"Shall we go back?" she asked casually.
The old man didn't reply immediately. He looked at her—really looked—and paused, as if something weighed on his mind. His lips parted slightly, but whatever he wanted to say seemed to catch in his throat.
"…Can I ask you a question?" he said at last, his voice more serious than usual.
Rie tilted her head, curious.
"Hm? Sure."
He studied her face, then glanced subtly at her right ear.
"If you don't mind… can I see that artifact?"
"Artifact?" she blinked, confused.
'What is he talking about?'
Ah—
Realization lit her face as she clapped her hands together.
"If you meant the sword, here—"
But just as she reached for it, he raised his hand and shook his head.
"Not the sword," he said quietly.
"The one on your ear."
She frowned.
"On my ear…?"
Her hand instinctively went up. Nothing on the left. Then—her fingers brushed against something cold on her right ear. Her eyes narrowed as she gently touched it.
"…An earring?" she muttered.
A cross-shaped earring. The cool, metallic texture made her flinch. Her heart skipped a beat.
'What the? When did I—?'
She froze.
"…!"
An earring. A cross-shaped earring.
Badump.
It can't be.
Her thoughts spiraled. First the sword. And now this?
Badump. Badump.
Her heartbeat quickened. Trembling, she pulled the earring free and stared at it in her palm.
It was real.
A black cross-shaped earring—simple at a glance, yet when looked at closely, ancient patterns were etched into its surface. Faint, intricate runes, almost invisible unless examined carefully.
She couldn't believe it.
Badump. Badump.
Her body trembled. Her knees buckled slightly.
'No… no way.'
'Why is it here?'
She stood frozen, staring at the artifact, as if time itself had stopped. Her breath hitched.
'First the sword… now this?'
There had been a reasonable explanation., at least a logical guess, for the sword.
But this…
This made no sense.
The reason she was so shocked it was because she knows these artifacts.
These weren't just any items.
They were soul-bound artifacts—and they belonged to him.
'Why?'
'Why are his artifacts appearing before me…?'
Badump. Badump.
Her vision blurred. Her mind raced.
Then—
A memory surfaced.
A memory she had buried deep within her heart.
A tall man. Black hair that fell over his eyes. His face—still blurry, distant, like a fading dream. A long sword hung at his waist. A black earring dangled from one ear.
Even with his face obscured by shadows and strands of hair… she could see them.
Those gem-like eyes—
Golden eyes.
Looking down at her...
No, not just at her—but at the world itself.
"Hey…"
'Why…?'
"Oy, brat."
A voice echoed from the depths of her memory. Familiar. Teasing.
[Hey, that earring of yours—is it an artifact? You really like collecting weird stuff, huh?]
He looked surprised.
[You can see it?][Of course I can, It's dangling from your ear and looks.... pretty cool.]
He had smiled.
That rare, teasing smile—she could count on one hand how many times she had seen it.
Drip. Drip.
Tears fell before she even noticed them.
[What kind of artifact is it?] she'd asked, maybe out of genuine curiosity. Or maybe just to keep him talking.
[Hm? This?]
He smirked.
[It makes me look hot.]
A soft laugh escaped her,
She remembered it all so clearly now. His rare moments of lightheartedness—so precious, yet so fleeting.
"Brat…"
[Oh come on, there's no way—]
The memory frayed at the edges. His voice grew distant. His form dissolved into haze. Only two things remained.
The earring.
And those golden eyes.
Everything around her faded—until only his lips moved, whispering across time.
And then—his golden eyes locked onto her.
Not the girl in the memory.
but at her.
As if those eyes could see through everything—
Badump. Badump.
'How...?'
'How can this be possible?'
He wasn't looking at the past.
He wasn't speaking to the girl in the memory.
He was speaking to her—
"Wake u—"
The sound dissolved into silence.
And then—
"Hey, bra—"
[…Miracle.]
He had said it.
That word.
[It creates miracles.]
"Hey! Wake up!"
Someone shook her.
Her eyes snapped open. Tears streaked down her cheeks. Everything was a blur. Slowly, she wiped her face and looked up.
A familiar face came into view—tense, worried, as if it had aged a thousand years in seconds.
Her brow twitched.
He looks so stupid with that expression.
"I-I'm fine," she mumbled, her voice shaky. She wiped her eyes again with her sleeve and forced herself to stand upright.
The old man looked away, awkward.
"…It's fine if you don't want to show it," he said with a sigh.
She shook her head quickly, regaining composure."No, no. I'd be glad if you could appraise it."
She extended her hand, the earring resting on her palm.
He hesitated—clearly unsettled—but finally reached out and took it, beginning to examine the artifact closely.