"....."

Morgana kept her eyes closed, perfectly still for several long seconds. Her chest rose faintly with each shallow breath, but even that soon slowed until it seemed as though her heart had stopped altogether. The air around her grew eerily calm—so still that even the light itself seemed hesitant to touch her.

Finally—"Is this... possible?!" Morgana's eyes snapped open, their glow trembling as if reflecting disbelief itself. She tilted her head slightly, gazing straight at Robin with a stunned expression that mixed awe and fear. "I'm... fully healed? Just like that?!"

Robin's lips curved into a calm, amused grin. "What do you think?" he said, laughter hidden beneath his tone. "It's your soul domain, not mine. You should know it better than anyone."

"I..." Morgana blinked rapidly, her voice faltering as if she couldn't believe what she felt. "I couldn't find a trace of corruption in it. The flow of my soul force—it was smooth, alive again. It felt... natural, pure. The last time I remember it being this clean was when I still lived in my father's palace!" Her gaze darted nervously from side to side, searching for any anomaly. "Wait—how did you even unlock the Dormant Spell? I poured all my expertise, all my years of study and power into sealing that curse!"

Robin tilted his head slightly, eyes gleaming with quiet amusement. "I solved the unsolvable, Morgana. Yet now you're surprised that I can open a mere spell?" He laughed softly, voice echoing through the stillness. "Naturally, I have my own ways."

But Morgana's expression only grew more troubled. She looked up again, brow furrowed in wary confusion. "No, no... There's something wrong here. What is it? You found a temporary fix, didn't you?" Her words came quicker, sharper. "How many of these sessions will I have to endure each year? How much of my lifespan will it take away? Be honest with me!"

"None of that," Robin said, shaking his head slowly, his tone turning uncharacteristically firm. "I used one of the purest and most powerful laws in existence to restore you. It is not the work of tricks or borrowed power. If even that carried a cost, then every other law in the universe should be discarded and forgotten." His gaze softened slightly as he added, "I told you that day that I could fix you—and now, I have."

"....." Morgana stared at him for what felt like an eternity, eyes filled with disbelief and fragile hope. "Are you saying... that I won't die? That I won't turn into a specter?"

Robin leaned back, a faint grin touching his lips. "Not in the way you were expecting, at least," he said lightly. "But who really knows what tomorrow brings~?" He shrugged, tone drifting somewhere between sincerity and teasing.

"...So I won't need ongoing treatment? No periodic sessions or strange potions?" Morgana asked again, hesitant but desperate for confirmation. Then, with a faint rise of one eyebrow, she added quietly, "...I won't have to stay near you, will I?"

"No, no, and no~" Robin answered with a playful shake of his head, the corners of his mouth curving upward. "You don't have to stay beside me. You're free now—live your life however you wish, Morgana." Then, after a pause, his grin widened. "Though I'll admit... I'd be rather sad if you left. I did spend quite a lot of effort perfecting that technique."

"...." Morgana's gaze softened. Her eyes moved slowly, flicking between his right and left eyes as if trying to engrave his face into her soul. Then, with a voice as gentle as a whisper carried by wind, she murmured, "Thank you."

That smile which followed—if any human or beast outside the room had seen it—they would have felt an odd shiver down their spine. Their hearts would pound without reason, their instincts whispering that such beauty didn't belong in this world. Even Shaddad, the one who buried himself in books day and night, would've lost his composure before it.

But Robin merely waved his hand lazily. "No need for thanks. We had a deal—I let you live, and you follow me." He tapped the table in front of him with his finger, a faint echo filling the air. "Now then... are you ready to fulfill your end?"

"Mn," Morgana nodded softly, her smile now calm and almost serene. "Did you buy a Vow Crystal?"

"...." Robin smiled faintly, but his eyes glinted with something sharper—colder.

In truth, Robin was already prepared to strike.

Now that she was healed, if Morgana dared to retreat, to delay, or even hesitate for a heartbeat, he would've bound her where she stood, forcing obedience through sheer will. And if that failed—if her defiance proved too strong—then she might have drawn her final breath on this very day.

Had Morgana been in her usual state, she might have noticed it—the faint killing intent, the ripple of lethal calm beneath his voice. But her mood was too light, her guard too low. In that fleeting moment of peace, she ignored every warning, every whisper of danger that lingered in the air.

"There's no need for those little tricks," Robin said. His voice echoed faintly through the still air of the room as a radiant flow of soul force began to pour from the center of his forehead, swirling like liquid light. The energy condensed, twisting and reforming until it took the unmistakable shape of a massive tome suspended before him—its cover glimmered with intricate gold engravings, its pages glowing softly with white runes that pulsed as though alive. "Here," he continued, gesturing lightly toward it. "Place your soul imprint on this page. No words. No oath. Just your touch will do."

"…Are you certain about this?" Morgana hesitated, her voice faint and uncertain.

"What's the problem?" Robin tilted his head slightly, a hint of mock amusement in his eyes. "Do you have a reason to refuse? Or perhaps… you're stalling?" His smile widened, calm yet edged with an unspoken challenge.

"No, it's not that," she murmured, lifting her hand. In her palm, a transparent crystal sphere flickered to life, emitting a faint violet hue. "It's just… shouldn't you be cautious with me? I still have this Vow Crystal I found years ago—picked it from a corpse during a research expedition. Whoever forged it was at least a two–royal-star master, maybe more. We could use this instead."

"Girl…" Robin's eyelid twitched twice in irritation, his tone deepening. "Stop playing with my nerves. Are you going to do it or not?!"

Morgana blinked, her lips parting in a small, apologetic smile. "Alright, alright. It's your choice then." She shrugged softly, then extended her hand, letting her purple soul force surge forward in a shimmering wave. It drifted toward the golden-white tome like a mist being drawn into a flame.

Ka-cha!

"Ah!!" The moment her essence made contact, Morgana's entire body jolted. She staggered back several steps, clutching her chest as a wave of divine energy rippled through her veins. "This—this book holds royal soul force?! And this density—?!"

Creaaaaak…

Before she could finish, something inside her core stirred violently. "Urghh!!" she groaned, falling to one knee as her spiritual domain flared open.

From the depths of her being, chains erupted—ethereal, spectral, each forged from translucent gold with barbed spear-tips at their ends. They slithered around her soul domain like serpents before plunging sharply into her heart and inner essence.

Shhhnk!

They didn't strike to kill. They struck to bind.

"...." Robin closed his eyes for a moment, extending his senses inward. Within his mindscape, he could now see it—Morgana's soul reflection, perfectly manifested inside his own domain, tethered by the binding contract. Once confirmed, he exhaled slowly, then clapped his hands once. "Perfect. That'll do."

The tome shimmered, folded back into a beam of light, and dissolved into Robin's forehead once more. "That's it—the hard part is over. Your eternal torment ends here," he said softly, his smile warm yet strangely unreadable. "From this point on, you only need to prepare yourself for happiness… and glory."

"Huff… huff…" Morgana's breath trembled as she steadied herself, her skin glistening with cold sweat. Her hand pressed tightly over her chest where the chains had sunk moments ago. The lingering pressure of that divine energy was still coiling through her body like a dormant beast. The sheer power hidden behind Robin's calm demeanor—terrifying. Every revelation about him shattered whatever sense of normalcy she had left.

Finally, she lowered her gaze and exhaled, the tension in her shoulders slowly fading. "…I don't know about glory," she whispered, her tone gentle, "but I think I'd like to see that happiness you speak of."

"Then fasten your seatbelt," Robin said with a faint laugh, stepping closer—each footstep deliberate, steady, carrying the weight of someone used to commanding fate itself.

"W–What are you doing?" Morgana took a half-step back, instinctively wary, yet didn't move further as Robin raised a hand in a calm gesture.

"Shhh." He stood directly before her, and with a flick of his wrist, a faint ripple spread from his space ring.

From it emerged a necklace—a heavy chain of onyx-black metal that shimmered faintly under the light. At its end hung a gem unlike any she had ever seen: half crimson, half jet-black, as though it contained two opposing worlds eternally colliding. Its faint hum resonated like a heartbeat.

The necklace wasn't merely beautiful—it was majestic. The aura it exuded wasn't decorative but alive, whispering ancient intent and solemn power.

Without hesitation, Robin stepped closer, lifting the chain with both hands. Despite Morgana being slightly taller, he fastened it effortlessly around her neck. The clasp clicked shut with a faint metallic note, and a gentle warmth spread down her collarbone.

Then, taking a step back, Robin folded his hands neatly behind his back, his eyes steady. "Now," he said softly, with a trace of pride, "my promise to you… is complete."

Thump.

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