*Location — Schale*

Seia's cage was a silent prison, its cold walls echoing with the relentless sound of her claws scraping against the metal. Her once vibrant eyes were now hollow, reflecting the loss of her humanity. She had become a wild animal, her mind consumed by primal instincts and unrelenting rage. The walls bore the marks of her desperation, each scratch a testament to her futile attempts to escape the torment within.

Inside the observation room, Mika Misono stood, her face a mask of stoic resolve. She had been assigned to watch over Seia, a task that weighed heavily on her heart. The cacophony of Seia's screams and the constant banging against the walls were a cruel reminder of the friend she had lost. Yet, Mika remained unmoved, her gaze fixed on the monitor, unwilling to open the door that separated them.

Seia's incoherent cries pierced the silence, her voice a guttural growl as she clawed at the walls. Her mind was a labyrinth of confusion and pain, each thought a fleeting shadow. She was not in her right mind, lost in a tempest of emotions she could neither understand nor control.

Unable to bear the torment any longer, Mika's voice broke through the silence. "Shut the hell up," she shouted, her words laced with frustration and sorrow.

Seia paused, her ears drooping as she turned toward the observation window. Her eyes, once filled with recognition, now held only confusion and a flicker of the bond they once shared. She whimpered softly, a sound that tugged at Mika's heart.

Mika's voice softened, tinged with desperation. "Where the hell is Sensei? Why are you so damn broken? Just come back. Let it go."

Seia's response was a hollow bang against the walls, her body trembling with the effort. The sound was a cruel reminder of the distance between them, a chasm that seemed insurmountable.

Tears welled up in Mika's eyes as she whispered, "Just come back. I already lost Nagisa. Come back. Come back. Just come back."

Seia watched, her expression unreadable, as Mika's words hung in the air, unanswered.

Within the confines of her mind, Seia stood alone, tears streaming down her face. Her eyes burned with a mixture of lust and rage, emotions she could neither comprehend nor control. She longed to escape, to find peace, but the path was obscured by a fog of confusion and despair. The Fifth Koan echoed in her mind: "Can you prove the truth of those who have reached paradise?"

The question was a paradox, a riddle without an answer. If paradise was truly paradise, then no one would ever leave it, for all their needs would be satisfied there. Yet, if someone left, it wouldn't have been a true paradise, for they weren't satisfied. How could one prove the existence of paradise if no one who had truly reached it left? It was a question that had no answer, a riddle that twisted upon itself.

Seia cried, her sobs echoing in the emptiness of her mind. She cried for the loss of her humanity, for the friends she had failed, and for the paradise that remained just out of reach. Seia's consciousness drifted in a void, her mind a tumultuous storm of fragmented thoughts and emotions. The Fifth Koan echoed within her: "Can you prove the truth of those who have reached paradise?" This paradox gnawed at her, challenging her understanding of reality and existence.

Visions assaulted her: paths of terror, death, love, leadership—each a potential future, each a reflection of her deepest fears and desires. Amidst this chaos, a yellow heart pulsed, representing her soul. Drawn to it, she reached out, but as her fingers touched it, the heart began to decay, crumbling into nothingness.

A voice, both hers and not, whispered: "Welcome to the void. Sin of lust. Sin of salvation. Sin of greed." The title God of Salvation resonated within her, a mantle she neither understood nor desired.

Desperate for clarity, Seia grappled with her identity and the nature of her Mystic power. She sought salvation, a release from the torment of her fractured psyche. But the more she searched, the more elusive peace became.

In her turmoil, she envisioned herself raising a gun to her head, a symbolic act to shatter the confines of her mind. As the trigger was pulled, her halo cracked, and the void around her splintered. Yet, instead of oblivion, she found herself adorned in a black dress with dark yellow hues, wielding a TAC-50 sniper rifle and a double-edged black scythe. Chains encircled her, and her transformed appearance reflected a fusion of serenity and resolve.

Her left eye gleamed with a magenta hue, and a calm smile graced her lips. She whispered to the void, to herself, to Nyx: "This is going to hurt. We know what scares you inside."

With newfound determination, Seia aimed her rifle skyward and fired. The void shattered, and she declared her desire to return home, to be free from corruption. She sprinted through the fragments of her past mistakes, confronting the darkness and pain that once held her captive.

As she emerged from the depths of her mind, a single word escaped her lips: "Sorteia."

In the physical realm, Mika, who had been vigilantly watching over Seia's caged form, turned at the sound. To her shock, the cage was empty. Before she could react, Seia appeared behind her, eyes gleaming with an unsettling calm.

"Hey," Seia murmured, her voice a blend of apology and menace.

Before Mika could process the warning, Seia's hand tightened around her neck, lifting her effortlessly. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to hurt you, but..." Seia whispered, her grip unyielding.

Mika's vision blurred, confusion and fear intertwining. The friend she once knew was now a harbinger of an uncertain fate.

In the recesses of Seia's mind, the Fifth Koan lingered, its answer elusive. But one truth remained: the path to paradise was fraught with peril, and salvation often demanded a sacrifice.