I lay in bed, the sounds of birth filling the air—the squelching and hopping of slimes echoing through the first floor. It was a symphony, in its own grotesque way.
The noise reverberated through me, hollow and relentless, much like my own soul—empty and aching. Pain spun in my mind, spiraling endlessly. I felt awful. I looked awful.The damp scent of leaves filled the room, a solemn reminder.
The warm aroma of Teruki's baking. It drifted through the air. The thought of food only twisted my stomach further. I hated it.
I sat alone in my room—a yellow room, empty and quiet. Papers were strewn across the desk in the corner, filled with theories, desperate notes on breaking a mana bind. Many had offered solutions, but none worked. The ring remained—a cursed object shackled to me, bound by an enchantment I couldn't break. I remembered the blood.
I hated it.
We had consulted the best enchanters. Even Reyna. They all said the same thing: impossible. I wanted to cut it off. Cut off my finger, my whole damn hand if it meant ridding myself of this cursed ring. But even that wouldn't work.
"The enchantment will persist," they had said.
Words from people I had yet to meet. People I had no reason to trust. But I trusted Reyna. I trusted Rei. Or at least, I once did. Trust was in short supply these days.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
The repetitive sound echoed through the room.
"Leave it at the door," I yelled, too tired to deal with anyone.
A familiar voice answered, warm yet firm. "May I speak with you?"
Reyna.
I sighed. "Come in."
The door creaked open, and a soft breeze followed her inside, carrying a warmth I wasn't sure I deserved.
Reyna—a longtime friend. A beautiful one. But something was different.
She seemed different.
She smelled different.
And the moment the door shut behind her, I knew why.
Her armor gleamed—red hair cascading over polished plating—but her eyes… her eyes were wrong.
Purple.
"How are you, Reyna?" I asked, forcing a smile as she stepped closer.
Before she could respond, I moved.
Blitzing forward, I pinned her against the wall, my grip tightening.
"Who are you?!" I demanded, voice sharp with fury. "Reyna has red eyes."
A sinister smile curled across the intruder's lips. Her form shimmered, shifting like sand, the air around her humming with a faint, eerie glow—deep violet.
I bared my teeth.
"Pendant."
"Why the fuck are you here?"
"Aw, I only wanted to talk with a dear old friend," she said, smirking.
"We're far from friends after what you did. After you manipulated Arden."
Pendant laughed. "Manipulated Arden? Please. I did no such thing."
"Then what was the rune?!" I yelled. "The one on his hand! The one on his stomach!"
"Oh, that?" She tilted her head, amusement flickering in her violet eyes. "I just wanted to test a new magic, is all. And he agreed to help me."
"And he agreed to try and kill me. To turn me in for my bounty." I shook my head, my voice breaking. "I refuse to believe it."
Pendant's smirk deepened. "As I recall, Eleanor, Arden gave you the ring before I even spoke with him."
No.
I whispered it, but the word barely left my lips.
Even as the denial clawed at my throat, I knew the truth.
"It was his plan from the start—"
"And what did your magic do?" I cut her off, my fists clenching.
She let out a cruel, humorless laugh. "That rune? Oh, it's a big 'fuck you' to G2."
My stomach twisted.
"To G2's reputation. To your progress in this game." She leaned in, voice dripping with venom.
"Fuck you, Pendant."
"And what's stopping you from killing me?" I growled.
She laughed again, light and taunting. "You know this isn't really me. But go ahead—make things worse."
I narrowed my eyes. "Make what worse?"
"Go to the capital and find out."
I stood frozen, my breath caught in my throat.
"I've been waiting for the chance to get my hands on you. To kill you myself."
I glared at her. "Then do it."
She chuckled, tilting her head. "End your life? Where's the fun in that?"
I sank back onto the bed, hands pressing into my face. I had spent all this time hoping Arden's actions had been forced—that he had been manipulated. But she was right. The ring he gave me, the one I had clung to so dearly, was nothing more than a trap.
Pendant sat down beside me, and the scent of salt filled the air as silent tears slid down my cheeks.
"There's no point in getting rid of items Arden enchanted," she sighed.
"And why not?"
"Like I told Reyna—his hidden enchantments won't activate without his mana signature. And that's impossible to replicate since, well… your bear ate him."
Pain shot through my chest, twisting, suffocating.
"Why?" My voice cracked. "Why are you here?"
Pendant's grin stretched wide. "Because I fucking hate you guys. And making it easier for Arden to kill you? That was only a small part of my plan."
I scoffed bitterly. "Yeah, yeah. Smartest person in the world. Just leave."
In a flash of violet light, she vanished, her form dissolving into smoke.
I turned to the window. The sun hung high in the sky, but the warmth did nothing to ease the ache in my chest.
I exhaled slowly.
"I'm going to keep working. I'm going to stop this plan."
But the pain didn't leave.
I sat in my bed, my thoughts spinning in endless circles. I thought about the event. I thought about him. What happened. Could I have prevented it?
Rei had promised to tell Sho to postpone the boss fight, and yet… I couldn't even convince myself to eat. Arden's death. Arden's betrayal. It hurt. It hurt so much.
I hated it. I hated him.
I hated myself.
I hated how delusional I was, how I let everything spiral out of control. I couldn't even recognize myself anymore. And that ends today.
No.
In truth, it ended when he died—whether I wanted to admit it or not.
Rei had once believed the five of us could take on the ninth and tenth floors without help, but with me in this state, she decided against it.
I equipped my armor, staring at the ring on my finger. I tried to summon one of my theoretical skills, forcing out mana—
But it failed.
The skill cost too much mana.