Seraphina arrived at her new home.
Perched atop the misty cliffs near the capital, the manor stood proud — spacious and elegant, albeit empty and hollow inside. Dust danced in the sunlight streaming through the tall windows. Her footsteps echoed faintly across the bare floors. No furniture, no warmth — it was a shell waiting to be filled.
Still, it was hers.
To keep it that way, Seraphina raised one hand and murmured a spell. A faint ripple shimmered through the air as a defensive time barrier cloaked the manor, invisible to the eye but deadly precise. It wasn't just a warning field — the barrier could reject intruders, delay magical beasts, and even freeze time within its bounds if she willed it.
It would alert her instantly the moment someone stepped inside.
And now… she could hold time still for nearly ten whole minutes.
She folded her arms, nodding to herself.
Seraphina: "I guess this should take care of those pests and thieves. But really—" she glanced around the barren space, "—a big house and not a single chair. Did the thieves even steal the doorknobs? Do they have no morals?"
(They didn't.)
The next few days were a blur of chores — buying furniture, scrubbing floors, cooking basic meals, and falling asleep in a sleeping bag until her bed finally arrived. For once, life was simple.
But in the town's dark underbelly, word was already spreading.
In a shadowed alleyway
Several cloaked figures whispered among themselves.
Thief A: "Hey, I heard someone moved into the cursed manor on Thieves' Hill."
Thief B: laughs "Seriously? That place? They must be an idiot. No one lasts there more than a week."
Thief C: "I saw her. Young lady. Dressed well. Probably some noble brat who thought the view was nice."
Thief D: "No guards?"
Thief C: "None. Just her."
Thief A: "Perfect. Easy pickings tonight, boys."
That Night
The moon hung high above the hills when Seraphina stirred in her sleep.
Her eyes opened slowly.
The barrier had been breached.
Seraphina: "Middle of the night? Honestly, do these thieves have no concept of decency or timing?"
Peering from the second-floor balcony, she spotted a group of shadows creeping through her front gate, chuckling as they tested the locks — or the lack of them.
Thief A: "This is almost sad. She's not even trying."
They didn't see her watching. They didn't know what they were walking into.
Calmly, barefoot and in silk pajamas, Seraphina descended the stairs as the door burst open. The thieves froze when they saw her — but only for a second.
Thief B: "Hand over the money, sweetheart. Or things get ugly."
They rushed at her.
But Seraphina's voice was soft, steady.
"Chronos Mors… Halt the flow, silence the world."
A cold silence fell. The air itself recoiled.
A ripple of silver light burst from her fingertips, flowing outward like a still wave. The moment it passed, everything stopped — the thieves frozen mid-lunge, eyes wide and mouths half-open. A moth froze mid-flight. Even the fire in the hearth halted, flames paused in elegant arcs.
Time had stopped.
She exhaled.
Walking past the still forms, she casually ascended back to her room. Changed into her black night-fighting attire. Slid her silver sword from its sheath.
Then she descended once more.
And when time flowed again...
It was already too late for them.
One by one, she cut them down — not to kill, but enough to ensure they'd never forget the night they tried to rob Seraphina Vaelcrest. Her blade struck swift, precise, and unrelenting. The thieves collapsed in pain and panic as time resumed, confused, disoriented, and bleeding.
The last one tried to crawl away before Seraphina pressed her foot on his back.
Seraphina: "You're not even worth a minute of my time."
She flicked her blade clean.
Ten minutes. That was how long she could command the world to stop.
And for a master of time, that was an eternity.
Later, she calmly tied the unconscious thieves with rope and dumped them outside her gate, sealing the barrier once again with stricter commands.
"From now on… no demon, beast, or human shall pass without my permission."
She dusted her hands.
"I should call the guards tomorrow…"
She yawned and stretched.
"…But for now, I need sleep."
She went upstairs and sank into her soft bed with a satisfied sigh, as moonlight gently spilled across her floor.