Lyra's POV:
Lyra walked steadily along the dusty road, the small city gates now far behind her.
The afternoon sun hung low, casting long shadows across the fields and sparse forest surrounding the path.
Evan rested quietly in her arms, wrapped in a soft cloth.
To any passerby, she looked like nothing more than a young woman traveling with her child.
But Lyra's sharp eyes never stopped observing her surroundings.
Her mind was already working through the next steps.
Step one: secure a home.
The house needed to be far enough from the city to avoid unnecessary attention.
But not so far that their absence from society looked suspicious.
A small house on the outskirts.
Perhaps near farmland.
Close enough to visit the city when needed.
Far enough that few people would bother them.
Yes.
That would be perfect.
Lyra nodded slightly to herself as she continued walking.
But then—
Her eyes narrowed.
Someone was following her.
No.
Several people.
The faint sound of footsteps behind the trees.
The rustling of the bushes didn't match the direction of the wind.
Lyra sighed quietly.
Bandits.
Of course.
A lone woman traveling with a child on an empty road.
To people like them, that must have looked like easy prey.
She continued walking as if she hadn't noticed.
Moments later—
Three rough-looking men stepped onto the road, blocking her path.
Two more emerged from the trees behind her.
Lyra stopped.
Her expression remained calm.
One of the men grinned widely, revealing yellowed teeth.
"Well now…"
His eyes moved from Lyra's face down to the bundle in her arms.
"Who you got there?"
Lyra's gaze turned cold.
"None of your business."
Her voice was flat.
Then she took another step forward.
"Move."
The bandits exchanged amused glances.
The same man chuckled.
"Now now, no need to be rude."
Another stepped closer.
"A beautiful woman like you shouldn't be walking alone on roads like this."
His gaze lingered on her for far longer than necessary.
Behind them, Evan slowly woke up from the noise.
His eyes blinked open sleepily.
Lyra noticed immediately.
Her tone turned slightly softer.
"Stay quiet, my prince."
Then her eyes returned to the bandits.
Cold.
Sharp.
One of the men laughed.
"Did you hear that?"
"A prince?"
Another burst out laughing.
"Well then!"
"Looks like we caught royalty today!"
Lyra sighed.
"Last warning."
Her voice was calm.
"Leave."
The bandits only laughed harder.
The leader stepped forward and reached toward her.
"You see, pretty lady—"
Snap.
The sound was soft.
Just the simple snap of a finger.
For a brief moment—
Nothing happened.
Then—
Five heads slid cleanly from five shoulders.
Blood erupted into the air like crimson fountains.
The bodies remained standing for a fraction of a second before collapsing onto the dirt road.
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
Silence returned to the road.
Lyra didn't even look at them.
She simply continued walking as if nothing unusual had happened.
Then she glanced down at Evan.
And froze slightly.
Evan's eyes were wide open.
He was staring at the road behind her.
At the blood.
At the headless bodies.
It was the first time in his life—
Either life—
That he had seen something like this.
Lyra blinked.
"…Ah."
She looked mildly troubled.
"Perhaps that was a bit too much for your first day in the Lower Realm, my prince…"
She gently adjusted the blanket around him.
Then continued walking calmly down the road.
Behind them—
The blood slowly soaked into the dirt.
With a second casual snap of her fingers, a flicker of crimson fire—a flame that felt older than the world itself—blossomed from the corpses. In a heartbeat, the blood, the steel, and the sin were reduced to fine white ash, scattered by a sudden, convenient breeze.
And Evan remained completely silent in her arms.
His mind was still trying to process what he had just witnessed.
As Lyra turned away, she didn't see the shift in her prince's eyes. She only felt his tiny fingers tighten on her collar.
Evan's POV:
At first, Evan didn't understand what he was looking at.
Something warm and wet had splashed onto the road.
A strange smell filled the air.
Metallic.
Heavy.
His small body shifted slightly in Lyra's arms as his eyes slowly focused.
Bodies.
Five of them.
But something was wrong.
Very wrong.
Their bodies were still there…
…but their heads weren't.
For a moment, his mind simply froze.
His brain tried to process the image in front of him, but something deep inside resisted the understanding.
Then he saw it.
A head.
Rolling slowly across the dirt road.
Blood followed behind it like a dark red trail.
His stomach twisted violently.
Blood.
So much blood.
Evan's breathing suddenly became shallow.
A wave of nausea hit him like a hammer.
Even though his current body was just a baby, his mind was still that of someone who had lived another life.
And in that life—
He had never seen something like this.
Never this close.
Never this real.
His body reacted before his mind could control it.
"Ghh—"
A small gag escaped his throat.
His tiny hands instinctively grabbed onto Lyra's clothes.
His vision blurred slightly.
The smell.
The sight.
The suddenness of it.
It was too much.
Lyra noticed immediately.
She glanced down at him.
"…My prince?"
Her voice was gentle now.
Concerned.
But Evan barely heard her.
His mind was spinning.
They're dead.
Just seconds ago, those men had been standing there.
Talking.
Laughing.
Now…
They were just bodies on the ground.
Lifeless.
It was horrifying.
But slowly—
Very slowly—
Something inside Evan began to change.
His breathing steadied.
His nausea didn't completely disappear, but it faded enough for him to think.
They attacked us.
That thought came clearly.
They would have killed us.
Or worse.
His mind replayed their expressions.
The way they looked at Lyra.
The way they surrounded them.
They hadn't planned to let them go.
Not him.
Not Lyra.
The truth became painfully obvious.
If Lyra hadn't acted…
They would be the ones lying on the ground right now.
Dead.
Or something worse.
Evan's gaze returned to the bodies behind them.
But nothing was there. It was already burned to nothingness.
For a moment, he felt nothing but silence inside his mind.
No pity.
No anger.
Just understanding.
This world…
Wasn't like the one he remembered.
Here—
Strength decided everything.
Weakness invited death.
A quiet realization formed inside his mind.
If you cannot kill…
Then you will be the one who dies.
And right then—
A familiar sound echoed inside his mind.
!~Ding~!
[First Blood Witnessed]
New lines of text appeared.
[Note: Host has acknowledged the reality of this world.]
Evan blinked slowly.
The nausea faded just a little more.
His mind felt… clearer.
Calmer.
Like something inside him had adjusted.
He looked back one last time at the road behind them.
Nothing was there.
A quiet thought settled firmly in his mind.
This world…
Is a dog-eat-dog world.
Lyra looked down at him once more.
"Don't worry, my prince."
Her voice was soft.
"As long as I breathe… no one will ever harm you."
Evan blinked at her, then he smiled internally.
If he wanted to survive—
If he wanted to grow strong enough to protect himself…
…and the people who protected him…
Then he would have to accept that truth.
Completely.
Evan slowly closed his eyes.
Not in fear.
But in silent determination.
He didn't know what his future held, but he knew one thing: he wouldn't just be a passenger in this life. He would become the one who snaps the fingers.