"Sera, are you in there?"

"She is in there,"

"Yeah, but we shouldn’t knock too loudly. She might already be asleep..."

"No, she’s not. I’m certain of it."

A pause.

"How do you know?"

"Well, two days ago, I was looking through her window at midnight and I saw her—"

"Y-YES! OH, RIGHT! I’M UP!

Sera bolted upright, her voice cracking as she screamed at the door.

"I am definitely not asleep! Stop talking, Elira!"

She was rambling. She knew that girl had no filter — if she let that girl finish her sentence, the situation would go from awkward to a total disaster.

"Sera... are you okay? We can talk if you want."

Sera dragged herself out of bed, her legs feeling like lead. She walked toward the door but stopped inches from the handle. She looked at her reflection in the darkened mirror — messy hair, wrinkled pajamas, and a face as red as a tomato. She couldn’t let him see her like this. Not after how he’d been acting lately.

"Sera?"

Still, she didn’t move. Outside, Lucian waited for a few long seconds. Elira stood beside him, arms crossed, her eyes fixed intently on the wood of the door as if she could see right through it.

Eventually, Lucian sighed. He knelt down. A heavy, metallic thud echoed as he placed a scabbard onto the floor.

"I brought something for you," he said in a low, steady voice.

"I’m leaving it right here. Pick it up once I’m gone."

Sera’s eyes went wide.

A gift? For me?

Lucian turned and gave a sharp signal to Elira.

"Let’s go."

She gave a brief nod. A rift tore open in the air, humming with energy. Without a second glance, Lucian stepped through to the other side.

Elira moved to follow, but just as she reached the threshold of the rift, Sera’s door slammed open.

Sera burst out of her room in a panic, desperate to say something. But in her rush, she didn’t see the sword lying directly in her path.

Her foot caught the scabbard. Her balance vanished instantly. She lunged forward, slamming straight into Elira, who was still half-positioned inside the portal.

"Ah—!"

Before either of them could react, they both tumbled through the rift together, rolling onto the hard ground on the other side with a THUD.

"Oww..." Sera groaned, rubbing her forehead.

She realized she was currently sprawled directly on top of Elira. The ’Ice Princess’ didn’t move, her face pressed into the dirt.

"Could you get off me?" Elira’s voice was muffled by the ground.

"Your boobs are way too heavy. I can’t breathe."

Sera’s brain short-circuited. She scrambled to her feet, her face reaching a new level of crimson. She pointed an accusing finger at the back of Elira’s head.

"It’s... It’s not like I wanted to trip, okay! It was an accident! And don’t say weird things!"

Elira stood up, regaining her composure with annoying ease. She didn’t even have a scratch on her. She brushed off her clothes and made a dismissive, ’shooing’ gesture.

"Yeah, I know. Now go back. Shoo, shoo... The adults have a mission to finish."

Sera’s face contorted. This woman... She’s treating me like a toddler. How dare she look down on me like this!

Though she was painfully aware of her current state — barefoot and dressed in nothing but pajamas. Then, her gaze glanced toward Lucian.

Lucian, however, wasn’t even looking at them. His eyes were fixed on an invisible blue screen. He pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a long, exhausted sigh.

[Mission Start]

(Gate ability locked until mission completion)

Dammit... How am I supposed to focus on the mission with this useless catfight going on?

Sera’s anger died instantly as she looked around. Dense trees, thick undergrowth, and a strange, biting coldness in the air. The confusion finally started to override her embarrassment.

Where are we? How did we... we were just at the door?"

Elira, who was already observing the nearby thickets, didn’t turn around as she answered.

"Forbidden Forest."

Sera’s brows furrowed.

"Forbidden Forest...?"

She turned toward Lucian. He was walking straight at her. Just as her body snapped rigid, posture locking like a soldier on the front lines.

Oh god, oh god... why is he coming here? No, please, stay away...

She couldn’t summon the courage to meet his gaze; instead, her eyes remained stubbornly fixed, anchored to his chest.

What is happening? Why am I sweating? Since when did his body look so solid... and why is his aura so intense?

Her pupils darted around awkwardly.

She couldn’t wrap her head around it. Only days ago, he was the skinny, pathetic boy whose broken ribs she’d patched up without a second thought. But now? Meeting his gaze felt impossible. That primal energy radiating from him left her skin crawling with a strange tremor.

Lucian stopped inches away, towering over her completely. Beads of sweat stood out on Sera’s forehead as she continued to look everywhere but at him. Then, his hands came up—a firm, heavy grip on her shoulders.

"Sera... I’ll explain everything. For now, you just stay with me. Got that?"

The tightness in her chest loosened instantly. She found the courage to look up, finally meeting his silver-white eyes. There was no mockery there, only genuine concern.

She gave a small, silent nod.

Suddenly, Elira was there too. She pressed herself against Lucian’s back, wrapping him in a tight hug and purred. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

"Come on, darling. I’m here, too..."

The word ’darling’ hit Sera like a physical blow. Her eyes widened in shock, her throat tightening so much she couldn’t even squeeze out a word.

Lucian gave an annoyed grunt and pried Elira off him. He was about to snap at her when a piercing, blood-curdling scream tore through the silence of the forest.

The scream was so piercing that the hair on their arms stood on end. All three of them instantly snapped their heads toward the thickets to the west.