The Goddess Continent was alive with color.Markets overflowed with spices, fabrics, and holy charms. Bells rang from tall spires, and pilgrims filled the cobblestone streets, singing hymns that floated like warm sunlight through the air.
To most, this place was a paradise.To Xesre, it was just another corner of the world to pass through.
He walked slowly through the crowded main street, wearing his hooded black cloak. Long blond hair, cut in a wild wolf style, peeked out from beneath the hood, and his blue eyes shimmered faintly, sharp yet strangely alluring. His steps were silent, his presence faint—like a shadow drifting between people who would never remember his face.
Years had passed since his escape.His body hadn't aged since 15.His soul had aged far more than any mortal should.
Sakura Mizuki strolled through the same street, radiant in her saintess attire.Now eighteen, she carried herself with effortless confidence, her white hair catching the sunlight like threads of silk.
The people adored her.Vendors offered her free goods, children followed her laughing, and travelers whispered blessings as she passed.
"Saintess Sakura!""Please, bless our home!""She's truly the chosen of the Goddess…"
She smiled gently, nodding to each person. Her life was one of reverence and admiration. She was loved. She was blessed.
But a small part of her—buried deep—still remembered a boy she couldn't name.A boy with a black ring.
She often wondered if he was real or just a childish dream the Saints had scrubbed away.
Xesre stopped at a quiet corner near a fountain, pulling down his hood slightly. He didn't like crowds. They made the curse worse. He could feel every flicker of emotion around him—joy, greed, sorrow, jealousy—soaked into his mind like ink on paper.
Too loud… he thought.Too much noise…
He clenched his jaw, forcing himself to breathe slowly. His sharp pupils glimmered faintly, his magic simmering beneath the surface.
And then—
"Hey! Watch where you're—"
Someone bumped into him. Hard.
He stumbled back, instantly on edge.His eyes locked onto hers.
White hair. Golden eyes. A familiar, radiant face.
Sakura froze.Her heart skipped a beat.
"Y–You…" she whispered.
She didn't know why. She didn't know how. But the moment she saw him, something inside her clicked like a puzzle piece snapping into place.
I know him.I've seen those eyes before…
Xesre's expression didn't change.
"...Do I know you?"
Her gaze fell on his left hand.Her breath caught.
The black ring.Still there.
"That ring…!"
People were starting to stare. She grabbed his wrist without thinking and pulled him toward the side street.He didn't resist, but his sharp gaze stayed fixed on her, cautious.
They stopped in the shade of an alleyway. Sakura's heartbeat pounded in her ears as she pointed at his hand.
"Where did you get that?!"
"I told you," he said flatly. "I don't know."
"No… I— I remember seeing it before…"
Her eyes widened. Fragments of a memory she wasn't supposed to have began to bleed through—A dirt road. A quiet boy. A black ring under the sun.
She shook her head quickly. The Saints had erased most of it, but her special eyes and stubborn heart didn't forget so easily.
"Who are you?" she asked softly.
"No one," he answered.
It was a lie.And for a moment, she saw it—the faint flicker of pain in his eyes before his usual cold mask returned.
The church bells rang again, echoing through the streets.Sakura stepped back, suddenly aware of what she was doing. She was a Saintess. He was a stranger in a black cloak. People were watching.
"Wait—" she said quickly. "Don't disappear again."
But he was already walking away.
And just like years ago, Sakura Mizuki stood frozen, watching his figure fade into the crowd.
Except this time, she wouldn't let him slip away so easily.