Chapter 96 – The Eternal One's Judgment
The world changed again.
Light, infinite and blinding, surged around Jean Luther. It was not warmth or comfort—but purity, relentless and searing. There was no shadow, no imperfection, no rest.
This was the domain of The Eternal One—the Pillar of Light.
A voice rang out, neither male nor female, but flawless in its tone.
> "Jean Luther. Emissary of Light. Wordbearer. Heir of Solstice and Eclipsion. Do you deserve the title you carry?"
Jean raised her eyes.
Before her stood a form wreathed in white flame—neither god nor mortal. A being sculpted of light itself. Not Celeste. Something older. Greater.
The Eternal One.
> "What is the price of your light?" it asked.
Jean stepped forward. "Burden. Sacrifice. The willingness to burn."
> "And what is light?" it asked again.
Jean's lips parted, and then stilled.
Not power. Not righteousness. Not even clarity.
She remembered the battlefield—the faces of those who stood beside her.
Her family.
Her enemies.
Her friends.
> "Light," she said slowly, "is a choice."
The Eternal One narrowed its gaze. "To cast shadows?"
Jean nodded. "Yes. And to forgive them. To see what lies in them. And to walk forward anyway."
The world rippled.
> "You are not pure, Jean Luther. You have lied. Killed. You harbor vengeance and pride. You burn with more than justice."
> "Yes," Jean said. "But light isn't about being pure. It's about choosing to stand in spite of impurity. To be human. And to be better."
A long silence.
Then the Eternal One bowed its radiant head.
> "You understand. You do not shine because of Celeste. You shine because you burn with her. As her equal."
A beam of divine fire pierced Jean's chest—and did not burn her.
It merged with her.
> "You are now bound to the True Light. You carry what even gods fear: the choice to illuminate, or to blind."
Behind her, the Codex opened.
> "Six."
---