I opened my eyes to crimson light.

  A cage stretched around me - golden bars shimmering like threads of starlight, red ribbons pulsing beneath them with divine power.

  Ah, the bird cage.

  But this time, something was different.

  I looked in front of me.

  Party poppers.

  Dozens of them hung suspended in the air around Charlotte, who stood on the opposite side of the tea table with her arms spread wide, grinning like a child on her birthday.

  "Tadaa!" she sang.

  The poppers exploded in unison - confetti bursting in cascades of red and gold, streamers spiraling through the air before dissolving into threads that vanished like smoke.

  I blinked, utterly blank-faced.

  Charlotte beamed, clasping her hands together. "Congratulations, Damian! You've ascended to the Eleventh Seal on my pathway! I thought a proper celebration was in order."

  I stared at the remnants of confetti still drifting through the air.

  "Where did you get party poppers from?"

  Charlotte paused, tilting her head. "Hm? Are they not a thing anymore?"

  I let out a short laugh. "Who would have guessed people in the middle ages had party poppers."

  Charlotte's brow furrowed slightly, but she waved it off with a smile. "Well, they were quite popular at celebrations. Though I suppose tastes change."

  I smiled. Just a little. "Nice surprise, though."

  Charlotte's grin returned in full force. She gestured dramatically toward me with both hands. "So? Do you like your gift? Its a mere taste of what's to come - the true power of my pathway!"

  I tilted my head slightly. "The thing I did to Mary - entering her mind - that was the gift?"

  Charlotte clapped her hands once, delighted. "Yes! Exactly that!"

  She conjured a bunch of grapes out of thin air, plucking one and popping it into her mouth as she watched me expectantly.

  I nodded slowly, processing. "It's... pretty interesting." I paused, frowning. "So does this mean I can just... mentally move myself into another person's head now? And while we're at it - what would you even classify this cage I'm in?"

  Charlotte paused mid-chew, surprise flickering across her features. "Ah. Do they not teach you these things?"

  I shrugged as much as the restraints allowed. "Most of what I know comes from my own research as I never really attended school. I just assumed I'd learn this all at the academy."

  Charlotte sighed, shaking her head as the party poppers began disintegrating into red strings that curled through the air like living smoke. "You really are a country bumpkin, aren't you?"

  I grimaced. "Thanks."

  "Hopefully," she continued, plucking another grape, "they'll teach you properly at that academy."

  I shrugged again. "I'll be very busy, so hopefully I can actually pay attention." I leaned back - or tried to, the restraints around my arms and remaining leg holding firm. "I'm an Inquisitor, the personal ecclesiarchal assistant to Mary, and a student studying to eventually join the ranks of the Imperial Army."

  Charlotte sat down across from me, still holding her grapes. "My, my. You certainly have a lot on your plate."

  "Tell me about it," I muttered.

  She set the grapes down and raised a teapot that materialized in her hand. "Tea?"

  "Yes. Sweet as usual."

  With a flick of her wrist, a cup appeared before me - steam curling from its surface. Charlotte leaned forward gracefully, holding it to my lips.

  I took a sip, nodding. "Only needed a bit more milk and it would've been perfect."

  Charlotte smiled faintly, setting the cup down. "I'll remember that."

  She settled back, red strings beginning to float lazily around her like curious serpents. "Now then. Let me explain what this place actually is."

  I waited, watching the strings drift.

  "Every pathway user," Charlotte began, her tone shifting into something more instructive, "has what we call a Sanctum. It's where the pathway you've inherited and your soul converge. Most believe the mind to be the resting place of the soul, hence why direct eye contact is needed to use my gift." She gestured around us. "The Sanctum is a place where you can witness the transformations of your soul - a direct reflection of it.

  She pointed downward.

  I followed her gesture, glancing at my legs - and froze.

  My right leg was free.

  The restraint that had bound it to the chair for as long as I could remember was gone, leaving my leg resting unbound against the floor.

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  I stared, genuinely surprised. "This is... because of my ascension?"

  Charlotte nodded, popping another grape into her mouth. "Maybe, subconsciously for you, power equals freedom. This would signify exactly that."

  I looked at my free leg, then experimentally pushed against the floor.

  The chair tipped.

  "Wait-"

  I crashed backwards, still bound by my arms and left leg, hitting the floor with a dull thump.

  I lay there for a moment, staring blankly at the ceiling of the cage.

  "...Help."

  Charlotte's laughter rang through the space - bright and utterly unsympathetic. Red strings shot out from her fingertips, wrapping around the chair and lifting me upright with casual ease.

  "Careful now," she said, still giggling. "You're not quite free yet."

  I sighed, settling back into the chair. "Won't be trying that again."

  Charlotte smiled, returning to her grapes. "Wise choice." She paused, then continued her explanation. "As I was saying - using my eyes, you can enter another person's Sanctum. Once inside, you can potentially alter their mind, their memories, even their pathway itself. A manipulation of the soul, in a sense."

  The strings around her swirled more intensely.

  "Of course," she added, "it depends on how strong you are. Only you can discover your own limitations through practice."

  The strings drifted closer, weaving intricate patterns between us.

  "The strings of fate touch everything," she murmured, almost to herself. "Even those who try to hide will be bound eventually." Her gaze sharpened. "You now have the power to alter the fate of those touched by divinity - such as Mary, who should have been consumed by my sister's fragment."

  I nodded slowly, working through it. "So I can enter someone's Sanctum and... change things. Depending on my strength versus theirs."

  "Precisely." Charlotte plucked another grape. "Though it depends on many factors - their will, their pathway's nature, how deeply you can connect. But yes, that's the essence of it. Though, you do have to use my eyes directly to use this gift. So whoever you use it on, it would be wise to either erase that memory, or kill them outright after."

  I nodded slowly.

  I wonder if the Inquisitorial mask can be used? Does that count as direct eye contact?

  I frowned. "Wait. Does every divine user have one of these Sanctums?"

  Charlotte tilted her head thoughtfully, chewing. "Back in my time, there was research into whether even ordinary humans possessed them - as all humans have souls, it was naturally assumed all would have sanctums. Unfortunately, it was never conclusively proven." She swallowed. "But yes - at minimum, all divine users have a Sanctum. And quite possibly all humans do as well. The pathways are simply the keys that allow access."

  I blinked, genuinely caught off guard. "That never came up. No one's even asked me about mine."

  Charlotte's expression shifted - something between amusement and nostalgia crossing her features. "Cultural differences, I suppose. Back when I walked the ground, asking about someone's Sanctum was considered deeply invasive. And attempting to enter one uninvited?" She shook her head. "That was an act of war."

  I thought back to Mary - her theater of memories, the film reels, everything laid bare before me.

  I wonder what her Sanctum represents? If a sanctum is a reflection of ones mind and soul?

  Pushing the thought away, I realised why Mary in her Sanctum had said she would be embarrassed after they left.

  Since my heads still attached, it must mean she didn't mind too much.

  "Mary seemed to take it well enough," I said quietly.

  Charlotte nodded, setting her grapes aside. "Which means she trusts you immensely." Her tone turned almost teasing. "If someone had done that to me without permission, I'd have killed them just to restore my honor."

  My smile wavered. "That's... comforting. Thanks."

  She laughed lightly, then her expression grew more thoughtful. "You know, I used to find the girl rather bothersome."

  I raised an eyebrow. "Used to?"

  "I've come to see the benefit of her existence." Charlotte's fingers traced idle patterns on the table. "Risky, certainly. But the rewards outweigh those risks."

  "Since when were you such a good judge of risk and reward anyway?" I asked.

  Charlotte pointed at her eyes with both index fingers. They sparkled - crimson irises swirling with infinite, incomprehensible patterns.

  "These," she said simply. "These are why."

  I leaned forward as much as my restraints allowed. "I've always wondered, what do you actually see?"

  Charlotte's expression grew distant. She sighed. "It's less about what I see and more about what I can't filter out." Her voice dropped. "Every possibility. Every branching future. Every moment unfolding across countless threads. Even for someone like me, organizing such visions is... difficult. It's all fragments. Pieces. Glimpses."

  She waved a hand, and red strings spiraled upward like smoke.

  "There are methods to see the future more clearly, of course. But trapped here in the Veil - and more specifically, confined to your Sanctum..." She gestured around us. "Many of my gifts are unstable, unusable. At least while you remain so weak."

  I sighed, letting my head fall back. "Right. So it's as you say."

  Charlotte nodded firmly. "Which is precisely why you need to grow stronger on my pathway. Ideally strong enough to counterbalance the shadow man's influence."

  I groaned. "Everything is just so complicated."

  Charlotte's smile turned sympathetic. "Life rarely offers simplicity. Especially not for those cursed to carry divine heritage."

  When she said divine, there was an edge to her voice - almost mocking.

  I caught it immediately. "What do you mean by that? Cursed?"

  Charlotte's expression darkened, though not with anger. Something heavier. Older.

  "Because that's what pathways truly are," she said quietly. "A curse. A tool designed to distance humans from their own humanity." Her fingers drummed against the table. "Gifts granted by a god with questionable intentions. Power that isolates. Divinity that drives people mad."

  She leaned forward, intensity building in her voice.

  "They're shackles dressed as blessings. A debt humanity continues to pay, all while their true potential remains stunted."

  I frowned. "But don't divine pathways help humanity? They saved us from the Veil's invasion two thousand years ago."

  Charlotte's eyes flashed.

  "Borrowed power," she said sharply. "That's all it was. All it is." She stood suddenly, pacing. "Tell me, Damian - do you truly believe humanity would have fallen without divine intervention?"

  I hesitated. "I... well, that's what history says."

  "History is written by those who control the narrative." Charlotte turned to face me fully. "I was there. I saw what humanity was capable of even then. Yes, they stood on the brink. Yes, they faced annihilation. But they would have overcome. We would have overcome."

  Her voice grew passionate, almost fierce.

  "That is the spirit of humanity - tenacity, adaptability, cunning. They don't need a god handing them power. They needed time. Space to grow. Instead, they were given shortcuts that bound them forever."

  I stared at her, surprised by the raw conviction in her words. "You sound... really passionate about this."

  Charlotte paused, then sighed, rubbing her forehead. The fire in her eyes dimmed. "I wish I could tell you more. Explain everything properly. But..." She met my gaze. "It would only endanger you. Some truths are too heavy to carry at your current strength."

  I nodded slowly. "I'm guessing you're even telling me this much because I ascended."

  Charlotte's smile returned - proud, approving. She pointed at me. "Exactly right! Which is why focusing on my pathway should be your priority."

  I rolled my eyes, smirking. "Yes, Your Highness."

  I let my head fall back, closing my eyes. "I should probably wake up now. But I'll see you again soon."

  Charlotte's laugh echoed softly. "My, my. You've learned to leave on your own. How independent."

  I yawned. "Must be another perk of ascension."

  "Farewell then, Damian," Charlotte said, her voice growing distant.

  As the world began to blur and fade, her final words followed me into darkness.

  "I'll be watching. As always."