"But… how?" Alter's voice trembles as she speaks. "How did you fight against the demonic corruption? I thought… it was impossible."
Morvena's eyes drift downward, her breath shallow.
"I… thought so too," she murmurs. "But then… something happened."
She closes her eyes to gather her thoughts, and for a moment, the world around us falls quiet. All we hear is the soft clinking of the chains that still bind her, the distant hum of corrupted mana pressing at the edge of the light.
And then, gently, Morvena begins to speak.
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"It was a long time ago… I don't even remember how long I'd been sealed.
"At first, I fought with everything I had. But the pain was… too much.
"The corruption kept spreading. It was too fast, too strong… I couldn't hold it back. Not even… with the sealing swords still inside me.
"Eventually, all that was left was darkness… And pain.
"The loneliness consumed me.
