The midday sky turned yellow. Dust floated in the air, clinging to store windows, park benches, and pedestrians' shoulders.
Lumina stood still at the edge of the sidewalk, her eyes fixed on a single figure.
A woman in her forties stood in front of a fast food stall. Her clothes were neat, a luxury handbag hung from her arm, and heart-shaped earrings dangled from her ears.
She ordered food without glancing at anyone. The cashier smiled, but she didn't return it.
"Her name is Meira," Lumina murmured.
Verruksha, still nested within her soul, whispered softly,
"She abandoned her blind father and paralyzed mother. Two years ago. In a small house by the river."
Lumina walked silently, following Meira who had just exited. Her face showed no expression. But her steps were firm.
---
Meira's Home…
Meira lived on the 12th floor of a luxurious apartment. Golden-painted doors, automatic bells, the scent of expensive soap filled the air.
Her job? Owner of an online boutique. Lumina saw piles of shoeboxes, premium fabrics, and a glowing laptop.
"This is the life you chose after discarding them," Lumina whispered, standing at the invisible threshold.
She entered without knocking. The human world couldn't sense her presence—except her target.
Meira turned around. Her breath caught. She saw a girl with silvery eyes and an otherworldly aura.
"Who are you?"
"Lumina."
"Get out of my house!"
"I did not come to take up space. I came to weigh your heart."
---
The Confrontation…
Lumina stepped forward. In her left hand, a sheet of shimmering paper slowly materialized. A sin card.
Meira looked to the left—no door. Looked to the right—everything turned black.
The apartment vanished.
They were now inside a white void, until a wheelchair and a torn sheeted bed appeared.
"What is this?!" Meira cried.
"Memories you've discarded."
From the far end of the room, two elderly figures emerged. The man held a cane, his eyes blank. The woman sat still, her gaze frozen to the floor.
"Father… Mother… No… Why are you showing me this?"
Meira shut her eyes. But her father's voice rang out:
"You said you'd come back. But the last meal you sent… was already spoiled."
Lumina did not flinch.
---
The Core of Sin…
"I couldn't care for them," Meira trembled. "I was alone. I was broke back then! I… I had to work."
"And when you became rich?" Lumina asked.
"I… I was afraid to look back."
The card in Lumina's hand turned from clear to deep crimson.
"They died a week after you stopped paying the electricity bill. Their nights were dark. Without medicine."
Meira sobbed. Her body shook.
"I'm sorry… I'm sorry… I just wanted my own life…"
Lumina closed her eyes. Verruksha whispered,
"You know you must not cry for her. But she is human… too human."
---
Purificazione…
The white void shifted into a small dining room. In the center, two empty chairs. One empty plate. A fallen glass.
Lumina touched Meira's forehead. A light symbol appeared—a glowing image of a cracked wooden chair.
Meira's body floated gently, surrounded by fragments of the past: her parents' faces, the dark nights, the old chair where her mother used to cry alone.
"Purificazione begins."
The light engulfed Meira. But it wasn't hot. It wasn't painful.
"You won't go to hell. But you will have to relive it all. In a place where you must sit with them. Every night. Forever."
---
Aftermath…
Lumina stepped out of the apartment, now back to normal.
She walked toward the sidewalk and sat on a park bench. Her left hand trembled. Verruksha stayed silent.
In the distance, a breeze carried the voice of a child calling for their mother.
"Should all mothers be purified?" Lumina whispered.
"No. Only those who close their eyes… when they're most needed."
The sky dimmed again. The day wasn't over. One more card had yet to glow.
---
Elsewhere…
Unseen to Lumina, all eyes were now watching her. She only felt the world growing quieter. Even the astral voices were fading.
She stared at her right hand, now cracking like glass.
A family sigil began surfacing faintly on her skin—her body slowly merging with an ancient energy she could no longer contain.
And worse…
Each time she purified, she began to feel satisfied.
She started seeking filthier humans—for a stronger sensation.
She began deciding who deserved salvation… and who didn't.
But she kept it all hidden. Still calm. Still smiling. Still calling herself a Hellseer.
Yet the symphony within her had changed its tune.
It used to be a song of forgiveness.
Now it was the song of massacre.
---
On the Thirtieth Night Since Enver Let Her Go…
Under a gloomy sky, Lumina stood alone in front of a small village, watching the slumbering sinners.
She raised her hand. Black aura began to spread.
But before the spell was unleashed, someone appeared behind her.
Enver.
"You may have filled the card, but that doesn't mean you can control what's inside," Enver said, emotionless.
Lumina didn't turn. She replied flatly,
"Didn't you already abandon me?"
"I left you… to see whether you would remain human. Or become something else."
From the sky, another card slowly fell. Blank. Untouched.
Enver stared at her, sharp-eyed.
"If you want to prove yourself, fill that card again. But this time, not with your family's legacy. With your own choice."
Lumina looked down. For the first time, she hesitated.
And far away, Maxcen smiled.
"The symphony has changed its tune, but its song isn't finished yet," he whispered from the dark dimension.
"This… this is why I chose immortality.
The living have so many different ways… to survive."