It had been three weeks since the arrival of The Unstained.

  Vivian stood before the Mirror of Proverbs, looking at her own pale reflection.

  The burning sensation that usually gnawed at her was still intense, but the days of gentle respite were increasing.

  She glanced sideways at the nightstand.

  The box of The Drop had remained untouched for three days. She did not crave it, for she had found her true "Solace."

  As long as she was near that secret chamber, as long as she gazed upon that Unstained One named Leo, the Ark within her body would stabilize.

  "He..." Vivian pressed her hand to her chest, feeling the rhythmic thrum against her palm. "He is using the purity of his body to absorb the scorching of the Holy Fire."

  She had reported this miracle to Mother Mora.

  "Mother, look! The Unstained... this is exactly why he came!"

  However, Mother Mora did not praise the Supreme One.

  She simply sat in her wheelchair beneath the spire, gazing for a long time at the Gaia Mother Planet hanging in the sky. Her silhouette looked like an ancient stone statue calculating the trajectory of stars.

  Crow entered and left the Mother's study more frequently.

  They spoke in hushed tones, arguing, their expressions grave.

  They informed Vivian that The Unstained needed to Inherit the Fire.

  Vivian was deeply grateful for this support. She spent even more time alone with The Unstained.

  She even began to dream of him.

  In her dreams, there were no cold Spires of Truth, no stern scrutiny from Mother Mora. Only that Sea of the Unstained, shimmering with golden light.

  The man sat on a jade throne, his pale skin nearly transparent under the holy light.

  She knelt at his feet. He reached out, cupping her cheek.

  His hands were cold, slender, and bore the Stigmata of Passion.

  "Does it hurt?" she asked, weeping.

  "For you, this pain is honey."

  The man wiped away her tears.

  The touch was so real it made her tremble, bringing a dizziness of happiness more intense than any prayer. When she woke, her pillow was soaked with tears. But immediately, she fell into an unprecedented void.

  She could hardly endure the separation, even though he was close by. She went to the Chamber of Transference more and more frequently. Even though Mother Mora warned her repeatedly: "The Unstained has not yet Inherited the Fire."

  She nodded obediently, but her body was possessed, refusing to obey commands.

  "Wake up soon..." she prayed silently. "I need your guidance."

  Finally, on the morning of the fourth week, Mother Mora summoned her.

  Crow stood in the shadows, a black case he had never carried before resting at his feet.

  "Vivian," Mora’s voice betrayed neither joy nor sorrow. "Regarding The Unstained, we have determined the method for the Inheritance of Fire."

  Vivian pressed her hand over her wildly beating heart. "He is capable of Inheriting the Fire, correct?"

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  "In this world of False Gods' bones, he has indeed retained pure flesh." Mora paused. "However, his soul is still stained with the Mark of the Devil."

  Mora drew a line of light in the air, displaying golden Scripture.

  "To resist temptation, he used many vile elixirs. His soul is covered in the scars of False Gods."

  Vivian felt a sharp pain in her heart.

  Those darkened punctures winding along his azure veins... they are the kiss-marks of the Crown of Thorns, repeatedly piercing him.

  Every sunken black dot is a seal of suffering.

  The purple-black bruises are the legendary hemp robes worn by The Guardian before his execution.

  Vivian felt dizzy, seized by an urge to prostrate herself.

  She finally understood the meaning of her dream.

  "He needs our assistance, Mother."

  "Yes." Mora looked up. "We will burn away the marks of the False Gods. We will purge the evil thoughts."

  Vivian bowed low, hands clasped tight, eyes firm.

  "Please allow me to officiate! Let my Holy Fire guide him through the gate of rebirth..."

  "No. You need not participate."

  "Why?" Vivian’s eyes widened.

  "Because the process of Inheriting the Fire is... Unclean." Mora turned her wheelchair, facing away from her, her voice sounding distant. "The False Gods will counterattack at all costs. It will cause your Holy Fire to tremble, which is detrimental to the ritual. Crow and I will handle everything. You need only wait. Wait for your pure, flawless Guardian to descend."

  "But I..."

  "That is all, Vivian. Remember your mission and duty!"

  ...

  Back in The Sanctum, Vivian knelt before the Silver Icon.

  She prayed to the Supreme One over and over. Yes, that scarred soul needs to be thoroughly burned, just as a dusty mirror must be scraped by a blade.

  But why are my hands shaking? Why is my heart constricting?

  Why, when I close my eyes, do I hear The Unstained screaming?

  Sweat beaded on her forehead. The Ark within her vibrated violently.

  "You worry too much. You have not truly grasped the Essence."

  Vivian looked up, speaking to herself.

  "But if I do not grasp it, how can I pray for him? No, Vivian. You are the Guardian of the Holy Fire. How can you evade your duty? You must comprehend it all."

  Vivian rose immediately. She went to the Mirror of Proverbs and pressed her palm against the Silver Ring insignia of the Order of Dust.

  The mirror surface rippled like water.

  "In the name of Truth... Accessing the Ritual of Fire Inheritance for The Unstained. Purpose: Self-Cultivation."

  The Mirror flickered. Countless lines of Scripture flashed by rapidly.

  She said to the Mother in her mind: Mother, I am sorry. This is the first and last time. I need to understand.

  Golden text flowed out.

  She read carefully, but the more she read, the more wrong it felt.

  [ SILENCE OF INTELLECT: Sever the connection between the soul and worldly noise. Remove traces of "Questioning," "Denial," and "Sophistry." Grant it Eternal Tranquility. ]

  Vivian’s breath hitched. Her finger traced a smear of sweat on the mirror, trying to wipe away those words as if they were heresy.

  New Scripture appeared.

  [ ABLUTION OF THE MUNDANE: Incinerate the vessel carrying the "Past." Reset the soul to its primordial white state. ]

  [ INSCRIPTION OF ORACLE: Inject Loyalty, Sacrifice, and Obedience into the blank shell. ]

  Her hands could not stop trembling. Her reflection in the mirror was deathly pale.

  A chill rose from her soles.

  "Loyalty." "Sacrifice." "Vessel."

  "No. This is not Inheriting the Fire. This is Reforging him. They want to turn him into a Container... just like me."

  She touched her own cheek, feeling for the first time that the "Fire Keeper" in the mirror was not herself, but an exquisite doll.

  A long time later, Vivian was still panting before the mirror.

  She pressed her forehead against the cold stone wall.

  "What should I do? Oh, Supreme One, please answer me... help me..."

  But she received only silence. That damned, eternal silence.

  The hourglass was still flowing, grain by grain. When the sun rose and the canopy closed, he would be "purified" by Mora and Crow.

  The venom of agony flooded her heart. She looked at the Icon of the Supreme One on the wall.

  No. Why did You let me meet him? If You are omnipotent, why must he be purified in this way?

  "You are a Fake!"

  Resentment illuminated the entire sky of her mind.

  Vivian jerked her head down.

  "No! I have sinned! Forgive me!"

  She banged her head frantically against the wall, but the physical pain was useless.

  She could only use prayer to plug the leak of her blasphemy.

  She recited with a sobbing voice: "...For the rhythm of spirituality lies in the flow... I grant you this Crimson Dew, as the ordering of the soul..."

  Her voice cut off abruptly.

  Vivian’s eyes stared into the void.

  "...The Fated Covenant...?"

  Aha. Not "Purification." But "Granting."

  The Supreme One means: Grant him the Crimson Dew (Blood). In that rhythm, he can wash away the stain of the False Gods.

  A short, sharp laugh squeezed out of her throat, followed by endless ecstasy.

  She stood up abruptly, stumbling in her haste.

  She understood. Yes, this was the true Inheritance of Fire.

  "Oh, Supreme One. I praise You."

  She gathered her skirts and, like a streak of white light, dashed toward the Chamber of Transference.

  She had to sign The Fated Covenant before Mora arrived. She could not wait a single second.