The piercing cries and desperate sobs of Yuna had alerted Nasai, who was in the adjoining room to Devon's office. Ready to barge in if necessary, she issued threats in a firm yet soft voice to the two guardians blocking her path.
“Step aside!” shouted the younger Nakama, her body taut with tension as she faced the escorts.
“Leave. We don’t want to hurt you,” Virus warned her with characteristic seriousness.
“It’s better if you go,” Venus affirmed, her tone softer and more refined.
Venus and Virus had been Devon’s right hand for centuries. They owed him their lives and, as a sign of gratitude, swore an unbreakable oath to him. Since then, they were forbidden to leave his side.
Although twins, Venus was the complete opposite of her sister. Unlike Virus, whose skin was pale, Venus had a darker complexion. Her hair was short, and her eyes mirrored her older sister’s in color, but inverted in tone. Her personality was playful and carefree, despite her lack of human emotions. This absence was precisely why she behaved in a friendlier manner toward others—she was hollow inside. In contrast, Virus bore the weight of emotions for both herself and her younger sister.
Suddenly, Yuna’s cries ceased, and silence engulfed the room. Nasai feared the worst. Thoughts and unease surged within her like a tidal wave.
“I said, move aside!” Nasai screamed with all her might.
Out of nowhere, a violent gale swept through the space. The young woman, oblivious to what was happening, stood frozen as the wind violently whipped her long black hair and dress.
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
“Where’s all this wind coming from?” Venus asked her sister playfully, though Virus’s gaze never left Nasai.
“…It’s her,” Virus replied, just before transforming her body into a thick black mist and surging through Nasai’s torso in a single, deliberate motion.
In a matter of seconds, the storm vanished, and as if all the air had been stolen from her lungs, Nasai stopped breathing. In the next moment, her consciousness faded, and she collapsed, strik
“You went too far,” Venus scolded her sister, kneeling beside the unconscious girl and poking her lightly, as if she were something strange and unfamiliar.
“Perhaps,” Virus admitted, resuming her human form while fixing her penetrating gaze on Nasai’s motionless body. “This girl…” she murmured to herself, leaning in closer. “What is something like you doing in this world?”
As Virus reached to remove Nasai’s mask and assess her state, a surge of ethereal fire forced her and her sister to retreat to a safe distance.
“Ah, Patrick, ever so gallant and eloquent. I’ve always admired your way with women,” Virus remarked, resting one hand on her hip with a smirk.
“What did you do to her?” Patrick demanded, undoing the top three buttons of his black suit with one hand.
“Calm down. My sister doesn’t kill innocent people,” Venus attempted to soothe him with a forced smile.
“But you, lifeless puppet… you’re more than capable,” Patrick countered coldly, advancing toward them as his eyes gradually began to glow with a radiant sky-blue hue.
━━━━━━???━━━━━━
Meanwhile, in Sorine, Belle and Nick were in the garden. Despite the heavy rain, he remained out in the open, barefoot on the wet ground, while his companion watched him from a distance, sheltered under the lintel of the house entrance.
“Did you feel it?” Belle asked her companion.
Nick pressed his toes into the muddy ground for a few moments before lifting his gaze to the sky.
“It’s awakening,” Nick finally said, closing his eyes as the rain poured over his face. “...In the end, she’ll have to return to our world, even against her own will.”
