The red wine swirled in the glass, but the blond man only watched the liquid, not drinking it.
He didn't drink; he simply enjoyed the way the wine swirled in the glass.
The room was brightly lit, every corner bathed in light.
The light also fell on the man, highlighting his black-and-white bishop's robes.
Black on the left, white on the right. Dressed as a bishop, yet he looked like a clown.
Long golden hair cascaded over his shoulders. His black right eye and white left eye suddenly swiveled in the same direction, an unnerving sight.
"Strange."
The blond man tilted his head, gazing in that direction, as if he'd noticed something.
"There's a familiar scent." He tapped the table with his right hand.
The sound echoed through the room, and the door immediately swung open.
A young woman entered, her slender figure outlined by a tight-fitting suit. Long white hair cascaded down her back, and a lily adorned the right side of her head.
"Head that way and find what's wrong."
The man gestured in a direction, his voice carrying an unmistakable air of command.
"Just find what's off. I trust you can figure out what's causing the problem."
"Go now, Cecilia."
The blond man spoke. If Otto had been present, he would have been astonished to see this man was his spitting image.
The woman named Cecilia lowered her head, her eyes slightly vacant, like those of an emotionless robot. In a flat tone, she replied:
"Yes, Lord Overseer."
•
"I knew a girl with the same name as you," Otto said. The purple-haired girl before him looked somewhat familiar, though he couldn't quite place where he'd seen her before.
Forget it, then.
This was an unfamiliar world, and Otto wanted to avoid any unnecessary complications.
"Really?" Sirin looked at Otto. Though he was the kind of adult she loathed, he was also her kind.
The aura emanating from the Void Archives had led Sirin to believe Otto was a being like herself.
'Since we're alike', she reasoned let's talk.
Sirin hated being alone.
"What happened to the girl with my name?" Sirin asked, her curiosity piqued. Having spent most of her life confined to the Babylon Research Institute, she might have mistaken Otto's remark for a clumsy attempt at flirting if she were anyone else.
"Oh, she's dead."
Sirin: ???
For a moment, she didn't react. But Otto didn't retract his statement. The Second Herrscher, Sirin, had indeed died during the Second Eruption.
Otto had studied the Second Eruption's records extensively. He remembered the Second Herrscher's face and voice perfectly, aided by numerous images from the archives.
At that moment, Otto froze, staring at Sirin. Why does this purple-haired girl look so much like the Second Herrscher?
No, they're practically identical!
Sirin was wearing a simple white tunic. Her attire made Otto forget, for a moment, the elaborately dressed Herrscher of the Void he had seen in historical records.
"Herrscher of the Void?" Otto asked.
Sirin tilted her head, clearly not understanding what he meant. But a thoughtful expression crossed her face, and she clapped her hands together with childlike delight.
"I like that name, Herrscher of the Void☆~"
"It suits me perfectly! From now on, I'll be Herrscher of the Void Sirin-da☆~"
Herrscher of the Void was a title given to the Second Herrscher, but at this moment, Sirin had never encountered "God." She was just a young girl who had suddenly gained immense power.
She was still biding her time, concealing her abilities until she grew strong enough to reveal them.
"Where am I?" Otto realized, his mind racing. This girl really might be the Herrscher of the Void—The Herrscher of the Void of this world.
Otto had considered the possibility that he might have traveled through time again, but the Void Archives had assured him this was another world.
"You don't know where this is?"
"Brother, aren't you from the Babylon Research Institute?" Sirin asked, puzzled.
Otto shook his head, and Sirin remembered that he had fallen from the sky.
If he's not from the Institute, that's good.
That means I can spare this interesting big brother.
Otto swallowed hard. He was actually facing the Herrscher of the Void in her true form. The most malevolent Herrscher of his era was calling him "big brother."
Strangely satisfying.
This made him feel like she was just an ordinary little girl, not the vicious Second Herrscher.
Maybe in different worlds, the same person can have different personalities.
In my world, Sirin was the evil Herrscher who triggered the Second Eruption. But this Sirin might just be a harmless little girl.
"Aiya!" Sirin exclaimed suddenly. "I've been out too long~☆"
Sirin had sneaked out using her Herrscher powers. If anyone noticed anything amiss, her efforts would be wasted.
She quickly grabbed Otto's forearm. Otto didn't know what Sirin was planning, but the scenery around him suddenly shifted.
One moment they were standing atop a high tower, the next they were in a blizzard, with Sirin kneeling weakly on one knee.
"First time teleporting this far☆"
"I'm so awesome☆"
Sirin boasted, panting heavily. Otto knelt before her, his voice filled with concern.
"Sirin, are you alright?"
Otto's sincerity was palpable. So this is what it feels like to be cared for? Unexpectedly... not bad.
Sirin smiled, her golden eyes lowering slightly, but brimming with determination.
She raised her right hand and pointed through the blizzard. Otto could just make out the silhouette of a tall tower in the distance.
It was the same tower they had been standing on moments before.
"Don't go there, okay☆"
Sirin warned. "Bad things will happen there. If you go, it'll be dangerous☆"
That tower was the Babylon Research Institute, Sirin's place of vengeance.
"Well, goodbye then," Sirin said, waving. She was about to teleport away when Otto grabbed her right hand.
"You're going back there? Didn't you say it was dangerous?" Otto asked. Though he didn't want to complicate things, he couldn't help but try to stop a girl from running into danger.
Sirin shook her head. She was the one who had made it dangerous in the first place.
She wanted revenge! Revenge against those hypocritical bastards!
Hatred festered in Sirin's heart. She had barely managed to suppress the dark emotions, and now she saw Otto, who didn't want her to leave.
A person who cared about her safety.
A good person.
Too bad I'm not a good person.
Mwah.
A lip-to-lip kiss. Otto's pupils dilated as he stared at the adorable face so close to his.
No lingering. Just a fleeting touch, like a dragonfly skimming the water.
Sirin straightened up, her tongue flicking across her upper lip. Even in the freezing cold, her lips remained rosy.
Sirin kissed Otto.
"So this is what it feels like ☆"
"It's just okay ☆"
"Whatever you do, don't go there. Run far away. As far as you can."
With that, Sirin vanished, leaving Otto standing there, stunned, his right hand pressed against his lips.
His first kiss was gone.
Stolen so easily by a girl.