Chapter 526 : The Fire Thief—Isabelle (RAW)
Chapter 526: The Fire Thief—Isabelle
【Strings of Flotenath-Moonlight】: When played, an enchanting magnetic field appears around the performer. All who fall under its influence have their emotions and consciousness controlled by the performer’s mind until their souls sink completely into oblivion.
As the solo performance of 【Isabelle】’s Act A officially began, Janna also started playing the first piece of her self-composed suite, Symphony of the Angels, using the 【Strings of Flotenath-Moonlight】.
The melody sounded ethereal, like drifting clouds and gentle wind.
Together with Janna’s “Voice of the Heavens” 【Character Talent】, in an instant, everyone in the Nightingale Opera Troupe felt their hearts and minds drawn into the world of 【Isabelle】 through Janna’s clear, otherworldly singing.
Of course, while playing the 【Strings of Flotenath-Moonlight】, Janna did not use its mental control abilities.
Throughout the entire performance, she merely relied on the resonance between the 【Strings of Flotenath-Moonlight】 and the 【Law of Beauty】 to more smoothly amplify the combined power of the 【Law of Beauty Fragment】 and her 【Extraordinary Charm】 talent—enhancing the immersive allure of her operatic performance.
“This… could this be the completely new composition that the Nightingale Opera Troupe mentioned during their press conference?”
Below the stage, Celine—who had still been fiddling with her camera—felt a sudden daze the moment Janna’s voice reached her ears.
It was as if, for that fleeting instant, through Janna’s performance, she truly glimpsed the heavenly realm where 【Isabelle】 resided.
Beyond the holy and majestic music, Celine faintly heard the tolling of sacred bells echoing by her ears, soothing her heart into calmness without her realizing it.
“She really composed this for the first time—?”
At Celine’s quiet murmur, Matthew beside her offered no reply. He simply kept his gaze fixed on Janna upon the stage, his eyes never wavering.
“Holy Light… O Holy Light—”
At the same time, Jenny, sitting among the general audience, unconsciously began to hum softly along after Janna finished her first solo piece.
However, compared to Janna’s ethereal voice, Jenny’s trembled slightly from emotion.
Just moments ago, she had been criticizing The Withering Rose for having an overly clichéd opening conflict. Yet now, as Janna completed the first solo, every trace of critique within Jenny vanished like smoke.
In fact, the first song of Symphony of the Angels had far exceeded Jenny’s expectations—her emotions were left in ripples, unable to settle for a long while.
The main storyline of Act A revolved around 【Isabelle】’s descent to the mortal realm, unfolding along the timeline of her quest to collect humanity’s “Flames of Desire.”
This segment not only laid the groundwork for the later event of 【Isabelle】 stealing divine fire but also provided deeper insight into her character.
From the moment of her birth, 【Isabelle】’s life had always been shrouded in dark tones. Yet after descending to the mortal world, her once-muted existence began to fill with color.
Though she had long grown accustomed to the darker sides of human nature, she also witnessed its beauty.
Thus, as 【Isabelle】 searched for the “Flames of Desire,” she obtained not only the sins of 【Greed】, 【Envy】, 【Sloth】, and 【Pride】—but also the virtues of 【Tolerance】, 【Honesty】, 【Courage】, 【Diligence】, and the 【Hope】 for life itself.
By a twist of fate, 【Isabelle】 even met her first human friend—and her first devotee—【Sally】, portrayed by Liji Silks.
Interwoven throughout were fragments of 【Isabelle】’s memories from her creation—memories of tender moments shared with 【Augustine】, whom she had always regarded as a loving father figure.
—
“To this point, the plot of this opera has been quite captivating.”
Since The Withering Rose moved at a brisk pace, Jenny remained focused as she watched the scenes of Act A unfold.
“Still, compared to that opening solo by Miss Janna, nothing else shines quite as brightly. I can only hope the later solos will astonish me just the same.”
Rumble—! / Rumble-rumble—! / BOOOOM—!
As Jenny was still savoring Janna’s performance of Symphony of the Angels, a sudden thunderous sound effect pulled her attention back to the stage.
Divine punishment descended from the heavens—then came the cold wave.
A somber melody began to swell, and the once lively and radiant tone of the story plunged sharply into darkness. The mortal world, once filled with bustle and warmth, was now frozen under the chilling storm—silent and devoid of light.
“Isabelle, do you realize your sin!?”
The scene shifted again. Pure white clouds, symbolizing the heavens, once more filled the stage.
But this time, 【Isabelle】 knelt in disgrace before the Lord of Heaven and the host of angels. Yet her eyes no longer lowered in submission—they looked up, calm and unafraid, meeting the Lord’s gaze directly.
“You dared to steal the 【Divine Fire】 for those humans! You have desecrated the Holy Light!”
“I am not guilty—”
“What did you say!?”
“I am not guilty.”
Rumble—! / Rumble-rumble—! / BOOOOM—!
—
Lightning flared again. As 【Isabelle】 spoke those words, her frail, fallen body trembled, then struggled to rise.
The angels—who had long mocked her for being a wingless one—fell into an uneasy silence.
Even 【Hilamel】, who had always opposed 【Isabelle】, now watched her with eyes filled with complex, indescribable emotions.
“In that case, I strip you of your divinity and cast you into the prison!”
Rumble—! / Rumble-rumble—! / BOOOOM—!
As thunder roared once more, the bright white stage lights dimmed abruptly. Then the illumination shifted into a deep crimson, painting the surrounding mist into a blood-hued fog that sent chills crawling over the skin.
“Then stay here—and savor the bitter fruit of your own making!”
SNAP—! / CRACK—! / CLANG—!
As 【Augustine】’s words fell, a bolt of lightning struck directly onto 【Isabelle】.
Her anguished cry echoed through the scarlet mist as 【Augustine】 and the other angels vanished into the haze, leaving behind the infernal prison.
“What a fool—throwing away her life for nothing!”
Watching the punished 【Isabelle】 writhing beneath divine lightning, 【Hilamel】 scoffed coldly before giving her one last, complicated glance and leaving the stage in silence—
—