Part 1 –

In the distant plains of Colight, the sky became disturbed as a giant blur tore through the clouds. The accompanied howl riddled those who witnessed the strange event with nothing but confusion.

No one knew what it was – save for the two Colours and their loyal crew of Demi-Humans.

Above the behemoth of an airship were the Commanders of Pathfist who remained steadfast on their journey back to Truebirth’s Capital.

There was a change of plan by the Colours. The wait for the Exrenity to grow stronger within the timeframe of a month became a hindrance to Black’s plans. She wanted to bring Exrite to Auga in the Biomechanical Gardens within the Shallows as soon as possible.

The ludicrous [Biomechanical] magic could be obtained if she played her cards right. All she needed was Exrite – who she knew well was the Maiden of Time – to grant Auga her wish of seeing her ‘creator’.

Black softly chuckled to herself.

In the metallic cockpit of the airship, she steered the fortified mass of destruction past the golden plains that surrounded the minor mountain range. The scrying crystals picked up the smoking mountain and displayed it for her on a magical screen.

But her purple eyes failed to focus on such a trivial matter.

A part of her blamed White for taking her time in the Golden City of Saicry. If it weren’t for her settling deals among other things with their rulers – Black would have returned immediately for Exrite.

Although, Black couldn’t blame her. Truebirth and Pathfist alone won’t be enough to crush Di-Lock, and eventually Di-First in Endo.

Stroking the black wheel, her eyes slightly broadened as soft, metallic footsteps approached from behind. It was White.

“So, the remaining nine days won’t matter? What happens if the Exrenity’s still too weak?” White asked with some edge in her voice.

She didn’t like Black’s plan on returning to Exrite so soon, even after she was informed of the [Biomechanical] magic. Their plan, first and foremost, was to sharpen their only blade that could stand against the Maidens.

Black hummed.

“White. Nine more days won’t drastically improve someone. It’s too short for people of this world. Think of it like hitting two birds with one stone –“

She briefly glossed over the magical display before her which showed a plague of blood and gore across a small section of the plains.

“– we expose Exrite and the Frostbitten to the dangers of the Shallows, and at the end, we all get the [Biomechanical] magic from the Biomech.”

The emphasis on ‘all’ sounded somewhat uncertain. Because of the Maiden of Realms, who overlooked Auga and the little Biomechs, she didn’t know if they would be granted the powerful magic.

It was a gamble – one that she was more than willing to take. Either way, it’d be win-win scenario.

Exrite would grow stronger along the way and further increase their chance against Realm. The [Biomechanical] magic was more of an insurance in the event Exrite fails to defeat the Maiden of Realms.

“We’re not machines. We are weapons. [Biomechanical] magic won’t do anything for us.” White affirmed.

“Hmhm. You’re right, but we can still use it to strengthen ourselves.”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t believe that [Biomechanical] magic solely affects the Biomech. They had metal flowers and trees in their secluded home, so I’m betting that it’ll work on creatures as well.”

“For a magic you we don’t know anything about, you’re already fantasising these things?” White sighed, her ocean-blue eyes narrowing tiresomely. “C’mon Black. It sounds like only our weapons will be affected by the magic.”

“Thank you for bringing that up.” Black spoke with some sarcasm in her voice as she studied the bloodied display with a finger by her cheek. “But that’s right. If anything – it’ll be our weapons we can enhance.”

A hand brushed by the smooth surface of the holstered handgun.

Because Realm existed in her Domain, they couldn’t access the Colour Plane for their original powers. For now, Night’s Melody had a sword and gun form, as opposed to its many dozens of others back in her home world.

She dearly missed her gattling gun form, and the gruesome plains reminded her of the carnage it harboured. The number of creatures that had fallen as a result of the machine of death brought her to softly smile.

White quietly sighed and rocked up beside Black.

“… Are you blind, Black?”

“I know, I see it. It’s just fascinating how every last body was turned to mush.”

“Not about their bodies. Look at their armour.” White pointed at one of the floating screens where a scrying orb focused on the image of an intact chest plate. “That’s a Di-Lock insignia.”

The beaten emblem on the centre of the iron plate was that of a barbed sword with an arrowhead tip.

Black’s face grew serious.

“Looks like there was a hundred of them. But that kind of force wouldn’t have done much in these parts. Unless –“ She hummed for a moment and pushed herself away from the wheel.

“– they came for that beam of light.”

It was the only sound conclusion she could come up with. That, or war was already waged, and it was just a scouting unit.

However, there would be no reason to traverse to the uninhabited valley.

“I’m thinking the same thing. But it looks like they were cut short by something. Was it Exrite?”

“Ha! Now that’d be a perfect twist!” Black laughed as she headed for the exit. “It better be the case now that you mentioned it. Or else – he might lose a few fingers or even a hand or two~”

The metal door slid open for her. Before she could leave, White sighed again.

“You’re gross, you know that?”

The doors slid close with a sharp thud.

“You’re one to talk.” Black whispered in the silence as she disappeared into the flight of metal stairs.

White embraced the newfound silence after Black’s departure and found herself being drawn in to the pool of blood. No matter how hard she tried to resist the festering hunger, she couldn’t help but to lap her lips.

The last time she had blood to sate her hunger was only three days ago, when they had killed a small force of twenty. Their blood was disgusting, but she couldn’t complain.

So long as she was sated, she would remain sane. However – she wanted something delicious. Something that could properly quench her thirst and ease the hunger for a prolonged period.

The yearn for such a thing caused her to agree with Black on returning to the Capital early. The additional agreements and plans with the princess of Saicry would have to wait until they return.

Because she realised that her prized meal resided within the Capital of Truebirth.

She could not forget such a calm, warm – soothing nape. The delectable, exposed nape of Exrite etched itself into her mind as her blue eyes slowly morphed to red.

“I can barely wait.”

A cold voice left her damp lips.

* * *

Frosty clutched onto her mouth for dear life as she painfully hung over the kitchen sink.

The mere presence of the orb nauseated the Frostbitten who shouted at the child-like Spirit to hide it.

“Did you see something!?”

“A-agh! Bwagh! P-please put it away!” Frosty desperately held back the chunky contents that thrust against the back of her throat.

Because Phase didn’t feel obligated to do so, Uru had to take control of the situation and snatch the orb from Spirit.

“Wait –!”

“You’re a nuisance. Sorry Frosty, but this little Spirit still hasn’t learnt her manners over the last six-thousand years.”

The orb was wrapped by a thick ivy-like growth from her left hand which allowed Frosty to catch her breath. While Exrite tried to keep her upright, Inkshard casted [Healing] magic on her.

Khaos, who could only stare in utter shock, found himself in a situation where if he did anything, he would most likely be killed. Phase had ordered him earlier to stay still. It wasn’t a [Statement], however, he knew of the Spirit’s power and was reminded of their near death back when they met the Children of Balance.

With no mana capacity, he would be obliterated by Phase’s magic.

But what astounded them all, apart from Inkshard, was that the Spirit took orders from Uru. Exclusively to Inkshard however, was the bizarre fact that the girl looked almost identical to herself.

It was like she was staring at a mirror, except Phase was, in a way, less ‘mature’ than she was. In terms of attitude at least.

“I hope this helps Frosty… hey Exrite, what’s going on? Who is she?” The priestess asked in a whisper.

Exrite caught a glimpse of the threating Spirit’s light blue eyes and gulped.

“It’s… it’s the Spirit of Balance…”

His voice trembled as every hair in his body rose. The child who had rearranged his organs and nearly killed his friends stood before him. Even if it seemed like Uru had a leash on her, his body couldn’t help but to stiffen in her presence.

Just from those words, Phase instinctively knew that he wasn’t lying. She stared at her in utmost awe, for the Spirit of Balance was someone just as close to the Gods as the Exrenity was.

And for that – after she finished tending to Frosty’s sudden nausea – she dropped to a knee in utmost respect.

“No need for that young priestess. This Spirit doesn’t deserve an ounce of your respect. Save that for the Maiden beside you.”

Phase grit her teeth as she eyed Uru’s vined hand intently. She couldn’t care less for anything, so long as her mother was fine. She wanted confirmation that her mother was in the orb, likewise with Uru.

Reluctantly, Inkshard listened to Uru and returned to her feet as Exrite pressed on an important question.

“Uru – what the fuck happened in the mountains?”

The Demon grinned and explained most of what occurred earlier today. As they stood around the living room of the yellow floor, she began with the devastating fight, but omitted her clear victory against Phase.

She brought up the reason why they now stood together, and why Phase wanted Frosty’s help.

Earlier, Phase and Uru burst through balcony in a hurry, and without thinking, shoved the orb directly into Frosty’s face. Because of her sensitivity and ability to see souls, she immediately became nauseous and almost collapsed on the spot.

“… did you see anything, Frostbitten?” Phase slowly asked, taking a step towards Frosty.

Every hair on her body suddenly rose, but she didn’t show any other signs of fear.

“… I only caught a glimpse of it, but I definitely saw a soul.” She admitted, although she sounded somewhat uncertain.

Phase’s face uncharacteristically lit up, surprising Exrite. The cruel Spirit looked just like a child with that face.

“Then –! “

“But it wasn’t just one. It looked like a hundred or more souls were compressed in there. I think that orb can store souls, but I couldn’t tell you how.”

Her words were bitter as she remembered the sight which brought a disgusting taste in her mouth. But among one of those souls, was something that tasted sweeter than nectar.

She wanted to bite her tongue to get rid of the taste.

Phase became a little dejected, but she still held onto a warm smile. As she stared down at her small hands, she uttered a simple:

“I see… thank you...”

“Huh?” Frosty was taken aback as she thought she was hearing things.

But reality was sweet just this one time. Phase was just like a happy, loosely dressed Inkshard. Except a thousand times more volatile and insane.

They seemed to mellow down now. Exrite felt that those words were genuine. For the first time, he thought that he saw the real Phase. He didn’t know much about the Spirit, but it was the impression he had.

“Is there a way to get a soul out of there?” Uru asked as Phase’s eyes eagerly drew back onto Frosty.

She felt like she had to live up to the expectation in Phase’s gleaming eyes, but unfortunately, she didn’t have an answer for them.

“Not that I know of. I can only take souls, not move them.”

“Hmm. Then we’ll have to keep this orb for a while longer.” Uru regrettably sighed.

Looking down at her vined hand, she softly whispered beneath her breath.

“I’m sorry, my dear friend.”

They continued their conversation while seated on the comfortable couches. The tension had dropped so considerably that Exrite, Frosty and Khaos felt like they could somewhat be at ease around Phase.

At least for now.

Uru brought up the army of one hundred who arrived with the orb and the intention of kidnapping whoever they found at the mountains. Phase also joined in and added some other missed information, such as the client who had sent them there in the first place.

Meanwhile – Inkshard carefully studied the mirror image of herself with a peculiar face. Even if she was the Spirit of Balance, there shouldn’t be a reason as to why she looked almost exactly like herself.

It was bizarre, and she wondered if the Spirit might have been close to their family line a long time ago.

“That orb can take souls, you said. And if taking your friend’s soul wasn’t their intention, then why did they bring it there?” Khaos vocalised everyone’s thoughts on the matter.

It was odd and bizarre for the men to bring a soul-stealing orb into the mountains. If they were after Exrite, then what purpose did it serve?

A small hum left Exrite as a thought ran by his mind.

“What if they were after the Maiden of Time’s soul?”

“Excuse me?”

“Please elaborate.”

“What do you mean?”

The surprised and curious voices came in the order of Phase, Uru and Inkshard. As he garnered the attention of the lounge, Exrite folded his arms and began his explanation.

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m sure that it’s widespread knowledge that after a Maiden passes their powers, they disappear or die. They probably thought they could capture the previous Maiden of Time’s soul in the mountains and snag the new Maiden of Time with them.”

It was a sound explanation. Exrite believed this was the case with the Maidens until he met face to face with Gaia. He realised that they could still exist even after their powers have disappeared.

Uru and Phase knew that this definitely wasn’t the case. However, Inkshard – and perhaps every other human in Six Point – were under the belief that the Maidens would perish after they passed their powers.

It was a widespread belief in the regions of Colight, Endo and most likely other human-centred civilisations.

Uru’s eyes narrowed into slits as she stared at Exrite.

“Ho. So you humans and humanoids believe in a lie about our sacred Maidens?”

“I used to believe it until I saw her myself – “

“What!?”

“You did!?”

For some reason, both Inkshard and Phase let out surprised cries. With their intent stares placed on him, Exrite didn’t have a choice but to continue.

“Yeah. I met with the previous Maiden of Time.”

His firm voice affirmed that he wasn’t lying. In his eyes they could see him recalling the event as he warmly sunk into the soft cushion.

Inkshard was utterly surprised that this was the case. Because if such a highly regarded ‘fact’ was actually a lie about the Maidens of Six Point – then what other information did they believe was also false?

Khaos wore a strange face as he stared at Exrite and wondered when this actually happened. It was similar for Frosty, except she drew a conclusion that it probably had something to do with his two-day sleep.

She also recalled when Exrite mentioned that ‘he’ met her after waking up in his new body.

Whatever it was, they could only assume that it was the truth.

Exrite was, after all, the Maiden of Time.

“You… you met with her?” Phase’s soft voice trembled as it reached the depths of Exrite’s being.

The unexpected warmth and tenderness of Phase’ words made him wonder if this was really the same insane Spirit from that time.

With a soft nod, the Spirit melted in relief and smiled.

“… did she say anything about the Children of Balance?”

Exrite nearly laughed and returned a smile.

“She said ‘hi’. Sorry. I know it’s not much, but it’s what she said.”

Phase wanted to laugh at that as well, but she refrained. It was saddening for the Spirit, because she knew that her time outside had finally come to an end.

The Gods sent her to find Exrite for only one thing.

They wanted to know if the previous Maiden of Time said anything about them. She didn’t know why, but as a Spirit belonging to them, she had no choice but to obey them.

“I see… Zeluru, you’ll take care of the Exrenity, won’t you?”

“The Maiden of Time you mean.” Uru raised her chin. “It goes without saying.”

Phase’s soft smile seemed painful. A part of Exrite wanted to place a hand on her head, although he realised that it could spark his death if he wasn’t careful. Regrettably, he could only listen to them.

“… and you’ll take care of mom as well?”

Uru didn’t even need to respond.

Phase nodded to herself childishly with a soft hum.

“To be honest, I never approved of you Exrite. And I still don’t. The power of a Maiden belongs to a Maiden, because they’ll use it like a Maiden…” She quietly scolded him before her eyes softened. ”… but maybe that’s why it was given to you in the first place.”

“Solely because I’m human…?” Exrite stared off into the distance and softly sighed. “If only it was as simple as that. The previous Maiden of Time still won’t tell me anything.”

He suddenly laughed to himself.

“But if that ends up being the answer I’ve been searching for, then I’ll laugh, cry, and remember you – Phase.”

Her eyes broadened momentarily. It was the first time she had heard anyone say such a thing to her. While she detested the fact that it was a human who did so, she couldn’t help but to feel somewhat happy that even in her eternal prison, she’d be remembered outside.

“… you… thank you.” Her voice didn’t quite reach him, but she didn’t mind.

For the last time before she would depart, she stared down at Uru’s left hand and painfully smiled.

“Goodbye, mom.”

“My, but I’ve arrived.”

A familiar voice accompanied a strangely warm hand that landed on her head.

“Mother! You’re already back from the chapel!”

“Dear…?”

Talia, who stood behind the seated Phase, slowly looked down at her daughter’s lookalike. While maintaining a warm smile, she met with the eyes of the Spirit.

Phase held her breath.

Impossible. The woman who stood above her looked almost identical to her mother. In a surge of shock, she pulled her eyes onto Uru who smugly smiled at her.

“You’re not going anywhere, little Phase. Until you repent, you’ll be stuck here to protect the priestesses. Your message can wait another thousand years for all I care.”

It seemed like Uru knew what was going through the girl’s mind. Talia’s frightening similarity with her mother was also something that Uru was shocked by in the beginning.

The utmost respect Uru had for her was partially because she looked like her dear friend. But now, she genuinely enjoyed the company of the priestess.

Phase, still shocked by this, was unable to appropriately respond.

The physical image of her mother threw her mind into disarray.

Could she finally run away from the Gods who had imprisoned her? But what would happen after Exrite freed the Maiden of Realms? Would her punishment be death, or an even longer sentence to the empty realm?

She didn’t know. The choice was far too painful for her. The guilt of her past was too great of a burden.

Is it really ok for me to stay here?

However, as Talia moved to Inkshard’s side and placed a hand on her cheek, the Spirit warmly stared at the two and gently closed her eyes.

No matter how much guilt and regret swelled in her heart, Phase was still a spoiled, six-thousand-year-old child.

I see… by then, mom would have been long gone… I want to be by mom’s side until she’s finally free.

Phase finally found her answer.

“In a thousand years from now, I’ll never get another chance to see her again…” She suddenly turned to Uru with passionate eyes.

“Zeluru! – please let me repent until the day my mom finally leaves this world! I won’t go back there until I tie these loose ends!”

* * *

Part 2 –

It was a bizarre sight for the group of four to behold. As they conversed on various topics regarding what would happen in the next nine days, their eyes couldn’t help but to attach onto the Spirit and the priestesses.

If one were to simply glance at them, they’d understandably think that it was a mother tending to her twin daughters. The insane Spirit was tamed and remained docile ever since her abrupt decision to defect from the Gods’ orders.

“I’m not going to ask how or why, but I’m glad that you came back without killing her.” Exrite, who sat beside the standing Demon, stared up at her with a thankful smile.

Uru hummed and brushed a hand onto his neck as she gracefully fell beside him.

“At the cost of my arm and many bones. My reserves took a considerable hit, you know?” She cupped his face and pricked him with the tip of a razor-sharp claw. “Be glad that you’re the Maiden of Time. Otherwise I would’ve demanded a reward from you.”

The way she stretched her words made it seem like she wanted the opposite.

Of course, Exrite wouldn’t mind offering her a reward. But what exactly was something he wanted to ask. Before he could however, Frosty interrupted with a loud sigh.

“Exrite. She’s a succubus. Remember that before you think of even ‘rewarding’ her.”

“Ho? What are you trying to say, Frostbitten?”

Uru drew circles around Exrite’s cheek as he idly sat there with a straight face. He knew what Frosty was getting at, but he didn’t think that Uru would ask for such a thing. And even if she did, he’d deny her wholeheartedly.

Although he wished for Uru to stop touching his face. When he brought a hand to push her off, she’d use a black tendril from her disformed hand to repel him away.

He had mixed feelings. If he wasn’t so devoid of lust, then the would’ve undoubtably read this as interest from Uru’s part.

“Sis, is that the first thing that comes to mind?”

“Huh? I’m only saying the obvious.”

“You sure –!? Hey – ouch!”

A fist found itself into the side of Khaos’ rib. He yelped in pain and clutched onto the throbbing site with both hands as Frosty sighed.

“Honestly – what other kind of reward would a succubus want?”

Uru devilishly grinned.

“I only wanted to ask Exrite to remember this for a later favour.” She intentionally licked her lips to further rile Frosty, who desperately tried to resist the obvious bait.

But she still couldn’t help but to grit her teeth in agitation.

“Were you thinking of other devious things? However, I think you forgot that I feed on lust and desires. Tempting someone like Exrite doesn’t benefit either of us.”

Then what are you doing with your finger?

Exrite wanted to ask but refrained and just kept silent. He didn’t want to be further involved with this topic, so he loudly cleared his throat to get them back on track.

“ – So about the cobalt; I’m pretty sure we’ve gotten enough from Acacia for the weapon the Commanders want to make.” He looked across at Frosty and smiled. “Sorry I couldn’t thank you earlier for ordering them while I was asleep for those two days. Thank you.”

The girl sharply nodded and lightly folded her arms.

“It’s fine. See Uru? I’m not asking for a reward, am I?”

“Not this again – “

“Ho? You’re quite a rude Frostbitten. Or perhaps you’re jealous?”

“Huh? Jealous of what –?”

“Can you two please stop arguing before I pop a blood vessel over here?”

Exrite suddenly spoke with irritation. It was rare to hear him with such a deep voice, so they instinctively ceased their bickering and poured their attention onto him. As the room became silent enough for them to hear the soft laughter from the balcony, Exrite loosely sighed and pushed Uru’s hand away.

“Look, the rewards can wait later. We’re nine days away from the deadline, and I’m seriously doubting that I’m even remotely close to being as strong as they expected me to be. You and Khaos are fine, and Uru’s perfect – but I’m still far from you guys.”

Exrite dumped his concerns all at once. He didn’t realise it until he noticed their surprised faces and immediately prepared to apologise but was hushed by a powerful finger from the Demon beside.

“You’re talking about those ‘Commanders’, right? The beings you tried to warn me about back in my prison? If that’s so, then I’m sure that just being the Maiden of Time will be more than enough. Your barrier during our escape was exquisite for something that was only of the [Second Tier].”

Uru slowly glanced down at her left arm, which was composed of large, intertwining tendrils. Her words were the truth, and she denied Exrite his ability to refute.

The suppressed Exrite could stare at the oppressive Demon with annoyed eyes. His strength as a Maiden was something he wanted to properly test, but he prioritised his original body before anything.

It was his first line of defence. The longer he could hold out and survive in this body, the better his chances of surviving were. If he died, then he could come back as the Maiden of Time.

However, the same couldn’t be said in his other body. Like Gaia said – if ‘she’ died, then there was no going back.

“– Although I’m curious as to how strong these Commanders are. If you fear them over me, then I can only hope that you’re not just overthinking it.”

They thought about it for a second, but ultimately fell prey to the dry explosion of the strange, black weapon. Exrite was entranced by the weapon that could fire a pebble-sized piece of iron faster than he could even hear the explosion.

The searing sensation of the mere graze returned to him as he placed a hand on the same spot.

Before Khaos and Frosty could reply –

The castle shook.

A quaking tremor reverberated through the thick walls of the castle as loud horns tore the air from outside.

“The hell is that noise!?” Khaos’ yell was almost entirely drowned as he clamped his ears shut.

Frosty stared towards the direction of the noise while holding onto the back of the couch. She grit her teeth.

“How many people are up there!?”

She saw a vast sea of souls past the ceiling above. Judging from their distance and the sudden increase of souls above, she assumed that it was a newly docked airship.

Uru remained calm and collected beside Exrite who firmly planted himself on the couch. Or rather, he was petrified.

His blood ran colder than ice as his eyes violently trembled.

He had heard those horns before.

As the horns disappeared, all eyes fell onto Exrite after they wandered the room briefly.

“Exrite? Hello? What’s wrong, did that horn scare you?” Frosty spoke with some sarcasm in her voice.

However, Exrite did not move.

“Hey? Exrite – !?”

“Wake up!”

Khaos intervened. He stood over Exrite and powerfully grasped onto his shoulders, violently shaking him in place.

It was by reflex. Everyone surrounding him thought that the docile Exrite was beginning to undergo the effects of the Eye of Despair.

But that was far from the case.

From the balcony, Inkshard burst into the room and almost tripped on the hems of her long robes. As she ran towards them, she screamed out something they wish they had never heard.

“They’re here! They’re all here! The airships from Enthile and Pathfist are here!”

Following her, was a swift Talia who cried:

“Exrite! Please stay on this floor until the traders from Enthile leave!”

She understood the situation well. Exrite was the ‘kidnapped’ son of the King of Enthile and held a ludicrously large bounty on his head. As a result, it would be impossible for anyone from Enthile to not know his face.

Not a hair was moved. He was frozen in place, petrified by the notion of being brought back to the place he eternally loathed.

“… Enthile? Ho? Did something happen there?” Uru, who was the only one that didn’t know of Exrite’s homeland, couldn’t help but to ask as she slipped her finger away from his mouth.

Talia stood by them, with Inkshard and Phase behind as she stared at Exrite with concern. It was as if she was waiting for Exrite to tell them himself.

But he never spoke. He could only stare idly into his lap as various thoughts clouded his rationale.

“Uru, now’s not the time!” Frosty cried.

“Exrite! Snap out of it! Can you fucking hear me in there!?”

Khaos became desperate to gain his attention. A fist curled by Talia’s side as she prepared to strike him when necessary.

However – it didn’t seem like she’d need it at all.

Suddenly, Exrite blankly blinked and collapsed towards Khaos. He lightly flopped around as Khaos straightened him again by his shoulders. A sigh of relief fled their lips as Exrite shallowly turned to the rest with swollen eyes.

“Geez… hey, you good? They’re just traders, so if we listen to Talia and stay in here, we’ll be fine. No one’s going to take you back there, trust me on this.”

Khaos’ reassuring voice resonated with Exrite. He felt warm hearing those words and thanked him with mellow eyes.

Exrite slowly looked away and grew a smile of self-ridicule as he placed a hand over his eyes.

“… yeah… sorry. I just… heard those horns and it brought me back to Enthile... back to the place I was trapped in for so long. Those horns were the only things I could hear from the outside world.”

No one uttered a response. They remained silent, as if tempting him to go on and rid his chest of his concerns. Phase sympathised with him, although only marginally. It was the same with Uru, except she was rather interested in his story.

However, when Exrite noticed their pity – he immediately removed his shielding hand and broke into a soft smile.

“– Look, don’t worry about me. I’m fine now. It’s just that… I can’t help it sometimes. It hasn’t been half a year since I left there, so my body still remembers everything that happened like it was only yesterday.”

His confession sparked a realisation in Uru. On the eve of Exrite’s body change, she remembered the girl scolding her when she slid her finger from her stomach up to her neck.

“It just feels like you’re dissecting me.”

The irritation in the girl’s voice finally made sense to her. At first, she thought it was merely a figure of speech, as Exrite couldn’t feel any sort of tingling desire from her touch.

She easily concluded that Exrite’s past in Enthile involved some form of torture. To what extent however, was left in the dark.

Uru wanted to know. But she refrained from feeding her curiosity. Now was not the time.

A hand found itself against Exrite’s neck as the man grit his teeth. It wasn’t at Uru, however.

Because his body reacted so bizarrely to anything regarding Enthile – he was concerned that he would do something stupid. There was already a blistering hatred boiling within the depths of his being.

If he was pushed or provoked any further, then he would undoubtably attack the traders of Enthile. He was afraid of this, because it had already happened four months ago.

The bloodied coins in his pouch were the proof of his murders on the people who stood in his way out of fear that they would report him back to the king. Guards, mercenaries, adventurers –

And even normal people were killed as a result.

He hated himself for this.

But he never regretted it.

“Uru… can I ask you a favour?” His hands tightly curled beside his lap as he mentally prepared himself.

“Go ahead. But depending on what it is, I’ll need a greater favour in return.” The Demon, even during Exrite’s torment, couldn’t give up such a delightful opportunity.

“… then you’ll listen to my request?”

“Of course. Tell me what it is you desire, Exrenity.”

“… I want you to turn me into a Maiden again.”

Uru’s eyes widened for a split second.

“– you don’t mean –!“

“Uru… I want you to kill me.”

No matter how much he detested it, he believed that it was the only way for him to prevent himself from killing the traders of Enthile. But more importantly – no one could tell that he was ‘Frost Extrial’ in the body of a female.

Unbeknownst to them, was the fact that the Commanders had also returned to the Capital. In the chaos of Enthile’s traders, they failed to hear Inkshard’s warning.