The Gamer's POV

A streak of lightning ripped through the black sky, casting a brief, harsh glare over the landscape.

It was now deep into the night, and a heavy rain was falling in Cedric’s inner sanctuary.

Currently, he was standing on his balcony, leaning against the stone railing as he watched the downpour drench the distant orchard and the castle grounds.

While he was still lost in his thoughts, Aika’s voice suddenly echoed in his head.

’Cedric?’~~

Cedric lowered his head a bit, glancing back toward his room.

’Yes, Aika?’~

She didn’t reply right away, hesitating for a long moment before she finally spoke again.

’Could you please come to me?’~~

He immediately turned and headed back inside.

’Sure.’~

He crossed the room and waved his hand. The doors swung open, but rather than leading to the usual castle interior, they opened straight onto the rainy battlements.

Cedric walked out of the bedroom and directly into the pouring rain.

There, he saw Aika sitting on the stone ledge, drenched by the downpour. She was just staring blankly into space, seemingly unbothered by the storm raging around her.

Cedric walked over to her, then quietly sat down by her side, letting the rain soak through his own clothes.

"Quite the romantic spot you’ve picked here," he joked, trying to lighten the heavy mood.

Slowly, she turned to face him, and a small smile formed on her lips, though it looked incredibly tired.

"Don’t judge my taste just yet," she murmured before looking away again. "I promise to pick a much better spot next time."

Cedric smiled.

After a few seconds of searching for the words, Aika sighed and whispered, "I finally decided to confront my memories. After a bit of thinking through them, I think... I might have a suspicion of what I am. Of what Bonds are."

The moment she said that, a questioning, curious look suddenly crossed Cedric’s face.

’A suspicion of what Bonds are?’

Aika then placed her hand over his, leaned closer, and asked, "Do you want to take a look into my head?"

Cedric’s eyes widened slightly.

"Are you sure?" he asked in a gentle voice.

Aika thought for a few seconds, then nodded slowly.

"..."

Well, Cedric would be lying if he said he wasn’t curious about what went on in Aika’s head. And truth be told, it was about time this happened. So, he nodded without hesitation.

"Alright."

Hearing that, Aika smiled, looked into his eyes, and drew him in.

Suddenly, Cedric felt as if his consciousness was being pulled directly into her mind. It felt like drifting through a dense, swirling fog that kept thinning until a clear shape finally emerged.

At that moment, the space suddenly changed and Cedric found himself floating in what looked like a vast cavern.

A cold draft suddenly swept through the air, bringing with it the sound of people screaming and weeping in the distance.

A heavy, pungent stench of copper and decay hung thick in the environment, leaving Cedric unable to determine the source of such an overpowering odor.

’Uhk... what sort of place is this?’ he thought, scrunching his nose as his eyes darted around.

Turning back fully, his eyes fell upon the back wall, where a terrifying, gargantuan stone face was carved directly into the rock structure. The massive maw of the face was stretched wide in a horrific, silent scream, revealing a dark abyss that served as the only entrance and exit of the immense cavern.

It was difficult to take the massive space in all at once, but Cedric could clearly see that this was some kind of prison, judging by the numerous cells carved straight into the cliff faces. The cells seemed to be filled with all sorts of captives, many of whom were staring down in sheer horror at the scene unfolding below.

When Cedric turned to also study the center of the cavern, he couldn’t help but frown.

There, a raised stone platform stood surrounded by towering obelisk pillars like silent sentinels. Beside each of these pillars, a few bulky individuals dressed in armor underneath hooded black robes stood motionless.

But what was truly disturbing was the sadistic ritual taking place on the glowing geometric array at the heart of the platform.

The ritual was led by a tall man wearing a sharp, crown-like helm with a long, tattered purple veil that completely concealed his face. Heavy, curved pauldrons sat on his shoulders, and his arms were encased in metallic armor that ended in large, segmented gauntlets. He wore flowing, oversized robes and a sweeping cape of deep blues and purples. In his left hand, he held a massive longsword, which he lazily dragged along the floor.

Kneeling in front of this man, who towered over them like a giant, were four children.

The two boys and two girls all had white hair and gray eyes, just like the few other people Cedric could make out in the cells.

...Upon taking a closer look at the children, Cedric swallowed as a chill ran down his spine.

’What the ’byss is this...?’

Three of them had their faces contorted in sheer agony as what looked like red roses grew out of their mouths.

One of the three even had a rose growing out of his eye, its thorny stem piercing through the socket while bloody petals unfurled tightly against his pale skin.

The sight was so unnerving that Cedric had to look away after a bit.

When he swept his gaze to the last boy, he could see that unlike the others who were succumbing to the horrific floral curse, a different change was happening to him.

His skin was turning gray, and a small red horn was growing out the side of his head. At the same time, his white hair was bleeding from the roots, turning a deep red.

For some reason, seeing this transformation on the small human boy gave Cedric a strange sense of déjà vu.

’Where have I seen this before?’ he thought.

The boy looked like he was slowly changing from a human being into a demon. Cedric tried desperately to recall where he had encountered someone similar.

And then it hit him.

Ah! I remember!

’Celeste’s bond!’

The Demon of Resignation looks just like this!