Noah stood frozen beneath the yellow-washed branches, the glow of setting sun fractured across the ground like broken glass.
The air brushed against his skin, but it was not the wind that made his fingers tighten or his breath catch.
It was them.
Conrad Ashworth and Elira—Black Vassals of the Ashbourne Household.
They stood like monuments risen from the void, their presence bending reality just by existing in it.
And yet...
Why don't I remember…? Noah thought.
His brows creased subtly. He took one step back, subtly widening the distance as he replayed the memories burned into his mind—the script, the game, the world he thought he understood.
They weren't in the game. Not like this. Not even mentioned... The Ashbourne family wasn't even that important in the game's route... just another middling noble house... nothing like this.
