The road back home was long and rainy. Anastasia, not expecting such weather and not bringing appropriate clothing, ended up returning to the mansion completely drenched.
I hate the rain…
The mansion was a tall and gigantic piece of architecture; it could be considered a masterpiece by professionals in the field.
The pear-green rooftop had yet to receive a single scratch, and the beige outer walls were certainly modest but of tremendously high quality.
The Fomenko family had engaged only the finest and most talented architects for the construction of the primary house, not that the second one was any different.
Anastasia was born in this very mansion almost eighteen years ago. That day, the Count, Dmitri Fomenko, was so stressed for his wife and child that he fainted in the banquet hall! You could say that the servants had quite a number of hours on this particular day, though the Count excused himself the day after.
Count Fomenko was one of the rare aristocrats who believed in equality. He had nothing but respect for the people under him and always apologized for his mistakes. Dmitri was a very honest, kind, and humble man, even with his status as someone closest to the Emperor.
The sound of the double doors echoed through the immense mansion, capturing the attention of a few servants. Two of them, an older gentleman, past his glorious years, along with a woman who looked around the Count's daughter's age, walked toward the noise.
"Oh my…" The young girl's expression clearly showed concern for the white-haired woman.
"Miss Anastasia, you should be more wary of the rain; God is powerful." The man smiled behind his thick beard while showing Anastasia the way.
He waved to the other servant in another direction as she hurried to execute the order.
The man's name was Manfredi Costa.
This name wasn't typical of the region of Zemedy. No, it was a name most familiar in the central regions of the continent. Manfredi was from a country named Gravico, a land recognized internationally for its delicious cuisine and beautiful landscapes.
Gravico's history was rich and dated far back in time, much older than that of the Praussurians.
"Manfredi, didn't you say your cousin would come to visit? How did it go?" Anastasia looked at the man beside her.
Manfredi chuckled for a bit. "He couldn't make it today, it seems. I've heard the district next door, Pilak, just put in place a new policy concerning entry into the territory. I suppose that's why he couldn't come."
The Praussurian Empire, especially the region of Pilak, had a problematic history with immigration and travel. It was a region renowned for its fortune and artifacts; it was only natural that humans would aspire to claim those.
A sharp pain, the same one that occurred whenever Anastasia thought of the situation concerning Vlad, suddenly emerged. Her very soul felt torn apart by the sensation. Fortunately, the feeling slowly faded away, leaving her with nothing but questions.
Why did it happen again?
He told me it was related to my powers, fate in particular. Is my soul understanding something my body cannot?
She sank deep into thought. It was no ordinary matter.
Could it be that those two events are related? But how? Should I ask Ivan to investigate the matter?
Sigh… I'm already fearing the price this con artist will give me…
"Is everything alright, Miss Anastasia? You seem paler than usual…" The old man's eyes softened as he placed his hand on the girl's forehead.
Usually, none of the servants would have the right to do what Manfredi was doing, but he was a close friend of the Count and almost like an uncle to his daughter.
"Hmm, your body is a bit colder than normal… You should probably go to bed early." He retracted his hand and offered his advice.
"…"
Anastasia stood on her balcony, having decided not to listen to the old man's advice.
It had stopped raining over the capital of Sredizmiye.
She remained deep in thought, reflecting on the events of the day. Even for her, all of this was a bit surreal. Meeting a God wasn't something anyone ever had the chance to do, or maybe nobody had ever met one; that she couldn't tell. Only the Sun God could answer that.
She did not know how this world truly worked. She could proudly say she had her fair share of knowledge in combat, politics, and a multitude of other subjects, but she knew nothing of theology or the supernatural. She had never once believed in such things. What use was it to believe in what could not be seen? If they so wanted me to believe in them, they just had to show themselves, hence why this surprise meeting put her in such a position.
She was now in a field she had no knowledge of, now in the role of a pawn for a God.
How amusing… almost like the world itself is giving me a challenge!
My father always told me that you have to get to the problem before it gets to you, so that's what I'm going to do! Before I can be taken into an uncomfortable position, I'll make sure to always be at an advantage!
Anastasia looked at the stars, specifically the largest of the bunch. It didn't have a name, but she was sure it had a meaning.
I too wish to be a star…
Isn't that right…
She did not finish her phrase, instead leaving it hanging in the winter air.
She could smell something in the wind but couldn't quite point out what it was. It was a smell that was rather unpleasant, both familiar and unfamiliar, like she had smelled it in the past, but her memories were not vivid enough to recall the context of such a fragrance.
Curiosity ended up getting the better of her and led her to the source of the foul odor.
She made sure not to alert the servants, it was certain that Manfredi would ask her to go back to her room if he found out about her midnight stroll.
The mission was a success. She was scared for a moment while going down the stairs, but all ended up going according to plan. Anastasia was now outside of the house, alone in the snowfield that was the front of the mansion.
She marched forward, away from the area where the snow piled up, and ended up on the main street, Svatse-Ye Street.
The smell led her to an avenue quite far from her room; it took about twenty minutes for her to walk to the source of the odor. It seemed to come from a narrow alley between houses, nothing too impressive.
She turned the corner, and what she found there was nothing short of terrifying.
The snow around it had already been tainted deep crimson, and the remaining blood had frozen around the person's body.
The person's left hand had been severed and was nowhere to be found. The weapon responsible for the murder was also missing, but she could accurately guess that this wasn't done by an ordinary knife, the cut was far too precise and sharp to have been caused crudely.
But the most terrifying fact lay elsewhere. No, it lay right in front of her.
"Vlad…"
Anastasia looked down at the corpse of her coworker, silently.
Water rolled down her face, but this time, it didn't rain upon the starry sky.
An emotion she hadn't felt in a long time surged, far from the surprise and disbelief that came with the Sun God, this was a human problem, something that was down to earth, far from the skies.
Why would this happen to him? Who had done this? What do I do now? All those questions emerged out of the ocean that was her mind.
Anastasia slowly spiraled, unconsciously going down her inner rabbit hole.
Until, suddenly, something out of this world formed itself beside her.
It was unlike the Sun God she had met earlier, it had a different touch than the Sun's.
A mysterious figure stood at her side and patted her shoulder warmly.
She was unsure of the nature of this being, whether it was a male or a female, both or none. The figure was very much androgynous and could be mistaken as both a man or a woman.
They had long, jet-black hair and the same grandeur as the Monarch of gold.
The figure had a face with very soft features, closer to that of a woman than a man's, but possessed a chest as flat as a boy's. They had a look of absolute coldness, but one that didn't seem rude or apathic.
Their attire was rather simple, being only composed of a robe the color of the ocean.
Most importantly…
Wings!