn’t end in tragedy.
“Ugh…”
Arpina’s body collapsed forward.
Her once-elegant robes were soaked through with sweat; her face had turned ghostly pale.
By now, night had fallen deep into dawn.
Nine hours of continuous purification, with only brief pauses to eat, and still Jared hadn’t stabilized.
Failure — her first. Shock rippled across her features, soon replaced by stubborn resolve.
She struggled to her feet and began again.
“Arpina.”
No response — she only wiped Jared’s forehead with a wet cloth.
“We… might need membrane purification.”
Arpina had hoped to avoid that, but her trembling voice now carried grim determination.
It would be her first attempt at such a dangerous act.
“…Should I leave?”
“No.”
Her sweat-damp hair clung to her cheeks as she shook her head.
Seeing her that tense, the discomfort in my chest slowly dissolved.
All I could think now was how hard she was trying to save him.
“I’ll stay with you.”
“Thank you. Could you… turn off the lights?”
I nodded, pulling the curtains shut and dimming the room until only a bedside lamp glowed faintly.
The faint, warm light softened the outlines of everything.
The darkness heightened every sound — even Arpina’s nervous breathing filled the silence.
The air grew heavy, dense.
Scrape. The chair legs dragged against the floor as she stood.
Her pale blue hair fell like a veil over Jared’s body. She tucked a strand behind her ear.
“Lord Castion…”
Her wet, trembling voice hovered in the dim air.
They were so close that her breath brushed his skin.
I quickly averted my eyes, forcing my heart to still.
And then—
Crash!
A sudden noise shattered the silence. I jerked my head up in shock.
