No More Pain For This Villain.

Amelia\'s expression darkened. She sat back down, her gaze averted. It was clear something had happened before between her and Devon—she wasn\'t usually one to work with someone like him willingly.

"Anyway, it\'s good to see you weren\'t just some random guy I crossed paths with!" Devon said, a wide grin on his face, his enthusiasm almost too much for the room.

Some things never changed. He was exactly the same as when he\'d pretended to be my guide, leading me all over the Kingdom. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Who would\'ve guessed that this guy is now a wanted criminal all across the continent? Whatever.

Devon leaned against the wall, keeping his distance from everyone. But my real concern was Vexa. I gave a small wave, unsure of what lay behind those unreadable eyes of hers. She was practically a doll when it came to expressions.

Before I could say anything, Aron piped up. "Why are you sitting with us? Why not go sit with your boyfriend?"

Seriously, dude…

\'Well, at least he thinks you two are on the same team,\' Blaze chimed in. He wasn\'t wrong, but still, I wasn\'t here to join any teams. I hadn\'t even decided if I wanted to go with them to that dungeon.

Vexa ignored Aron\'s jab, her gaze still fixed on me. Aron clicked his tongue in frustration.

Then, Adam walked up behind Vexa, his eyes zeroed in on me and Aron. His group—his harem, really—hovered behind him.

"Vexa, we should get going. We need to leave by tomorrow," he said, his voice softening as he spoke to her. "You might want to start preparing."

Classic Hero move. He couldn\'t let his heroine linger with people he didn\'t approve of.

But Vexa didn\'t budge. She raised her finger, pointing directly at me. "I have plenty of time. I want to chat with him."

Adam\'s expression shifted, his calm facade cracking. "You still shouldn\'t—"

But Aron cut him off. "You\'re just like me, aren\'t you, Adam?"

Adam blinked, caught off guard. "Eh?"

Aron grinned wickedly. "You also don\'t know what consent is."

"Pfff!" I couldn\'t hold back a laugh. Was that a diss aimed at Adam, or at himself?

That was then followed by an awkward silence.

Adam looked like he wanted to say something but held back, his jaw clenched. "Vexa, what is it that you want to discuss with the likes of—"

"The likes of?" I interjected.

And for some reason, it looked like he didn\'t expect it. What? Am I supposed to let him say anything and everything he wants? Fuck that.

"You want to fight him?" Blaze questioned point-blank as he stretched his back in a very cat-like manner.

Well it\'s clear that I have one behind my back if fight does break out.

Adam, however, didn\'t continue whatever he was saying. He held back his words as he rephrased, "Are you sure you want to stay, since I\'m leaving with everyone?"

"Yes." It was an immediate response.

After a moment, he simply nodded, casting me one last glance before turning on his heel and walking away. His group trailed behind him, a little unsure, but no one dared question his lead—leaving Mary standing there.

Now what? I stared at Mary standing in front of me—she seemed like she wanted to say something. But what does she have to say to me? Or is she here for Vexa, just like Adam?

I wanted to ask, but I didn\'t at the same time. I don\'t want to have anything to do with her.

Still, she looks...

"Like a ghost," Blaze spoke my mind exactly. She looked like she was nothing but skin and bones.

Her face was pale, and her hair looked dull. I\'ve seen this look before, but it was way too late—it was in one of the game illustrations for Ren\'s funeral. It was shown for only a few seconds, but I\'d seen this same facial expression on her face in those illustrations.

Her lower lip quivered, but before she could say something, Elsa walked back into the room. "There you are!" she shouted as she grabbed Mary\'s wrist and dragged her out.

What the fuck?

"I\'ll get going too, since I think this is a private matter." Devon seemed to have gotten the gist of the atmosphere and simply walked out, but not before giving me a thumbs-up and a wink. He\'s got it wrong.

***

[Raven Larkspur POV]

[Last Night]

I did it, didn\'t I? Or… did I? But it felt like something… I touched my lips again. I tried to kiss Ren.

The wind dried my lingering tears as I stared down at the sleek, black fur in front of me, not daring to look back and catch a glimpse of him. I remember how close he was—his face, his scent… I nearly kissed him if not for this creature. What did Ren call it? Blaze. That\'s right—his small black cat familiar. Or was it Smokeball?

"Umu!!" I buried my face in the fur, too overwhelmed to focus on anything else. I should be thinking about so many things, but I couldn\'t get my mind off that almost-kiss… and the fact that I told him I can\'t live without him! How desperate must I have sounded?

I love him! I wanted him to come with me, and I know it\'s selfish, but… ughhh!

With a mind full of swirling thoughts, I felt the descent as Blaze landed near the outskirts of a neighboring town to Solstice.

I jumped down, clutching the robe that Ren had given me tightly around my shoulders. As I stood there, I took a moment to truly look at the creature before me. It was magnificent yet menacing under the moonlight, its sleek black fur gleaming with an otherworldly sheen. I couldn\'t help but wonder how Ren had managed to keep such a creature a secret. It made me question how many other secrets he harbored. A pang of sadness hit me—I didn\'t know nearly as much about him as I thought I did.

I was about to turn away when the creature grunted. My heart skipped a beat as I turned back to it. It raised its paws, and to my astonishment, claws extended from them. It began to draw something in the dirt beneath us. First, it sketched a box, then added a few wheels, forming the outline of a carriage. But then, in a moment of frustration, it facepalmed itself and brushed the drawing away, shifting its focus to writing.

I was surprised to see that it could write—with such efficiency, no less. It began etching words into the ground:

[Grav Kingdom is safe for now. Reva is under attack, so the princess wants you to somehow reach the borders of Grav and Reva. There\'s a small town called Kilper Town. Stay there for two or three days until we send someone to pick you up, and then they\'ll drop you wherever you want. Remember the name Alver.]

I read everything, confusion washing over me. "Who\'s the princess?" I blurted out. In a hurried manner, the creature dusted off the name "princess" and replaced it with "Ren," making me chuckle a bit at the absurdity of it all.

With that, the creature took flight into the night sky, leaving me alone to find a carriage for myself. The weight of the message lingered in my mind, and I knew I had to figure out my next move quickly.

I\'m back Satan03