LAST CONFESSIONMatthias did not follow the Pope.Instead, he stood in the chamber long after Adrian’s footsteps vanished, listening to the silence settle like dust after a storm. The Veil was whole . The shadows were gone. And yet, something unfinished lingered.Or someone.He turned .She stood at the far end of the chamber, where darkness used to breathe.Not a shadow anymore.Her form was steady now, human, fragile. A woman wrapped in pale light, as though she had been rebuilt from memory rather than flesh. Her eyes carried centuries.“Matthias,” she said softly.His chest tightened. “You shouldn’t exist.”A faint smile curved her lips.