In The Realm War, neither the King of Swords nor the Raven Queen emerged victorious. Instead, it was Lady Nephis of the Immortal Flame Clan who claimed the victory.
The Lord of Shadows had slain Anvil of Valor. However, the new Queen of Humanity, Lady Nephis, decided to strike a deal with Ki Song to minimize casualties, even though she harbored deep resentment toward her. When you're a ruler, sometimes you have to swallow your pride... And homicidal urges too. Poor Nephis, she can't nuke things as she likes now that she's queen, ahhhh, tragic, heartbreaking and... And... Prince's vocabulary wasn't that advanced so he stopped there.
There's nothing we can do about it but just sit on a rock while soldiers report it. Or should you say that after the soldier's report? Whatever it is.
Anyway, Nephis became the sole ruler of humanity. The Lord of Shadows met his end after betraying her. Tsk, that treacherous shadow deserved it! That's what Nephis's fangirls will say. Even though he knew that everything was a farce. After all, the Lord of Shadows was equal to Nephis. So she was going there, all hype and stuff and one-shotting him? Nah, that's too unbelievable. The Lord of Shadows is definitely alive. At least that's what a certain prince thought about the situation.
And Ki Song returned to her Domain. But this time, she wasn't a queen, she was a vassal of the Sovereign of Light. Kekeke, that's so embarrassing and pitiful. People would laugh about that in a very bizarre bar that was filled with smoke.
However, something peculiar had been unfolding behind the scenes. During the war, Ki Song's only son, an insidious alchemist who spread blight and poisoned everything he touched, vanished without a trace, using the chaos of war to desert the battlefield.
No one had seen him in years, and no one knew what he was up to, until it was far too late...
"Rise and shine, little ones." A cheerful, easygoing voice echoed through Bastion's entertainment district. This wasn't the heart of the city or anywhere near the Citadel; Bastion was practically a military fortress, after all. That's why the entertainment areas had been built far from the Citadel, though not quite in the complete outskirts.
Right now, in a small garden, there stood a young man with dark hair, pale skin, and blue eyes. His expression radiated boredom and nonchalance, while his bloodshot eyes, complete with dark circles from obvious sleep deprivation, gazed down as he poured water on... weeds.
After finishing, he yawned and cracked his sore neck, looking up at the dark sky with a bewildered blink. "It's not morning..."
He rubbed his eyes with a sigh and shuffled back into the bar, scratching his belly. Taking a seat, he pulled out a cigarette and emptied it, the tobacco gathering on the table. Then he retrieved a piece of paper and unwrapped it, revealing something... unusual inside.
He grabbed scissors and started cutting it up, mixing the contents with the tobacco before rolling everything back into paper. His hands trembled slightly as he bit his lower lip, bloodshot eyes widening with anticipation.
A few seconds later, he licked the rolling paper, let it dry, and lit it up. Leaning back in his chair with a satisfied groan, he propped his legs on the table and inhaled deeply. His expression melted into pure relaxation as his shaking finally stopped.
"Now that's what I call life," he giggled to himself, staring at the ceiling with a distant look. His eyes gradually turned glassy and unfocused as he drifted off again.
"Big brother Jeff! Big brother Jeff! Wake up!" Jeff's eyes shot open as he jolted upright, nearly toppling from his chair. He looked around with mild annoyance to find a lil brat staring at him expectantly.
"What do you want, kiddo?" he asked with a slightly irritated look, grabbing the whiskey sitting on the table and gulping it down. Ah, his parched throat finally felt at peace.
"Dad asked me to get his flowers, so he sent me! Can you give them to me so I can go? He wants to surprise Mom!" The kid's eyes shone with bright innocence, a wide smile of excitement spreading across his face since he knew his mother would be home soon.
As a professional dru... herbalist, yes, herbalist, Jeff understood the complexities of life. He also knew that children rarely got checked by knights at the gates.
"I already prepared it, don't worry," he said with a lazy smile, disappearing into his laboratory beneath the bar. A few minutes later, he emerged holding a lovely vase of flowers, handing it to the boy with a calm smile.
"I hope your parents have a pleasant evening." He ruffled the kid's hair, creepy smile filled with greed appearing on his face, before sinking back into his chair as the boy left coins on the table and scampered out of the bar.
"Life really is good here, kekeke." He grinned, testing one of the coins with his teeth in amusement.
But then another customer arrived. Jeff groaned internally, running a hand through his messy hair. He glanced toward the visitor, and froze in absolute horror.
She was a beautiful young woman with delicate features and a gentle, sweet expression. Her hair cascaded down her shoulders like liquid gold, and she wore a white silk dress adorned with flowers beneath a navy coat.
Her eyes were covered with a blindfold. And thus, Jeff knew exactly who this was. That's why panic seized him, his lips pressing together as icy dread gripped his heart.
"Greetings! I hope I'm not disturbing you." The young woman spoke softly, her lips curling into a warm, gentle smile as she stepped inside. "I've heard this place is wonderful for relaxation. It certainly feels pleasant."
For all the wrong reasons... He thought as he gulped down.
However, her expression shifted to confusion as she tilted her head, her brow furrowing slightly. "Um... my apologies, but may I ask why you're spraying deodorant?"
Jeff was frantically spraying deodorant all around the bar, desperately trying to mask the telltale smell as he cried internally. Why is SHE here? Of all people, why HER? I'm about to get roasted alive, and then those Citadel dogs will drag me away! Is this really my life? I'm like a neutered dog, can only smell the ass but never fuck! Wait... what the hell am I even thinking about? Oh, for the love of the Spell, I'm having a panic attack. Inhale... exhale... deep breaths... Yes, that's right, calm down... Phew.
After composing himself, he smiled awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. "My apologies, my lovely lady. I'm a smoker, and I didn't want the smell to bother you."
Fortunately, the fair lady didn't seem familiar with what a certain kind of smoke smelled like, so she nodded in understanding and took a seat. Then she turned toward him... well, not exactly turned since she was blind, but she gave that uncanny impression anyway, as if she could see far more than those with working eyes.
"May I know your name?"
He gulped hard, his face flushing red before tightening with anxiety. His voice came out embarrassingly high-pitched.
"My name's Jeff!"
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[A/N: I'm a professional herbalist who likes to educate children.]
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