Yae Sakura POV

"Thanks for saving me, but where is the black box?"

"Yes, that's the one! Thank god..."

"Once again, thank you for saving me. My name is Kallen Kaslana. You can call me Kallen. What's your name?"

"Of course I'd help you! It's the least I can do for saving me."

"Well, I'm in no hurry to return. Can I stay here for a bit longer?"

"Kuh! They're already here. I'm sorry but can you hide somewhere else? Who are they, you ask? Don't worry, I'll be fine."

"Stop! Don't drag the innocent villagers into this!"

"I'm...so...r..ry..."

How long has it been since I last dream of this nightmare? It was just like a few moments ago I was finally break out of my lonely shell, and for the first time, I was happy. My first meeting with her was unexpected and sudden, I was picking up herbs at the time when my eyes caught a body drifting through the lake. 

Though she was just a mere stranger at the time, I still ended up saving her life as she would truly die without receiving immediate treatment. Drifting alongside her was a mystery black box. She was holding tightly onto it despite being in an unconscious state. 

As the Shrine Priestess of Yae Village, I could tell there's something dangerous about the black box. I didn't know yet at that time that very object would have turned my fate upside down.

The girl outfit is no different than a nun of western church as far as I can tell. Though I haven't gone outside the Yae Village since forever, I do have heard many things from the travelers that often passed through the village. 

She introduced herself as Kallen Kaslana. As expected, she was a nun of the sort, but she couldn't explain it in details to which I understood. People have their secrets, even a shrine priestess like me was no different.

After losing my little sister, I secretly suppressed the dark feeling that had spurted unknowingly as I live on. But when I set my eyes on the black box, I have this strange feeling urging me to grab it. However, my will remains solid.

Or at least, I believed so.

Though it wasn't long, just a few days passed, I couldn't hide the fact that I'm happy with her presence by my side. She told me all kinds of interesting stories which broadened my knowledge of the outside world. Because I was isolated in the village, everything that she uttered out of her mouth surprised me to no end.

It had been peaceful for the past few days, especially with Kallen by my side, I'm feeling more than just happiness. But unfortunately, as if the world hates on the fact that I'm living a good life, bad thing happened one day.

It was just like any other previous days, I went out to gather some herbs and helped a few villagers. When I return however, Kallen appeared restless as the moment she saw me, she quickly pulled me inside the house. 

She was chased by a group of people, and the injuries on her body was caused by them in order to capture her. While she was on the run, Kallen was forced to jumped into the lake with injuries, eventually passed out after falling from quite the height of waterfall. Afterward is where I found her during the herb gathering.

And now, the same people was already in the village. Sooner or later they would reach the shrine. Kallen told me to hide, though reluctant, I ended up following her words. 

A moment later, a group of strangely dressed men arrives with a few villagers guiding them with a visibly fearful look on their face. While I couldn't hear what they were talking about from the distance, I could tell they were bickering from the loud noises. Blame my curiosity—I decided to came out of my hiding spot to get closer to them, yet still remaining hidden from their eyes.

When I saw the scene in front of my eyes, I was dumbfounded. Why are they hurting the villagers? Aren't they here for her? Though I was confused, I still remains silent and hidden. 

That changed when the situation took a worse turn.

Though I should've realized it back then, Kallen was a kind hearted person. She could be a bit naive, but definitely not a bad girl. And that very same girl decided to stepped in front of the villager, protecting the vile parasite, it results in her being slashed by a sword that was already too late to be stopped. 

It was then something in me broke, and I don't remember what happened afterward. I lost my conscious. By the time I regained my sight, it was the scene I witnessed that would forever be engraved in the deepest part of my heart. 

Kallen with her heart pierced by a katana, and my hands was holding it. I immediately panicked, I don't have an ounce of memory of what happened. When I tried to heal her with herbs, Kallen stopped me. She then told me it was the fault of the black box. Within it was something fearsome. And I simply brought it out by a miracle chance.

Thus, began the one-sided massacre. While I was unconscious, my body was taken over by the herrscher hidden in the box. It then destroyed everything on the surrounding, including killing the innocent villagers. Even with the help of a small group of mercenary hired by Schicksal, and one of the best Valkyrie known at the time, Kallen Kaslana, they couldn't do anything other than forcing the herrscher back into her body, which woke me up.

If it was someone else in Kallen's place with the same amount of power as her, perhaps they might have been able to slain the herrscher. But unfortunately, Kallen was affected by her emotion more than she expected that she couldn't gather her will to kill me. Of course I didn't know of that at the time.

"I'm...sorry..." I could still remembers the tears dripping down her cheeks. The smiles she had before losing her remaining strength once and for all. It was then that I wished I had met her earlier.

I may have cried my heart out with her cold body in my arms. I hate this. Why do I keep losing my loved ones? I've lost my little sister to the God that never came to my rescue no matter how much I prayed. Even then, I keep on living with the hopes for better. But why am I still alive when I've lost everything I had? 

Maybe I've cried too much that I exhausted myself to the point I fell into a slumber on the spot. I don't have any memories of the aftermath after all. 

And once again, I woke up. However, this time was in a different and unknown room. And to my surprise, there was an unfamiliar youth with strange scent around him sitting next to the sofa I was apparently laid to when I was unconscious.

I was obviously on my guard. I had never seen him before, and if what he had shown me is true, he is more dangerous than the herrscher inside me. 

"Come on, you don't need to be on your guard. I won't hurt a muscle on you, so relax. Why don't we start with introduction first? My name is Miyamoto Kei."