Inside the monochrome world, Lady Keter was reading a book titled 'Lord of the Rings'. When a visitor came...

  She looked up with a smile, "Oh, it is rare to see you coming back. What do you seek?"

  "..."

  "I see.", she nodded, closing the book, "Really, once you achieve what this world deems as 'godhood', you cannot kill them. This world had already imprinted the god's form, even if a god truly dies or leaves, their Divine Body will still be alive, functioning as normal. Nothing will be different."

  "..."

  "Is it necromancy? Indeed, it is necromancy. Such is the power of Memory."

  =0=0=

  Today, on Saturday, was the official opening day. Since the target of the investigation had moved on from the circus, only a few Abyss Hunters were stationed here. Lea was here to enjoy herself, while keeping watch on the other Pathstriders here.

  Wearing her new clothes, she had taken a cloak to cover herself. She either looks suspicious or a noble hiding herself for a day of fun.

  "Alright... let's go."

  Lea drifted through the fairground, cloak wrapped snugly around her shoulders, parasol in hand.

  She passed by the clown tents first, the painted performers juggling, tumbling, and shrieking in glee. A small, almost imperceptible twitch of her lips betrayed her amusement, quickly masked as she adjusted the parasol.

  Her eyes sparkled faintly, following the movements of the acrobats with a child-like curiosity she didn't dare express aloud. The scent of roasted nuts and sugar-dusted treats reached her, and for a heartbeat, she imagined herself reaching for a candied apple, savoring the simple pleasure.

  Unable to resist, she bought one, hiding herself in a corner to eat.

  "Whoa... this is good...", she muttered, continuing to eat it.

  Next, she wandered toward the animal shows, marveling silently at the trained beasts performing impossible feats.

  She noted the agility of the performers, thinking how hard they worked and training for this kind of performance, a faint thrill of genuine wonder lingered in her chest...

  She paused at the animal show, bouncing lightly on the balls of her feet.

  "No way that tiger just jumped through a hoop of fire..." she whispered, eyes wide and sparkling.

  She leaned closer to the fence, gasping and cpping in delight when the performers pulled off an impossible stunt. A stray strand of hair fell over her face, and she pushed it back with a ugh.

  At the rides, she didn't just look; she leaned on the railing, humming a soft tune, imagining herself aboard the carousel, letting her imagination run wild.

  Her parasol tilted jauntily as she leaned closer to inspect the spinning horses, murmuring, "I'd totally win if I rode that one…", with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

  Even at the game stalls, she didn't hide her enthusiasm. She squealed quietly as she watched someone toss rings over bottles, cheering internally when they hit their mark.

  She tapped her parasol on the ground in time with the rhythm of the crowd, spinning it lightly in her fingers and occasionally bouncing on her toes, caught up in the thrill.

  All around her, Pathstriders and ordinary humans mingled, but Lea didn't stiffen or shrink back.

  She ducked and weaved with natural ease, ughing softly when a performer startled her with a trick.

  "Miss, would you like to dance with us?", a performer asked her.

  Lea widens her eyes, "Can I...?"

  He nodded, "This is a pce where we all have fun and bright about joy!"

  She joined them, dancing with her clumsy movement, but it was all in good fun.

  Her energy was infectious, the air around her crackling with her delight, though she did keep a pyful awareness of others, just enough to avoid drawing unnecessary attention.

  By the time the sun dipped low, casting a warm glow over the fairground, Lea had moved from tent to ride to stall, skipping lightly and humming a whimsical tune.

  Her joy was entirely unmasked, an open dispy of child-like wonder... and yet, even in her exuberance, a small flicker of her Malediction hummed faintly, a reminder that even the most pyful heart could hold a dangerous edge.

  It was then that the owner announced, standing on a crate. He was a bit pudgy, his mustache high and extravagant, wearing a red, fancy, and fshy suit with balloon decorations on it.

  "Ladies and gentlemen!! It is time for the big show!", he spoke loudly and with excitement, drawing the crowd to him.

  "Though only the people who had bought tickets can go in, everyone else can enjoy the fairground as they please!! Remember, the Grand Circus of Wonders welcomes all!!"

  Hearing that, people who had bought the ticket lined up, following the instructions of a performer, to enter the big tent.

  Lea sighed; unfortunately, she did not buy a ticket, so she could not enter. Leaning against a tree, she quickly activated her emotion radar, sensing the people around her... they are quite happy...

  "Don't use your power btantly like that.", an aged voice came from behind, making Lea's skin crawl.

  She felt it, the Malediction ritual pointed at herself made progress, and her instinct warned her that the person behind was someone she could not handle.

  She was about to make a run for it— but her feet were bound by an unknown force...

  "Rex, I am here for the same reason as you, young one.", the old gentleman stepped forward, walking for her to see his back. His bck and red coat looks expensive, like something a noble would wear for a ball, and he even sports a cane.

  "My name is Auger Maxwell, Count Maxwell of the Zangrill fiefdom, Ryteline Kingdom.", he casually introduced himself...

  Lea couldn't actually believe her eyes. This old man just revealed his name, home address, and his rank. If there was something like a social security number, he would've revealed it too.

  Why is someone from Ryteline here... Lea wondered... is this a spy? Will there be a war?

  He gnced back at her, smiling confidently, "Just observe, things will get more interesting."

  Right now, she was stuck... she had no choice but to keep watching...

  "So, what makes the Church of the Three Rings let its people become a Pathstrider of Malediction?", he casually asked, "Don't worry, just small talk to pass the time."

  "Well...", she had no choice, there was no way to escape him, "Because it would be too predictable, so the church gives out all of the Paths it has information on."

  Listening, Auger nodded, "Quite unique, but do you know the Second Step to Malediction?"

  Slowly, Lea nodded, "To bring suffering..."

  "Mm, quite right.", he nodded, "Have you ever thought about why we have the feeling of completion, like gaining back a missing piece of ourselves, when we ascend further?"

  She remembered what Sincir said, about how all Pathstriders are just getting back something that was supposed to be there from the beginning. And Lady Keter's lecture about Attributes, the fundamental building blocks of the universe and existence as a whole.

  This world... why specifically this world—

  "Huh...?", Lea widens her eyes, "What did you just ask?"

  "Hmm...", he stroked his beard, sinking into deep thoughts, "I can't quite remember... but anyway, the feeling of completion, do you think it is worth it?"

  To sell herself to ecstasy, ignoring her Lord's teachings... was it right?

  "My colleagues said not to embrace the Paths, don't let it consume you... But the only way to become stronger is to embrace the Paths.", she frowned a bit, "Why doesn't the church allow people to foster their strength? Wouldn't that increase the overall combat capabilities?"

  Sure, her Path is bad by nature alone, but those walking the Neutral Paths don't have to sink so low like her...

  "Raising people to the Third Step isn't hard; what's difficult is what to do with these Pathstriders who desire to ascend more? This is the main reason.", he casually stated, his gaze glued on the performance not too far away, "It's about to start."

  "What...?"

  =0=0=

  The lights inside the grand tent dimmed, the audience's chatter softening into eager anticipation. Performers cleared the stage, leaving only the ringmaster's crimson banners fluttering under the glow of nterns.

  A figure emerged from the shadows, Dickenson. His presence carried a weight that silenced the crowd. He was tall, his suit gleaming bck under the mplight, and his eyes seemed to drink in the expectant energy of the tent.

  He spread his arms wide, his voice booming like a thundercp, echoing against canvas and bone alike.

  "Ladies and gentlemen… tonight, you shall witness something the world has never seen. A great showcase born not of flesh and blood, but of art and will!"

  The drums rolled, then cut off abruptly. A hush fell.

  From beneath the dirt of the arena floor, the ground shuddered. Dust rose in curling clouds. Then, something massive began to push its way up. Wooden joints scraped. Ropes creaked. Painted eyes gred out from an enormous head of carved timber.

  A puppet.

  But no child's toy.

  This one loomed like a titan, stitched together from mismatched wood, steel pins, and fabric, each limb bending at wrong angles. Its mouth opened, wide and jagged, and the sound that came forth was not a voice—

  —but a scream.

  A sound so sharp, so impossibly deep, it pierced the skulls of every man, woman, and child within the tent.

  The audience clutched their heads, colpsing in their seats. Laughter turned to shrieks. Mothers cwed at their faces, men smmed their fists into the wooden benches, and children sobbed and thrashed in their parents' arms.

  Dan was among them.

  He had taken a seat near the middle, thinking the circus would be a small reprieve from his miserable week. But as the puppet screamed, he felt knives of sound drive straight into his mind. His vision blurred, colors running together.

  He gasped, cwing at his own ears— yet the sound was inside him, not outside.

  His thoughts were shattered.

  Stop, stop, stop—

  The scream pressed into him, splitting his mind like gss under a hammer. He stumbled to his knees, hands trembling, breath ragged. He could see faces around him twist, some ughing, some howling, some already slumped over unconscious.

  Somewhere beyond the chaos, Dickenson spread his arms wider, drinking in the madness like an artist admiring his masterpiece.

  The puppet's scream did not stop. It rose and fell in unnatural waves, as though pying with the sanity of its audience.

  And Dan— Dan was caught completely.

  He feels like his life was a complete living hell, people accusing him of crimes he didn't commit, being beaten unjustly, his life was falling into ruin... and nobody is there to help him...

  As if he was deemed evil...

  Outside the tent, Lea's parasol twitched in her hands. A chill like frost over her spine shot through her body, and she staggered back a step.

  The sound didn't reach her ears, but the Malediction inside her fred like wildfire, whispering, pulling, thrumming with hunger.

  Her breath caught. Her knees almost buckled.

  What is— what is happening in there?!

  The fairground buzz of ughter and games muffled, drowned beneath the pulse hammering in her temples. She could feel it... hundreds of threads snapping inside the tent, ordinary minds unraveling like frayed rope.

  Her fingers tightened on her cloak. Her chest heaved. For a terrifying moment, she thought her own ritual mark was fring against her, the unseen chain around her soul growing taut, dragging her closer to the abyss.

  "I—", she gasped, biting down the panic, "—I can't—"

  A calm voice cut through her storm.

  "Steady, young one."

  Count Auger Maxwell's cane tapped the ground beside her, the sound crisp, deliberate, like punctuation in the chaos. He didn't so much as gnce at her panic; his eyes stayed fixed on the great tent as if studying an experiment.

  "You feel it, don't you? The scream. Malediction recognizes its kin. If you don't act now, it will drag you down along with them.

  Lea turned to him, face pale, "W-What do I do?!"

  Auger's expression softened with a schor's patience, though the edge of amusement flickered in his eyes, "You've already stepped upon your Path. The Second Step calls for suffering. Call it now. Chant it. Anchor yourself in the ritual, or else you would miss this chance."

  Lea's lips trembled. The idea of starting the Second Step—here, now—was madness. She wasn't ready, she hadn't even chosen her moment, her victim—

  But her body screamed for it. Malediction cwed at her veins, urging her on, demanding she complete the circuit.

  Her breath quickened. She swallowed hard, clutching the parasol like a lifeline, and began to whisper the words of the ritual, the words she had memorized but never spoken aloud until this moment...

  Yet Lea steadied herself... she closed her eyes, and she chanted first, the Honorific Title of Judgment.

  "Diviner of Souls;Arbiter who judges Evil and Good;Judgement within One."

  Golden light emerges around her, drawing the people's attention, but the sounds from the tent were even greater. Wooden arms of the puppet burst out, its roar caused people to scream first in pain, then in madness, attacking the people around them.

  The Pathstriders, those without any affiliation, had already fled. But those working to secure normalcy were on the move, coming closer to confront the giant, ugly puppet that had stepped out.

  She felt the acceptance of Judgement, which began to slowly condense around her. Then she started the second chant.

  "The Malice within One's Soul;Fire that Consumes All;Malediction of Malevolent!!"

  Power merged with her, becoming one as her soul dyed by the darkness of malice, and her mind sharpened by the bde of judgment...

  She opened her eyes, now lit up in gold.

  From Vilin, she had become an Avenger.