The rest of the afternoon bled into a quiet, shadowed evening. Over in the corner of the living room, Zenni was practically bursting with restless energy. He was enthusiastically throwing clumsy punches into the empty air, mimicking the stances of the combat fighters he hoped to join tomorrow at the Caria Mastery Academy. Seeing him so genuinely excited to finally escape the dirt of his past brought a faint, brief warmth to my chest.
But my focus was quickly pulled back to the grim reality waiting on my lap.
Sitting in the dim light of a single oil lamp, I began methodically sorting through the thick stack of scattered newspapers I had gathered from the porch. I lined them up in chronological order, tracing the timeline of my frantic, bloody week from Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, right up to Tuesday… which was today.
As I opened the first print, my single jade-green eye narrowed.
[Caria Times… Friday Edition]
RUMOR OR REALITY? THE CRIMSON PHANTOM SPOTTED.
Reports flooded the border checkpoints early this morning. Multiple traveling merchant caravans claim to have spotted a terrifying, blood-red winged anomaly soaring at breakneck speeds toward the southern deserts of Sisiphon City. Authorities urge travelers to exercise extreme caution.
I let out a soft, silent hiss. Friday. That was the exact day I tore open my flesh, unfurled my wings, and flew directly into the desert to hunt Oksana. I had been moving too fast to realize the mundane traders below had caught a glimpse of my silhouette against the clouds.
I tossed it aside and opened the next day's paper.
[Caria Times … Saturday Edition]
SHADOW WALKER DEPLOYED TO THE PEAKS.
Following the alarming reports of a flying anomaly, the Luminous Knight Bureau has officially deployed Knight Elias Rynd, the 'Shadow Walker,' to investigate the jagged peaks of the Caria mountains where the winged beast was last sighted.
I stared at my brother's title in black ink. While I was busy infiltrating the cartel as the apprentice Zenni, Elias was already scaling the frozen rocks right behind me, tracking the residual blood magic I had carelessly left in my wake.
I picked up the Sunday edition, and my breath instantly hitched.
[Caria Times… Sunday Edition]
ANATOMY OF A MONSTER: EXCLUSIVE BUREAU INTEL.
High-ranking scouts from the Bureau have compiled a terrifyingly specific profile of the Crimson Phantom based on localized carnage. The entity is confirmed to be a female humanoid standing approximately 5'5". A girl in her teens, possibly 18+. Notable features include a missing left arm, a single piercing eye, and elongated, predatory fangs.
My right hand gripped the edges of the paper so hard the pulp began to tear. They know. The Bureau's trackers were too good. They had perfectly mapped my height, my mutilations, and my monstrous traits. If Elias saw this specific description, it was only a matter of time before his analytical mind started connecting the dots back to his missing sister.
My heart hammered against my ribs as I opened Monday's report.
[Caria Times… Monday Edition]
S-RANK THREAT LEVEL ASSIGNED: IMMORAL KNIGHT INVOLVEMENT?
The Council has officially classified the Crimson Phantom as an S-rank beast or higher. Horrifying rumors suggest this blood-sucking demon may have been tamed or engineered by the Immoral Knights to act as an airborne vanguard against the capital.
I let out a bitter, mocking smirk beneath my mask. Tamed by the Immoral Knights? The Bureau's propaganda machine was spinning out of control, painting me as a weapon of the enemy just to justify the absolute panic brewing in the upper districts.
Finally, I picked up the damp, freshly printed paper from today. Tuesday.
[Caria Times… Tuesday Edition]
THE SHADOW WALKER CONFIRMS THE THREAT. TWELVE GOLD BOUNTY ISSUED.
Breaking News: Returning from the Oakhaven ruins, Elias Rynd has officially confirmed to the Executive Branch that the Crimson Phantom is a real, active threat to the realm. By order of Chief Anton Kif, a staggering dead-or-alive bounty of Twelve Royal Gold Coins has been placed on the monster's head. High-tier hunters are mobilizing immediately.
Twelve gold coins.
I stared at the number, a cold, paralyzing dread washing over me. That was three times what I had just earned for terminating Oksana. A fortune large enough to make every ruthless, bloodthirsty hunter in the continent crawl out of the woodwork to track me down. And the man leading the charge… The one who had personally verified my existence to the state… was my own older brother.
I slowly folded the papers, my lone eye staring blankly into the dark corners of the living room. The net was tightening. Elias was hunting a demon that was possibly his sister, Elicia was busy at her academy. While I was here, a public enemy of the bureau.
I looked over at Zenni, who was still happily practicing his punches, entirely oblivious to the apocalyptic storm brewing around the girl who had given him shelter. I tucked my heavy merchant cloak tighter around my bound wings.
I stood in the shadow of the doorway, watching Zenni continue to throw enthusiastic punches at the air. A sudden, quiet wave of melancholy washed over me beneath my heavy hood.
I realized that tonight would be his last night under this roof. Once he enrolled in the Caria Mastery Academy tomorrow morning, the school's strict regulations would require him to move directly into the student dormitories in the 2nd District. Even though he had promised to visit my house often on his breaks, this was the last time he would truly be my ward… the broke, helpless boy I had dragged out of the Sisiphon desert.
On one hand, his departure would be a massive relief. Without Zenni in the house, I could finally shed these suffocating merchant layers, unbind my massive, blood-red appendages, and let my wings stretch freely across the living room without fear of driving the boy into a state of pure terror. But on the other hand... he was the first piece of raw humanity I had cared for since my world turned into a blood-slicked ledger.
I decided I needed to send him off with one last surprise. I wanted to cook him a proper, unforgettable meal.
I racked my brain for my current civilian persona's favorite dishes, but the only thing that came to mind was Elicia's legendary beef stew. I couldn't cook that… Elicia's recipe required a precise heat control that my brain will be fried off.
So instead, I let my mind drift backward. I reached deep into the fractured, buried memories of my old self… my past life, back on Earth, long before I was reincarnated as Eirene Rynd into this brutal world.
The memories sparked, flashing vivid images of a completely different sun, a warm kitchen, and the smiling face of my late mother from Earth. She had taught me the exact proportions of a dish that was an absolute staple, a legendary delicacy from a place called the Philippines, Chicken Adobo.
Even after years of shedding blood in this fantasy world, the ingredients were still burned perfectly into my mind. Garlic, vinegar, soy sauce, star anise, and laurel. I had managed to gather standard equivalents from the local residential markets over the months, keeping them tucked away in my pantry for a day when I missed the warmth of a life I could never go back to.
Fully embracing this final night as his quiet mother figure, I turned away from the living room and marched directly into the kitchen, the heavy fabric of my traveler's cloak brushing against the doorframe.
I worked in total silence, letting my deep muscle memory guide my single right hand. I stoked the charcoal fire until it glowed a steady, deep amber, then drizzled a bit of oil into my heavy clay pot. Since fresh poultry was a luxury in the capital's residential markets, I used the canned chicken I had stored away, letting it sear and simmer until the edges turned a beautiful, golden brown.
Chop, Chop.
With practiced ease, I sliced a bulb of garlic and a whole onion, tossing them into the sizzling pot. The aromatic burst was immediate. I poured in the water, the dark, salty soy sauce, and the sharp, tangy vinegar, ensuring I didn't stir it too early… just like my mother had taught me back on Earth so the vinegar wouldn't taste raw. Finally, I dropped in a handful of dried bay leaves, letting the whole mixture reduce into a thick, glossy, mouth-watering glaze.
Zenni poked his head into the kitchen, his eyes wide and his nose twitching as he took a deep, dramatic breath of the steam rising from the stove.
"What in the world are you cooking, Eirene? I've never smelled anything like this in Sisiphon or the capital... but I already know it's going to be absolutely delicious." he asked, completely mesmerized.
I didn't answer. I simply ladled the steaming chicken adobo into a large clay bowl, placed a spoon inside, and set it firmly on the wooden table between us. Dinner was officially served.
As I sat down, a sudden, familiar ache twinged in my chest. Rice didn't exist in this fantasy world. There were no warm, fluffy grains to soak up the dark, savory sauce. But my old muscle memory from my past life kicked in anyway, I pulled my mask down to expose my scarred mouth and began eating the tender chicken directly from the bowl, letting the rich balance of salt, acid, and garlic wash over my tongue. It tasted exactly like home. It tasted like a family that was long gone.
Across the table, Zenni took his first bite. The moment the flavor hit his tongue, his eyes practically popped out of his head.
"Wow! Eirene, this is incredible! The meat is so tender, and the sauce... it's sour but salty, and the garlic is so intense! I've never tasted spices blended like this before. What is this called?"
He had absolutely no idea that he was eating a legendary Filipino dish from Earth. He didn't know about the tropical sun, the vibrant islands, or the late mother who had lovingly taught a completely different version of me how to cook it over a stove years ago. To him, it was just the magical creation of a terrifying, one-armed S-rank bounty hunter.
I kept my eyes lowered, silently enjoying the meal in the dim, curtained room. This was our quiet send-off. Tomorrow, Zenni would leave for the Caria Mastery Academy dorms to build his own strength, and I would finally shed this heavy merchant cloak, stretch my blood-red wings, and prepare to descend into the treacherous depths of the Caria Mines to avenge my current mother's death. But tonight, the Crimson Phantom was completely at peace, sharing a taste of Earth with a boy from the slums.