From the darkened archway stepped a woman cloaked entirely in black — silk-like shadows coiling around her like living snakes. Her presence erased sound itself. Even Velra, Demon Princess, stumbled backward in fear.
Lysandra whispered,
"Is she… human?"
Velra answered immediately.
"No. Something far worse."
The woman finally lifted her hood.
Long, ink-black hair slid over pale shoulders. Her eyes glowed gold, slit like a predator's — yet so breathtaking that even Lysandra momentarily forgot to breathe.
Her aura wasn't explosive.
It was the opposite —
an abyss of total silence, deeper than the Demon Realm.
She looked straight at Sohag… and bowed.
Not a small bow.
A full kneel, head touching the ground.
Everything froze.
"Successor of the Primordial," she spoke softly, her voice like silk over steel, "I greet the one who will one day command all creation."
Lysandra and Velra stiffened.
She continued, "Forgive my intrusion. I had to confirm with my own eyes."
Sohag stared, confused.
"…Who are you?"
The woman slowly rose.
"My name…"
A pause. The shadows behind her curled like wings.
"…is Aethria Noctis, High Shadow of the Primordial God.
I am your father's assassin."
The earth shook.
Velra shouted, "A-A-Assassin?! You serve the Primordial directly?!"
Aethria nodded calmly.
"For one hundred thousand years. Before stars were named. Before gods claimed their thrones."
Lysandra stepped in front of Sohag.
"What do you want with my brother?"
Aethria regarded her with quiet amusement.
"I have no orders to kill him."
Her gaze softened.
"In fact… I was told to protect him."
Sohag blinked.
"…By who?"
She looked at him — with an emotion that made both Velra and Lysandra step back.
Not obedience.
Not worship.
But something frighteningly close to…
Devotion.
"By your father, the Primordial God Aurelion Tenebris."
She knelt again.
"And because I have watched you since birth… I find myself unable to disobey the second command he gave me."
Velra choked.
"There was… another order?"
Aethria's cheeks tinted faintly pink — the first crack in her perfect expression.
"Yes."
She spoke in a whisper, powerful enough to shake the courtyard:
"He ordered me…
'Love him. Stay by his side. Do not let him walk the path alone.'"
Silence fell.
A deafening silence.
Lysandra's jaw dropped.
"W-Wait, he told you to love him?!"
Aethria nodded seriously.
"I am your future shadow. Your blade in the dark. And…"
She slightly looked away.
"…one of your destined wives."
Sohag immediately turned bright red and hid behind Lysandra.
"…Too sudden."
Aethria's lips curved, just barely — the smallest smile in the world.
"I apologize. I will go at your pace."
Velra sighed, slumping.
"Another strong one… and she's ancient too… I can't compete."
Aethria turned to her.
"I do not compete. I serve. The harem structure benefits the successor — I understand the logic."
Lysandra:
"…What logic?!"
Aethria:
"He gains power from affection bonds. The more devoted we are, the faster he grows."
Sohag froze.
"…I do?"
Aethria nodded.
"Yes. Your father designed you that way."
Velra groaned.
"So he gets stronger by being loved?! That's unfair!"
Lysandra pointed at Sohag.
"That means he's getting stronger right now, doesn't it?!"
Sohag shrank.
"…Don't say it like that…"
But before anyone could tease him further—
Aethria suddenly looked upward.
Her golden eyes narrowed.
"…Tsk."
Velra reacted instantly.
"What's wrong?!"
Aethria's shadow surged, darkening the ground.
"The Church of the Primordial has moved."
Lysandra stiffened.
"They're our allies. Why—"
Aethria interrupted.
"Not all of them. A single… very important person… is approaching."
Sohag felt it too.
A familiar, warm aura.
Holy.
Pure.
Overflowing with gentle affection—
And with a heart that trembled whenever it sensed him.
Aethria whispered:
"The Saintess is here."
---