Lucille

'I will walk with you until prophecy and truth become one.'

Behind her, towering bookshelves stood like silent guardians of the past, while a prophecy quietly unfolded before her eyes.

Beneath devout faith, unseen darkness lay concealed. And so, for the first time, Lucille left the Church.

Prophecies, the Blood Moon, faith, conflict… Though she was caught in the vortex of opposing forces, the young Silver Cross paid them little heed.

There was only one thing she sought. An answer tied to the temporal order.

Although I had never heard the name written in the letter, everything about it pointed unmistakably to the Tempus Church—the tone, severe and final; and the irritating scent that sent Feuler fleeing in panic.

At such a sensitive moment, what did it mean for the Church to send a letter like this?

A declaration of war? A coincidence? Or a scheme devised by someone seeking to destabilize the situation?

As I hesitated over how to deal with the letter, Setti happened to pass by and caught sight of the crimson wax seal. She informed me that it was the exclusive insignia of the Church's Silver Cross.

An unfamiliar Silver Cross requested a private audience. Was this an attempt to set aside prejudice, or a trap laid by the Church? Why was she so eager to meet me?

Stranger still, I felt a sense of deja vu about her—as though our paths had crossed somewhere before.

Regardless, the meeting was steeped in suspicion. After careful consideration, I chose not to attend.

I met with Lucille after her second invitation.

Unlike the other Silver Crosses I had encountered, Lucille appeared shy, perhaps even timid. I wondered if I was the first Bloodborn she had ever met.

After several steadying breaths, she finally offered a formal greeting. Though nervous at first, she gradually became more animated as she spoke, even beginning to gesture with her hands. She spoke of prophecies, of her journey, of her views on the Church. Many things, one after another. Her hands were meant for ink, not blood.

Before we parted, she asked whether I remembered the details of our previous meeting. I hesitated, then shook my head. She seemed quietly disappointed.

After three days spent experiencing life at Bathory Castle, Lucille departed, seemingly satisfied. Before leaving, she gave me this ore as a keepsake.

Just as Lucille had said, on the night of the full moon, when moonlight fell upon the ore, it shimmered with iridescent color.