The night sky hung quietly above the chapel tower, spreading twinkling stars like slowly poured blessings. Below, the dim light of candles danced softly inside the humble room of Reverend Maria. A white night robe hung on the wall, and on a small table, a holy book had been open to the same page for the past three days—a sign that her heart could no longer focus.
Ren stood in the doorway, carrying a small box of herbal incense. "You said you couldn't sleep last night, right?"
Maria, who was untangling her hair, turned around, her face tired but still holding a gentle smile. "It's been three nights, Ren. Nightmares… or sometimes no dreams at all. Just waking up with a pounding heart for no reason."
Ren walked slowly, placing the box on the table. "This… isn't a sleeping pill. It's just an incense concoction that I used to use when I was still living in the village. The scent of herbs and a little bit of moonflower. It usually helps calm the mind."
Maria looked at the box with sweet hesitation. "Moonflower?"
"A flower that only blooms on full moon nights. They say… its scent is calming and awakens locked feelings," Ren said with a faint smile.
Maria touched the lid of the box. "That… sounds so… tempting."
"Just the scent, Lady Maria. Not black magic," Ren joked.
A few minutes later, incense was burning on a small ceramic plate, its smoke thin and silvery, spreading softly throughout the room. Maria was lying down, the white blanket covering her only to her stomach. Her honey-brown hair was loose on the pillow, and her tiny lips were still wet from an unfinished prayer.
Ren stood for a moment at the door, looking at her peaceful face. Maria opened her eyes one last time. "If this works… I will pray for you longer tomorrow morning."
"If this works," Ren whispered, "you will dream of someone you never dared to think of while awake."
Maria did not answer. Her eyes closed slowly, and Ren disappeared from the doorway.
At first it was just a mist.
Maria stood in the flower garden, wearing a thin dress she did not recognize. The night wind caressed her bare shoulders, making her skin crawl. The moonlight was too bright, and each strand of her hair felt more sensitive—as if her body did not belong to her.
The sound of footsteps approached from behind the fog.
She turned—and there stood a man in dark clothes, his face shadowed, but his eyes burning warmly. Eyes that… she knew all too well.
"Ren…?"
He didn't answer. He just approached, slowly. Maria didn't back away. She should have been afraid, but her heart didn't feel any danger. Instead, her body trembled with an expectation she didn't understand.
This dream… was different.
Ren touched her cheek with the back of his hand. Warm. Too real. Maria held her breath as his fingers trailed down her neck, tracing her collarbone, and stopping just above the faint cleavage of her dress.
"Your breath is shaking," Ren whispered.
Maria couldn't answer. Her voice was gone. But her body answered. She leaned in, her lips parted slightly, her eyes half closed.
Ren leaned in slowly, not touching her lips… just kissing her breath. The scent of the incense of the real world was there in this dream, enveloping them both. Ren's fingers slipped behind Maria's back, pulling her until their chests were pressed together.
"This is a dream, Maria…" Ren whispered in her ear, his breath warm. "You can be honest here."
Maria opened her eyes. "If I asked you not to go… would you stay?"
Ren answered not with words. But with a soft kiss on her neck—not rushed, not forced. His lips pressed slowly, as if giving Maria time to refuse. But Maria only moaned softly, her body writhing, her arms hugging tightly.
The thin dress slid down to the flower bed, and Maria stood in the moonlight, her body as naked as when she was born, but there was no shame—only freedom.
Ren hugged her from behind, kissed her shoulders, his arms around her waist and slowly went down…
Maria's body moved restlessly on the bed. Her blanket had slipped, and her breath was short. Her left hand gripped the rosary tightly, but her right hand…
...moved slowly down her stomach, touching her own skin as if imitating the dream that continued to play out in her mind.
Her lips uttered a name.
"…Ren…"
In the morning, Maria sat in the chapel, her face pale and her neck covered with a scarf even though it wasn't cold. Her lips trembled every time she read a verse—not because it was wrong, but because of the memory.
Ren stood in the corner of the room, staring at her silently.
He knew: that night, he hadn't touched anything. But he had entered deep into the most intimate places—dreams, body, and heart.
And now, Maria… began to struggle with a desire that even her prayers couldn't suppress.
In Hiro's room, a report paper lay.
The contents of the report: Ren was seen wandering around the women's tower area at night.
Hiro clenched the letter.
And for the first time, the Hero of Light swore:
"I will find out. Who exactly is he."