> "A gift may come without a price, but its true cost often lies in what it demands from you later."

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Hummmmm~

"When the sky is torn asunder,

And shadows stretch with growing thunder,

The Eye of Devour peers below,

Bringing forth eternal woe.

Beware the gaze that sees your soul,

For no mercy will it know.

Its hunger vast, its darkness deep,

In its stare, your end shall creep.

Turn away, do not defy,

For beneath its watch, all must die.

A fate far worse than death awaits,

Where hope is lost and time abates.

When the heavens break and tremble,

And the world begins to crumble,

Seek no answers in the skies-

The Eye devours, and never lies."

The words still echoed in my mind, heavy and foreboding, like a storm gathering on the horizon. The world around me was silent, holding its breath, as if it too had heard the prophecy and recoiled from its meaning. I stood there, trying to steady myself, my heart pounding in my chest.

He was gone, EXIRA failed to find his presence.

I struggled to steady my racing heart, grappling with the sudden absence of the old man, the Pariah.

What was that... I thought, fingers brushing the cold metal of the earring on my right ear. Its chill reminded me that this had been real, not just an illusion of my mind.

There’s no way the Pariah would have helped me out of the kindness of his heart. What’s in it for him? How much of his words hold truth?

‘Fu*k I hate these fate manipulating b*stards, the earring I can feel will be a key item in my journey. I can feel the connection I have with the earring, The bond is similar to what I share with EXIRA

Mom did tell me about these types of people, F**K I should have insisted on paying him now I’m f**king sure I have a karmic thread linking me to him in a way. F*ck Mom’s gonna be pissed at me

Lost in thought, I was abruptly jolted from my trance by a hand resting firmly on my shoulder.

Instinct kicked in, and EXIRA surged within me, power flooding my veins like wildfire. My muscles tensed, and I spun around, ready to unleash every ounce of strength against whoever dared approach. But as the force of EXIRA began to erupt, my gaze fell upon a familiar face.

Aunt Nora stood before me, her expression etched with worry, her hand still steady on my shoulder. The readiness to fight drained from me in an instant, replaced by a swirl of confusion and relief.

“Aunt Nora...” I breathed, attempting to regain my composure as EXIRA receded within me, my voice surprisingly cracking.

“Alexis,” she said, her voice low but urgent. “Are you alright? I felt someone unleashing their domain here. Your signal was cut off... You’re not hurt, are you?”

I blinked, my mind still spinning from the encounter. “I... I’m fine, Aunt Nora. It’s just that I met someone named Pariah…”

At the mention of the name, her expression shifted, tension knitting her brow. I felt her EXIRA flare as she scanned our surroundings, the air thick with unspoken concern. For a moment, the bustling market faded away, leaving only the weight of her worry.

“Alexis, did you accept anything from him? Did you?” Her voice was laced with urgency, and as she noticed the grim expression on my face, her gaze shifted to the single earring on my right ear. I could see the strain in her eyes as she bit her lip in frustration.

‘Yeah she knows him… and F**k I f**ked up big time

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“It’s my fault, Your Highness,” the Manager of the Bazaar interjected, stepping forward, his voice grave. “I never noticed him until it was too late.”

“Loid, this is no joking matter,” Aunt Nora replied sharply. “Pariah is not someone to be taken lightly. He has forsaken everything and everyone for his pursuit of his 'one true fate' He’s a criminal, a scum with one of the highest threat levels.”

“Indeed, Lady Heart,” Loid acknowledged, his tone serious. “For him to be here, under my very authority, and remain undetected is concerning.”

“I understand your fears, my lady,” he continued, “but remember that my own grandchildren are here. The possibility of them getting caught up in his schemes... I could never forgive myself, especially after what he did last time.”

Aunt Nora's gaze darkened, the lines of worry deepening on her face. “We need to act swiftly. We cannot let him weave his plans unnoticed. He’s a schemer, an elder respected once, but now nothing but a master of manipulation. We must remain vigilant.”

The Manager nodded, the gravity of the situation settling around us like a thick fog. “ Knowing him he is long gone now that he accomplished his goal“ his gaze hardened on me more specifically on the earring on my right earring.

“But Her Majesty must be notified, the possibility of him still being in the nation is high”

“Yes,” Aunt Nora agreed, her voice firm. “We cannot underestimate him lest he covers everything in his web”

The urgency in her tone echoed the storm still brewing within me, as the implications of the Pariah’s presence loomed larger than ever.

‘Damn, I’m in a bigger mess than expected, Dumb Lexi what did Mom tell about accepting gifts from strangers. I hope Mom takes this matter well and does not beat me…’

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AT HOUSE DRAKESIER Castle Estate

The opulent chamber was filled with the chill of tension in the air, everyone in a somber mood. The grand chair at the far end of the room was occupied by my Mom and currently, she was the ABSOLUTE. I sat before her on the rung, my heart racing, each beat a reminder of the storm brewing within. The atmosphere was heavy.

Aunt Nora, Uncle Sebastian, and Uncle Mathias stood nearby, their expressions a mix of concern and apprehension.

“Alexis,” my mother began her voice low and even, yet it held a sharpness that cut through the silence.

“What were you thinking? An old crippled blindfolded man selling wares in the Bazaar of all places and you not only just engaged him but also accepted his gift ”

Her cold words cut through me hurting as I could feel anger within and I knew better than to keep mum.

“Tell me, have you ever seen any beggar in the bazaar, be it inside or in the proximity of it?”

I froze, cursing myself for falling for such a stupid act. The way she looked at me sent a shiver down my spine.

“I—” I hesitated, fumbling for the right words. The encounter with the Pariah, and I could feel the weight of the earring on my ear growing every second.

“Don’t make excuses,” she interrupted, her gaze unwavering. “You’ve been trained to recognize threats, and yet you allowed yourself to be manipulated. The Pariah… haa did you not realize what you were getting into after hearing him talk, did you not consider what EXIRA was telling you, DID YOU NOT USE YOUR COMMON SENSE…”

“I..” I tried again, but the words faltered in my throat. There was no defense for my actions and I better shut up now and accept.

“Intention doesn’t matter when it comes to threats like him,” she continued, her voice rising slightly, the regal authority cracking like thunder her EXIRA manifesting as the room temperature plummeted. Everyone froze under her words as the transcendental pressure descended.

“You are not a child anymore, Alexis. You must understand the weight of your position. Now you have thrown yourself into his web drawn into the mess of fate as the karmic bonds will bear down on you “

I bit my lips to calm my thundering heart and matched Mom’s gaze. I saw her gaze shift towards the single earring sitting on my right ear.

“ Lexi that gift will be instrumental in your path no doubt it holds sway in your fate. You and this earring were meant to be” Her pressure lifted, her voice soft now as she ruffled my hair and continued,” yet that didn’t mean that b*stard pariah gave you such an artifact..no Lexi he merely reduced the timeframe of that item falling in your hands.”

Eh… so I was meant for these earrings, that would explain the feeling…

“Lexi you realize you are trying and thinking that you got such an important item and how important it is to you, aren’t you?”

“Yes Mom, I feel a deep bond with it, it helped..”

“Enough Lexi! ” Mom cut me off harshly, her voice was cold and that shook me. She has never been like that. I looked up at her confusion only to see a concerned face.

“Alexis that’s why Pariah is a class S priority threat, you don’t even realize yet you are thankful and glad for the item you received those are the karmic threads holding you.”

Shiver ran down my very being at the thought of being manipulated and what’s more scary is that I’m not defending the pariah b**tard but thankful for his help in acquiring the earring. I was manipulated by f**king FATE itself and since I haven’t repaid the price for his kindness yet Its hold on me was firm.

I gulped as I forcibly stopped my hands from shaking. EXIRA gushed out roaring, stopping all unnecessary thoughts as I closed my eyes and breathed as the threads were suppressed, still there but suppressed deep under my raging EXIRA as these thoughts faded away.

Opening my eyes now that I calmed down I looked at Mom for answers. I saw her sighing as she pulled me into her embrace. I could feel her EXIRA permeating my whole being, locking down these threads that I thought I had suppressed. I watched or felt as her EXIRA tore through the extra karmic threads leaving behind only one.

One that I knew was the price for the earring that needed to be repaid not to the pariah but to the world itself. That’s all I could glean from it before my mind buckled under pressure.

“Now Lexi you should rest for now, we will talk later. I reckon you and Nora had an appointment for some crafting artifacts... Go on”

I nodded as I hugged Mom tighter before pulling away.

Uncle Sebastian, arms crossed, nodded solemnly. “What’s done is done, but we must plan our next steps carefully. Pariah, as he is going with now, is known for his manipulation. If he has shown himself now we need to figure out what for?”

Uncle Mathias stepped into the conversation for the first time in a while. “ After what he pulled last time, we need to be careful your Majesty, He came out of hiding after so long that it's unlikely his only goal was our prince, we should notify other heads”

“His intentions are a mystery,” Mother said. “ And yes at the World Gala I’ll talk with others I’m sure he must have gone for at least one other heir”

I f**ked up big this time, fortunately, Mom and others are still here for me to rely on but they will not always be. The first priority I need to improve my mental… no these esoteric defenses luckily EXIRA will be there to help

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