A groan escaped my lips as Nicolas finished his report.
"Ugh…"
My head throbbed violently.
The pain was sharp unlike anything I had ever experienced. It felt as though something deep within my mind had been struck.
Yet instead of losing consciousness, my thoughts became clearer, sharper.
My vision strengthened, as though invisible veils were being torn away.
"Lady Yuria," Lady Noxelle said urgently,
"if you are in pain, stop thinking about the Creator, Do not speculate on His nature or His true name."
She looked genuinely concerned yet she too, was clutching her head with both hands.
I immediately stopped thinking about the Creator and turned my gaze toward the divine throne.
As expected, North Frozenlight remained unaffected.
It was not merely because he was a god.
He too, was blessed by a true god.
The gods and goddesses who ruled the Seven Realms were powerful but within our side of the world, many gods existed who were equal to or even weaker than, them.
Above all gods stood the True Gods entities capable of influencing the entire timeline itself.
This world had once been known as the World of True Gods, directly created by the Creator.
But after the Chaotic Era, everything changed.
Only a few True Gods survived.
Most perished, leaving behind fragments of divine essence.
North Frozenlight was blessed by the True God of Time.
"Thank you for your concern," I said, lowering my hands.
"I am fine now, Lady Noxelle."
"The one blessed by the Creator…" North murmured softly.
"How interesting."
He smiled faintly, his gaze never leaving me.
A guard stepped forward and requested permission to speak, announcing that the Archangel had returned with the Holy Priest.
With his lord's approval, the Holy Priest entered, guided by the elderly archangel.
"Holy Priest Solenne Icebound," North said calmly,
"please inspect Lady Yuria."
"As you command, my lord."
Solenne Icebound stepped forward and revealed an ancient wand hidden beneath her sacred robes.
The moment I saw it, recognition struck me.
The Primordial Detector.
Forged from the heart of one of the first twelve creations of the Creator the first divine being, heir of frost, and progenitor of the Frozenlight bloodline.
Aethyra.
The First Moon.
She had left her heart to her descendants so that they might build a better world.
Her heart could only be wielded by one who truly wished to save the world
not rule it.
Holy Priest Solenne Icebound was the current bearer of that relic.
There was no authority above her except North Frozenlight himself.
Upon receiving her lord's command, she raised the wand toward me and invoked her power.
"Mother of Frost," she intoned,
"First Moon who once rose above all
please aid me and my lord in identifying this lady's divine authorities, so that a better world may be forged."
The moment her words ended, white light engulfed the entire palace, blinding all sight.
Golden radiance consumed my body.
Seconds passed.
Then the light poured out from me, forming a translucent panel visible only to Solenne Icebound and North Frozenlight.
The moment the divine panel stabilized, silence crushed the Court of Stillness.
Not the peaceful kind.
The kind that felt like the world itself was holding its breath.
Even the ever-calm North Frozenlight stopped smiling.
Holy Priest Solenne Icebound stared at the panel, her fingers trembling around the wand forged from Aethyra's heart. For the first time, doubt crossed her disciplined expression.
"…Resurrection?"
The word slipped from her lips like a sin.
Every angel present stiffened.
Resurrection was not forbidden.
It was worse.
It was impossible.
Only True Gods or beings standing at the edge of that realm could interfere with death itself.
Lady Noxelle inhaled sharply.
"So it wasn't a mistake…"
I felt it too.
A strange pressure settled around me, as if the world had suddenly realized I existed and didn't quite approve.
North Frozenlight leaned back slightly on his throne, ice-blue eyes narrowing.
"Holy Priest," he said calmly,
"are you certain?"
Solenne lowered herself to one knee.
"I swear upon Aethyra's heart and my eternal oath," she said solemnly.
"This is no illusion. Lady Yuria bears the Blessing of the Creator directly."
A murmur rippled through the court.
Angels exchanged glances. Saints tightened their grips on their staffs.
I, meanwhile, was trying very hard not to panic.
Resurrection?
Seriously?
I was aiming for 'healing priest with plot relevance,' not 'walking violation of cosmic law.'
My system flickered.
A warning pulse throbbed behind my eyes.
I swallowed.
North Frozenlight rose from his throne.
The sound of ice shifting echoed through the palace as divine pressure rolled outward not hostile, but overwhelming. The angels immediately bowed, unable to endure his presence standing.
He stepped down from the throne and stopped a few paces in front of me.
Up close, his divinity was suffocating.
Not because it was violent but because it was absolute.
"Lady Yuria," he said, voice low and measured,
"do you understand what Resurrection means in this world?"
I hesitated.
"…It means I'm about to have a very complicated life?"
For a heartbeat
Silence.
Then Lady Noxelle let out a sharp laugh before she could stop herself.
North blinked once.
Then, unexpectedly, he chuckled.
"A fair answer," he admitted.
The pressure eased just slightly.
"Resurrection authority disrupts the balance of fate," he continued.
"Every life returned demands a price. Sometimes from the world, Sometimes from the wielder."
My chest tightened.
"So… using it will hurt?"
"Yes."
"…A lot?"
North's smile turned thin.
"Enough to kill most gods."
Fantastic.
The system pulsed again.
SYSTEM WARNING
⚠ Resurrection Authority detected
⚠ Fate instability increasing
⚠ Timeline divergence probability: HIGH
I winced.
Lady Noxelle stepped closer, placing herself subtly between me and the courtan instinctive act of protection.
"My lord," she said carefully,
"if word of this spreads-"
"It won't," North interrupted.
His gaze hardened.
"This authority will remain classified under divine secrecy , Anyone who speaks of it without permission will answer to me."
No one questioned him.
He turned back to me.
"Yuria," he said, quieter now,
"you are no longer merely a survivor."
"I figured," I muttered.
He almost smiled again.
"You are a variable capable of altering endings even those written in blood and regression."
The Court of Stillness lived up to its name.
Then North Frozenlight extended his hand.
"From this moment on," he declared,
"you will remain under my direct protection."
A pause.
"And supervision."
I took his hand.
Congratulations, I thought dryly.
You survived the village.
Now the world itself is watching