The air of nobility in that place was indescribable.

The white marble floor with gold details in the grout, the large and leafy burgundy suede curtains, the ornate carpets with the smell of aged fabric, and the large chandelier hanging in the middle of that immense room. The cozy opulence was mind-numbing; who wouldn't want to live in a place like that?

But that noble place allowed itself to be tarnished by vile people, who had fun in the humbler neighboring room, with only a few gold and silver decorations, but without any expensive and unique curtains or paintings. In that unrefined room, prostitutes, pigs with bows, wolves dressed in black, and many bartenders occupied each cheap porcelain floor; after all, why spend so much on vile people?

Very well, in that degraded space - with pompous make-up - people wore expensive clothes to hide their putrid bodies and, each carrying a single, sharp dagger to stab the nearby noble. The prostitutes were also camouflaged but behind fancy, beautiful masks and porcelain skins; some of them got drunk on the cheap liquor served, and others got high on pills that the pigs gave them to make the slaughter quicker...

... but one of them was missing.

The little sacrificial lamb ran through the exquisite corridors, crossing an invisible "anti-rot people barrier" in that vile hall.

It ran and ran and ran more and more. Not paying attention to the drops of an exquisite liquid it left behind.

Drip.

Drip.

Drip.

Despite being a small sacrificial lamb, it seemed valuable.

Drip.

Drip.

Drip.

The golden liquid stained the ground wherever it went.

The poor, stupid goat didn't see its hidden treasure fall and continued running when it saw the pigs and wolves running after it. It didn't scream, the fear consuming and crossing its wide eyes.

Its mask had fallen to the ground some time ago and a few meters back, so, ashamed of its poor face, the little lamb covered it with a piece of its then little torn clothing.

It then arrived at the pompous hall of genuine richness!

The gold flowing from its arms matched the gold of the decorations and the gold inlaid on the staircase.

Still, even though the little lamb had run that much, the wolves and pigs surrounded it. After all, it was just a sacrificial lamb, so, at one time or another, it would be sacrificed for the better good... of the wolves.

Drip. 

Drip.

What had fallen was no longer gold but simply a few drops of salty water staining the flooring.

But the goat did not give up. It managed to kick the pigs and wolves, dirtying the marble floor with the crimson of their falling drops of liquid jewels.

“Don’t come closer!” The sacrificial lamb screeched, holding its hurt body the best it could.

“Hm… your species are really… formidable…" a tall man approached the crowd, which opened the way for him to come closer to the shivering lamb.

Before the man could touch the hurt, frightened lamb, a foreign wolf appeared and mercilessly soared half of the pigs and wolves in that hall. It stood before the lamb as if it was protecting its own prey. Or maybe he was as greedy as the others; who knows?

"Oh!" The tall man chuckled. "Here's our most illustrious unwelcome guest! Behold-” and he was fast enough to avoid a few of the foreign’s wolf killing attempts.

The poor, scared lamb then tried to flee. A wolf's clashing wasn't friendly to deal with, so the wisest choice was to get out of that whole ill place…

… but it wasn't as simple as the traps were activated.

Oh, poor lamb… once a sacrificial lamb… always a-

"YOU SOLD ME!! HOW DARE YOU SELL ME TO HER?!" The foreign wolf then shouted to the tall man, after breaking a few alarms as if they were made of plastic. The lamb was lucky.

Clink.

Clink.

Clink.

The lamb recognized the foreign wolf the moment his ornamented mask shattered and fell on the pompous flooring with one of the alarm's attacks. His pale face was stunning under the moonlight, and the new red colors over his cheek were worrying and beautiful at the same time.

"Y-you..." the lamb looked at him - half frightened, half worried - just to witness the tall man's vile and low attack trying to hit that familiar person.

Clink.

Clink.

Clink.

The lamb's improvised mask also fell on the flooring, but another one was beneath it, a very ornamented one, rich in details and carvings. A thin, mystic veil wrapped its shoulders, and the lamb became oddly brave…

… after all, it was a coward, disguised wolf.

[*chaotic background noises*]

Oh shoot!! Interrupt our transmission!!

Ahem- ahem- is it turned on? Oh~ my apologies~ Sorry for the intromission ((*꒦ິ꒳꒦ີ))... e-erm... hehe~ our intern messed up a few chapters and- well, don't worry. Let's just pretend all of that... didn't happen, hehe~

I even lost my sheets, oh my Lord- Here they are! Let's see, let's see... ah! Ok, now I found what I was supposed to tell you, mysterious reader. I've read a lot of books, but this one... oh, this one...

You must be alert, and before we start, I need to tell you a few things.

[*clears throat*]

Life is a big act.

Between masks and costumes, you give your character some depth...

... and shallowness.

Everybody has secrets.

Still, they never last forever.

It's a risky move, acting is a big deal after all.

Until when are you up to live on the stage?

How will you give your character enough reliability?

Well, it's not that simple.

It’s very complex.