Crimson was kind enough to stop somewhere along the way to grab lunch. We had a surprisingly pleasant meal together, and she even paid for it without asking me to repay her, surprisingly; nor did she ask me to return the favor in nature, which was even more surprising!

After many, many hours of riding, I could finally see city walls in the distance. Supposedly, that was the place Crimson wanted to reach, and hopefully...

We were supposed to reach this place by evening, but we got there well after that; the sun was setting, casting a warm orange glow over the area. Soon, night would've fallen, and we wouldn't have been able to see much anymore, enveloped by its darkness. The place, however, looked beautiful. As we moved closer, we passed through a landscape filled with trees lining a smooth, white stone road. But the closer we got to the walls, the more everything seemed... in ruins.

Trees were knocked down, their trunks deeply scratched by what looked like monster claws. At some point, Crimson took a detour, choosing a road at a higher altitude. From there, I could see beyond the walls we were approaching; inside, everything seemed shattered, with debris and collapsed buildings everywhere.

After a bit, Crimson stopped. "It should be fine from here; let's go on foot," she said, climbing down from her summon.

"Ow... my butt and legs hurt..." I complained as I slid off.

"Oh, you're not used to riding for hours, are you?" she laughed at the sight of my suffering. "Take it easy."

I stretched, trying to recover a little, while Crimson waited for me. Afterward, she led the way, and I followed. We slowly made our way toward that city, the night breeze brushing against our skin, rustling through our clothes, while the soft sounds of night insects filled the air, creating a pleasing atmosphere, almost resembling a gentle melody.

Even the city walls were destroyed; that's how we ventured inside, passing through a massive hole, likely caused by some spell or a monster attack.

The city was completely in ruins; houses broken, debris across the street, bodies scattered, frozen in expressions of terror, bloodstains marking the ground, and ashes, remnants of fires that had long since burned out.... There was nothing left to save.

As soon as we stepped inside, Crimson grabbed me by the wrist, pulling me toward what had once been a house, now just a wreck. This house was severely damaged, but it still held itself together. Inside, however, nothing but chaos; broken plates, shattered chairs, and tattered pillows littered the floor... barely anything left intact.

The house had an upper floor; Crimson brought me upstairs. The roof was partially gone, giving us a view of the city from it and the night sky above it.

But then, why? Why, despite the ruin, the bodies scattered around us, the scent of blood in the air... why, despite everything, it felt so peaceful, so relaxing, so right...?

Ah, it must have been the sky... Without a doubt, the stars were to blame.

"The stars are quite clear from here," I remarked.

They truly were. It was so wonderful that it was breathtaking. I had never seen a night sky so vivid before, so filled with light, so serene... I couldn't look away even if I wanted to.

"It's all thanks to the monsters that cleared this city of humans," Crimson replied; she sounded pleased as well.

"So, this is Silveandria."

"Yes, that is correct. The city that fell into ruins because of a dungeon in its proximity."

Although unwillingly, still captivated by the stars, I turned to face her. "Why did you bring me here?"

She reciprocated, meeting my gaze. "What do you think of this place? Of this whole situation?"

"I think it's... poetic."

It's as if her eyes lightened up upon hearing my answer. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

"Yes, it's beautiful."

"You see, Snowflake... I am saddened," she said, bringing her hand to her chest. "They plan to save this city, to restore it to its former glory... When this place does not need to be saved. It's already perfect as it is. I understand the desire to clear the dungeon, but this... I am speechless."

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I turned my attention back to the city, taking in the ruins and remnants of what once was. Surely, could I still see my former demons, now this place would've been full of them...

Suddenly, a movement in the distance caught my attention. "What is that guy doing there?" I asked Crimson, pointing at it.

"Ah, thieves come here from time to time, hoping to find something worth stealing," she explained, watching the figure cautiously tiptoe to avoid attracting any nearby monsters. "But I'm impressed... I didn't sense him from this distance," she praised me.

"My mom taught me to always be aware of my surroundings."

"Hmm? ... Hey, do you want to have a little fun?" she asked with a grin, nodding toward the thief.

"What do you have in mind?" I asked.

Crimson pointed her finger in the direction of the thief, moving around her orb. "Fiamma Magra."

Near the thief, a small sphere of fire violently manifested, rapidly evolving into an explosion that echoed through the streets, sending him flying against a crumbling wall.

Crimson giggled. "Monsters are attracted to both noise and mana. Let's sit back and watch the show!"

I stared at her; I wasn't even surprised, I just scoffed at the scene. "You... Are you a sadist or something?"

She playfully touched her lips. "Why, are you interested?"

I shook my head, and returned my gaze back to the thief. Large, dark, round monsters were charging toward him at full force. The boy dashed away to evade the impact, successfully dodging the first monsters, but others closed in from different angles. He tried to cast a spell, however, he wasn't fast enough, and was met with a blow in the stomach that sent him crashing to the ground, only to be crushed into a pulp by the rest of the monsters.

Well, it didn't last long... I glanced at Crimson to see her reaction, but she wasn't looking at the spectacle; instead, she was looking at me with an intrigued look in her eyes.

"Argenta... you're just like me, aren't you?"

"Hmm? You're not calling me Snowflake anymore?"

"Oh, I will. I'll call you however you like. But now... now is not the time to play around. Now I'm being serious," she said in a lower, almost intimate voice, holding my hand as her fingers intertwined with mine. "Oh, your hands are as cold as ice. Do you know what they say about people with cold hands?"

"No, what do they say?"

"They have a warm heart."

"Hm, funny. I'm pretty sure mine has always been made of stone."

"Who are you trying to convince? You could even melt stone if you wanted to. The same way those two mesmerizing eyes of yours are melting me right now."

"... What did you mean by saying that I'm just like you?"

"There is no hidden meaning in those words."

"I am not like you. I am no sadist. And we have nothing in common."

"Don't be so defensive... Yes, you got it right, I'm a sadist; my pleasure is their pain. I get excited seeing their struggling expressions as they try to endure it, just like you get me excited. I know that, and I accept myself for what I am. But you? Are you perhaps lying to yourself? Because, to me, it looked like you really enjoyed watching that guy die."

"No, I am not lying, Crimson. I know myself, too. I just got curious, that is all," I replied; of course that seemed like a lie even to myself. Did I really know myself? Lately, I wasn't so sure...

"Then, please enlighten me. What is it that excites you, Snowflake?" she asked as she began playing with my hair; this was slowly becoming a routine on her part.

"It's... it's something I just discovered lately, actually..." I hesitantly replied. "Danger... that, that excites me."

Yet, despite the hesitation, it felt oddly honest.

"Oh, but then we do have something in common. What a coincidence. I like danger, too. We really are similar, after all. Why don't you get to know me better? I can promise you're not going to regret it."

"We're not similar at all. We're day and night. You're impulsive; you acted on a whim, casting a spell at that guy. I would never do something like that. I'm pragmatic; I trust my instinct and follow it, acting on empirical logical thoughts and precise deductions. Don't compare me to yourself."

"Oh, is this why you're acting so cold toward me? What is your instinct saying about me?"

"That you're a crazy bitch."

"But so are you," she murmured, clasping both my hands, holding them together against her heart. "No sane person would have ever followed me to this place. Nor would they have liked it, and they wouldn't just stand on the sidelines, watching as someone is about to get killed. And surely, they wouldn't be staying next to me after what I did; they would've run away in fear, without ever looking back. Yet, you're here, you're even letting yourself be touched like this by the same crazy bitch. You're not scared, you're intrigued, aren't you? I can see it in your eyes, you don't need to lie to me, Snowflake. So, just follow your heart, or are you going to listen to that instinct of yours? What does it say about you following me? Tell me..."

"That nothing good will come of it. You'll drag me straight to Hell with you. Slowly burning while Death itself wishes for my demise. My hands stained with the blood of our victims, their spirits wishing to drag me down with them just to torture me endlessly. Nothing but chaos would be left in my wake were I to follow you. Yet I keep on running, and running, and running, trying not to get caught as the mess we've made inevitably falls apart, threatening to catch up with me."

She bit her lip. "And doesn't that sound exciting?"

"... Yes. It does," I replied, giving in, tightly intertwining my fingers with hers.

She came closer, pressing her body against mine as her lips brushed my ear along with her warm breath. "Then play with me," she whispered into my ear, sending a strange shiver down my spine. "I'll show you a world of joy and pleasure no other living being could ever give you."

"Fine..." I murmured as our eyes met. "But I think we should move from here."

"Why? Do you want to go somewhere more intimate?"

"Because the monsters have spotted us."