We walked side by side through the bustling thoroughfares of Karama Village, the vibrant hum of a community reborn echoing all around us. Merchants shouted their wares, children dashed between sturdy wooden buildings, and the heavy scent of roasted meats and fresh bread filled the crisp morning air. Yet, despite the peaceful atmosphere, my internal biological clock was operating on an entirely different, much more demanding frequency.
Suddenly, a loud, cavernous, and profoundly undignified gurgle ripped straight from my midsection. The sound was so resonant it seemed to vibrate right through the fabric of my form-fitting dark dress.
Elicia stopped dead in her tracks. Her sharp, analytical eyes immediately snapped down to my torso, and I could practically see the administrative, high-tier magical gears turning rapidly inside her head. Given my Phase 5 demonic anatomy, the prominent fangs tucked behind my lips, and my notorious reputation across the continent as the "blood-sucking winged demon," her mind instantly leaped to the most extreme, lethal conclusion possible. She assumed my monstrous, predatory instincts were finally overriding my control.
"Oh, little Ren..."
Elicia murmured, her voice dripping with an intense, self-sacrificing sisterly devotion. Without a single shred of hesitation, she stepped directly into my personal space, tilting her head sharply to the side to expose the pale, elegant expanse of her jugular vein. She pressed a delicate finger right against her pulsing skin.
"Here. Take a sip of my blood, Ren. Don't starve yourself. I can easily cast my Divine Regeneration the exact microsecond you bite down, so my core will replenish the cellular loss instantly. Use me."
I froze, my dual-colored jade and crimson eyes widening in absolute, unadulterated shock. My cheeks instantly flushed with a mixture of secondary embarrassment and sheer panic at her absurdly overprotective, graphic offer.
"No! No, sister, stop! Put your collar back up! I am not craving blood! I'm hungry for real, actual food! My... my pregnancy cravings are kicking in, okay? The demon core isn't starving, the baby is! I would much prefer fruits right now!" I hissed frantically, waving my hands in front of my face as I desperately tried to push her away before the nearby villagers noticed the Sisiphon Academy Principal offering herself up as a local vampire snack.
Elicia blinked, her intense, sacrificial expression instantly melting into a look of profound, delighted realization.
"Oh! Well, why didn't you just say so? Perfect! I saw a wonderful fruit stall just over there near the central plaza. Let's get you fed." She beamed, her maternal and sisterly instincts seamlessly shifting gears as she scanned the marketplace.
She practically marched me over to a colorful wooden stall shaded by a canvas awning, where crates of fresh, dew-kissed produce were beautifully displayed. Behind the counter stood a pleasant-looking human woman wiping down the wood with a cloth.
"Greetings, ladies! Welcome to our stall, What can I get for you today?"
My eyes swept past the apples and berries, locking instantly onto a cluster of perfectly ripe, vibrant yellow fruit. My body practically screamed for them; after weeks of running, surviving on rations, and expending massive amounts of vital energy, my system was utterly depleted. I pointed a finger straight toward the shelf.
"Bananas, The ones packed with potassium. Give me those."
The vendor chuckled softly at my intense focus.
"Sure thing, dear. A heavy bundle of our best bananas... that will be exactly ten copper coins."
Elicia, who was still securely holding my leather purse beneath her cloak, smiled gracefully and reached into the pouch. She counted out the ten copper pieces with perfect, deliberate precision… mercifully refraining from throwing any more gold or silver away… and handed them to the merchant before taking the bundle of fruit and passing it directly into my waiting hands. I didn't even wait to sit down; I peeled one back immediately, taking a large, deeply satisfying bite as the rich nutrients instantly began to soothe my volatile system.
But just as I was swallowing the first bite, I felt a sudden, soft weight impact the side of my leg.
I looked down, my vanguard hood shifting slightly, and found a tiny human child wrapped tightly around my left boot. The toddler couldn't have been more than three or four years old, clinging to my fabric like a little barnacle. I tensed up, my rogue mercenary instincts temporarily flaring as I tried to subtly shrug my leg to dislodge the tiny intruder, but the kid only squeezed tighter, burying her face into my dark skirt.
"Oh! Oh goodness, I am so sorry! Please forgive her, ladies! This is my daughter, Charm. She's terribly affectionate and usually does this to our regulars and kind-looking customers. Charm, sweetie, let go of the lady's cloak!" the stall owner cried out, rushing around the counter with her hands raised in apology.
Elicia chuckled softly, her heart melting at the sight.
"Oh, your daughter? She's absolutely precious."
I, however, remained entirely frozen, staring down at the little girl named Charm who was still anchoring herself to my foot. As the child slowly tilted her head upward to look at me, my breath caught firmly in my throat. My gaze locked onto her features, and a surreal, echoing sense of deja vu washed over me.
She possessed bright, striking green eyes… resembling the exact shade of my own left eye. And framing her chubby cheeks was a head of messy, untamed brown hair that perfectly matched the natural color of my own. For a split second, looking at her felt like staring into a shattered mirror of my past, a bizarre echo of the girl I used to be before the world tore me apart.
Before I could even process the uncanny resemblance, Charm's small fingers tightened on my dress. Her wide, green eyes locked onto the faint, dual-colored glint hiding deep within the shadow of my heavy hood. Her tiny mouth parted, and she spoke in a clear, high-pitched whisper that made the entire bustling marketplace completely vanish into static:
"Wait... you're Eirene."
Elicia's graceful posture instantly shattered. Her jaw dropped slightly, her silver hair shimmering as she stiffened in pure, unadulterated shock. The prestigious, always-in-control Principal of Sisiphon Academy looked completely short-circuited, her gaze darting erratically between the tiny girl clinging to my leg and the woman behind the counter.
The fruit vendor's eyes widened to the size of saucers. She dropped her wiping cloth onto the wooden counter, her hands flying to her mouth as she stared at the dual-colored eyes hiding beneath my heavy vanguard hood.
"Wait... you're Eirene? Elias's sister?!" the lady gasped, her voice dropping to a frantic, disbelieving whisper.
Before either of us could scramble for an excuse or deny it, the little girl, Charm, let go of my boot. She stepped back, pointing a tiny, sticky finger right up at Elicia with a triumphant, toothy grin.
"And you, silver-haired girl! You must be Elicia!"
"Charm, shush!" The woman quickly reached out, scooping the little girl up into her arms and pulling her safely behind the counter, casting a paranoid glance around the crowded Karama marketplace to ensure no passing guards or travelers had overheard the names. An 18-million-gold bounty wasn't something to take lightly.
Once she was sure the coast was clear, the woman looked back at us, her eyes brimming with a chaotic mix of awe, relief, and deep emotion. She offered a frantic, deeply respectful bow.
"I am so incredibly sorry for the drama and the inconvenience, My name is Lilith Rynd. I'm... I'm Elias's wife."
"WHAT?!" Elicia gasped, the word exploding out of her mouth before she could stop herself.
She slammed her hands flat onto the fruit stall counter, leaning in so close that a few bananas nearly rolled off the shelf. Her noble, aristocratic composure was completely out the window. Her silver eyes were wide with a hilarious mixture of utter bewilderment, processing speed errors, and intense sisterly interrogation mode.
"Elias?! My brother Elias? The spoiled, dramatic brat, Elias is married?! And... and this child... this is his daughter?! I have a niece?!" Elicia stammered, her voice cracking as she looked from Lilith to the little green-eyed girl, Charm.
I stood perfectly still in the shadow of my hood, casually chewing on my banana while watching Elicia completely lose her mind. It was rare to see the "Offspring Goddess" completely blindsided by a localized family update, and honestly, given the pregnancy cravings, I was just glad the focus was off my stomach and on our brother's secret domestic life in the northern wilds.
"Well, come inside, I've already prepared dinner, and I might as well close the shop early for the day. It's not safe to stand out in the open like this." Lilith said, her voice a hushed, welcoming murmur as she quickly gathered the remaining crates of fruit.
Elicia and I didn't need to be told twice. We slipped past the counter and followed Lilith through a sturdy wooden door at the back of the stall, which led directly into their attached home. It was a modest, cozy cottage typical of the Caria countryside… warm, built from thick timber and river stone, and tucked far enough away from the main thoroughfares that the prying eyes of the LKBA Bureau felt a million miles away.
The interior smelled wonderfully of rich beef broth, root vegetables, and fresh herbs. Elicia and I exhaled simultaneous sighs of relief as we finally shed our heavy, travel-worn cloaks. We sank into a surprisingly comfortable, patched fabric sofa in the small living area.
Little Charm didn't lose her boldness for a second. She trotted right into the room after us, stopping a few feet away, her bright green eyes wide with infinite curiosity as she hovered near the edge of the rug.
Elicia's face softened completely, the lingering shock of discovering her secret niece instantly melting into pure, maternal warmth. She patted the cushion right beside her.
"Charm, sweetie, come here."
The little girl didn't hesitate. She scrambled up onto the sofa, her small hands resting on Elicia's lap. Elicia let out a soft, adoring hum and began gently stroking Charm's untamed brown hair, marveling at how perfectly the child inherited the family's traits.
While Lilith was outside clattering the heavy wooden shutters closed to lock up the shop, I leaned my head back against the sofa cushions, staring blankly up at the exposed ceiling beams. The domestic peace of the room, combined with the rhythmic motion of Elicia playing with Elias's daughter, suddenly triggered a memory from two months ago.
It was during my time laying low in a safehouse, a period where I spent hours desperately scanning the media to map out the geopolitical landscape. I had bought a massive bundle of the Caria Times newspapers, meticulously reading through every single issue from Monday all the way to Friday to see just how badly the Bureau was spinning my name.
There, buried deep within the political columns of the Caria Times, a specific, shocking headline about Elias had caught my eye…