We rode in the carriage, fleeing from the dome in a straight line. Inside the carriage, only the sound of heavy breathing could be heard; no one dared to speak.

Suddenly, the dome grew larger. The scene of the dome devouring the palace like a hungry monster was still vivid in my mind.

It felt like something was happening that we could not stop. No, something was happening that we could not comprehend.

I took a moment to catch my breath and looked around the carriage. Everyone visible in the carriage had been rescued, but there were many more who had not.

‘Perhaps those we couldn’t save…’

I gripped the hem of my dress tightly on my lap.

As I bowed my head, trembling hands clenched, Carlothian, who was sitting next to me, reached out to take my hand but stopped, his hesitation visible.

How cruel it was for him not to touch me even in such a situation.

I pressed my lips together in a straight line to prevent myself from crying and lifted my head.

“Let’s go to the temple for now.”

“To the temple?” Dorothea asked. I nodded.

“We need to check if there are any changes at the dome there as well.”

At my words, the others nodded in agreement. I looked out the window. The enormous dome that had swallowed the palace was now slowly slowing down.

I had thought it might grow large all at once and consume the empire, but perhaps it was a good thing that it didn’t.

The carriage exited the palace. Fortunately, the guards stationed at the entrance of the palace were safe.

“I’ll get off here.”

The Crown Prince, Luciano, said. Dorothea nodded as well.

“I’ll stay here too. I think we need to evacuate those remaining in the palace and those living nearby.”

Agreeing to those words, the carriage came to a brief stop.

Once Dorothea, Luciano, and their attendants all hurriedly got off, only Carlothian and I remained in the carriage.

“Be careful.”

“Same to you, Ariadeline.”

After a brief farewell with Dorothea, Carlothian and I headed toward the temple.

“Don’t feel guilty.”

At that moment, Carlothian spoke. I glanced at him.

“You can’t handle a disaster alone.”

I fell silent at his words.

‘Well, I was told that only I could stop it.’

By a god or something like that. I couldn’t say that, so I looked out the carriage window at the temple.

I frowned. The temple appeared to be intact from the outside.

‘That can’t be right.’

The carriage then hurriedly moved and stopped in front of the temple.

As Carlothian and I quickly got off and approached the temple, a knight guarding the entrance greeted us.

“Please come this way. We have seen the dome of the palace growing even from here. The high priest was about to send someone immediately.”

“What is the current state of the temple? What happened to the dome?”

The knight replied,

“The dome of the temple hasn’t changed significantly like the palace yet.”

‘No changes yet?’

That couldn’t be true. There should surely be changes happening here as well. Because the dome was definitely…

‘As soon as the voice I heard stopped, it grew louder.’

How could a human know the affairs of the gods?

I could only sense that the power of the one conveying the voice had significantly diminished, unable to suppress the darkness.

This meant that the power of the one exuding such an aura had increased, and the dome of the temple could not have been unaffected.

“Where is the high priest?”

“He should be in front of the dome.”

“Which direction?”

“Toward the holy relic.”

We followed the knight’s guidance to the area where the holy relic was located. There, we found the high priest with a serious expression.

“High Priest!”

As I called him, he turned to look at me and took a few steps closer.

“Most of the palace has been consumed by the dome.”

“I saw that. That’s why I came to check if there would be changes to this dome as well…”

Following the confused gaze of the high priest, I also turned to look at the dome inside the room. Fortunately, the size of this dome was not too large.

It was just big enough to fill the room where the holy relic was placed. Just that size. Any larger, and it would have been quite troublesome.

I cautiously approached the dome.

“Be careful, Ariadeline.”

I heard Carlothian’s warning voice.

I narrowed my eyes. As I got closer, the prickling sensation of the aura touched my skin, and I felt something else. Realizing the situation, I hurriedly looked back at the high priest.

He spoke in a tone of despair.

“All the holy relics are inside there.”

From within the instrument, I could faintly but distinctly feel the divine power. Multiple sources of it.

I looked back at the dome. All the holy relics had been swallowed by it.

In a situation where touching the dome would result in being effortlessly shattered, there was no way to retrieve those holy relics.

“This can’t be happening…”

I briefly held my head. Since the holy relics had been suppressing the instruments until now, I thought they might also help with the dome, but they had been completely consumed.

“Does this mean the holy relics can’t exert their power against the dome?”

“We don’t know for sure…”

I fell into thought for a moment. I could definitely feel the divine power even among the instruments.

So, it seemed unlikely that the holy relics inside were unable to use their power.

‘What would happen if I went inside?’

Right now, I was the only one who could enter. But I was just a jellyfish with zero combat ability, and I had no idea what dangers lay within, so going in alone was…

Hmm, that was indeed too reckless.

I turned my back to the dome.

But for some reason, I felt a chill behind me.

“Ariadeline—!”

It was then that Carlothian’s voice burst out. As soon as I heard that voice, I turned around.

Darkness was approaching.

Ah, I should have run forward instead of looking back.

He spoke in a tone of despair.

“All the holy relics are inside there.”

From within the instrument, I could faintly but distinctly feel the divine power. There were multiple sources of it.

I looked back at the dome. All the holy relics had been swallowed by it.

In a situation where touching the dome would result in being effortlessly shattered, there was no way to retrieve those holy relics.

“This can’t be happening…”

I briefly held my head. Since the holy relics had been suppressing the cursed objects until now, I thought they might also help with the dome, but they had been completely consumed.

“Does this mean the holy relics can’t exert their power against the dome?”

“We don’t know for sure…”

I fell into thought for a moment. I could definitely feel the divine power even among the instruments.

So, it seemed unlikely that the holy relics inside were unable to use their power.

‘What would happen if I went inside?’

Right now, I was the only one who could enter. But I was just a jellyfish with zero combat ability, and I had no idea what dangers lay within, so going in alone was…

Hmm, that was indeed too reckless.

I turned my back to the dome.

But for some reason, I felt a chill behind me.

“Ariadeline—!”

It was then that Carlothian’s voice burst out. As soon as I heard that voice, I turned around.

Darkness was approaching.

Ah, I should have run forward instead of looking back.

The darkness swallowed me in an instant.

☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓

The dome quickly expanded, burying Ariadeline in the darkness. Without a moment’s hesitation, Carlothian was about to leap into the darkness.

“Duke!”

If the high priest and the knights beside him hadn’t grabbed his arm, he would have collided with the dome without hesitation.

“Let go of this!”

“Calm down!”

“Ariadeline!”

He tried to throw himself toward the dome like a madman. But several arms stubbornly held him back. Carlothian shook off their grips and let out a growl.

At that moment, the high priest, who had failed to pull Carlothian away, shouted.

“Ariadeline hasn’t been shattered!”

At those words, Carlothian paused. He lifted his head and looked at the dome.

Indeed, Ariadeline had been buried and disappeared within it. She hadn’t been shattered upon contact.

“…It seems she has gone inside.”

The high priest mumbled, as if he didn’t understand why.

As Carlothian stopped resisting, the hands that had been holding him released their grip. But his gaze was solely fixed on the dome.

The fact that Ariadeline was left alone inside troubled Carlothian immensely.

I have to protect her.

I need to protect her.

Yet she always goes to places he cannot reach.

In despair, he buried his face in his hands.

☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓

My vision was suddenly filled with color. I closed my eyes tightly without realizing it.

“……”

One second, two seconds, three seconds.

I gently opened one eye, feeling nothing.

“……What is this?”

I was greeted by an entirely black space. No, to be precise, I faced a temple painted black. White lines were visible at the corners.

The inside of the dome felt like a world where colors had been inverted. It was pitch black, but distinguishing objects wasn’t difficult.

I looked around. Fortunately, there didn’t seem to be anything that would threaten me. What was puzzling, however, was this:

‘Why haven’t I shattered?’

I looked down at my hands.

‘Huh?’

A faint light was emanating from my body. It was a dim light, like a lantern turned down to its lowest brightness.

I clenched my fists, staring at my hands. One thing was certain: some part of me had become a singularity, preventing me from shattering.

What had happened? The first thing that came to mind was that I needed to get out of here. Carlothian would be worried.

I looked toward the place that seemed to lead outside the dome. There was a thick fog, and all colors were blurred. It appeared that the darkness had not yet swallowed that part.

I moved to step out, but then—

Bam.

“Ah.”

I bumped into a transparent barrier. My eyes widened as I raised my hands to feel the air. An intangible wall was blocking my path, preventing me from going outside.

“Wait, am I trapped here?”