Siersha Twilight Valantine.
A main heroine of the second ga who was chosen as the Vessel of the Goddess of Corruption and Misfortune, Taishareth.
A tragic heroine who lost her everything... including herself.
Soone who willingly offered her body to Taishareth in return for a painless death.
And her tragedy started at her first awakening.
When she killed her little brother with her own hands.
'Why am I thinking about all this?'
Right....
I was doubting my own knowledge about the ga.
Because standing before , sword in hand, was the one person who was supposed to be dead.
I looked around, finding myself at the back of the bloodsuckers' mansion.
The place was decorated with small stands of trees along with clusters of rocks around us.
My gaze shifted to my in-laws, who were standing at the side, before returning to my brother-in-law.
"Why are we fighting again?" I asked, gazing back at my in-laws.
Ledgar just gave a small, apologetic smile, hoping I would understand.
Aynomi, on the other hand, was grinning widely.
"You don't want to?" She gasped, placing her hand over her mouth. "It's fine if you are afraid, dear. No one is forcing you to fight."
"That's not the problem," I replied, smiling faintly. "It's just I don't understand the aning behind this duel."
"So, I can put you in your place," the young man replied, glaring at . "Whoever you are."
"What's your na?" I asked, turning to look at him.
"Carson," he replied, uninterested.
"Right, Cumson—"
"Carson!" he snapped.
"Listen here, Myson," I said, ignoring his glare. "Do you really think a demigod would choose a random person as your sister's fiancé?"
"I don't see anything worthwhile for grandfather to choose you," he replied, unsheathing the sword.
"My sister is against this engagent, and I will make sure she doesn't have to go through it."
"Ah, I see. So, Dickson—"
"It's Carson!"
"Right, Piston," I began, once again ignoring his intense glare. "Don't you think I am the wrong person to talk with? Shouldn't you be fighting your grandfathe—?"
The sheath in his hand rushed towards .
I tilted my body, evading it before I grabbed the sheath from the middle.
"You talk a lot," he said, prowling towards .
'He is fast.'
I thought as he almost reached in an instant, slashing his sword in one swift movent.
Using the sheath, I deflected the sword, taking a step back.
He stepped forward, thrusting at my guts.
Bringing the sheath in between, I adjusted it so the sword aligned with the opening.
Clang!
A soft sound of the sword sheathing echoed.
Using my other hand, I grabbed the end of the sheath, snatching the sword away.
His face morphed into a surprise as he propelled back, creating a distance between us.
I threw the sword while using Andarnaur's ring, and I marked its hilt.
"Can we stop now?" I asked, looking at him. "I don't want to hurt you."
He glared furiously, taking my words offensively.
...But I genuinely ant that.
I wasn't confident in my control yet.
If I wasn't careful, I might seriously hurt—or worse, kill—him.
[]
'Better be safe than sorry.'
Carson started muttering sothing underneath his breath.
A chant?
The air around him trembled before blood started to seep out of the ground.
A black blade conjured in his hand, filled with glowing crimson runes.
A binding weapon?
'Dude got serious all of a sudden.'
I shifted my gaze towards my in-laws, who now had a serious look on their faces. "Can't you stop him?"
"Be careful."
Was all Ledgar said.
I sighed, noticing the blood sticking to my shoe.
The hair on my nape stood up, and my body instinctively moved back.
The blood below my feet trembled before a sword shot up from the blood below, narrowly missing .
Before I could react further, Carson closed the distance, his fist hurtling toward my face.
Having no other choice, I clenched my jaw, bracing myself for the impact.
...But a tiny bit of didn't want to get hit.
My ego refused to do so.
"Huh?"
My heart skipped a beat as I felt the world around slow down.
The mana around moved gently as if caressing .
A shadowy purple path ca to my view, foggy yet clear.
Curious, I lifted my leg before stepping on it.
My body tensed up before it subconsciously moved.
My face effortlessly dodged his unavoidable fist.
"Huh?"
Carson let out a startled voice as I stood there. Unhard.
His face turned furious as he punched again, a ripple in the air from the force behind it.
Multiple foggy paths ca to my view in an instant, and I took a long, delighted breath.
I stepped on the one at the right, dodging the punch aid at my guts.
I took one shallow step, letting his punch cut through the air less than an inch from my face.
His punches beca faster, and so did the foggy paths.
Pain started to creep into my mind, unable to process the information.
I willed my body to move, and mana itself lifted my body before gliding it back.
My feet softly touched the ground, leaving everyone stunned.
"How are you doing that!?" Carson exclaid, glaring at .
I blinked, still catching my breath.
"I have no idea," I honestly replied, still unable to process what happened.
Carson turned serious as he raised his hand.
A rune began to form in the air before him—a rune of water.
But unlike its usual tranquil blue, this one glowed an ominous crimson.
He quickly conjured a magic circle.
A concentrated burst of crimson water rushed toward .
But as the liquid reached closer... sothing peculiar happened.
A thought, perhaps insight about the magic circle, started to stir in my mind.
Now, I could easily replicate the magic circle.
Not only that, I could also notice multiple flaws in the circle.
'It's as if mana itself is telling ,' I thought as I whirled around to evade the attack.
Carson's face morphed in frustration as he noticed dazed.
His body blurred while his sword conjured from the blood on the ground.
I raised my hand.
Taking full control of the mana around .
A sword rushed into my hand, its hilt glowing purple.
With a swift pivot, I spun, grabbing the hilt and striking Carson aggressively.
He raised his blade defensively, blocking ; the ground beneath him cracked.
I willed to move to his side, and a foggy path sohow conjured.
I stepped on it, and my body subconsciously moved, arriving at his side.
Without a second thought, I plunged my sword at his throat.
"Enough."
A deep, breathy voice echoed in the place.
A hand pinched my sword between his finger and thumb, its tip touching Carson's throat.
I looked at the man who was holding my sword.
He was quite tall with pale skin and slick black hair.
His crimson eyes stared at .
"Carson!" Aynomi yelled, grabbing her son in the next instant. "Are you alright? You aren't hurt, are you!?"
I quickly stepped back as I felt an abnormality in my body.
It felt like my body was burning, like I would die at any mont.
My entire body soon started to scream in pain while my breath beca shallow.
I looked down, silver runes glowing all over my body.
[]
Inna comnted, making frown.
'What?' []
'So, too much mana is... killing ?' []
'What should I do?' []
'Right.' Gritting my teeth, I forced the mana to stop flowing into my body, and even though I felt so resistance, it eventually stopped.
"Are you alright, kid?" My gaze turned back to the old man staring at .
I may say old, but he doesn't look like one.
Soone whom I recognized from the ga.
Edwin Twilight Valantine.
The head of Valantine Highbloods.
"I am fine," I replied with a slight nod.
The years of torture that I have been through made it easy for to mask my pain.
The man turned around and started walking. "Co with ."
"Wait, this isn't over yet!" Carson exclaid, blocking his path. "I won't let you do this."
"You have no say in this, Carson," Edwin coldly replied, looking down at him. "Stay out of the family matters."
"But he is just a random—"
"You tried to belittle him by asking for a duel," Edwin said, his voice impassive. "And you lost. Pathetically. Was that not enough?"
"I didn't lose—!"
"Ledgar."
Ledgar stepped forward without hesitation, grabbing Carson by the arm and dragging him aside.
Edwin started walking, and I followed behind into the mansion.
Carson continued to glare at , which I chose to ignore.
With so quiet ti, I fell deep in thought about Carson.
And it wasn't long before I ca to the conclusion.
It's because...
'Shaymal is alive.' Siersha never beca Taishareth's vessel.
She never awakened, and neither did she kill her brother.
The event that defined her in the ga never happened here.
This made wonder. 'How is she now?' What is she like?
She should surely be different than what I know about her in the ga.
It's sothing that I can't know without eting her.
"Are you usually so quiet?" Edwin asked, glancing back.
"I don't have anything to talk about," I replied with a light shrug.
"Is Akasha to your liking?" he asked, making a sharp turn.
"I haven't been here long enough to comnt on it," I replied, gazing around the place.
It was a different hall than the one I entered.
A dark hall with long black marble pillars and beautifully decorated ornants.
A chandelier hung from the ceiling, illuminating the place.
An enormous painting hung on the wall at the eastern side, catching my attention.
"Show ."
But before I could admire it, Edwin coldly asked.
I turned toward him, asking, "Show what?"
He stared into my eyes for a while before he said, "The thing you stole from the World Tree." I barely controlled my body from flinching at his words.
My heart hamred in my ribcage as I tried to keep myself calm.
Feigning ignorance, I asked, "What do you an?"
"Don't play dumb, Azariah."
Edwin growled, pressure slowly leaking from his body, suffocating .
"Show the energy you stole from Yggdrasil."
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