Finnan lay on the ground beside his father.
He watched through half-closed eyes as Cecilus killed Darrin.
He listened to the wet sound as Taeral was torn apart.
He cried silently while forcing his chest to stay still, pretending to be dead—pretending to be nothing—as tears streaked across frost-burned skin.
But he knew.
If he wanted to live... speaking up was suicide.
Hatred was all he could feel.
The elf had killed his father and Taeral without pause. And Finnan, shaking and helpless, could do nothing.
From afar, he saw Cecilus summon his horse and ride away.
"Why? Father… why did he do those things?"
Silence answered him.
"Why am I the only one left...?"
He wiped his eyes with trembling fingers and pushed himself upright beside the frozen corpse.
"Don't worry, Father. I told you I'd be an adventurer. I'll become strong. And I'll kill that elf."
His body was stiff with frost. He stood only for a breath before collapsing, consciousness slipping away faster than he could will it back.
Hours passed.
The storm winds died, leaving only the quiet hum of melting frost around the ruined village.
Then something slid across the sea.
A demon stepped onto land, dark purple skin glistening, horns long and curved, muscles shifting beneath taut flesh. He walked with the casual confidence.
"This destruction… Nerevrax was definitely here." He clicked his tongue. "Who'd imagine that stuck-up freak would actually die?"
He laughed, stepping over broken ice and bodies until he reached Nerevrax's corpse.
"I wonder how strong the individual who killed you is? Oblivoros was shocked when he sensed your death." He nudged the dead demon with a boot. "Tch. Even frozen stiff, you look smug."
He turned. His gaze settled on Finnan, half-buried in frost.
"The only witness, huh? How'd you survive this mess?" He nudged Finnan's shoulder. "Well, maybe you didn't. You'll probably die of external injuries before you wake up…"
He knelt, placing a hand on the boy. A thick darkness slithered from Finnan's skin toward the demon's palm.
"…Frostbite."
He pulled a vial from his bag—brown liquid sloshing—and forced Finnan's mouth open, pouring it down.
Minutes passed.
Then Finnan's eyes snapped open.
"Wha—?" He stared up at the towering demon. "Who are you!?"
"Hah! Your savior, boy. Lucky one, too. Looks like your whole village croaked, but you're still in one piece!"
"Huh…?" Finnan turned slowly, vision adjusting. Only then, finally, did the truth sink in. Every villager… every familiar face… gone.
He swallowed hard. "Who are you…"
"I'm just a fellow demon. Lots of outsiders invading our lands lately. Someone's gotta look out for our home, yeah? So I need to know what happened here."
"O-Okay…"
And Finnan began to recount everything.
"A blizzard just appeared! A blue demon caused it! But one of our villages friends Taeral, and another traveling elf came to help! Taeral fought the demon first and weakened him… but the elf… the elf used my father as a shield to protect himself. He betrayed him!"
"Calm down. What did this elf look like?"
"H-He had white hair. And purple eyes."
White hair… purple eyes? Like royals? Peculiar. Is the soul mage a royal?
The demon hummed, deep in thought.
"Alright. Continue. How was the blue demon defeated?"
"He wasn't at full strength after fighting Taeral. So the elf overwhelmed him with sword skills…"
Not good. Nerevrax might not have comparable skills to that of the knights working under the ascended council but it's still respectable… This mage is strong. Nerevrax must've underestimated the target based on the Lords advice.
"Thanks, kid. May I ask your name— Wait! I should introduce myself first! Name's Orven."
"I… I'm Finnan."
Finnan's gaze drifted back to his father, eyes clouding with grief.
"Hey! Wanna see a cool trick?"
Orven tapped the ground. The earth rippled like water, then surged forward—carrying both him and the boy away from the ruined village as if riding shifting waves.
Better to pull the kid's mind away from all this… he'll break if he stares at their bodies any longer.
Finnan blinked, wide-eyed, feet gliding over what felt like liquid earth.
"Wow…"
"How about that? You wanna learn magic too?"
Finnan nodded, small but determined.
"Then leave it to Uncle Orven. I'll take you to my master. Tell him exactly what you told me, and he'll take you in. And maybe… you'll get that revenge on the elf."
Finnan's expression hardened. His grief reshaping into determination.
Good. Let him hold onto that. Feel a taste of something better first, kid… then the rest becomes easier. Lost your family? Then find the things worth living for. And if you've got none… revenge will carve a path for you.
Behind them, miles away, the earth settled back to normal. Just before the wave fully collapsed, Orven spotted a clump of flesh—Taeral's remains—still being carried along.
Perfect. More evidence to bring back. The Lord can reconstruct the corpse for questioning.
And the two disappeared across the landscape.
***
Many towns and cities had places where mercenaries and adventurers gathered—loud guild halls, job boards, taverns filled with clanking weapons and louder voices.
In one such town on the ascended continent, Marina stood at a counter speaking with a one-eyed receptionist.
Marina dropped a heavy bag onto the counter.
The woman rummaged under the desk, grumbling.
"Grivemaw head, right? Two gold."
Marina nodded as the coins hit her palm.
That's enough to cover food for a while…
She stepped outside onto a bustling walkway lined with shops and warm lights. Her eyes caught on a fancy restaurant with a carved fish sign. Almost instantly, her stomach growled.
…Maybe it won't hurt to indulge myself? Just once?
Inside, she was guided to a table surrounded by patrons dressed in fine clothes while she wore a simple travel cloak.
Is it rude to be underdressed here?
The waiter placed a menu in front of her. Marina flipped through it slowly, eyes widening.
I've never heard of half of these dishes…
There are so many fish dishes. And this thing—
She pointed at a red scorpion-shaped creature.
"…Lob-ster."
"You want the lobster dish?" the waiter asked, smiling. "Goes great with baked potatoes."
Marina nodded quickly. "Sure. I'll try it."
As she waited, she looked around again.
A year ago… would I ever have imagined eating somewhere like this? On my own? My life really did change after that day, huh?
Marina lightly smiled as she tapped the glass of water on her table.
I wonder... Cecilus, what are you doing right now?
Marina had been left alone when Cecilus had flown her to the middle of the continent. When she was left there, she sought refuge in the nearest village. After that, she did miscellaneous jobs to afford living while tracking down Cecilus.
There are no traces of you coming north... maybe I should try south. I need more money if I want to hire professional trackers...
Two well-dressed men then approached Marina's table while she was lost in thought.
One of the men, seemingly drunk, began to converse with Marina.
"Hello, young lady. Not from around here, are you?"
"None of your business."
"Aww, come on, now that's not very nice."
Marina stayed silent and tried to ignore him.
The other man then pushed his friend to the side.
"It's cause your damn breath stinks! This lovely lady wouldn't want to continue talking to you. Isn't that right, miss?"
The man brought his glass of wine to his lips and took a sip.
While it was happening, Marina's fingertip flickered a light shade of green.
"Shit!" The man spat out the wine on his friend, who then became drenched.
"AUGHHHH!" His fried yelled. The wine had gotten into his eyes.
"Why did you spit it out, you idiot!"
"The wine has gone bad! The damn waiter gave me spoiled wine!"
A waiter hurriedly came over with napkins to usher the men to the side and clean them off.
Marina smirked.
She had brought acetic acid bacteria towards the wine using her powers and poured life essence into the organisms in order to help convert the alcohol and spoil the wine.
Another waiter then arrived with the lobster.
Marina stared at the enormous plate.
"Wow… it's huge."
"If you don't finish it, don't worry," the waiter said kindly. "Leftovers are donated to the orphanage."
I don't care about that. I just don't want my money wasted. I'm eating all of this.
And she did, her fork and knife working at record pace. The waiter returned, impressed.
"I didn't think you could finish it, miss! My apologies for doubting you."
He laughed a bit as he spoke.
You say it as if it's an accomplishment to gorge on food like this... but still... this is nice...
Marina paid and stepped outside, feeling full in the most pleasant way.
Cecilus... you must've gone to these places many times before. Eaten different kinds of food. Having your own choice to do whatever you want.
Why did you think I wouldn't want freedom?
Being free is so much better!
I can eat wherever I want. Take jobs I choose. Live on my own terms. I only have to rely on myself.
That's how it should be.
There was nothing that I enjoyed about being secluded to that place...