Perspective: Eve
Location: Sylvaris — Eve's Lodge & Outskirts Farmland
Time:7:30 AM — January 29, 2018
I'm late, I'm late, I'm sooooooooo late!
My fingers trembled as I fought with the white silk ribbons in my hair, hopping on 1 bare foot across the cold wooden floorboards while desperately trying to shove my other foot into my leather traveling boot.
Ribbons? Straight. Satchel? Packed. Bandages? Counted. Notes? YES!
Ren said 8:00 AM sharp at the south gates! If Tanya has to stand out in the morning for even 5 extra minutes, she's gonna start fights with strangers just for fun, and then the town watch will look at me like I'm the 1 responsible!
I snatched my satchel from the cedar trunk, slung the worn leather strap across my collarbone, and lunged straight for the front door.
No breakfast today. Absolutely zero time. A quick gulp of water from the clay pitcher would have to keep my stomach from growling until noon.
I shoved the heavy oak door open—and froze dead in my tracks.
Pinned right to the center of the outer frame at eye level, held firmly in place by a single, perfectly polished iron tack, was a folded square of crisp white parchment.
My heart did a sudden, violent backflip against my ribs.
A-A note...?!
I raised a trembling hand, pulling the parchment off the iron tack with extreme care.
The ink was pitch-black. The penmanship was sharp, elegant, and infuriatingly unmistakable.
> Eve,
>
> I know you have questions. Meet me at 7:00 PM tonight at the southern cliffside overlook. Bring the photograph you found.
>
> Please don't skip breakfast before leaving today.
>
> — Kaiser
My breath hitched so hard I nearly choked on my own tongue.
H-H-How did he know?!
Heat erupted straight up my neck, exploding into my cheeks.
How did he know I was about to skip breakfast right this exact second?! Was he crouching by the other roof?! Does he have cameras outside my window?! Is he psychic now?!
And... 7:00 PM tonight?! At the cliff?!
My fingers clenched the paper, pressing the clean parchment against my chest like a shield.
Yesterday had been pure, agonizing torture. He had vanished into thin air for 24 whole hours. I had paced past the Requiem Guild hall 3 separate times pretending to browse for quests, straining my neck just to catch a glimpse of him. But there was nothing. Just empty cobblestones and my own silly, overthinking brain spiraling out of control.
And now, he leaves this.
Please don't skip breakfast before leaving today.
You absolute, bossy, impossible bully, my mind whined, though my lower lip trembled and curved into a tiny, traitorous smile.
How in the world was I supposed to skip breakfast now?
If I showed up at the cliff at 7:00 PM and my stomach made even 1 tiny, pathetic squeak, he would give me that narrow, quiet look of his. Then probably start hunting for a nearby animals to feed me, and make me feel like an irresponsible child who failed her morning duties.
Fine. I'll eat. Just... something quick.
I locked the door, tucked his letter into my inner coat pocket right beside the Asura photograph, and practically sprinted down the stone steps toward the main thoroughfare.
The sweet, buttery fragrance of morning bakeries drifted across the avenue. My eyes immediately locked onto the display window of a high-end confectionery—fluffy vanilla sponge cakes crowned with thick whipped cream, glazed sugar, and plump, candied red strawberries.
My mouth watered instantly. My boots glued themselves to the paving stones.
A strawberry slice would be so soft and sweet... just 1 little corner...
I took half a step toward the glass door, then violently jerked myself backward by my own collar.
No, no, no! Eve, are you insane?! What are you thinking?! If Kaiser ever discovered I ate whipped cream and cake for breakfast before work, he would glare at me!!
I puffed my cheeks out into a stubborn pout, turning my back on the bakery with a dramatic huff.
Further down the market square, near the foreign trading pavilions, a thick cloud of aromatic white steam was billowing over a massive cast-iron griddle. The intoxicating scent of roasted cumin, crisp pan-fried potatoes, crushed ginger, and fresh green coriander hit my nose like an irresistible spell.
I peeked around the wooden post of the cart.
A painted wooden board hung above the sizzling coals: Crispy Spiced Potato Patties (Aloo Tikki) — 2 Copper Pieces.
I've never smelled anything like that in my entire life...
The cook—a broad, cheerful man with a bright saffron headband—was frying thick, golden potato cutlets in shallow oil. The outer crust was crackling into a deep, crunchy bronze, while the steam escaping from the edges smelled warm, savory, and rich with aromatic herbs and green peas.
"Excuse me," I squeaked, digging into my velvet coin pouch and producing 2 shiny copper coins with both hands. "Could I... could I please have 1 plate?"
"Coming right up, ma'am!" the vendor boomed with a wide grin.
He lifted 2 sizzling patties onto a thick paper tray, pressed them with a flat wooden spatula so the crunchy crust cracked open in a burst of fragrant steam, and drizzled a generous spoonful of glossy, sweet-and-tangy red sauce right across the center.
I stepped over to the stone railing by the canal, lifted a hot potato cake with my wooden fork, and took a bite.
CRUNCH.
The sound was so loud 2 passing pigeons took flight.
Oh... oh my word.
My eyes went wide as saucers.
The crust shattered like delicate pastry, but the inside was piping hot, fluffy, savory, and packed with gentle spices that warmed my entire throat. And when the tangy, sweet red sauce mixed with the roasted cumin on my tongue...
I did a tiny, involuntary victory wiggle on the balls of my boots.
It's delicious! Why is this so ridiculously good?!
All my ladylike manners vanished into thin air. I practically inhaled the 1st plate in under 90 seconds, licking a stray speck of red sauce off my thumb before walking straight back to the cart with another 2 copper coins already clutched in my palm.
"A-Another plate, please!"
The vendor laughed heartily, handing over a 2nd steaming tray.
I devoured every single crumb. By the time I wiped my fork clean, my belly felt warm, full, and completely comforted.
My eyes slowly drifted back toward the sizzling griddle.
The patties were bubbling in the golden oil. The steam looked like little clouds.
Maybe... just 1 more? A 3rd plate wouldn't really hurt, would it...? 3 is an odd number, which is lucky in Celestine...
My hand crept toward my purse.
My fingers touched the velvet drawstring.
EVE! STOP IT RIGHT THIS INSTANT!
I pulled my hand back as if I had touched an open flame, clapping both hands over my mouth and looking around in sheer, burning panic to make sure nobody had seen me eyeing the potatoes like a starving gremlin.
You cannot eat 3 entire plates of fried spiced potatoes! What if someone from the guild saw me?! What if Kaiser finds out and brands me a gluttonous potato goblin?! What if I won't fit into my dress anymore?!
Cough, cough! 2 plates is plenty! More than enough for a respectable healer!
I dabbed my lips furiously with a clean linen handkerchief, smoothed down the ruffled lace of my pale yellow skirt, and bolted toward the southern city gates as fast as my little boots could carry me.
*
"Eve! Over here, slowpoke!"
Ren was standing by the stone guard post, waving his arm frantically. His twin daggers were buckled tight to his leather harness, his messy brown hair tossed by the chilly gusts.
Beside him, Harek sat like a boulder on an overturned crate, his enormous oak-and-iron tower shield propped against his kneecap while he methodically munched on a dry salted biscuit. William leaned against the archway with his longbow, checking the goose-feather fletching on his quiver.
And pacing back and forth in the middle of the road, balancing an enormous 2-handed greataxe on her shoulder with zero effort, was Tanya.
"You're late pinky!" Tanya roared, stomping over with a grin that showed all her teeth. "I was about 10 seconds away from starting a fight with those gangsters!"
"T-Tanya, please don't commit crimes right now," Olivia whimpered from behind Harek's shield, clutching her cracked quartz staff like a religious talisman. "If the town watch fines our party again, Sylvia's guild clerks will dock our earnings, and I already spent my earnings!"
"I'm so, so sorry!" I gasped, bending at the waist and bowing 3 times in rapid succession, my ribbons fluttering wildly. "I—I had to get breakfast! I ran as fast as I could! Please don't start a fight!"
Tanya snorted and brought her heavy palm down on my back in a friendly smack that knocked the wind clean out of my lungs and sent me stumbling 2 steps forward.
"At least you ate something unlike us," Tanya declared, reaching over and boldly pinching my soft left cheek between 2 calloused fingers. "Look at you! You're like a little baby kitten!"
"T-Tanya... ow, my cheek...!" I squeaked, swatting uselessly at her wrist with burning ears.
Tanya let go with a hearty laugh, then squinted down the empty carriage road behind me. "Speaking of kittens, where's the mysterious rat? Don't tell me Kaiser skipped out on another contract."
A quiet, tender pinch squeezed my chest.
"He had... some urgent personal business to handle today," I murmured softly, smoothing down my ruffled apron. "He said he would be back in the evening."
Ren let out a heavy sigh, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Naturally. That guy is missing for most of the day. Well, whatever. We can handle an E-rank quest on our own. Let's move out."
Ren unrolled a stamped dispatch parchment from his belt pouch.
Quest related to clearing pests.
As our party marched toward Farmer Bradley's orchard to clear out a nest of horned burrowers, I barely registered their usual banter or battle plans. My mind was consumed by Kaiser's letter burning in my coat pocket, dreading our 7 o'clock meeting and the unanswered questions surrounding him and Elfie. But when we finally reached the quiet terraces of the orchard, the beasts were nowhere to be found.
No screeching pests. No mounds of freshly turned black soil.
Instead, parked directly beside the primary barn was a large, 4-wheeled farm wagon. The wooden flatbed was already piled high with over 20 dead horned burrowers, their scaly tails neatly bundled with hemp cord.
Standing on the wooden porch was Farmer Bradley, laughing happily while handing a bulging leather pouch of silver coins to a tall, armored swordsman.
Ren stopped dead in his tracks.
"What in the world...?" Ren muttered, his jaw dropping.
"Are you kidding me right now?!" Tanya bellowed, the veins in her neck bulging as she gripped her greataxe with both hands. "We walked 3 miles through the mud for this! Who stole our targets?!"
"B-Be thankful we didn't have to fight, Tanya!" Olivia squeaked, immediately ducking behind Harek's giant bulk.
"Stop being so scared, Olivia! I came out here to break bones!" Tanya roared, glaring daggers at the wagon.
"P-Please, Tanya, calm down...!" I pleaded frantically, fluttering my hands in front of her like a tiny, distressed referee. "Please don't brandish your axe near Farmer Bradley's fence! He's an elderly man... and Olivia is right, at least nobody got hurt..."
Tanya looked down at me and let out a noisy snort through her nostrils. "You have zero killer instinct, Eve. Kaiser spoils you way too much."
My entire face caught fire. "H-H-He does not spoil me...!"
Ahead of us, Ren had already marched up to the farmhouse steps, slamming his guild parchment against his thigh with a furious scowl.
"Hey!" Ren called out sharply. "What's the meaning of this? This contract was logged on the open roster at the Spire! We accepted the dispatch early this morning!"
The tall swordsman turned around. On the breastplate of his polished iron cuirass sat the silver badge of the Requiem Guild—specifically, the emblem of a C-rank freelance detachment.
He looked down at Ren with a lazy, patronizing sneer.
"First come, first served, rookie," the swordsman drawled, tossing the heavy coin pouch into the air and catching it with a cocky slap. "We were crossing through the valley on our return route from the border. The farmer offered hard cash on the spot, so we cleaned out the nest in 15 minutes. That's how real adventurers operate."
"That's a direct violation of guild protocol!" Ren barked, his knuckles turning white around his daggers. "Article 4 of the Celestine Adventurer Accord states that concurrent clearances without formal registry dispatch require a 50% dividend split to the assigned party! You stole our work!"
"Stole?" The swordsman laughed mockingly, stepping off the porch as 2 heavily armed mercenaries fell in beside him. "Listen to the little dagger-boy quoting bylaws. We're a C-rank squad. We don't wait around for novices to finish their morning prayers. If you want money, learn to run faster."
"You arrogant piece of—" Ren snarled, his blades clearing their leather sheaths by 2 inches.
Tanya immediately raised her greataxe with a bloodthirsty grin, while Harek slammed the base of his massive oak shield into the dirt with a thunderous THUD.
The swordsman's sneer vanished, his right hand locking around his broadsword hilt. "You really want to draw iron against a veteran squad, kids? I'll happily teach you how blood tastes."
The entire farmyard went dead silent.
"STOP IT! Both of you, put your weapons away right this instant!"
A sharp, frantic female voice shattered the standoff.
A young woman came running around the corner of the barn, clutching a bundle of wild mountain herbs and an ink-stained wooden clipboard. She wore light scout leathers decorated with Requiem pins, her short hazel-brown hair bouncing wildly, and vivid green eyes blazing with utter fury.
She pushed her way directly between Ren and the swordsman, kicking the swordsman's armored shin with her boot.
"Ivan, have you completely lost your tiny mind?!" she yelled, waving her clipboard in his face. "Sylvia gave us explicit instructions before we left the Spire: zero fights with local parties! If she finds out you're threatening junior members over 30 copper coins, she'll dock our pay!"
The swordsman flinched, clicking his tongue in irritation. "Sophia, stay out of this. They started fighting first."
"I don't care who attacked first!" Sophia snapped, whirling around toward our party and offering a flustered, 90-degree bow.
"I am so, so incredibly sorry about him! Ivan lacks any decency! We honestly didn't check the morning board before clearing the burrows, but I will personally sign the shared-credit slip at the guild desk so you receive your full standing points—"
Sophia straightened her back.
Her breath caught in her throat.
Her green eyes locked onto my face.
The color drained from her skin in a single, terrifying instant. Her jaw went slack, her knees wobbled, and the wooden clipboard slipped from her numb fingers, crashing into the dry gravel.
A choked, trembling whisper escaped her lips:
"Elfie...?"
A dead, freezing chill swept across the farmyard.
E-Elfie...?!
My heart stopped beating for 1 full second.
Sophia stumbled forward like a sleepwalker, her eyes stretched wide in utter, unadulterated shock, staring at my face as though a ghost had risen directly from the earth.
"N-No way..." Sophia stammered, her voice cracking in pure disbelief. "Elfie...? How... how are you alive?!"
Before she could take another step, Tanya lunged into the space between us.
CLANG!
Tanya embedded the heavy iron blade of her greataxe 4 inches deep into the soil right in front of Sophia's boots, glaring down at her with bared teeth.
"Back up, lady!" Tanya barked fiercely. "Who on earth are you calling Elfie?! Her name is Eve! Take 1 more step toward her and you're dead!"
"Eve...?" Sophia gasped, shaking her head frantically while trying to peer around Tanya's massive shoulders. "B-But... but look at her! The soft cotton-pink hair... the pink eyes... the ribbons... the height! It's identical! It's literally her...!"
My hands clenched tightly over my chest, my fingernails digging into the lace of my dress.
Elfie.
She called me Elfie.
The girl from Kaiser's Asura Academy photograph.
The image flashed in my mind—the bright pink curls, the twin white ribbon bows, the radiant smile beside a younger Kaiser in uniform.
She knows her.
This girl actually knows Elfie!
"T-Tanya, wait!" I said, gently tugging at the rough fabric of Tanya's leather sleeve. "Please, it's okay! Put the axe down!"
Tanya scowled over her shoulder. "Eve, she's talking crazy—"
"I want to speak with her," I insisted, stepping around the broad axe head and meeting Sophia's wide green eyes.
I took a slow, polite step forward, my fingers knotting into the hem of my apron.
"Um... who are you?" I asked softly, my voice trembling with emotion. "Why... why did you call me that name?"
*
The midday sun beat gently against the weathered surface of a wide granite boulder beside the orchard fence.
Over by the barn, Ren and Vance were grudgingly stamping paperwork under Farmer Bradley's watchful gaze, while Tanya stood 15 paces away with her arms crossed, keeping a hawk-like watch on us.
Beside me on the rock, Sophia sat with her knees pulled tightly to her chest, nervously picking at the loose threads of her leather scout bracers.
Up close, she looked only a couple of years older than me. She had an earnest, slightly clumsy demeanor—the unmistakable aura of someone who couldn't tell a convincing lie even if her life depended on it.
"I really am terribly sorry for screaming like that," Sophia murmured, her face flushed with lingering embarrassment as she stared down at the dandelion weeds.
"It's just... with the sun right behind your hair, I genuinely thought I was losing my mind. Elfie had that exact shade of pink hair. Gentle waves, twin white ribbon bows, about the exact same look... When you walked through the gate, my heart nearly stopped."
A quiet shiver rippled down my spine.
She noticed the ribbons too.
"Are you... from Asura Academy?" I asked in a hushed whisper.
Sophia's head whipped toward me, her green eyes bulging in sheer astonishment.
"How do you know about Asura Academy?!" she gasped, leaning in so fast she nearly tipped off the boulder.
She really went there.
"A woman I met long ago..." I explained softly, tracing a pattern on my skirt. "She mistook me for Elfie too. She told me Elfie was a student in the Academy, and that her son Axel had been in the same year. When I looked into it, Asura Academy was the only school that matched."
Sophia let out a long, heavy breath, her shoulders slumping in deep, nostalgic exhaustion.
"Axel... yeah. I remember him," Sophia whispered, a wistful sorrow clouding her eyes.
"Asura Academy was the greatest magical institution in the whole world. The proudest noble lineages, the most brilliant prodigies, unmatched prestige... I was a student there for 2 years. But then the Calamity happened. The Asura Crisis tore the entire academy to shreds. Everyone who survived scattered across the sea. That's how I ended up here in Celestine, doing freelance mercenary work for Sylvia just to keep a roof over my head."
My heart pounded with urgency. "The Asura Crisis? What happened to the academy? Why did it fall?"
Sophia stiffened immediately, her jaw clamping shut as she shook her head with grim finality.
"Do not ask about that, Eve," she warned in a low, trembling voice. "I mean it. You don't want to know. It was a living nightmare, and digging into those ashes will only bring ruin to your doorstep."
I bit my lip, letting the cold mountain breeze whisper through the grass between us.
Then, I gathered all the courage in my chest and looked directly into her eyes.
"Do you know Kaiser Everhart?"
Sophia froze like a statue.
Every drop of color fled from her cheeks for the 2nd time that morning. Her eyes darted frantically toward the sky, toward the apple trees, toward her boots—anywhere except my face. Her fingers tangled into her tunic in a desperate knot.
"K-K-Kaiser...?" she stammered, her voice leaping up an entire octave into a squeak. "N-No! Absolutely not! Who is that?! Never heard that name in my entire life! Totally unfamiliar! I definitely, 100% do not know any Kaiser!"
A tiny, dry twitch pulled at my eyebrow.
She is a bad liar... the exaggeration.
She is sweating so hard her bangs are sticking to her forehead.
"Are you lying to me, Sophia?" I asked, tilting my head with a calm, piercing stare.
"I'm not lying! I swear on the Goddess—"
"I have a photograph," I stated quietly.
Sophia choked on her own saliva, coughing frantically into her sleeve.
"A... a photograph?!" she wheezed.
"Yes," I said, watching her squirm. "A picture from Asura Academy. It shows Elfie and Kaiser standing shoulder-to-shoulder in formal academy uniforms, smiling together. If you were Elfie's classmate, and if you were there during those years... there is zero possibility you don't know who Kaiser is."
Sophia buried her face in both hands, letting out a loud, agonized groan of absolute defeat that made a nearby crow flap away in disgust.
"Uuuuugh! I hate him so much!" she whined through her fingers, kicking her heels against the stone. "Why does he always leave trails?! Why do people keep ambushing me about him after years?!"
She dragged her hands down her flushed cheeks, glaring at the sky with exhausted, defeated eyes.
"Fine! Yes! I know Kaiser Everhart! But he made me swear a binding magical vow before we parted ways—I cannot disclose his profiles, his abilities, or his past without magical backlash cracking my soul! I literally cannot tell you the deep secrets!"
A binding magical vow...
"I don't care about his secret spells," I whispered, my chest tightening with an overwhelming, tender ache. "I just... I want to know what happened to him. Why is he so distant? Why does he carry so much grief all by himself? I met him, Sophia. He's... he's my friend."
Sophia stared at me as if I had just announced I was the Empress of the Sun.
"Kaiser... thinks of you as a friend?!" she blurted out so loudly that William paused his fletching by the gate.
Sophia immediately clapped both hands over her mouth, leaning in close with wild, frantic eyes.
"Kaiser Everhart does not have friends, Eve!" she hissed in an intense whisper. "He doesn't do 'friendship'! He views every living human being as a tool or a threat! The only things that exist in his universe is using others!"
She stopped abruptly.
Her gaze drifted slowly across my pastel-pink curls, my large pink eyes, and my petite frame.
The shock in her face melted into something deeply sorrowful. Almost pitiful.
"Maybe... that's why," Sophia murmured under her breath.
A cold blade of dread slid between my ribs.
"What do you mean?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper.
"He probably just sees Elfie in you," Sophia said softly, without an ounce of malice. "There is no other reason on this earth Kaiser would ever keep you near him. He looks at your face, Eve, and he uses you as a mirror for her."
The words crashed into my heart like a boulder.
A mirror for a ghost.
My chest caved in. Cold air rushed into my throat.
The exact, terrifying insecurity that had haunted me since the minute I saw that picture—the humiliating thought that his kindness, his gentle hands, the way he held my hand and kissed my forehead... were never meant for me at all.
No.
My hands curled into tight little fists on my lap.
No, that's wrong!
He kissed my forehead when I fell asleep safe. He swept my dusty floorboards at dawn without saying a word. He folded my woolen coats. He left me a note this morning telling me not to skip breakfast! If he only saw me as Elfie, why would he care if I ate?! Why would he treat me with so much care?!
"What kind of person was he to you, then?" I asked, fighting desperately to keep my lower lip from trembling. "If you think he's so cold, why did you stay near him back at the academy?"
Sophia sighed deeply, leaning her head back against the rough granite.
"Because he's complicated," she murmured, watching a stray cloud drift past the sun.
"Kaiser is someone who will never, ever let you see what's happening behind his eyes. Even if he does something miraculous for you, or something ruthless, he acts as though it never occurred. He wears that dry, mocking smirk, and you're the 1 left standing there in terror, wondering what was genuine and what was calculated."
She hugged her knees tighter.
"He saved my life once," Sophia confessed, her voice dropping into quiet gratitude. "During our 1st year at Asura, I had given up all hopes... desires. Facing immediate expulsion. Kaiser intervened and helped me move on from the past."
My eyes widened in genuine wonder. "He saved you? How?"
Sophia's face turned as red as a ripe tomato. She squirmed on the rock, fidgeting with her bracers in pure, agonized embarrassment.
"I... well... I was his ex-girlfriend."
My entire universe instantly screeched to a halt.
His... WHAT?!
Every single gear in my brain ground to a screeching, smoky stop.
Ex-girlfriend...?!
A ridiculous, uncontrollable heat surged straight into my cheeks. My lower lip pushed outward into a massive, furious pout. My eyebrows knotted together into an intense, silent scowl, and my hands clenched .
Ex-girlfriend?!
Kaiser... had a girlfriend?!
HIM?!
He actually held someone's hand and called her his girlfriend?!
A chaotic, bubbling storm erupted inside my ribs—an ugly, unfamiliar, sizzling fire that made me want to grab a feather pillow and scream into it until all the feathers flew out.
Sophia blinked, suddenly backing away from me on the rock with wide, panicked eyes. "W-Wait, why are you looking at me like you're about to push me off this rock?!"
I jerked my head violently, coughing into my fist and trying frantically to smooth my scowling face into something resembling polite sanity.
"N-N-Nothing!" I squeaked, my voice cracking so high it sounded like a whistle. "I am completely, 100% serene! Perfectly calm! Just... really?! Ex-girlfriend?! Kaiser actually dated you?!"
Sophia burst into loud, hysterical giggles, waving both hands in frantic circles.
"No, no, no! It was fake!" she laughed, wiping a tear from her eye.
"An absolute, total sham! He engineered a fake relationship so all the attention would redirect onto him instead of attacking me! We never actually dated! We never even held hands without leather gloves on!"
The suffocating knot in my chest instantly evaporated, leaving behind a wave of silly, dizzy relief.
It was fake.
Thank goodness... wait, why am I so happy about that?! What is wrong with me?! Eve, get a grip!
"If Kaiser did all that just to protect you," I said, tilting my head with genuine confusion, "why do you talk about him like he's a monster?"
Sophia's giggles faded. A weary, somber heaviness settled back over her features.
"I never said he was a monster, Eve. I said he doesn't care about anyone except himself and his goals."
She looked directly into my pink eyes.
"The moment that crisis was resolved, he cut me off completely. He never checked on me. He never asked how I was doing. He treated me like a fulfilled contract that had been filed away in a drawer. The only person he ever showed real, genuine warmth to... was Elfie."
Sophia's voice sank to a mournful whisper.
"And he lost her in the Asura Crisis. He couldn't save her. I still have 100 questions I want to demand from him, but I know even if I cornered him in an alley, he would never answer. He never answers personal questions. He keeps himself locked in the dark."
Sophia reached across the rock, resting a gentle hand over my wrist.
"Listen to me, Eve," she said softly, her expression turning dead serious. "You are not Elfie. And because you are not her, Kaiser will never truly let you in. He doesn't want comfort. He doesn't need a savior. The single most dangerous mistake you can ever make is falling in love with Kaiser Everhart."
A thick lump formed in my throat.
"I made that mistake once," Sophia admitted with a bitter, self-deprecating smile. "Back when he rescued me, I convinced myself I could melt that icy heart. And all it earned me was feeling desperate, humiliated, and completely heartbroken. In the end, the only reason he will ever reach out to you is to use you. And when he's done, you will be left standing alone in the cold."
The mountain wind rustled the dry grass around our boots.
I looked at Sophia's solemn, caring face. I knew she was warning me out of genuine kindness.
They're all blinded by their own past. Maybe they're just selfish. Needy. Bitches... A dark thought crossed my mind.
Yet deep inside my chest, a small, fierce warmth flared into stubborn defiance.
"He has a heart too," I whispered.
Sophia blinked in surprise. "What?"
I raised my chin, meeting her gaze with steady, unwavering pink eyes.
"He has feelings too," I said, my voice quiet but ringing with honest conviction. "Where were you when he was standing all alone in the freezing rain? When his eyes were hollow and he had nowhere left to go?"
Sophia's breath caught in her throat. She froze, completely speechless, her lips parting without a sound.
The weight of my own words hit my ears a second later.
Eeep! What did I just say out loud to an older guild senior?! What was I thinking?!
Sheer panic flooded my brain. I leaped to my feet on the rock, bowing frantically until my ribbons touched my knees.
"S-S-Sorry!" I squealed, my cheeks burning like molten copper. "I—I shouldn't have said that! That was horribly rude and disrespectful! Please forgive me, Sophia!"
Sophia stared at me for 3 long seconds, then let out a soft, defeated laugh, shaking her head with gentle fondness.
"It's alright, Eve," she said, standing up from the boulder and brushing the dust from her leathers. "You really are a sweet, brave girl. But Kaiser doesn't want anyone standing beside him in the rain. He chooses his own path. Just... be careful tonight."
"Sophia! Wagon's rolling!" Ivan's shout bellowed from the barn driveway.
"Coming!" Sophia shouted back, grabbing her staff and sprinting down the slope to join the others.
She offered me 1 last kind wave, jogging down the slope to join her detachment.
*
I stood quietly beside the orchard fence, watching the wooden wagon rumble down the valley road until it vanished in a cloud of dust.
My hand moved to my chest, my fingers curling tightly over the warm fabric of my dress.
In the end, he'll only use you...
Sophia's warning lingered in the wind, but as I stood in the quiet afternoon sunlight, other memories rushed in to drown it out.
The memory of the dark alleyway when thugs cornered me, and he stepped in front of me, calling me "Princess" with that arrogant, protective smirk before destroying them.
The way he taught me how to interact with others without fear... To cook me a morning breakfast...
The soft, reverent press of his lips against my forehead while I slept.
What could he possibly use me for?
I looked down at my small, delicate hands.
I'm not capable. I don't own anything valuable. I'm just an ordinary healer from the countryside. If he only cares about winning... why would he ever spend his time reminding me to eat?
His heart isn't empty.
His heart is broken.
He lost Elfie in the Asura Crisis. He carried that photograph inside his pocket for years, guarding a wound so deep he couldn't even speak her name without bringing it back.
A warm, resolute calm settled deep into my ribs.
I looked down at my left hand.
On my finger, the Sea of the Heart ring caught the bright afternoon sunlight. The cobalt and blush-pink mana swirled together within the gemstone, pulsing with a steady, comforting rhythm against my skin.
I'm not going to run away from him.
Tonight, at 7:00 PM, I'm going to stand on that cliff and ask him the truth.
I want to know what happened to Elfie. I want to know why he carries so much grief alone. And I want to ask him... why he was so kind to me.
Only then can I truly understand him.
"Eve! Are you coming or what?!" Tanya's booming shout roared from the road, waving a fresh guild dispatch in the air. "Ren found another pest contract near the eastern grain mills! Let's go make some real moneyyy!"
I looked toward my party, wiping the stray dust from my skirt and letting out a long, happy breath.
"I'm coming!" I called back with a bright, cheerful wave, running down the path to join them.
---
### Perspective: Celia
Location: Sylvaris — Commercial Quarter & Mercenary Plaza
Time: 10:00 AM — January 29, 2018
The morning air tasted cold and crisp against my bare cheeks.
No itchy black dye hair. No cheap illusion spells clouding the color of my irises.
I actually slept well last night. It was hard to fall asleep at first—my head was noisy, full of old memories trying to creep back in like stubborn pests—but once I shut my eyes, I slept for 8 solid hours without waking up once.
When I woke up, I made a vow to be myself.
Yesterday, I bought myself a brand-new dress.
Taking care of myself matters now. For an entire year, I bought plain, drab tunics that wouldn't draw attention, dressing like an invisible servant just so nobody would look twice at the girl walking behind him. That was stupid. If I have gold, I am going to spend it on looking pretty.
The dress was asymmetrical, tailored from heavy crimson and midnight-black silk. The high, stiff collar framed my neck, sweeping down diagonally across my chest into a tapered black bodice with crimson filigree stitching. The left sleeve was long and fitted with silver cuff clasps, while the right shoulder was bare, cut with clean, angular seams. The skirt split diagonally along my left thigh, letting the layered crimson silk flare with every stride while my right leg stayed draped in black pleats.
And on my feet, the crimson high heels bit into the cobblestones.
Clack.
Clack.
My natural snowy-white hair tumbled past my waist in thick, silken waves, gleaming under the 10:00 AM sun. My crimson eyes were uncovered, bright and piercing.
I looked gorgeous. I looked dangerous. And I knew it.
As I walked down the central boulevard, the street around me began to curdle into silence.
Merchants setting up wooden crates stopped talking. Porters dragging handcarts halted in the middle of the road. Pedestrians backed away toward the shop awnings, whispering frantically behind their palms while staring at my hair and eyes with pale, terrified faces.
Look at them.
Are they scared just looking at me?
Good. Let them stare.
Ahead of me, near the fountain plaza, a group of 4 armored adventurers stepped into the center of the road. They had steel broadswords at their hips and bronze guild badges pinned to their leather jerkins.
"H-Hold it right there!" the lead adventurer called out, his hand trembling as he reached for his sword hilt. "Who are you?! What's a demon girl with blood-red eyes doing wandering through the central district?! Identify yourself!"
I met his eyes with a cold, bored glare.
"I'm the Queen of Curses," I stated, my voice echoing across the quiet square without a shred of hesitation. "If you have a problem with my face, step forward and do something about it."
The lead adventurer's jaw tightened. He tried to look tough in front of his buddies, puffing his chest and taking 1 arrogant step forward.
"Don't get cocky, little girl, I'm a D-rank veteran—"
He didn't finish the sentence.
Black cursed chains shot out from the shadow beneath my boots like striking vipers.
Before he could even draw his steel, the cold iron links wrapped tightly around his waist, chest, and arms. With a single flick of my left wrist, the chains hoisted his 200-pound armored body 15 feet into the air.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
I swung him through the air 4 times in wide, dizzying circles until he was screaming at the top of his lungs, then snapped the chain backward and dropped him flat onto the dirt.
THUD!
The man hit the ground in a cloud of dust, his helmet rolling into the gutter. He scrambled to his hands and knees, completely pale, hyperventilating in sheer panic.
"What the hell, man! Run!" he shrieked, scrambling backward like a crab before bolting down the alleyway.
The other 3 adventurers didn't even wait for him. They turned on their heels and sprinted in the opposite direction as if an ancient calamity had opened its maw behind them. The entire crowd scattered, clearing a 20-meter perimeter around me in less than 5 seconds.
[SLAYYY, MY QUEEN 💅!!] Crownless's voice cheered from the depths of my shadow.
Huh?!
I let the chains dissolve back into my shadow, smoothing down the crimson fold of my skirt.
Yeah. I definitely don't need a disguise.
"Quite the warm greeting for a morning stroll, Lady Celia."
A voice spoke from behind me.
Deep, smooth, carrying that effortless velvet baritone that could command an entire court without raising its volume by a single decibel.
My eyes rolled toward the sky before I could stop myself.
Oh, great. The annoying devil is here.
What does he want with me now?
I didn't turn around to greet him. I didn't stop. I simply turned on my heel and continued walking down the boulevard toward the commercial arches.
Lucifer didn't take offense. Footsteps matched mine, and within 2 paces, he was walking directly at my side.
He walked directly shoulder-to-shoulder with me, matching my pace stride for stride. Wearing a tailored black military coat with crimson silk lining, his own snowy-white hair swaying in the morning breeze, and glowing crimson eyes scanning the street with lazy amusement.
The merchants who had peeked out from the alleyways gasped in collective horror.
2 snowy-haired, crimson-eyed figures walking side-by-side. The Demon Lord and the Queen of Curses, parading down the center of Sylvaris like they owned the province.
Lucifer leaned down slightly, tilting his head toward my ear.
"Hey," I snapped, shooting him a sharp glare from the corner of my eye. "Can't you move further away?"
Instead of backing off, Lucifer leaned in another 2 inches, a lazy smirk pulling at his handsome lips.
I let out an annoyed sigh, stopping dead on the pavement and turning to face him fully.
"Look," I said firmly, pointing a linen-wrapped finger at his chest. "If you want to talk to me, you maintain distance. And no touching. I don't want any touching ever again. Understood?"
Lucifer smiled smoothly, his crimson eyes gleaming with playful delight.
"Looks like you need more practice, my queen."
He didn't retreat. Instead, his gaze drifted slowly over my new outfit, taking in the sharp asymmetrical collar, the bare shoulder, and the split crimson silk.
"That dress is extraordinarily beautiful," he murmured, his tone dropping into something surprisingly rich. "Hot, striking, and entirely suited to your temperament."
I crossed my arms over my chest.
"I have plenty of clothes," I replied coldly. "And I like taking care of myself. Not for you, but for myself."
Lucifer's smirk widened into a slow, dazzling curve.
"That's exactly what I would find beautiful in my future wife."
My mouth twitched.
This guy is shameless. Completely, utterly shameless.
Yet as we started walking again, a quiet thought crossed my mind.
He's annoying. He talks too much, and his ego is huge.
But at least he doesn't act like him.
I kept my eyes fixed on the Grand Guild House ahead.
How do I become truly powerful and grow?
If I go to the adventurer guild like every other common mercenary, I'll be taking 1 quest at a time. Slaying 10 monsters for 20 silver, handing 30% of my blood to a desk clerk, waiting around for clients to post new slips.
That's a dead end.
If I want to be powerful, if I want to wake Lyla from her coma and build an eternal monument over my father's grave, I need to be completely self-reliant. Financially, emotionally, and physically. I need a way to earn real wealth and keep 100% of the yield.
I glanced up at Lucifer.
"Lucifer. You're a sovereign. Tell me how demon economics actually function."
Lucifer raised an amused white brow. "Demon economics? Are you planning to open a banking house in the Nether Realm?"
"I'm serious," I said sharply. "Human adventurer guilds operate as middlemen. Informants gather client requests, clerks post them on wooden boards, adventurers risk their necks for commissions, and the guild skims a massive broker fee off the top. How do demons handle wealth?"
Lucifer chuckled softly, adjusting the leather cuff of his dark glove as we walked.
"In the Demon Continent, we find the human guild model laughable," Lucifer explained, his tone shifting into smooth sovereign authority. "Demons do not sit around waiting for frightened villagers to file paperwork before we act. Our organizations operate on extraction."
"Extraction?"
"We conduct organized monster hunting on an industrial scale," Lucifer stated.
"We do not kill a beast to solve a pest problem. We harvest the raw materials—carcasses, elemental cores, venom sacs, hides, and bone marrow. Those materials are funneled directly into our refinement forges to create high-tier weapons, enchanted alloys, and rare alchemical assets. We recycle every scrap and distribute them through closed trade corridors. Even without a single client quest, the organization generates massive revenue."
The gears in my head began spinning at high speed.
More people means more power.
More power means more wealth.
And interacting with merchants, suppliers, and soldiers on my own terms will force me to mature. It will make me independent instead of sitting in an inn room waiting for someone else's approval.
"What do you call such an organization in the Demon Continent?" I asked, looking at him closely.
Lucifer thought for a second, his crimson eyes gleaming with ancient pride.
"An Invictus," he replied smoothly. "In demon society, an Invictus is an autonomous sovereign syndicate. It commands its own territory, enforces its own trade lines, and answers to no municipal oversight."
A slow, dangerous smirk began spreading across my lips.
An Invictus.
A guild merges with a sovereign enterprise.
Oh. I know exactly what I'm going to do.
I stopped right in the middle of the wide marble promenade.
I turned around, looked Lucifer dead in the eyes, and locked my gaze onto his.
"I'm going to create a faction," I announced cleanly.
Lucifer blinked, pausing his stride. "A faction?"
Before he could offer a witty remark, my right hand shot out.
I grabbed him firmly by the silk cravat at his collar and pulled him downward with sudden, decisive force, pulling his towering 195 cm frame right down to my eye level.
Our faces were barely 4 inches apart. His crimson eyes dilated with sudden, electric shock.
"And you, my dear," I said, my voice dropping into a smooth, predatory purr, "are going to be the co-leader."
Lucifer stared at me in stunned silence for 2 full seconds.
Then, the shock broke. A low rumble started in his chest, bursting outward into loud, genuine laughter.
"Hahaha! Ahahahaha!"
His laughter echoed across the marble plaza, rich and booming, making passing merchants scurry behind stone pillars.
My eyebrows knotted together in irritation. "What's so funny?!"
Lucifer looked down into my eyes, his lips curving into an infuriatingly amused grin.
"You're the 1 who demanded no touching 2 minutes ago," he teased, his breath warm against my cheek. "And now you're pulling me straight into your personal space."
My brain instantly short-circuited.
Wait.
I grabbed him.
I grabbed his collar!
Panic detonated behind my ribs. I shoved his chest backward with both hands as hard as I could, jumping 2 steps back on my heels.
Heat rushed up my neck in a tidal wave, burning my cheeks so hot I had to turn my face away, covering my eyes with 1 linen-wrapped hand.
What is wrong with you, Celia?! I was only trying to look intimidating!
Get a grip! Lock in! You just gave him all the leverage!
Lucifer's laughter only grew warmer, his broad shoulders shaking with delight.
"You are truly adorable, my queen," he murmured, resting his hands casually in his coat pockets. "I could stand here and watch your antics for the rest of eternity."
I took a deep breath, cleared my throat twice, and aggressively brushed my snowy hair over my shoulder to regain my dignity.
"We're making a faction, Lucifer," I declared, my voice snapping back into cold, professional authority.
"Not a human guild or invictus. A faction."
Lucifer arched an intrigued brow. "A faction, hm? What kind of faction? What is this grand enterprise going to be called?"
I lowered my hand, looking out over the sprawling city of Sylvaris.
A sole organization that operates independently.
We will harvest monster resources and use strategic leverage for massive financial gain. We will partner with private merchants, wealthy financiers, and trade guilds. We will recruit our own private militia of revered, elite personnel.
And we are not going to do ethical business.
I don't care about ethics anymore. I spent a year trying to be the gentle, obedient, well-behaved girl he wanted me to be, and it left me with nothing.
I'm not that good girl. I'm Celia.
I looked back at Lucifer, a wicked, defiant grin spreading across my face.
"We're going to be the mafia."
Lucifer's eyes widened slightly. He repeated the word under his breath, his expression flickering as if recalling a distant memory from another world.
"Mafia...?"
"Yes," I said, stepping forward with my chin high and my red heels clicking against the stone. "A crime syndicate that operates right in front of the law, answering to nobody, led by none other than me."
Lucifer stared at me, then his own grin spread wide, matching mine with dark, sovereign thrill.
"You continue to impress me with your ambitions, Celia," he said, stepping in close and looking down into my crimson eyes. "Now I can see why you're my heroine."
I scoffed, tossing my white hair with a sharp, arrogant tilt of my chin.
"I'm nobody's heroine, Lucifer. I'm the 1 who's going to change this world and force it to remember my name."
Lucifer's smile only grew wider, bowing his head slightly in genuine, delighted respect.
"Of course you will," he murmured. "Step forward, then. Show me this scenery."
We resumed our stride side-by-side, cutting through the plaza as the morning sun illuminated our path.
I looked down at my hands.
The linen wraps bound tight across my knuckles. The heavy silver band of the Ring of Empty Chaos resting firmly on my middle finger.
The same hands I spent living for someone else...
I'm going to use them to carve my own future.
And this time, not even Kaiser Everhart will be able to match me.