Nerissa realized she’d taken too long to respond.

“My apologies,” she said at last, voice quiet. “In truth... I’ve never had any friends before.”

Lucien was silent for a moment. Then:
“In that case, I’ll be your first friend.”

Her eyes flicked up, surprised. He meant it—she could see it in the sincerity of his expression.
‘How childish,’ was what she wanted to say. The words formed in her mind, but for some reason, she couldn’t bring herself to say them.

“Very well, Lord—”

“Call me Lucien from now on,” he interrupted, smiling. “Just Lucien.”

She allowed herself a small smile. “Alright, just Lucien. I look forward to this friendship.”

They both laughed, and for a moment, the world felt lighter.

Lucien stood up. “Do you know how to read and write?”

She nodded.

“That’s great!” He ran to the balcony and took out a silver whistle. A few minutes later, a pigeon fluttered down onto the railing.

“This is a carrier pigeon,” he said proudly. “We can exchange letters through them. If one of us goes far away, we’ll send messages this way. Like pen pals!”

Killian came to mind—her usual messenger. She stood from the bed, but a sudden twist in her gut made her stumble. Her insides churned, the pain sharp.

“Neri?” Lucien rushed to her side, catching her before she collapsed. “Somebody—!”

She quickly covered his mouth, her hand trembling. “Don’t. I’ll be fine.”

Then, to the air: “Enya, get him out of here. Don’t let anyone else in.”

“I’m not leaving you,” Lucien protested. “Friends don’t abandon each other.”

Should she tell him? If Lucien knew who she truly was, speaking with Killian would be much easier. But after consuming Gehenna, her aura was still unstable. If she lost control, someone could get hurt. Could Lucien handle it?

She steadied herself. “I’m better now,” she lied. “I want to get changed. I saw Orin and Nyx running outside... wanna go for a ride?”

Lucien hesitated. “Are you sure?”

She nodded. “Also—please keep what you just saw a secret. Let’s call it a secret between friends.”

He sighed. “Very well. I’ll get Orin and Nyx ready.”

As he turned, she caught his sleeve.

“Don’t touch Nyx. He’s not... very approachable.”

He nodded, then left.

As soon as the doors shut, Nerissa crumpled to the floor. “Enya...” she gasped. “Find Koa.”

---

Enya didn’t hesitate. She had never seen her Master like this.

Back at the Guild, when things became dangerous, her Master would lock herself in the training room. No one dared approach. Once, out of curiosity, Enya had peeked inside—and nearly lost her head to a flying blade.

Nerissa had stood in the center of the room, her aura a storm, metal and energy circling her like a furious vortex.

Koa once said that even then, she wasn’t using half her power. The memory still made Enya shiver.

She ran into the forest, lifting the whistle to her lips. Cyr appeared almost instantly. That was fast, she thought.

“Cyr, bring—”

“Looking for me?” came a familiar voice.

Enya jumped. “Koa! Didn’t you leave?”

He scoffed. “As if. How could I leave when Nyssa is in pain?”

“You knew?” she asked, shocked.

“Would I still be here if I didn’t?” he muttered, brushing past her.

If they weren’t in such a rush, she would’ve smacked the smugness off his face.

“Nyx is distracting everyone right now. We have to move quickly.”

Koa nodded, running beside her. “I’ll never figure out how that wolf is so smart,” he said, clearly amused.

---

Nerissa spotted them approaching and let out a sharp crow-like sound. Somewhere outside, Nyx growled, sprinting off to draw attention.

She shut the balcony doors and yanked the curtains closed just as Koa stepped in.

He didn’t look pleased.

“You really thought I wouldn’t notice you spit out the Arcadia?” he snapped. “Just because you’re immune doesn’t mean you won’t feel the symptoms. Are you insane?”

She looked up, eyes dull. “Do you really want me to answer that?”

“Nyssa, I’m being serious.”

She looked away. “And I’m trying to avoid it.”

“What was that?”

“Nothing important.”

Koa sighed. He could never stay mad at her for long.

He pulled a vial from his coat. “Here. I made an extra dose of Arcadia. Drink it—and don’t spit it out this time.”

She accepted the vial and drank it, expression unreadable. He watched to make sure she swallowed.

“Now rest,” he said. “Don’t use your abilities for the next twenty-four hours. If you do, you’ll have about ninety minutes before the pain sets in. After that, it won’t stop.”

He turned to leave, but her fingers caught his hand.

“Already? You just got here.”

He gently loosened her grip. “As much as I’d love to stay... you have a family now. This isn’t my home. Visit me when you can.” He hesitated for only a second. “Rest well, Nyssa.”

He disappeared over the balcony before she could ask him to stay.

---

Enya watched her Master stare at the closed window.

Before becoming her maid, Enya had believed her Master was heartless. A cold-blooded monster who cared for nothing but power. She followed orders. She kept her head down. She didn’t ask questions.

But now... now she saw something else.

She saw a young girl who had met pain before joy. Who knew evil long before kindness. A child who had been forced to grow up too fast—and who had turned her pain into power.

“I can’t tell if you’re pitying me or admiring me,” Nerissa said suddenly, breaking the silence. Enya jumped. Had she been thinking out loud?

Nerissa chuckled at her wide-eyed expression. “Just in case you’re wondering—the answer is no. You weren’t speaking aloud.”

“I—I was—”

Nerissa raised a hand to stop her. “I’ve seen that expression too many times. No need to explain.”

She stood. “I need to change into my riding clothes. Lucien should be done attempting to prepare Nyx.”

“Didn’t you tell him not to touch Nyx?” Enya asked.

Nerissa smirked. “The more you tell someone not to do something, the more they want to.”