Krul Tepes stared blankly at the familiar room layout before her, a surge of mixed emotions washing over her.
Looking down, Krul realized she was wearing a dress; everything was just as it had been in her home before she became a Vampire.
"Yo, Krul. Nice to meet you—no, I should say..."
A familiar voice that Krul had thought of day and night reached her ears. She turned around and saw asuramaru, dressed just as he had been during their time as humans.
"Long time no see."
asuramaru spoke softly, his hands behind his back as he surveyed their surroundings.
"I'm sorry, I've forgotten many things. This was constructed from your memories; is this where we used to live? It's so warm. It gives me a sense of peace."
Krul couldn't believe that the elder brother she had searched for for thousands of years was standing right in front of her. She tried to speak several times but didn't know how to start, the accumulated longing in her heart finally coalescing into a single phrase.
"Dear Brother."
Looking at the overwhelmed Krul, asuramaru gave a gentle smile and responded.
"I'm here, Krul... Eh?"
The moment asuramaru answered, Krul could no longer restrain her feelings and threw herself onto him.
"Brother, I missed you so much..."
asuramaru was stunned at first, but feeling Krul's embrace so full of longing, his expression softened and he patted her head.
"You're quite impatient. You can hug me for as long as you want, Krul."
After a while, Krul released her embrace. Feeling asuramaru's gentle gaze, she gave a sweet smile.
"Let's talk while we walk. Do you still remember our home? I'll give you a tour."
Although asuramaru had forgotten many things from before he became a demon, the way he looked at her was still filled with doting and tenderness.
In Krul's eyes, asuramaru was her one and only elder brother—Ashera Tepes.
Krul took Ashera's hand and began to show him around their home.
As Ashera was led along by Krul, familiar scenes entered his vision, allowing him to continuously recover fragments of memory from before he became a demon.
"Do you remember this place? We used to tend to this garden together. I was always so clumsy, overwatering and drowning the flowers, but every time you'd just smile and say we could just plant more. And over there..."
Krul felt that today was the day she had spoken the most in thousands of years, and also her happiest.
Meanwhile, the hollowed-out memories in Ashera's heart were partially filled, and the vague impression of a sister in his mind gradually took on Krul's colors.
In this manner, Krul finished showing Ashera around the home filled with their memories.
Krul and Ashera lay down in the flowerbed.
After lying down, Krul looked up at the dim, abyss-like sky and was forced to face the truth—this was just a fake place constructed from her memories. Her and Ashera's home was long gone, and the flowers had withered and died through countless cycles.
Being within Krul's consciousness space, Ashera sensed the change in her mood. Lying beside her, he spoke calmly and firmly.
"As long as I am here, our home remains. Although I haven't fully recovered my memories, the fact that you are my sister is something no one can change, not even the Progenitor."
Krul turned her head to look at Ashera; his smile was as bright as the moon.
"Krul, this is your world of consciousness. Your will is everything."
Krul nodded as if she partially understood. She looked back at the sky, closed her eyes, and concentrated for a moment.
When she opened her eyes again, the sky was filled with brilliant stars and a high-hanging moon like a jade plate.
The two enjoyed the tranquility for a long time, but Krul was still curious about Ashera's experiences over the years.
Ashera recounted the interesting things that happened after he became asuramaru in detail, intentionally avoiding the loneliness and suffering he endured during that time.
How could Krul not tell that Ashera was skipping over the painful periods? However, she didn't expose him and simply remained a quiet listener.
When she heard Ashera mention how she had heartlessly abandoned him in Shibuya eight years ago, Krul didn't even know how to argue back.
"What about you, Krul? I heard you're already the Queen of the Vampires. You've really made something of yourself!"
Krul didn't vent her own troubles either. She didn't want Ashera to worry; a long-awaited reunion shouldn't be joined by sorrow.
After Ashera was taken away by the Progenitor, Krul had to bear everything alone. Because of this, her emotions had faded quickly after becoming a Vampire, but that was also a means of disguising her own strength.
Krul leisurely admired the stars in the sky, a happy smile on her face.
After faking smiles for so long, they naturally became a disguise to protect herself. Krul hadn't realized that only in front of Ashera and Luke was she her most authentic self.
"Brother, I will find a way to restore you."
Ashera smiled and shook his head.
"It's alright, Krul. I've already gotten used to this demon form. You don't need to push yourself. Besides..."
"Besides what?"
"Besides, that kid Luke already promised to give me a physical body."
Krul was stunned for a moment. What could Luke possibly do? Then again, that guy had plenty of strange things and seemed to have everything in the palm of his hand; maybe he really did have a way.
Noticing Krul was dazed, Ashera teased her with a smile.
"What? Thinking about Luke?"
Krul quickly denied it.
"Who's thinking about that bastard! Brother, you don't know how bad that guy is! Earlier..."
Krul didn't realize that because she was in a consciousness space with Ashera as the medium, her emotions were amplified quite a bit, and her body here was restored to its human state.
"My, little Krul is blushing. It seems a certain white-haired boy has really walked into my sister's heart."
Ashera could feel Krul's emotions very clearly, leaving her momentarily unsure of how to respond.
Ashera continued to ask.
"Krul, seriously, what is Luke to you?"
Krul froze, not expecting Ashera to suddenly ask this question.
At first, she treated him like livestock, and later she only thought of him as a thrall with delicious blood. Now... Krul thought of her daily life with Luke. Although the guy always teased her, he was always very respectful of boundaries.
Overall, Krul felt very comfortable with Luke. Only when she was with him did she feel this way.
So what should he be to her now?
Ashera gave a meaningful sigh, having already reached a conclusion in his heart.
That bastard really got lucky!
Inside Krul's palace, Luke rested his head on his hand and kept staring at Krul.
Krul maintained a constant smile; it seemed she and asuramaru were having a good talk.
An unknown amount of time passed as Luke just kept staring at Krul's beautiful and moving smile.
Krul suddenly opened her eyes.
"Finished talking?"
Luke stood up from his stool and asked with a smile.
Krul looked at asuramaru in her hand with a complex expression and gave a slight nod.
"Yes."
Krul took a deep breath and handed asuramaru and the demonic sword to Luke.
"Take good care of him."
Luke took asuramaru and the demonic sword, turning around to wrap asuramaru in cloth again.
"Luke."
Krul called out to him. Luke turned around curiously, and then a fragrant breeze hit him. Krul hugged his waist, buried her head in his chest, and whispered.
"Thank you."
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