I found myself submerged in a pool of crimson liquid. In the distance, a blinding light shone, illuminating the darkness with a sickly glow. When I tried to stand up, the ground beneath my feet felt like quicksand, threatening to pull me under with every step chasing over the light.

As I got closer to the light, I noticed a woman with jet black hair kneeling at the center of a giant tree made of pure light. Her eyes were closed, and her lips moved in a prayer.

“What is this place?” I asked the woman.

The woman stopped her chanting and slowly turned towards me. Shadows seemed to dance around her form, hiding her face from view. Yet her sinister smile remain when she saw me.

“I'm going to save this world," she said, her voice laced with a chilling determination. "Even if I have to destroy it first.”

Suddenly, a burst of power erupted from her body, sending shockwaves through the sea of blood. The sky above cleared, revealing a massive eye that glared down at me with an unsettling intensity. The woman stood up, her eyes glowing with a cursed mark.

“Wait, you are—” I said.

“Are you here to stop me?” She pointed at me and declared, “Then try it if you can, Devil!”

…!

I gasped after nearly drowning in a bathtub. Y-Yikes, I fell asleep while bathing? It almost killed me!

"Well, these past days were crazy," I muttered to myself, running a hand through my wet hair. "No wonder I'm dead tired right now."

But that nightmare… The cursed mark on her eyes, I immediately recognize it. It was the Seed of Hero… Perhaps it was just an illusion that my tired mind created, perhaps it was just a piece of broken memories jumbled up altogether into nonsense. But it felt too real… too intense. As if she summoned me in her domain.

Could it be that woman was the the same person that faced me in Obsidian Theater? But she was so corrupted by evil obsession, so much that she’s kind of… insane.

“Milli, what happened to you?” I’m worried.

But as for now, I’m powerless. I can’t track her down by my own. Working for The Black Company would be the best option for me. Yet I found myself in deep doubt.

What if I was too late to save Milli? What if at the end of my journey… I have to kill Milli to stop her?

… Honestly, seeing the cruelty of this world, I… was scared to meet Milli.

Suddenly someone knocked on the door, “Princess, are you okay? You’re still alive, right?” Elysia said with concern.

“Y-Yes, I’m alright!” I quickly stood up from the bathtub and aprroached the door.

“Good. I leave my clothes and the towel on the door. Don’t forget to dry your hair throroughly or you catch a cold, okay?” Elysia replied.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

“Um!” I nodded. Wait a minute, why did she treated me like a child?

The incident in Hexagon turned out to be quite a deal. Men with black coat closed the prison from many prying eyes. Even the Mahamagi came, biting her finger in frustation. To avoid troubles, Arthur and I went to Elysia house… Which conveniently close to the Hexagon. At first she was reluctant to have us, but changed her mind after seeing my condition.

“The world is in chaos, yet here you are, enjoying your afternoon coffee like a gentleman,” I said to Arthur, who sat down in the living room reading the newspaper leisurely.

Arthur shrugged, “Well, you have quite a nice bath yourself,” and put down the newspaper, implying me to take the seat in front of him.

“It’s problematic if The Young Mahamagi saw us on Hexagon. She’s still immature, prone to judge too quickly,” Arthur replied while enjoying his coffee, “And don’t forget, our mission is to track down White Order and save Lady Kiara, not guarding Hexagon.”

“But two people did see us.”

Arthur shrugged while shaping ice in his hand then shot it to his neck. At instant, a beautiful floral mark was created. It was The Aobana Curse.

“Relax, she knows,” Arthur said then flicked his finger, banishing the curse from his neck.

My eyes widened, “Wait, you can do that?”

Suddenly Elysia came from the kitchen carrying a tea set, “Of course, Arthur is a master spy. A simple magic can’t bind him,” she said while serving tea for herself and me… but not Arthur.

The girl sighed when she look at me and conjured a towel in her hand with magic. She then proceed to dry my hair gently while saying, “Look at your hair! I told ya to dry it thoroughly, right? Geez, what should I do with you, Princess.”

At first it was kind of annoying when someone treat you like a child, but on the second though… It felt nice. I smiled a little, letting the girl took care of me.

“If you two came here, that means you have the blood vial?” Elysia asked.

Arthur put the Magicore on the table and said, “Don’t act like a fool, Ely. You know from the start what was going to happen, right?”

The girl straigthly asked me, “So, tell me, Princess, what did you learn from Hexagon? Depending on your answer, I might be willing to help Arthur.”

Wait, Elysia ignored Arthur? She really hated him, huh? I awkwardly look at the man as he nodded to me, saying it was okay to answer.

“Apart from the murder? … Uh, the guard said that before being killed, the witch said The Thundering Pulse would get everyone killed. Well perhaps the commotion she made caused The Company to hunt her?” I answered as much as I can.

“Can you deduce The Thundering Pulse’s motive?” Elysia asked again.

“Umm… that kind of desperation only came when pushed into a pinch. Well, Shadow Edge did say that Bianca took care children…Soo, maybe someone used the children to force Bianca did that,” I answered while brushing my neck awkwardly,

“Bianca killed the witch just before her investigation… So, perhaps the information posed danger to her children?”

Elysia chuckled while preparing a hair brush with magic, “I give you C plus for that answer.”

Arthur cut her, “Stop the game, Ely. Just tell us, what is your true wish?”

As Elysia gently brushed my hair, “The witch name is Abigail. She is Bianca most trusted partner for decades. Despite that, Abigail actually tried to usurp Bianca as The Thundering Pulse, saying that Bianca was endangering the children with her action,” she answered with a strange calmness,

“But someone leaked her identity, leading to her arrest by The Company. Maybe she was frustrated that she seek help from the enemy. She tried to strike a deal with The Mahamagi in exchange for the Children safety, I guess. But you know Bianca, right? She’s a little too paranoid.”

Arthur brushed his chin, “Which lead to the massacre…,” he said before glaring at Elysia, “You know this too well, Ely.”

Elysia chuckled, “Take it how you will, Master Arthur.”

Arthur then crossed his arm confused, “If what you said is true, then what?”

Elysia stop brushing my hair, “Just like you, Master, she’s going to betray Pater. And you know how it will end when you try to oppose Pater, right?” she said while suddenly hugging me tightly,

“My first condition was only to test if you really capable on defying The Mahamagi, Master. But what I truly wish for is different.”

Arthur raised his eyebrow, “Say it.”

Elysia answered, “So much innocent life in danger if Bianca madness left unchecked. So in exchange forKkiara’s location, I wanted to ask you two,” after she let me go, Elysia stood in front of us and lean forward,

“I want to take down Bianca. Please, lend me your strength!”