A man in a strangely theatrical outfit stood before a group of children. He opened a thin book and read from its pages.

  , so that the vitality he had enjoyed his entire life would drain away, his body betraying him with each passing day.

  , so that he could never worship the Goddess again, the blessings he had once taken for granted now useless.

  , so that he could never call upon the world again, his power fading into silence.

  , not only so that she could never again witness the glint of her blade, but so that she’d never again see the beauty of what she’d thrown away.

  . Not a scar, not a wound. She alone, was left with nothing.

  The man slammed the book shut, and a strange silence coursed through the children as if they were waiting for more. One of them tilted her head and raised her hand. “What about the sixth?” She asked.

  The man smiled and shrugged. “A mystery, my dear.” He replied.

  Another young boy spoke, unable to contain his curiosity. “Why didn't the Final Evil do anything to the last one?”

  Marco thought as he listened to the whole thing from afar.

  But the man did not shrug this time. He placed his fingertip on his chin. “That’s… not what I said, is it?”

  The answer, of course, confused the boy, but before he could get clarification, the strange man bowed and returned to the convoy. The smile on his face was almost unnerving, his steps slow and deliberate.

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  When Marco saw him approaching, he too, could not hold his curiosity. “...What did you mean, by that last part?”

  The man threw him a glance, a faint smirk playing on his lips. “I wonder.” He said, before entering his designated carriage.

  His question unanswered, Marco entered another carriage, behind that one, and sighed as the storyteller’s words replayed in his head.

  He shook his head and unfolded a map his master had given him.

  His eyes drifted to the peculiar figure sitting across from him. He had tried speaking to them but had had no luck, so their carriage was mostly silent now. The person in front of him was covered in a dark cloak that seemed almost magical. It obscured all of their features and appeared as if it was absorbing the light around them.

  Marco sighed again.

  Meanwhile, Evangelina, who was sitting across from him, cursed wildly in her mind.

  It had been two months, and she hadn’t let Verity out of her basement yet.

  She whipped her head, looking outside of the carriage’s window.

  To put it simply, she was panicking. She left him around a month’s worth of food and water to pass the test, maybe a month and a half if he rationed it well, but two months? She hadn't accounted for that much time.

  Of course, since Verity was level 11, he survive longer than a level 1 human without water, but probably not two whole weeks. Plus, Evangelina hadn't installed a ‘surrender’ feature in the room, so she was certain he was still down there.

  Her heart raced, and sweat rolled down her temple. Was this how she became a murderer? By leaving an innocent man to die, alone, in her basement? Her stomach churned just at the thought of it.

  She slammed her fist into her leg, startling Marco slightly.

  In the end, she leaped from the carriage.

  It was still a long way, but she’d gotten quite close thanks to the caravan. if she ran, she’d certainly arrive before it, though she might have to use less secure routes. Cursing herself again, Evangelina disappeared in a blur.

  She thought as she ran.

  Marco blinked. “Fast… maybe even faster than Master…” He whispered to himself.

  —

  Running faster than the wind, and perhaps faster than she ever had before, Evangelina had traveled so far that Plamodel was in sight at last. This time, she did not have the leisure to argue with the gate guardian, and so she was willing to break the doors down if need be.

  At the speed she was running, Evangelina’s arrival caused quite a shock among those near the gates. A cloud of dust rose as she stopped in her tracks, and two silhouettes could be heard coughing because of it.

  Evangelina had no time to pay attention to them.

  With a swipe of her hand, she cleared the dust cloud and approached the guard. She pulled the sleeve of her cloak and lifted her hand, revealing her family’s seal. “Let me in.” She demanded.

  The guard blinked, still trying to process what had happened. “W-what?”

  With one swift movement, Evangelina lowered the hood of her cloak, revealing her features, and grabbed the guard by the collar. Staring into his eyes, she exuded a palpable amount of bloodlust. “Let. Me. In.” She repeated.

  The guard’s hair stood on end, but more than the fear he felt, his attention lingered on the woman’s unique hair and eyes. As he looked at her, he remembered a ridiculous story his friend, Regias, had told him a few months ago, and his eyes widened. “D-Duchess!! Of course! Right away!!”

  A young black-haired woman who’d been arguing with the guard threw her arms in the air. “What!? She just waltzes in!?” She exclaimed.

  But the guard could only avoid eye contact as he opened the gates for Evangelina. “S-sorry ma’am…I promise it shouldn’t be much longer before they return with the magical tool…”

  The woman sighed and crossed her arms. “...Alright.”

  Evangelina threw the woman no more than a glance before rushing in. She wondered for a split second before her mind went back to Verity.

  It only took her a few seconds to reach her living quarters, and as soon as she arrived, she tore through the front door. They slammed open, splintering at the hinges as she rushed to the room where the secret entrance was located.

  To her dismay, the walls were still closed. “Sh*t..!”

  She pressed her hand against the wooden panel, forcing it open, and rushed down the set of stairs. Her heart pounded as she reached the stone wall blocking the entrance to the room. Some part of her wanted to close her eyes, but she knew she could not do that. If Verity was still alive, she would need to bring him to a temple- no, a clinic, immediately.

  Evangelina pressed her hand against the wall, and after what seemed like an eternity, they finally gave way into the room. Light spilled into the dark entrance.

  BOOM

  Something crashed into the floor beside her. She looked down and saw Doll, the magical puppet, riddled with gashes and dents, struggling to stand.

  Verity stood on the other side of the room, and Evangelina frowned as her eyes snapped to him.

  He wasn’t dead, or dying.

  He was sweaty, bruised, and bleeding, but still very much alive. Somehow, he even seemed in better shape than when she had left, and most importantly… there was a strange fire dancing in his eyes. It was unlike anything she’d ever seen before.

  When Verity noticed her, the spark in his eyes dimmed, and he bowed awkwardly. “Oh, greetings Master.” He said, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

  Evangelina’s gaze swept across the room.

  The entire place had been thrashed as if a storm had gone through it. Her confusion only grew.

  “What the hell happened here…?” She wondered as she contemplated the damage.

  Verity scratched the back of his neck. “Ah, well, I guess it started moving at one point.” He stared at Doll, which was still failing to raise to its feet. “Though now I think–”

  “When was the last time you ate or drank?”

  Verity raised an eyebrow and shrugged. “Not sure. It’s not like there’s a clock in here.”

  Evangelina stared at him. “...When was the last time you rested?”

  Verity tilted his head in thought. “Now that you mention it… I think it’s been a while” He gestured at Doll. “But ever since I erased the circle on the ground, it hasn’t really me.”

  He shrugged. “Not that I’ve felt the need to, especially not with such a good training tool.”

  Evangelina exhaled sharply, partly in relief, but also partly in disbelief. “You might not be talented…” She dragged a hand through her silver hair. “...But you’re completely insane…”

  A smirk tugged at her lips. “Which might be even better.”