Date: January 1, 2018 | Time: 11:58 PM
Location: Lower District – Shadowed Thoroughfare
Perspective: Eve
Kaiser didn't even look at the retreating forms of the men who had just tried to kill him. Instead, he moved with a fluid, predatory grace, stooping down to snatch the silver coins Asher had dropped.
He slid them into his pocket as if he were just picking up spare change he'd found on the sidewalk.
"Ready to go?" he asked, his voice returning to that calm, almost bored tenor.
Before I could even nod, his hand pulled me forward. He didn't grab me roughly, but his grip was... firm. It was tighter than before, like he was making sure I couldn't drift away in the shadows of this awful place.
I stumbled slightly as he led me forward, my heart still hammering against my ribs like a trapped bird.
"U-Uhh… excuse me?" I managed to squeak out, my face still feeling like it was on fire.
"Mhm?" Kaiser didn't even turn around. He just kept walking, his eyes scanning the rooftops.
"Why… why did he call you that?" I asked, my voice gaining a little more strength as my curiosity fought with my fear.
"A 'false ranker.' What does that even mean? Can you… please answer me?"
Kaiser remained quiet.
I felt a little heat bubble up in my chest. It wasn't anger—I don't think I can really get angry at someone who just saved my life—but it was… something else.
I pouted, my lower lip trembling just a little.
"You're doing it again," I muttered, but he didn't react.
That was it.
I stopped walking, planting my heels into the cobblestones. Since he was still holding my wrist, he was forced to stop too. I looked up at him, my face scrunched into what I hoped was a very serious expression, though my heart was still doing gymnastics.
"You're… you're basically stealing me away!" I blurted out, my voice rising high pitched.
"You said my name, and you held onto me, and you fought all those people, and now you won't even talk! It's time you start answering me, Kaiser, or I'm… I'm going to throw a tantrum! I mean it!"
I started shaking my head back and forth, my ribbons fluttering. "Hmph! Hmph! Hmph!"
Kaiser stared at me for a long beat. Then, he let out a long, weary sigh, the kind a parent gives a toddler who refuses to put on shoes. He turned fully toward me, looking down at me with those eyes that seemed to see right through my skin.
"You're really a little baby princess, aren't you?" he murmured.
Princess? My breath hitched. My brain felt like it had just short-circuited.
Why is he calling me that? Why is he treating me like a princess? I'm just… I'm just Eve. I'm not anything special!
We started walking again, but my legs felt wobbly.
"Normally," Kaiser began, his voice dropping into a low, explanatory tone,
"those in the A to S-ranks are deemed the strongest adventurers. They have the experience, the power, the fame. However, some of them… they get greedy. They turn to the darker side. They kill for sport, or sell their souls to the syndicates for illegal methods the guilds would never allow."
I listened, my eyes wide.
"Once they're caught, their ranks are revoked. They become ghosts," he continued.
"But these criminals don't just disappear. They disguise themselves as normal, average people—possessing lower ranks like D or C to deceive the world. They use those low ranks as a mask to continue their… endeavors. That's a False Ranker."
An S-rank criminal? I looked at his hand on my wrist. It was so gentle, yet I knew now it could crush bone like it was dry wood. A cold shiver ran down my spine.
Is he an S-rank? Is he one of those dangerous people? He's so strong, and his grip… I don't know… help me…
Or… should they help me? I realized, with a flush of shame, that I was almost… enjoying the grip of his hand.
Then my overthinking took a sharp turn into a dark, terrifying, and strangely specific corner.
What if… what if he's a false ranker because he wants me for something else? What if he's going to take me to a secret hideout? What if he locks me in a big, dark bedroom and… and makes me do lewd things?!
I could see it in my head—me trapped in a room, and him coming in, looking all menacing and… and… Oh my goodness, Eve, stop it! Why are you thinking about bedrooms?!
I shook my head violently again to clear the images.
"U-Um… so what rank are you, then?" I asked, my voice shaking. "Are you a false ranker? If you're so dangerous, why are you being so gentle to me? Calling me a princess while you don't even know me—"
I didn't get to finish.
In a blur of motion that I couldn't even follow, Kaiser's hand moved from my wrist to my mouth. His other arm hooked around my waist, and before I could even gasp, he side-dashed into a pitch-black alcove between two crumbling buildings.
He sat back against a crate, pulling me down onto his lap. His arm was a solid bar of iron around my waist, holding me flush against his chest, while his palm stayed firmly over my mouth.
I was a complete, total, absolute mess. My skin was tingling everywhere he touched me.
He's… I'm on his lap. He's holding me so close I can feel his heartbeat…
Then, I heard it.
A group of men walked past the entrance of our hiding spot, laughing and boasting about a card game. I hadn't heard them at all. Not even a footstep. But Kaiser had. He'd sensed them coming long before they were even in range.
He fought like an assassin with that knife… his grip is stronger than a tank's… and his hearing is ranged higher than a theif… I looked up at the sharp line of his jaw.
What class is he? All of them? I don't know… my stomach feels so weird… why is he holding me like this so casually?!
Kaiser leaned down, his lips brushing against the shell of my ear.
"I'm not a false ranker," he whispered, his voice vibrating through my whole body.
"I just want to get my princess back to the Upper District safely. I'm E-rank because I can't use magic. That's all. Those guys were just blurting out random stuff because they were scared."
He slowly pulled his hand away from my mouth, realizing I wasn't going to scream. But I couldn't have screamed if I wanted to. I was too flustered to function.
"N-Ngh… h-hah…" I made a tiny, pathetic squeaking sound, my face buried against his shoulder as I tried to remember how to breathe.
"U-Uwaaa…"
My legs... they weren't just shaking anymore. The adrenaline that had kept me moving through the pawnshop and the narrow streets was draining out of my boots, leaving nothing but a numbing, prickly ache.
"K-Kaiser... wait," I whispered, my voice hitching. I stopped, my knees buckling just enough that he had to steady me. My eyes started to sting, and I could feel that warm, prickly sensation of tears threatening to spill.
"My legs... they feel all numb. I had to run so much, and walk... and it's all so scary... can we please rest? Just for a little bit? I—I don't think I can take another step. They won't move, they're just... waaah... they're broken!"
I looked down at my feet, pouting so hard it hurt. I probably looked like a complete mess, ribbons lopsided and face all puffy.
Kaiser didn't look annoyed. He didn't even look tired. He just looked at me with that calm, slightly amused gaze.
"That's alright, princess."
Before I could ask what he meant, the world tilted.
He didn't just help me walk—he reached down and scooped me up. I let out a tiny, embarrassed "Eek!" as my feet left the ground.
He was carrying me like a baby, his arm tucked securely under my knees and his other hand supporting my back, but it felt like he was barely using any effort at all. I instinctively wrapped my arms around his neck, my face pressed so close to his chest that I could smell the faint, crisp scent of the night air and something....
H-He's carrying me! With one hand! My heart wasn't just racing; it was doing a full-on sprint. My face felt so hot I was worried I might actually catch fire.
Why is he so strong? And why am I so close? This is… this is too much!
As the golden glow of the Upper District lanterns began to peek through the end of the street, I found a tiny bit of courage buried under all that blushing.
"Kaiser?" I murmured, not daring to look him in the eye. "Why are you... taking me back? Safely, I mean. Those guys back there... they said such mean things. Do you... do you want me? Like... in that kind of way? The way they said? I umm... I don't... I..."
I couldn't even finish the sentence. My brain was conjuring up all those "bedroom" thoughts again, and I felt like I was going to melt into his cloak.
"No," Kaiser answered.
"I'd never touch you like that, Eve."
The way he said my name... it wasn't a joke. It was a promise. I felt something inside me just... loosen. The fear, the tension, the overthinking—it all just softened. He was so gentle, even though he looked like he could take on the whole world with just a knife.
"Kaiser... what did you mean earlier? About the magic?" I asked softly, trying to steer my heart away from the "princess" talk. "You said you can't use it?"
"I was born with no mana," he said simply. "Not a drop."
My heart sank. In a world where even the streetlights ran on mana, where everyone had a spark of something... he had nothing? It felt so unfair.
He was so brave and so strong, yet he was missing the one thing everyone else took for granted. I felt a sudden, sharp pang of sadness for him—a heavy weight in my chest that made me want to hug him tighter.
"Then..." I started, looking up at him with wide, determined eyes.
"I can use magic for you! I can! The guild in Sylvaris... they told me I have mana. Lots and lots of it! They only gave me a C-rank because I don't know how to use it yet, and I'm 'inexperienced,' but I know I can be more!"
"If I learn... can I transfer it to you? I'll give you all of mine! Then you won't be sad anymore!"
Kaiser paused. Then, he let out a low, genuine laugh.
"Hey! Don't laugh!" I shouted, my embarrassment finally winning out. I started pouting and tapping my fists against his back—not hard, because I didn't want to hurt him, but enough to show I was serious.
"I'm being serious! I'm trying to be helpful and you're just... stop it! Stop laughing at me! Stop it, Kaiser!"
"Stop it, princess," he chuckled, his arm tightening just a fraction to keep me still.
My head thunked against his shoulder.
Princess... he keeps calling me that. Does he want me... only me? I took a deep breath, the courage finally bubbling over into words I couldn't stop.
"If... if I'm your princess," I whispered, peering up at him through my lashes, "then... are you my prince?"
Kaiser didn't even hesitate. He just laughed again, a bright, amused sound that echoed against the stone walls.
That was the final straw. I completely crashed out.
"Waaaaah! You're so unfair! You stole me away, you held my wrist, you made me all flustered, and now you won't even give me a real answer! You can't just call me that and then laugh!"
"It's not fair! I want answers! Why are you calling me princess?! Hmph! Hmph!" I started shaking my head against his shoulder, my ribbons whipping around like angry little flags.
I was mid-tantrum when I felt a large, warm hand rest on the top of my head. He gently ruffled my hair, a slow, calming pat that immediately silenced my rambling.
"Here we are, princess," he said softly. "The Upper District."
I blinked, looking up. The dark, grimy shadows of the Lower District were gone. We were standing before the massive, ornate gates, bathed in the soft, magical glow of the white cobblestone plaza.
He moved with that same effortless grace, slowly lowering me until my feet touched the cool, clean stone. He lingered for just a second, making sure I had my balance, and then... he let go.
He let go of my waist. He let go of my wrist.
Suddenly, the night felt freezing.
The spot where his hand had been—the place that had felt so warm and secure for the last hour—was suddenly hit by the cold night wind. It felt... empty. Like a part of me had just stayed behind in his grip.
I stood there, my fingers twitching, wanting to reach back out and grab his sleeve, but I just watched him step back.
It felt so lonely.
"I'll be heading off now," Kaiser said. His voice was so matter-of-fact, so casual, as if he hadn't just carried me like a literal princess through the dark.
He turned his back, his coat fluttering slightly in the wind.
"Yeah… I—I can. Thank you, Kaiser," I managed to squeak out. I forced a smile, but inside, I felt like a string had just snapped.
As he took a single step away, a sharp, icy ache bloomed in my chest. My ring—the Sea of the Heart—suddenly pulsed against my finger. It wasn't the warm, comforting glow it usually had. It felt cold. Freezing.
Don't leave. Please, don't leave me here alone.
My hand moved before my brain could even process the embarrassment. My fingers curled around the rough fabric of his sleeve, tugging.
"Hmm?" Kaiser stopped, half-turning his head. His gaze was unreadable, those blue eyes catching the moonlight.
"Umm… actually… um…" Oh no. What am I doing? Why am I holding onto him?! I'm being so clingy! I'm a stranger, I shouldn't be grabbing him like this, he's going to think I'm weird or—or desperate—but I just…
I don't want this feeling to end. I looked down at my ring, the cobalt light flickering like a dying candle.
"Kaiser… have you eaten anything tonight?" I blurted out.
He blinked, a small, sarcastic tilt to his lips. "No. Not really."
"Well… you can't just go to sleep!" I said, my voice getting higher and faster as I rambled.
"At this hour, most of the taverns only have… um… leftovers. They're smelly and bad and probably have flies, and you can't sleep on an empty stomach! It's bad for your health, and you worked so hard, and…"
"I was actually planning on doing exactly that," he interrupted, his tone dry. "Just going to sleep."
I gripped his sleeve tighter, my face heating up until I felt like a ripe strawberry. "No! You can't! My inn… the place I'm staying… they have a dinner feature! The tavern nearby delivers it directly to the rooms, and it's really good! You… you could come and eat with me. Please?"
Kaiser shook his head, his expression softening just a tiny bit, but his words remained firm.
"It's alright, Eve. There's no reason for you to do that."
"There is!" I shouted, then immediately winced at my own volume. I shook my head, my ribbons dancing.
"You had no reason to protect me either, or to get my ring back, or… or to carry me. But you did. I want to thank you! Look!" I held up my hand, the Sea of the Heart glimmering.
"You saved this. You saved me. It's fine, really! It's just dinner! You can come with me… please? I really, really want to thank you properly. Please? Pretty please?"
I looked up at him, giving him the most earnest, hopeful look I could muster, my hands now moving from his sleeve to clasp onto his hand.
Kaiser let out a short, breathy laugh—that same warm sound that made my heart do a backflip.
"Come on," I puffed out my cheeks, trying to look firm despite the fluttering in my stomach.
"I have to pay you back for protecting me… and for carrying me. Please?"
He sighed, though he didn't pull his hand away. "Okay, fine. But it better be close."
"It is! It's only a 10-minute walk!" I beamed, a rush of pure relief flooding through me. I didn't let go of his hand—instead, I slid my grip down to his wrist, leading him toward the row of high-end inns.
"Come on, I'll take you there! Follow me!"
"Lead the way," he murmured, following my lead.
I felt like I was walking on air. The coldness in the ring had vanished, replaced by a tingle of excitement. I was actually going to have dinner with him. Just the two of us.
I was already wondering if he liked spicy food or—
"Oh, hey Kai~"
A voice sliced through the air. It wasn't loud, but it was heavy—dark and cold in a way that made the hair on my arms stand up. I froze, my grip on Kaiser's wrist tightening instinctively.
I turned my head. Walking toward us from the shadows of a nearby archway was a girl.
She was beautiful, but in a way that felt dangerous. Her hair was as white as fresh snow, and her eyes… they were a piercing, blood-red that seemed to lock onto me like a predator.
Kaiser's entire posture shifted. He didn't pull away, but the air around him grew suddenly still.
"Oh… Celia," Kaiser said.
Celia? I looked between them, my heart sinking back into that cold, hollow place. The way she looked at him… and the way she was looking at me now…
Who is she? And why does it feel like I… I..
She reached out, her fingers grazing his shoulder with a terrifyingly gentle touch.
"Kai, come home," she murmured, her red eyes finally flicking toward him with a devotion so intense it made my skin crawl.
"It's late. We can talk on the way. Come with me."
Kaiser opened his mouth to speak—maybe to tell her about our dinner, maybe to tell her to wait—but he never got the chance.
Celia's gaze slid downward. She followed the line of his arm until her eyes landed directly on my hand.
My fingers were still wrapped around his wrist.
The temperature dropped into the negatives. My ring, the Sea of the Heart, didn't just glow cold; it shrieked. A frantic, icy pulse throbbed against my bone, a warning that came a split second too late.
Then, the world broke.
I—I can't—
It started in my chest. A sudden, violent tightening, as if my own blood had turned into lead. It wasn't an external force—it felt like it was coming from inside me.
My heart struggled to beat against a pressure that shouldn't exist.
My throat closed up, the air refusing to enter, and a searing, agonizing heat flared in my veins.
"Ngh—! Hah—!"
I let go of Kaiser's wrist, my hand flying to my own throat, clawing at the skin as if I could tear away whatever was suffocating me. The world tilted. My vision blurred with hot, stinging tears.
It hurts.
Why does it hurt so much? It's like… like my own body is trying to kill me.
I collapsed. My knees hit the cobblestones with a dull thud, but I barely felt the impact. All I could feel was the sensation of my lungs collapsing, my internal organs being squeezed by invisible, cruel hands.
I coughed, a dry, hacking sound that tore at my chest.
"What's wrong, Eve?!"
Kaiser was there in an instant. I felt his hands on my shoulders, his voice a distant rumble through the roaring in my ears.
I tried to look at him, to tell him I couldn't breathe, but my eyes drifted past him.
Celia was standing just a few feet away. She wasn't moving. She wasn't helping. She was just… watching.
And on her face was a look of pure, satisfied malice. A tiny, sadistic smile played on her lips as she watched me writhe on the ground.
She looked like she was enjoying the music of my gasps.
She's doing this.
I don't know how… but she's the one… my blood… it's suffocating me…
Everything started to go dark. My body felt numb, heavy, like I was sinking into a deep, black ocean.
Suddenly, I felt a sharp pressure on my back—Kaiser's hand moving in a swift, rhythmic pattern. I heard a faint click of glass, and then something cool and bitter was forced past my lips.
The liquid slid down my throat like a river of moonlight. The pressure in my chest snapped. The heavy, leaden feeling in my blood dissolved instantly, replaced by a soothing, tingly warmth. I gasped, a huge, ragged lungful of air finally reaching my brain.
"Hah… hah…!" I sobbed, my face wet with tears and sweat. I leaned into Kaiser, my body shaking so hard I thought I'd fall apart.
"Oh no! You look so hurt!"
The voice was back. The honey and ice.
Celia knelt down beside us, her expression shifting in a heartbeat from sadistic glee to frantic concern. It was a mask. A perfect, terrifying mask of kindness.
"Kai, let me handle it," she said, her hands glowing with a soft, shimmering light.
"I can use healing magic. Please, let me help the poor girl."
Kaiser hesitated, his brow furrowed, but he stepped back, giving her space.
"Make it quick."
Celia leaned in close. Her hands moved over my chest, the healing mana feeling like a swarm of biting insects against my skin, even as it finished mending the internal strain. She leaned down, her white hair falling like a curtain around us, shielding us from Kaiser's view.
She pressed her lips right against my ear.
"Don't come near my husband," she whispered.
"Or next time, you're going to choke yourself to death on your own tongue."
I stiffened, my breath hitching in my throat. I couldn't move. I couldn't even scream.
"Touch what's mine, and I won't mind being a murderer," she continued, her breath cold against my skin. "You will be just one of many victims. Keep that in mind, little pink leech."
She pulled away, a bright, cheerful smile instantly returning to her face. She stood up gracefully, dusting off her skirt as if she hadn't just threatened to end my life.
"There! All better!" she chirped, looking at Kaiser.
Kaiser looked down at me, his eyes searching mine. "Eve? Are you okay?"
I stood up slowly, my legs feeling like they were made of jelly. My face was still stained with tears, and my hand was trembling so much I had to hide it in the folds of my dress.
I looked at Celia—who was looking back with the most innocent, helpful expression—and then at Kaiser.
"I—I'm…" I swallowed hard, the ghost of her threat still echoing in my ears.
"I'm okay. Thank you."
But as I looked at the Sea of the Heart on my finger, the ring was still pulsing a faint, terrified blue.
I wasn't okay. I had just met a monster, and the man I wanted to thank was the only thing she cared about killing for.
The warmth of his palm against my skin was the only thing keeping me grounded. Kaiser leaned in, his thumb brushing away a stray tear with a tenderness that made my heart ache.
"Are you… are you okay, Eve?" his voice was low, thick with a worry that felt so real it almost made me cry all over again.
But behind him, I could feel it. The air didn't just turn cold; it turned sharp.
Celia was standing there, her red eyes fixed on the spot where his hand touched my face. The pressure returned—that suffocating, heavy weight—as if her very gaze was trying to crush the life out of me again.
I leaned into his touch, my body acting before my mind could catch up, and suddenly—a jolt.
It was like a lightning strike to my soul. My vision blurred, replaced by a flickering, distant memory…
I was crying. My face was pressed against a broad, firm chest. A voice, deep and resonant—a voice that sounded so much like Kaiser's—whispered into my hair.
"You've done enough… I'll go ahead and finish it."
The memory snapped. I gasped, my eyes flying open, and the Sea of the Heart flared with a brilliant, protective blue light. A wave of calm washed through my body.
The soreness in my lungs, the lingering ache in my throat—it all vanished in a heartbeat.
I felt… light.
I looked down at the ring, then up at Celia. She looked surprised, a tiny flicker of genuine shock crossing her beautiful, porcelain face before she masked it behind that terrifyingly sweet smile.
Did I… did I just heal myself? But how? I don't know any magic like that…
"I—I'm okay now," I whispered, my voice still a little shaky. I gently pulled back from Kaiser.
"I… um… I should probably go."
Kaiser's brow furrowed, his hand lingering in the air for a second before he dropped it. "Are you really okay? You were just… you couldn't breathe."
I coughed once, testing my throat. It didn't hurt. It felt perfectly fine—better than fine.
"I feel okay. Really. I don't… I don't feel like that anymore."
"That's wonderful news!" Celia chimed in, her voice bouncing with a forced, manic cheerfulness.
She stepped forward, her hand finding Kaiser's wrist and gripping it with a strength that turned her knuckles white.
"I wish you such a safe journey home. Truly. You should be careful, though… it's so very dark out here. It's easy to… get lost. Or get hurt."
I shivered. When she looked at me, I didn't see a girl. I saw shadows shifting beneath her feet, like demons waiting for the order to crawl out and tear me apart.
She was so scary… why was she so scary?
"It's still risky," Kaiser said, turning toward me. "I can walk you—"
"You've had enough, Kai~" Celia's voice sharpened, her grip on his wrist tightening as she physically pulled him toward her.
"She said she's okay. So let her go. You're coming with me. Now."
Kaiser looked at her, then at me, a frustrated sigh escaping his lips.
"Okay, okay… calm down, Celia."
She smiled then, a wide, triumphant thing that didn't reach her eyes.
"Get home safely, okay, Eve?" Kaiser called out as she began to pull him away.
"I—I'll reach home safely, Kaiser," I managed to say, clutching my satchel to my chest.
"Take care… now."
Celia didn't say goodbye. As she dragged him into the darkness, she turned her head just enough for me to see her eyes one last time—red, cold, and promising a slow death if I ever crossed her path again.
I stood there for a long time, watching them disappear. My heart felt heavy, a lump forming in my throat that had nothing to do with magic.
She just… she just came and took him away. Why was she so mean? I didn't do anything. I just wanted to thank him for saving me before.
Was she jealous? But… it was so cruel. To make someone feel like they're dying just because they're standing near you…
I turned toward the path home, my footsteps heavy on the cobblestones. My eyes felt teary. I hadn't done anything wrong, yet I felt like a criminal.
I fucking hate her so much.
The thought hit me with a sudden, violent clarity. It wasn't my voice. It was deeper, colder, vibrating with a rage I didn't know I possessed.
The Sea of the Heart on my finger didn't glow blue this time. It turned a dark, bruised purple, pulsing with a freezing rhythm. My vision shifted. The world became sharper, the shadows no longer scary, but… useful.
I felt a hum of power ripple outward from my skin, an instant barrier snapping into existence around me, hiding my presence, my scent, my very soul from anything that might be watching.
Once I return… she'll pay.
I blinked.
The world went back to normal. The purple glow was gone, the ring was a soft, innocent pink again. I was just standing in the middle of the street, my heart racing.
What… what was I just thinking?
I shook my head, rubbing my eyes. I must be more tired than I thought. The stress of tonight was making me imagine things. I hurried my pace, the cold night air biting at my cheeks.
I wanted to go home. I wanted to hide under my covers. But as I walked, I couldn't stop thinking about the safety of Kaiser's hand… and if I'd ever be brave enough to see him again.
I hope so…