A young man walked briskly through the quiet evening streets of the noble district. He possessed lustrous, straight golden hair and rounded cheeks that gave him a friendly air, though his features were sharpened by the intensity of his golden slit eyes. In his hand, he carried a small, elegantly wrapped cake box, having just returned from a renowned shop in the Central Plaza.
He moved swiftly, passing the opulent estates of the high-ranking nobility before arriving at the towering gates of the Imperial Palace. Once inside, he navigated the familiar corridors with ease, yet soon took a turn that deviated from his usual route. He came to a halt before a set of ornate double doors, richly carved with the image of a three-headed dragon.
He pushed the doors open and stepped inside.
A lavish private chamber stretched before him. It was a room of grand proportions, featuring a massive bed draped in silk and a sitting area by a large window where two armchairs faced each other across a low table.
He walked toward the far side of the room, approaching the two armchairs.
He placed the cake box gently on the low table and stood between the chairs.
"...I'm back," he whispered to the empty room. "I'm sorry I haven't visited for some time. Things have been very busy."
He let out a soft, weary breath.
"Can you all believe it?" he murmured to the silent air. "Sophia... she actually went through with it. She performed the Summoning to the Abyss."
He looked down at his hands, which remained steady despite the chaos in his mind.
"I deliberately butchered that ritual. I sabotaged every single component, making absolutely sure it would fail. Yet, it worked. And to top it all off, she didn't just summon something; she summoned a Nine-Stroke beast."
His thoughts drifted to the small, black creature he had encountered earlier.
"Seraphix... that was his name. It's a weird name, isn't it? Also, for a being of such absolute power, he was... humble. Weirdly so. He didn't radiate the typical pride one expects from a creature of his caliber."
A soft, genuine smile touched his lips.
"Although he ignored me at first, the moment I spoke his language, he actually became kind. He even said he wanted to be my friend. A being of his caliber... wanting to be friends with 'me'. Isn't that amazing?"
The warmth in his expression did not last. The smile vanished, replaced by a hollow, haunted look.
Slowly, moonlight began to seep into the room, catching a reflection in the window glass. The image looking back was different from his usual appearance. It was a now beautiful young woman with long, wavy golden hair. Only the sharp, golden slit eyes remained the same.
"Mother... Brother..." she whispered into the silence, the voice that emerged distinctly feminine. "I visited the Grand Tamer's house today."
Her hand began to tremble violently. She clenched it into a tight fist, her nails digging so deeply into her palm that droplets of crimson began to bead between her fingers.
"But... I'm still too weak," she choked out, her voice barely a thread. "Even after everything, I'm not enough."
Tears began to well in her golden slit eyes, shimmering before spilling over. She stifled a few ragged sniffles, her gaze landing briefly on the small cake box resting on the table.
"But... don't worry," she continued, her voice hardening with chilling resolve. "I've done it. I've memorized her 'Gate Spell.' I have the 'coordinates' now."
A single tear fell, landing with a soft thud on the cardboard lid of the cake box.
"Next time I go there," she vowed, her voice dropping to a deadly whisper, "I will make sure to avenge you all."
***
End of Vol. 1: The Failure of Kovalevska