The young woman stared into the lake, her reflection wavering with the rippling water. She sat at the shore, bathed in the last golden rays of sunlight as the day gave way to dusk.
"I wonder... what am I even doing here?" she whispered.
She had run away—from home, from duty, from expectations. Her family had entrusted her with great responsibility from a young age, a legacy carved in stone long before she had a say in it.
"My duty lies with my people, but… I…"
She couldn't bring herself to say it out loud.
The truth was simple—her heart no longer aligned with the path laid out before her. Even if her feelings were crystal clear, that heavy, unmoving stone stood between her and the life she truly wanted.
Her gaze dropped. Eyes shimmering with unshed tears, she clenched her fists.
"I abandoned them…"
She picked up a pebble and flung it into the lake with force. It skipped once, twice—then soared all the way to the other side. It never sank.
There was anger in her. Frustration. Desperation. That was why she ran. Why she fought through the forest alone, fending off every beast in her way.
Because deep down… she knew she'd find him.
The one person who, to her, resembled salvation.
She closed her eyes and placed a hand over her chest, breathing deeply.
"Could he be the one to guide me to the right path…?"
"—Why would you let your life be guided by someone else's hand?"
Lucy gasped and spun around.
A familiar figure stepped out from the shadows, long black hair brushing over her shoulders as the wind played with the folds of her gothic dress. One crimson eye, one golden, narrowed at Lucy with quiet irritation. But despite her sharp words and stern posture, her childlike frame made it difficult to take her too seriously.
"Sylvia!? How did you—?"
"You never were good at covering your tracks," Sylvia said, crossing her arms. "You left a trail of corpses behind you."
With a snap of her fingers, a dead forest beast appeared beside them—its massive form hitting the ground with a dull thud. It was a grotesque sight: a lion-like monster, nine feet tall, with blue flame-like fur around its neck. Its body was split in half, entrails spilling onto the grass. One of its paws had its claws ripped out. Both eyes had been slashed clean through.
Lucy recoiled, cold sweat trickling down her temple.
"Why would you be carrying that…?" she asked, horrified.
Sylvia tilted her head. "What better proof could I bring?"
"You think I did this?"
Sylvia gave her a flat look. "No one else would leave something in this state. This is your signature, Lucy."
Lucy lowered her head, face partially hidden beneath her bangs. She clenched her fists tighter. There was no denying it now. She'd been found.
—How pathetic...
"Tell me," Sylvia said coldly, "why did you pass the burden on to someone else?"
"What?" Lucy blinked, startled.
"You were granted this little fantasy of freedom—permitted to leave the house, to work, to explore—in exchange for your cooperation. And now, here you are, hiding from responsibility."
"That's not fair!" Lucy snapped. "It's not what it looks like—you're wrong!"
"Oh?" Sylvia stepped forward, unrelenting. "Then explain it to me. Because from where I'm standing, it looks like you're being greedy. Especially when it comes to him. That's cruel, even for you."
Lucy's heart twisted. She didn't want to hear it. Not again. Sylvia's words echoed those of the very person she'd tried to escape. The one who had carved her fate into stone.
She felt her mana stir.
If Sylvia had come to drag her back, she'd have to do it by force.
Tiny sparks of light flickered around Lucy's body. She stepped forward, resolve burning in her eyes.
"Tell me, Sylvia," she said, her voice steady, "did you come here to take me back?"
Sylvia raised a brow. "Me? Oh no. I'm not the one you should be worried about. I'm just the messenger."
Lucy froze, her magic still swirling.
"…Then what's the message?"
"The household expects your return by tomorrow. I was sent to deliver that and… escort you back, if you wish."
Lucy's eyes narrowed. That was too simple. Her family never did anything without an angle.
"And if I don't return?"
Sylvia met her gaze without flinching. "Then my lady will come to fetch you herself."
Lucy stepped back, stunned. "Her?! After all the times she stayed away… why now?"
"It's your decision, Lucy. No one else's. I suggest you remember that."
Lucy hesitated. "Sylvia… what are you—"
But the gothic girl turned her back.
"I've said what I came to say. I'll return by morning," she said over her shoulder. "Not a second later. Make sure your decision is worth something."
She stepped toward the woods but paused at the edge of the trees.
"And don't pick a fight you can't win," she added. "Even if you were chosen by the gods… I taught you everything you know."
With that, she disappeared into the shadows, leaving Lucy standing alone, staring at the place where she vanished—her heart heavy with the weight of a choice only she could make.