Chapter 5%
Angus stood frozen in the blood–soaked basement, staring at the carnage around him.
He couldn’t move. Couldn’t think. He couldn’t even begin to imagine what it would be like to spend a single night in this place. Would anyone even survive out of this?”
The blood pooled beneath his feet, staining the cold stone floor a deep, sickening red. His heartbeat pounded louder and louder, a dreadful, suffocating rhythm.
It felt like something important–something irreplaceable–had slipped through his fingers.”
This time, it was gone for good.”
His vision blurred, his body swayed and it took someone grabbing his arm to steady him.”
IF =
Then, with a sudden sharp breath, he snapped back to reality.
[Find a woman named Alrose Traverse. A million–dollar reward for any lead.]”
****
I settled in a remote town on the outskirts of Astrait.
Thankfully, my spirit fairies kin had found me in time and saved me.”
However, my body was a mess–scars crisscrossed my skin, whip marks carved so deep they felt like they had reached my bones. Flesh torn open, blood barely dried. If they had arrived even a moment later, I would’ve died in that dungeon.” Word of Angus’s frantic search for me spread quickly, but when I heard it, I only laughed bitterly.”
Wasn’t this what he wanted? I was gone. So why was he looking for me now?
I had spent too long tangled in the mortal world, tainted by its trivialities. Now that I had finally severed those ties, I had to wait fifteen more days before I could return to my people.
For the past three days, from the attic window of my small lodging, I had seen him. Every single day. Angus, passing by on the road outside.
He held a sketch of my face in his hands, stopping passersby every few steps.
“Have you seen this woman?” His eyes were red, frantic.
He searched without much rest–circling the town, asking everyone he met–only to leave in disappointment every time.”
I couldn’t help but wonder… Had Hallie gotten herself into trouble again? Did he need me to take the fall for her one more time?”
The thought made me scoff. But the first person to find me wasn’t Angus.
It was Milo–the heir of the Newman Family. Or rather… that was just one of his identities.
As Milo stood before me, I finally saw it–he was one of my own.
A spirit fairy.
And that face… I remembered it now. He was my actual betrothed from my clan.
Before I could even speak, Milo sat down beside me and took my hand. His grip was warm. Steady.
“The chief said that this was a punishment of your past deeds. You had to go through it, I wasn’t allowed to interfere.“}
“I could only take human form and stay by your side, Rose. But now that your ties to the mortal world have been severed… I have no reason to hold back anymore.“[
No wonder his presence had always felt so familiar. So this was why.
In the small town within Astrait, Milo was the one who took care of me–watching over me, making sure I ate, tending to my wounds./
In the past, I refused to even meet him. Now, I hadn’t wanted to be tied to the mortal world anymore.”
Milo wasn’t a mortal himself. He was one of my own. And that changed everything.”
When Angus finally found me, Milo was sitting by my side, gently feeding me corn soup.
