Everyone froze for a long moment after Isabelle's words.
They had been expecting something dreadful—a demonic altar, a pit of despair, maybe even a place so dark that the mere air would reek of suffering.
In their minds, this place had already earned the name the Devil's Den of Sins.
So when Isabelle said, with her bright, almost proud tone —
"Welcome to the Second Bloom."
—it completely disarmed them.
Aqua blinked several times, as if she hadn't heard right.
"Second...Bloom?" She echoed.
Carmela raised an eyebrow.
"I was expecting something like 'The Ninth Level of Hell' or 'The Pit of Corruption.'"
"Not...something that sounds like a poetry recital."
Joy's frown deepened.
"A name that hopeful doesn't fit a place that's supposed to be hiding a devil's work."
Even Maria, who was still in quiet disbelief, murmured softly.
"It sounds like...a place for healing."
"That's because it is."
Isabelle chuckled, her expression gentle but radiant with pride.
