Date: January 11, 2018 | Time: 11:48 AM | Location: Sylvaris — Commercial District
Perspective: Eve
1200 gold coins...
I looked down at the crumpled piece of parchment in my hand, my heart sinking just a little bit more with every step I took. Entering the Asura Empire was going to be so incredibly expensive. A thousand and two hundred gold coins! Who even has that kind of money just sitting around?!
Ah... I guess rich people do. But I'm just Eve. I don't even have 1200 coppers most days...
I had submitted a request to the Requiem guild earlier this morning, asking to join a temporary adventuring party. I really needed to earn some money. I couldn't just sit around in Sylvaris forever, even though the city was starting to feel a little bit like home.
I stopped walking and looked up. It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining brightly, casting warm golden rays over the bustling cobblestone streets. I raised my hand to shield my eyes from the glare, and the light caught the beautiful cobalt and pink gemstone on my finger.
My Sea of the Heart ring.
A soft, uncontrollable smile spread across my face. My cheeks warmed up just thinking about how I got it back.
He saved me. He carried me... even if he did kidnap me first! He's a gentle, ring-retrieving criminal... and he's so, so strong.
My smile faded a little as I looked back down at the parchment.
Um... where exactly is the Golden Stag Tavern?
I had been walking in circles for the past ten minutes. The Commercial District was so big and crowded, and every building looked exactly the same to me! A wave of familiar, twisting anxiety started to bubble up in my stomach.
I need to ask someone for directions. But everyone looks so busy! What if they yell at me? What if I stutter and they laugh?
I squeezed my eyes shut, taking a deep breath to summon my flickering courage. You can do this, Eve. You faced scary men in the Lower District! You can ask a nice lady for directions!
I cautiously approached an older woman carrying a basket of bread.
"A-ah, excuse me! Um, ma'am? Please, could you... ah, could you tell me where the Golden Stag Tavern is? I'm... I'm a little bit lost." I stuttered, my voice barely above a whisper as I bowed my head.
The woman smiled warmly. "Oh, bless your heart, dear. You just go down this street, take a left at the fountain, and it's the large building with the wooden deer sign. You can't miss it."
"T-thank you! Thank you so much!" I bowed again, my face burning as I quickly hurried away.
Talking to people is still so hard for me...
Following her directions, I finally spotted the tavern. I pushed the heavy oak doors open and stepped inside. The air was warm, smelling of roasted meat and sweet ale. The interior was surprisingly nice, with polished wooden booths and large glass windows that let in the afternoon sunlight.
I clutched my scarf, looking around nervously for the temporary party I was supposed to meet.
Most seats and tables already taken.
It was very busy here...
But instead of finding my party... my eyes landed on a table tucked away by the large window.
There was a man sitting there. He was fast asleep, his head leaning heavily against the cold glass pane. He was wearing a slightly torn black coat, and his dark hair fell messily over his eyes.
My breath hitched in my throat.
It's him...
"Kaiser...?" I muttered quietly, stepping closer on my tiptoes so I wouldn't wake him up.
Is he here to meet the temporary party too? No, that doesn't make sense. Why would he need a temporary party? He's so strong!
I noticed two empty cups of black coffee sitting on the table in front of him.
Did he drink two whole coffees and still fall asleep? He must be so incredibly tired...
I took another timid step closer. Just then, a waiter in a crisp white apron stomped over to the table, looking extremely irritated. He reached out, his mouth opening to yell at the sleeping boy.
"Ah! Wait, please!" I gasped, quickly stepping in front of the waiter and waving my hands frantically. "Shh! Don't wake him up!"
The waiter scowled at me. "Miss, this man drank two premium black coffees over an hour ago. He hasn't paid a single copper, and he's taking up a prime window seat just to sleep!"
Oh no! He forgot to pay?!
"I-I'm so sorry! He's just very tired!" I uncharacteristically dug into my small pouch, my hands trembling as I pulled out a handful of copper and bronze coins. "Here! This should cover the coffees and... and a little extra for the trouble! Please, just let him rest!"
The waiter blinked, looking at the coins in my hand, then at me. "Do you know this guy, miss?"
"I... well, I..." I flushed bright red, looking away. "I don't care about the money! It's good now, right? Please just leave him be."
The waiter sighed, pocketing the coins. "Whatever you say, miss. But if he starts snoring, I'm kicking him out." He shook his head and walked away.
I let out a massive sigh of relief, my shoulders slumping.
I turned back to look at Kaiser.
He was breathing heavily, his chest rising and falling in a slow, rhythmic pattern. His face, usually so intimidating and sharp, looked completely different in the soft sunlight. The dark circles under his eyes were very prominent, but without that scary, intense glare...
He looks so... cute...
My heart did a little flutter in my chest. Instinctively, without even really thinking about it, I slid into the booth and sat down right across from him.
I leaned forward, resting my chin on my hands, just admiring him.
He looks so peaceful. Not like a scary kidnapper at all. Just... a really handsome, exhausted boy.
I remembered the way he had held my wrist in the Lower District. The way he had stood between me and those terrifying men, completely unfazed. He had called me his princess. He said he owned me.
My face felt like it was on fire just thinking about it.
Eve, stop staring! It's rude!
But I couldn't look away. I noticed his head shifting slightly against the hard glass window. He let out a tiny, uncomfortable groan in his sleep, his brow furrowing.
Oh no... that window looks so hard and cold. His neck is going to hurt so much when he wakes up! I can't let him sleep like that!
I bit my lip, my mind racing with ideas.
Should I ask the waiter for a pillow? No, they probably don't have pillows in a tavern. Should I roll up my scarf and put it under his head? But what if I wake him up while doing it? What if he gets mad?!
I looked down at my hands, nervously twisting the Sea of the Heart ring on my finger. The gemstone pulsed with a faint, warm light, almost as if it was encouraging me.
Okay, Eve. Be brave.
I slowly slid out of the seat across from him and moved to the bench right next to him. I was so close I could feel the warmth radiating from his body. My hands were shaking so badly I thought I was going to drop them.
Very, very carefully, I reached out. I gently placed my hand on the side of his head, guiding him away from the cold glass.
I slowly pulled his head down... until it rested softly against my shoulder.
Eeeek!
My entire body went completely rigid. I was holding my breath, terrified to even blink. He was so heavy, but it was a nice, comforting heavy. He smelled like faint rain, paper, and... something metallic, like copper.
Kaiser shifted in his sleep.
Suddenly, his arm moved. He reached across his chest and weakly wrapped his arm around mine, holding onto my sleeve as he buried his face deeper into the crook of my neck.
AHHHHHHHHHH!
My inner monologue was screaming. My face was so red I was probably glowing like a tomato! He was hugging my arm! He was actually hugging me!
"Elfie..." he mumbled softly in his sleep, his voice barely a breath against my collarbone.
I froze.
Elfie...? Who is Elfie?
A tiny pang of something unfamiliar—maybe jealousy?—pricked at my chest. But as I looked down at his messy hair resting on my shoulder, feeling his slow, rhythmic breathing against my skin, the anxiety and the flustered panic slowly melted away.
I didn't know who Elfie was. But right now, he was holding onto me.
A deep, profound sense of peace washed over me. I rested my cheek lightly against the top of his head, closing my eyes and simply enjoying the quiet moment.
But the peace didn't last long.
The heavy oak doors of the tavern swung open with a loud creak, and a booming, energetic voice echoed through the establishment.
"Alright, where is the temporary recruit we requested?!"
I flinched, my shoulders jumping as I looked toward the entrance.
A group of five adventurers had just walked in. They looked a little rugged, their gear worn but well-maintained. Leading the group was a young man with messy chestnut-brown hair and kind, bright green eyes. He wore light, silent leather armor, and a pair of sleek, curved daggers hung from his belt.
I recognized him instantly.
It was Ren. The adventurer who had given me three silvers by the Great Fountain when I was desperately begging to save Lily.
"Ah!" I gasped, my eyes widening.
Ren stopped scanning the room and looked directly at me. He blinked, clearly caught off guard. "Wait... Miss? From the fountain?"
He quickly walked over to our booth, his party following close behind him. "Eve, right? I never thought I'd see you again! Did you get the rest of the silvers? Did the little girl make it?"
"Yes!" I whispered excitedly, nodding my head. "Because of your help, she got the healing she needed! Thank you so much, Ren! I'm so glad I found you, I promised I would pay you back!"
"No need, really. I'm just glad it worked out," Ren smiled warmly, scratching the back of his head. Then, his green eyes dropped to the sleeping boy resting heavily on my shoulder. He blinked in confusion.
"Uh... who's this guy?"
"Shhh!" I quickly put a finger to my lips, my face instantly flushing. "Please, be quiet... he's sleeping. And... well, it's complicated."
A tall, incredibly muscular girl with a massive greataxe strapped to her back peeked over Ren's shoulder. She had short, fiery red hair and a smattering of freckles.
"Oh my," she giggled, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "Look at you, letting him drool all over your scarf. You look like you're his mother taking care of a sick child."
"More like his girlfriend, Tanya," a lanky boy with a longbow chuckled, crossing his arms. "Look how red her face is."
G-girlfriend?!
"N-no! It's not like that!" I stammered, my hands waving frantically in the air while trying not to dislodge Kaiser's head. "I'm not his girlfriend! I just... he was sleeping against the cold window and his neck was going to hurt, so I just moved him and then he grabbed my arm and I didn't want to wake him up because he looks so tired!"
I was rambling. I knew I was rambling, but I couldn't stop.
The fourth member, a quiet girl in simple mage robes holding a wooden staff, smiled softly. "It's okay, we're just teasing you."
Ren pulled out a piece of guild parchment, looking at it with a thoughtful expression. "Wait a second. The Requiem guild said we were getting two temporary recruits to fill our roster for the dungeon dive today. A healer and a scout. Eve, are you the healer?"
"Yes! I'm an E-rank healer!" I replied, trying to sound as confident and professional as possible.
"That's great," Ren nodded, pulling up a chair and sitting across the table. His party members took the remaining seats around the large booth. "Then this guy... he's here for the job too?"
I looked down at Kaiser.
Oh... he's the scout? He came here to earn money too? That makes sense!
"Can you tell us his class?" Ren asked, taking out a small notebook. "And his rank? We need to know his combat style to integrate him into the formation."
His class?
My brain completely froze. I had absolutely no idea what class Kaiser was.
I started rapidly recalling everything I had seen him do. He used a small kitchen knife, so maybe he was an Assassin? But then he grabbed a giant man's wrist and broke his arm in eight places without even trying, which sounded like a Berserker or a Guardian. He also sliced seventeen invisible wind-magic blades out of the air in a single second. Was that a Spellblade?
My mind spun through four different classes. He didn't use magic, so he wasn't a Mage... right? He was just... Kaiser.
"He's... um..." I hesitated, my eyes darting around the table as five expectant faces stared at me. "He's a... Thief!"
A thief! He stole me, after all!
"A Thief? Perfect!" Ren smiled, writing it down. "A scouting class. We really needed someone to check for traps."
"Since he's sleeping, you can just listen to the strategy briefing," the muscular girl, Tanya, said, leaning her elbows on the table. "We're an E-rank party. We all grew up in the same village and moved to Sylvaris to make it big."
The boy with the bow, William, chimed in. "Here's how we work. Harek here," he pointed to a large, silent boy with a tower shield, "is our Guardian. He holds the front line. Tanya is our Berserker; she breaks the enemy's guard. Olivia is our Mage, she casts from the back while I cover her with arrows. Ren is our Assassin, he flanks."
"And as our Healer, your job is strictly to stay behind Harek and keep Tanya from dying when she goes crazy," Ren explained gently. "It's a standard five-man combat formation. We rely heavily on teamwork. Your friend, the Thief, will just need to spot the enemies for us before the fight starts."
I nodded along, trying to focus on their strategy. It sounded so structured. So complicated.
Everyone has a specific job... and they need to protect each other perfectly or it falls apart.
Unconsciously, I found myself comparing their intricate team dynamics to Kaiser.
When those scary men attacked us... Kaiser didn't have a frontline. He didn't have a mage. He just stood there, completely relaxed, and single-handedly wiped the floor with them. Why are party roles so complicated when you can just break their arms?
Reminds me of that one-eyed trickster back when I first met Lucas. He was a trickster, but he clearly used magic.
Kaiser didn't even use a drop of mana. He just... won.
"Welcome aboard, Eve," Ren smiled, reaching over the table to shake my free hand.
"Thank you! I'll do my best to keep everyone healthy!" I beamed, feeling a genuine surge of excitement. They were such nice people.
Kaiser shifted against my shoulder again, his grip on my arm tightening just a little bit. I looked down at him, my heart softening. A strange, nostalgic feeling washed over me, like I had been held by him like this a long, long time ago.
"Awww," Olivia teased from across the table, covering her mouth as she giggled. "What a cute couple. The Thief and his Healer."
"O-Olivia!" I squeaked, burying the lower half of my burning face into my scarf.
The tavern grew steadily busier as the afternoon approached. We spent the next thirty minutes chatting pleasantly, the party telling me stories about their village, and me rambling nervously about how much I loved Sylvaris's bakeries. It felt normal. It felt safe.
But suddenly, the warm, cheerful atmosphere of the Golden Stag Tavern vanished.
The ambient chatter died instantly, replaced by a suffocating, heavy silence.
I felt it before I even saw it. An intense, crushing aura washed over the room, making the air feel thick and hard to breathe. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up, and even Ren and his party completely froze in their seats, their faces going pale.
I slowly turned my head toward the heavy oak doors.
An S-rank party had just entered the tavern.
They didn't just walk in; they commanded the space. Leading them was a man dressed in velvet robes lined with jagged bone-fragments, his posture radiating absolute, terrifying arrogance. Following him was a massive Lion Beastkin with heavy gauntlets, an energetic Elf in an emerald cloak, and a stoic, mountain-like man carrying a massive warhammer.
A waiter immediately rushed over to them, bowing so low his forehead practically touched his knees, his entire body trembling with fear.
"Cid Valthor," Ren muttered, his voice dropping to a terrified whisper as he leaned over the table.
"Who?" I whispered back.
"He's the leader of an independent S-rank mercenary party," Ren explained rapidly, his green eyes wide. "He's a Necromancer. He can summon over a hundred undead beasts to fight for him simultaneously using that cursed magic. But the scariest part is... he always holds back. Nobody has ever pushed him to use his serious potential."
As I listened to Ren's frantic warning, I suddenly felt something brush near my thigh.
"Eek!" I let out a tiny squeal, my shoulders jumping.
"What's wrong?" Olivia asked, looking at me worriedly.
"N-nothing! Just a cramp!" I lied quickly.
I looked down under the table. Kaiser's hand had slipped in his sleep and was resting against my leg. But as I looked closer, my breath hitched. His dark leather glove was completely shredded and covered in thick, dark ash.
Very gently, I reached down and touched his hand. I slowly pulled the fabric of the ruined glove up just a little bit.
Oh my god...
His skin was completely destroyed. The flesh was covered in horrifying, blistering burns that looked like they had been eaten away by acid. As my fingers lightly brushed the edge of the injury, I felt him flinch slightly in his sleep, a tiny sound of pain escaping his lips.
My heart broke into a thousand pieces. He's... he's hurt so badly...
I looked at his shoulder, noticing for the first time that one side of his coat sat much lower and had fewer layers than the other, as if he had given away his clothes or lost them. Why is he so burnt? What happened to him? He doesn't even have a healer...
"Excuse me," a trembling voice interrupted my thoughts.
I looked up. The terrified waiter was standing by our table, gesturing nervously toward Cid Valthor and his party, who were standing a few feet away with expressions of extreme annoyance.
"I-I'm so sorry, but this booth... these window seats are priority seating," the waiter stammered, sweating profusely. "Lord Valthor and his party own the reservation for these tables. I must ask you to leave immediately."
Tanya slammed her hands on the table, her face turning red. "What?! We were here first! You can't just kick us out!"
The Elf girl in the emerald cloak, Tiara, narrowed her eyes, a dangerous smirk crossing her lips. "Watch your mouth, E-rank trash. You're sitting in our seats."
"Tanya, stop!" Ren hissed, immediately jumping to his feet and grabbing her arm. He knew perfectly well that an E-rank party was no match for a group of S-rank monsters. He bowed his head deeply. "We apologize. We'll leave right now."
William, Olivia, and Harek quickly scrambled out of the booth, their faces pale with fear.
But I didn't move. I stayed sitting on the bench, my hands hovering nervously over Kaiser.
"Eve, come on!" Ren whispered frantically.
"I... I can't," I said softly, looking up at Cid and his party. I tried to use my most polite, gentle voice. "Excuse me, um... the person next to me is really, really hurt and exhausted. If I try to move him right now, he'll wake up. Could you... could you please just wait a few minutes? Just a little bit?"
Cid Valthor scoffed, his dark eyes narrowing as he stepped closer.
"I don't care," Cid said loudly, deliberately raising his voice to try and wake Kaiser up. "Not my problem. Move."
The sheer, oppressive weight of Cid's presence washed over me. It felt like standing in front of a starving predator. I flinched, my shoulders curling inward.
Cid sighed in irritation and gestured lazily to the massive Lion Beastkin. "Rengar, move her."
Rengar stepped forward, crossing his heavy, gauntleted arms.
"Look, little girl. I'm asking nicely. Move. We paid for these seats, and they are reserved."
I bit my lip, tears pricking the corners of my eyes as I looked at Kaiser's burnt hand. I can't wake him up... he's in so much pain...
"Just slap her away and throw the sleeping guy off the window," the stoic man with the warhammer, Silas, grunted impatiently.
The air in the tavern turned freezing cold. Everyone was too terrified to speak. Tanya reached for her greataxe, her teeth bared, but Ren pulled her back. "Don't," he whispered, his voice trembling. "It's not our fight. We can't win."
I looked down. Kaiser's eyelids were twitching slightly.
"Please," I pleaded, my voice innocent and desperate, tears finally spilling over my cheeks. "Just a few minutes. That's all I'm asking..."
"God, you're annoying," Tiara groaned, rolling her eyes. "Rengar, just do what Cid said."
"Nothing personal, kid," Rengar sighed.
He stepped closer, reaching his massive hand out toward me.
I flinched hard, squeezing my eyes shut and throwing my arms up to block my face, terrified of the impact.
Cid started laughing, a cruel, mocking sound. "He hasn't even touched you yet. Why are you so scared? Just get out of the way!"
I tried to toughen myself, my hands shaking. "W-why can't you just wait a minute or two?! He'll wake up soon!"
Seeing my defiance, Cid's mocking smile vanished, replaced by pure, arrogant fury. "Push her off."
Rengar lunged forward, his massive hand aiming directly for my shoulder.
"Please stop!" I screamed, shrinking back.
In a fraction of a second, the sleeping boy shifted.
Kaiser's eyes snapped open—cold, awake, and devoid of any sleep.
Before Rengar's hand could even graze me, Kaiser moved. He didn't try to match the A-rank Beastkin's brute strength. Instead, he twisted his hips, utilizing a flawless, high-level Jujutsu redirection technique to drop his center of gravity. He grabbed Rengar's outstretched wrist and pulled, using the massive man's own forward momentum against him.
Rengar stumbled, his balance completely snapped, his heavy body lurching awkwardly over the table.
Before he could recover, Kaiser's left hand snatched one of the empty ceramic coffee mugs from the table. He smashed it against the wooden surface, instantly shattering it, and drove the jagged, razor-sharp glass shard directly toward Rengar's face.
The jagged point stopped exactly one millimeter from the Beastkin's golden eye.
The entire tavern froze.
Rengar gritted his teeth, his muscles bulging as he tried to resist, but he was completely outmaneuvered, trapped in an inescapable joint lock by someone who shouldn't have even been able to scratch him.
"Why are you trying to touch her?" Kaiser asked.
His voice was a lethal, freezing whisper. His dark blue eyes were utterly devoid of emotion, staring straight through the A-rank fighter.
For a single second, he had completely apprehended someone vastly higher in rank.
But then, the realization of what he was doing—and who he was facing—seemed to crash into him. His grip loosened just a fraction.
Cid Valthor didn't hesitate. "You piece of trash!"
Cid's leg blurred. A brutal, mana-infused kick slammed into Kaiser's side.
Kaiser was instantly launched backward, crashing out of the booth and tumbling hard onto the wooden floor. He lay there, gasping for breath, clutching his ribs.
"Please! Forgive him!" I screamed, immediately scrambling out of the booth and throwing myself toward them.
But Cid wasn't finished. He raised his hand, his eyes glowing with dark, cursed mana. A shadowy, skeletal beast erupted from the floorboards.
The necromantic creature lunged.
It drove a bony fist into Kaiser's stomach, and then a brutal punch to his face, sending him skidding across the floor.
"Stop! Please stop!" I cried, running to place myself between Cid and Kaiser.
Cid, blinded by arrogant rage, raised his hand to slap me right across the face.
Whoosh.
Cid stopped instantly.
The sharp glass shard of the coffee mug flew through the air, completely bypassing Cid's hand, and buried itself deep into the dark, skeletal creature hovering just behind him.
Cid stared at the shard protruding from his summon, his eyes widening in shock.
Kaiser slowly pushed himself up on his elbows, blood dripping from his lip, his breathing ragged.
"Please... forgive her," Kaiser gasped, coughing weakly. "It was... my fault for sleeping. It's your seat now... please let us go. It won't happen again."
Cid looked at the bleeding, breathless boy on the floor, then back at the glass shard buried in his summon. He scoffed, his expression twisting into a mix of disdain and boredom.
"Pathetic," Cid spat, waving his hand to dismiss the creature. "Get out of my sight before I kill you both."
Kaiser grunted, clutching his burnt shoulder as he slowly got to his feet.
I rushed over, my heart shattering as I wrapped my arms around him to help support his weight. "Are you okay?! I'm so sorry... I'm so sorry, this is all my fault you got beaten up!"
"It's okay," he whispered, his voice incredibly strained. He reached over, grabbed his satchel from the table, and let me guide him toward the exit, Ren and the rest of the party rushing to follow us.
As we walked away, I heard Tiara speak behind us.
"It's surprising you let him go, Cid. He pulled a weapon on Rengar."
"It was obvious he had no intentions of fighting," Cid scoffed, taking his seat. "He would rather take a beating than throw a punch. The only time he even reacted was when one of us went for that chick. Last night's raid gave me enough headaches. I don't want to deal with nobodies."
I heard every word.
As I helped Kaiser through the heavy oak doors and out into the street, my mind suddenly went completely, terrifyingly blank.
The soft, nervous, rambling Eve vanished.
A cold, dark calculation flooded my brain.
I looked back at the tavern doors, my pink eyes darkening as a sickening, violent protective instinct clawed its way up my throat.
How fast can I cut each of them into pieces? I thought, my breathing slowing down to an eerie calm. If I tear out that Necromancer's vocal cords first, he won't be able to summon his beasts. Then I can peel the Elf's skin off so she can't draw her bow. I'll make sure they stay alive just long enough to watch me break that Beastkin's arms the exact same way they hurt Kai...
"Eve! Over here!" Ren yelled from down the street, waving frantically.
I blinked.
I shook my head rapidly, the horrifying, blood-soaked thoughts evaporating like mist as the sweet, nervous reality rushed back in.
W-what was I just thinking?!
I clutched Kaiser's arm tighter, my face flushing with guilt and fear as I hurried to catch up with the party.
We stopped a few blocks away from the tavern, safely blending into the busy afternoon crowds of the Commercial District.
"I'm really sorry, man," Ren said, turning to Kaiser with a deeply apologetic look. "We couldn't help you back there. If we had tried to jump in, Cid would have slaughtered us without breaking a sweat. We weren't going to win that fight."
"It's okay," Kaiser replied, his voice calm and steady, completely contrasting the heavy bruises forming on his face. "It wasn't your fight in the first place. You made the right call as a party leader."
Ren let out a sigh of relief. "Well, if you still need to earn some coin, you can join our dungeon raids in a few days. We'd love to have you."
"I'll think about it," Kaiser said. "But I need to rest and heal a bit first."
"But seriously, your acrobatic martial arts back there were sick!" Tanya interrupted, her eyes practically shining with admiration as she looked at him. "The way you flipped that A-rank brawler's balance? That was flawless technique!"
Kaiser blinked, his expression completely blank. He tilted his head slightly.
"What?" he asked, playing dumb perfectly. "I just reflexively moved his arm out of the way so he wouldn't hit Eve. I don't know what you mean by martial arts."
"Huh?" Tanya frowned, clearly confused. "You know... martial arts? Leveraging weight, redirecting force, fighting styles?"
"Oh, I know what they are," Kaiser nodded nonchalantly. "I just don't really do any."
Tanya looked like her brain was short-circuiting, trying to comprehend how a normal guy just 'reflexively' apprehended a monster like Rengar.
"Anyway, I have something important I need to do," Kaiser said, raising a bruised hand to bid them a wave. "We can meet again."
"Okay, let's see each other soon," Ren nodded, the rest of the party waving goodbye as they turned to head back to the guild.
Kaiser turned around and started walking away down the bustling street.
I quickly bowed to Ren, thanked him again for his help with Lily, and slowly started following Kaiser.
I kept a few paces behind him, my hands clutching my scarf.
Why am I following him? I thought, my heart aching as I watched his slightly limping gait. He said he was fine. He said he just needed to rest. But those burns... the blood on his lip... why am I so obsessively worried? I can't just leave him like this. My chest hurts so much.
He was so deeply injured, yet he didn't even hesitate to take an absolute beating from a monster like Cid Valthor just to make sure I was safe. He had thrown away his pride, his safety, and his strength... just for me.
Suddenly, Kaiser stopped walking.
He turned around and looked at me, his blue eyes softening. "What's wrong, Eve?"
"Ah!" I squeaked, startled that he had noticed me trailing him. "N-nothing! Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Kaiser said gently. "I would stay to speak with you, but I'm in a rush. I have to go."
"Are you really okay?" I pressed, taking a step closer, my pink eyes scanning his battered clothes. "Not hurt anywhere? And... what happened earlier at the table? Why did you fight like that? You... you could have died!"
Kaiser looked down at the cobblestones, a thoughtful expression crossing his bruised face.
Then, he looked up and smiled—a genuine, soft smile that made my heart skip a beat.
"I'm doing great, Eve. Thank you for worrying about me," he said softly. "As for that... I don't know."
He took a slow breath, his gaze locking onto mine. "I just felt like you'd be hurt if I did nothing. So I just got up and instantly took out anything that was up against you."
My breath hitched. The entire world seemed to stop moving.
"Why?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper.
Kaiser smiled again, a soft, unreadable glint in his eye. "I don't know."
He turned around and started walking away, his dark coat blending into the afternoon crowd.
I stood there, completely frozen, his words echoing endlessly in my mind.
He took out anything that was up against me... because he didn't want me to get hurt.
My obsession flared, a warm, dizzying heat spreading through my chest. I have to help him. What kind of healing magic would work on those burns? The books said high-tier burns need specialized celestial magic... I have to stay with him. I can't stop following him...
I looked up, snapping out of my thoughts to catch up to him.
But he was gone.
The bustling street was filled with merchants, adventurers, and commoners, but the familiar black coat was nowhere to be seen.
"Kai?" I called out, stepping into the flow of people.
Nothing.
A sudden, terrifying weight dropped into my stomach. My heart grew incredibly heavy, beating so fast I could feel it in my throat. Where did he go?!
I rushed forward, frantically scanning the faces in the crowd. What if he collapsed in an alley?! What if those burns got worse? What if someone else attacks him while he's hurt?! Where do I find him?!
The panic peaked.
And then, just like outside the tavern, the soft, rambling Eve shattered.
A horrifying, calculating coldness washed over my mind. My pink eyes went completely dead as the psycho within me clawed to the surface.
I need to find him immediately, I thought, the ideas flowing into my mind with terrifying, psychotic efficiency.
If I cast a Blood-Resonance spell using Celestial Magic, I can track the scent of his burnt blood across the entire city. No... that might alert the authorities.
I could use a Celestial Flare to permanently blind everyone in the Commercial District. If everyone stops moving and screaming, it'll be much easier to spot him in the crowd.
What if I sever the atmospheric mana in this entire zone? Anyone who relies on magic will instantly suffocate and collapse. But wait... Kai doesn't use magic. He would be fine! Then I could just walk over the bodies and find him.
Or I could just shatter the cobblestones and crush the exits to the street so nobody can leave. He'll be trapped here with me...
My hands began to glow with a faint, terrifying pink light.
Thump.
A sudden, warm pulse radiated from my finger.
I blinked. I shook my head violently, the horrifying, mass-casualty thoughts evaporating instantly as I looked down at my trembling hand. The Sea of the Heart ring was glowing with a gentle, comforting light.
W-what is wrong with my brain today?! I panicked, mentally scolding myself.
I focused on the ring. The pulse wasn't random. It was pulling me. I turned my head toward the right, looking down a narrow, winding alleyway that led toward the Alchemist's District.
A faint smile crossed my lips as the anxiety finally melted away.
"You're there," I whispered softly.
Without hesitating, I turned and followed the light.
*
Perspective: Kaiser Everhart
I have to be quick...
I stumbled into the dark, narrow confines of the alleyway, far away from the bustling crowds of the Commercial District. I dragged my hand against the cold brick wall, trying to keep myself upright.
I already bought the solvents and ingredients... I just need to get back... I just quick...
A sudden, violent spasm tore through my chest.
I stopped, my body shuddering uncontrollably.
COUGH.
I vomited, a horrifying, thick geyser of dark, necrotic blood splattering violently against the cobblestones. The sheer force of the expulsion forced me to my knees. The century-old ash in my lungs was tearing me apart from the inside out. My respiratory system was completely collapsing.
I fell forward, my face hitting the dirty ground. I coughed again, the pain so visceral it blinded me. The blood wasn't just coming from my mouth anymore. It was leaking from my nose, running down my cheeks, and stinging my eyes. The metallic, rotting taste of the Mother of Despair's ash suffocated me.
Every single breath felt like inhaling a hurricane of shattered glass.
I can't fail Celia... I thought, my fingers digging desperately into the spaces between the cobblestones as I tried to crawl forward. I can't fail again... I have to stand up... stop being so weak...
I forced my arms to push against the ground. The muscles in my burnt, blistered shoulders screamed in agony as I lifted my torso. I managed to get one knee up.
But my legs were completely numb.
I collapsed back down, my chin striking the stone hard. Warm tears of blood pooled in my eyes, mixing with the dirt on the ground.
I'm sorry, Celia... The thought was a broken, jagged thing. I'm sorry that you met me... your life would've been so much better if I had just left sooner...
I dragged my body forward, inch by agonizing inch. My leather coat dragged against the wet ground.
I just feel so damn dead inside...
The shadows of the alleyway seemed to stretch and twist around me, the light of the afternoon fading into a dull, meaningless grey.
No. I can't die here.
I clenched my jaw, the taste of copper overwhelming my senses. I have to save Celia. I have to fulfill my promise... I have to defeat the Primordials... I have to... I have to...
My vision started to tunnel. The edges of my sight turned black.
Elfie... I have to bring her back...
A soul-crushing memory suddenly surfaced, tearing through the haze of physical agony. The voice was so clear it felt like the person was standing right next to me.
"You promised you would never hurt me... but now you are the reason I cry myself to sleep."
My eyes shot wide open in sheer horror.
Smack.
I slapped myself across the face with my blood-stained, burnt hand, the stinging pain forcing me to stay awake. I clawed at the ground, my fingernails breaking against the stone.
I HAVE TO MAKE IT!
But my body was betraying me. The necrotic parasite had fully infected my bloodstream. I was chronically dying fast, and the speed of the cellular degeneration was accelerating.
I can't even begin to describe how I'm feeling right now, my mind detached, shifting into a clinical, terrified observation. But all I can say is that it hurts. It hurts a lot.
Then, a cold, mocking voice echoed in my head, wrapping around the previous memory.
Old memories really hit hard when you know that bond is never, ever coming back.
NO! I screamed internally, my chest heaving with useless, bloody air. I will come back... I will bring her back... GO AWAY!
Why...?
My arms stopped moving. The muscles simply refused to contract. Then, my legs went completely limp. The connection between my brain and my nervous system had been severed by the dead ash.
My eyelids fluttered, impossibly heavy.
I'm going to die here... the realization hit me with a crushing, suffocating finality.
But I don't want to... I want to move on... I want to fulfill my promise...
A single, bloody tear rolled down the bridge of my nose.
I had so much left to say...
As the darkness swallowed me, my final coherent thoughts drifted to Lucas.
I trust you, Lucas, I imagined him standing over Celia, holding the cure he had synthesized. Find a cure for her. Save her life. You can do it.
The pain finally faded. The coldness vanished.
The final 60 seconds of consciousness drifted into the surreal, vivid hallucinations of a dying brain.
End-of-Life Dreams.
I was standing on a sunlit coast. The air was warm, smelling of salt and a fresh sea breeze. I wasn't an adult covered in blood and burns. I was a child.
Beside me was my mother, Cartethyia. She looked exactly as she had before everything went wrong. Beautiful. Kind. She was holding my small hand, walking with me along the water's edge.
"Kai, you need to eat more," she nagged gently, her voice a melody of pure nostalgia. "You're always so focused on your books. You need to grow big and strong."
I looked at her, a profound sense of sorrow washing over me.
I'm seeing my mother. I'm really gone.
The dream didn't feel like a hallucination. It felt timeless. Long. It existed completely outside the normal flow of time, an eternity captured in the span of a failing heartbeat.
Just then, someone touched my shoulder.
I turned around in the dream.
Standing in the shallow water, wearing a simple white dress, was Elfie. She was smiling at me, her face completely free of the sadness that had haunted my memories.
"Elfie..." I muttered, my voice cracking.
"I'm right here, Kai," she said, her voice soft and sweet.
She stepped closer, the water rippling around her ankles. "And I won't ever let you go... ever."
She reached out and gently cupped my cheek.
"One day, I will forget everything," she whispered, her eyes shining with absolute devotion.
"But never you."
She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around me, pulling me into the softest, warmest hug I had ever felt. The scent of the sea faded, replaced by the comforting, familiar scent of her presence.
"I will bring you back," she said softly against my ear.
"We made a promise, Kai."