Chapter 64: I Will Witness You

“No.... It's not like this”

Mel's pupils contracted abruptly.

The memory that 【Knowledge】 had seized back from 【Red Moon】 pierced her soul like a sharp blade.

The young woman's voice trembled, her hands hanging limply at her sides.

The memories tampered with by 【Red Moon】 crumbled at this moment, and the truth flooded her consciousness like a tide.

Following right after was a despair and pain sufficient to crush a soul.

Veronica had died long ago.

And not at the hands of the Omniscience Society, but at her own hands.

She had strangled Veronica with her own hands.

And then, after coming to her senses, she had wretchedly prayed to 【Red Moon】, begging her to take away this memory.

So 【Red Moon】 gladly did so.

After taking her memory, it fabricated a new one to fill Mel's mind.

As for Veronica's body, it was transformed by Mel into her Flock, following the Shepherd's consciousness to maintain the daily life she treasured so dearly.

And the knowledge that had appeared out of thin air in her mind, as well as her suddenly improved cooking skills and knife grip—

They were neither the result of 【Knowledge】's boredom nor her own exceptional talent.

They were all skills Veronica had long been intimately familiar with.

“No.. it's not.... it's not like this!”

Mel's scream echoed in the collapsing library.

The truth was like sharp shards, piercing her soul piece by piece, tearing open the bloody reality and displaying it before her.

The young woman's knees fell heavily onto the fragment-covered floor.

She clutched her head with her hands, her nails digging deep into her scalp, fresh blood trickling down her cheeks.

Mixed with tears.

“I killed her.... I killed Veronica...”

Mel's voice shattered in anguish, each word seeming to tear at her throat.

She finally understood why Veronica was always so gentle, why their conversations were always so perfect.

Why, despite her showing signs of being unwell several times, Veronica never once suspected anything from beginning to end.

Because it was all a puppet show she was directing, using Veronica's corpse.

The radiance of the blood moon and the runes of knowledge intertwined in the air, witnessing the young woman's breakdown.

Torn pages danced in the wind, each one reflecting Mel's pained image.

“Urghh”

Mel let out a whimper that was almost bestial.

Under the intense emotional impact, the Quintessence in her body rampaged once more.

The soul that had been suppressed by 【Knowledge】, under the shock of the truth, once again entered a state of stress.

—Second Stress Phase!

This was the result 【Knowledge】 wanted!

When It snatched the memory from 【Red Moon】, It had already foreseen this moment.

It wanted to use the cruelest truth to trigger Mel's Second Stress Phase.

Because only in this way could Mel's soul withstand the immense pressure brought by the dual divine selection.

Of course, the premise of all this was—she would not die in this second stress phase.

“Arghhhh—!”

A shrill scream tore through the night sky.

The Quintessence in Mel's body completely lost control under the intense emotional impact, roaring within her like boiling magma.

The young woman knelt on the paper-strewn ground, violent Quintessence coiling around her body.

The entire library shook violently.

“Sister.... I'm sorry.... I'm sorry....”

This time, 【Red Moon】 did not intervene.

It seemed It was also very curious whether the Shepherd It had chosen could survive two consecutive stress phases and enter development.

The Quintessence erupted within Mel's body, impacting her every blood vessel like a volcanic eruption, scorching every inch of her flesh.

An unnatural red glow appeared beneath her skin, as if something was about to break out.

This stress phase was even more violent, and Mel's body no longer had any surplus Quintessence to support her through it.

The young woman's consciousness gradually began to fade, but she felt a strange sense of relief.

At least this way... she could atone for her sins.

Just as she was about to fall into eternal darkness, a whisper suddenly sounded in her ear.

Accompanied by the sound of something shattering.

“You must not be afraid, and you must not run away.”

“Because I will always be watching you, so you are never alone.”

That voice was like a bolt of lightning, instantly piercing the shadow of death that enveloped Mel.

Something seemed to drip onto Mel's lips, seeping into her mouth with a hint of coolness.

Veronica threw away the empty Quintessence supplement in her hand, then used a hand made of countless pages to pick something up from the ground, gently placing it on Mel's finger.

It was a silver-white ring.

The same one Allen had worn before.

They were just a few simple movements, but they caused most of Veronica's body to dissipate.

She used her remaining left hand to gently place Mel on her lap, gently stroking her sister's head, humming a long-unclear lullaby.

As if Mel were just having a nightmare.

The pages turned to ash upon contact with Mel's scorching skin, yet they stubbornly maintained the posture of an embrace.

“Hummm—”

Amidst the low resonance, Mel's aura began to change.

The violent Quintessence no longer raged needlessly, but flowed in a regular pattern.

The powers of 【Red Moon】 and 【Knowledge】 quietly intertwined within her, no longer repelling each other.

As if water and oil had finally merged.

It was nothing short of a miracle.

“Crack—”

A crisp sound came from Mel's bones; her body was undergoing a complete reconstruction.

Quintessence surged in her blood vessels, and every cell was undergoing subtle changes.

“Mmm.... urgh....”

The young woman let out a muffled groan, her voice tinged with pain, but no longer with despair.

The suppressed emotions gushed out like a bursting dam, yet under the effect of the Quintessence, they were transformed into nourishment for her power.

Veronica's body, made of pages, was nearly transparent, yet she still gently stroked her sister's hair.

Her voice had completely disappeared, but the rustling of the pages seemed to still be saying something.

An unknown amount of time passed before Mel opened her eyes, and all the chaos had subsided.

The young woman slowly sat up on a cushion formed from countless stacked pages, her amber eyes looking around.

Within those eyes, there was both the wildness of 【Red Moon】 and the wisdom of 【Knowledge】.

Mel slowly stood up from the temporary bed made of paper, her movements a bit clumsy, as if adapting to a brand new body.

The Quintessence flowed quietly within her, no longer violent as before, but cycling like a gentle stream.

Morning light spilled through the broken dome, intertwining with the afterglow of the blood moon, plating the ruins with a strange halo.

Torn pages danced in the morning breeze, each one shimmering with a faint light, as if paying respects to this newly born being.

A gentle breeze swept past, rolling up the last piece of paper Veronica had left on the ground.

The paper danced in the air, finally landing in Mel's palm.

On it was only a single line of text:

“I will witness you.”

Mel carefully folded the piece of paper and put it in her breast pocket.

Then, she raised her head and looked towards the sky.

The sunlight shone on her face, bringing warmth.

Victorian Calendar, Year 350, February 19th, 12:35 PM.

The day had broken.