The conflagration blazed through the night, casting long shadows as the mansion burned. The heat was intense, nearly overwhelming as they drew nearer, but it was of little concern—they had no need to get closer. Their adversary was already on the move, desperate to flee the inferno. The creature, disoriented and panicked, charged straight toward them.
Carrisa stepped forward with purpose, her shotgun blasting round after round into the skinwalker. Each shot forced an agonized screech from the creature, its movents becoming increasingly erratic. With a swift, decisive motion, she discarded the gun and unsheathed her sword, charging forward with lethal intent.
Alicarde and Ana followed her lead, flanking the creature and surrounding it on three sides.
Ana's hands morphed seamlessly into twin axes, her expression unchanged as she readied herself for combat. Alicarde, montarily surprised, realized he had underestimated her all along.
The skinwalker, sensing an easier target in Ana, lunged at her with feral speed, thinking her the weakest. How mistaken it was. Before the creature could strike, Ana closed the distance in an instant, her twin axes slicing through the air.
One axe embedded deep into the creature's side, drawing a pained howl. She didn't stop there; with a swift, brutal kick, she swept its legs out from under it, sending the creature tumbling. Not allowing it a mont to recover, she followed up with another vicious kick, launching the skinwalker through the air like a ragdoll.
Carrisa was ready. As the creature hurtled toward her, she positioned herself with precision. Without hesitation, she plunged her sword into the creature's skull with a sickening crunch, driving it into the ground and pinning it there. The skinwalker writhed and thrashed, but its fate was sealed—the blade was already buried deep in the earth, with its skull trapped between.
After a few final death throes, the creature went still, its life extinguished.
Alicarde barely had ti to react before the battle was over. The two won had dispatched the skinwalker with ruthless efficiency, and only now did he realize the true purpose behind Carrisa's plan. She had used him as bait, knowing his immortality would protect him. The realization left a bitter taste in his mouth.
'They made it look so easy,' he thought, 'Why did we even need to split up in the first place?'
As the adrenaline faded away, Alicarde finally allowed himself to relax, sinking to the ground. Carrisa approached, her violet eyes glowing softly in the firelight. She crouched beside him, her gaze intense yet oddly gentle as she cupped his face in her hands.
"Your efforts were comndable. The victory is yours as much as ours. I must admit, I did not anticipate you would conquer the creature's fear so swiftly," she murmured, her voice almost a whisper, carrying a tone of quiet approval.
Alicarde, still processing the events, couldn't hide his irritation.
"So that's why you made us split up? Just so I could overco its fear?"
Carrisa offered a small, almost apologetic smile. "Indeed. I wished to provide you an opportunity to put your training to the test."
He sighed, still slightly annoyed but unwilling to dwell on it. The creature had been after Carrisa, sothing she had told him before—a consequence of the conflicts among her many siblings vying for the throne. He knew the stakes were higher than just his own safety.
"Did you experience fear?" she asked, her tone curious.
"Of course I was afraid," Alicarde admitted. "But I have this compulsion... I can't rest until I've eliminated whatever is causing my fear if it's close by."
It was a truth he had carried since childhood. Even now, he harbored an irrational fear of rats, though no one knew of it. Whenever one managed to sneak into the house, he would stop at nothing to hunt it down. To him, fear wasn't sothing to be endured—it was sothing to be eradicated. The skinwalker had just been a larger, more intense rat, and he couldn't bear the thought of it lingering nearby.
Carrisa, unaware of his thoughts, continued to hold his face, her smile warm and sincere.
"This marks the third ti you have co to my rescue," she began, hesitating briefly before continuing.
"I have been aning to ask you... Why did you save that day, from the truck? You didn't even know , yet you pushed out of the way."
She had wrestled with this question for days, unsure how to approach it. During the nights they shared in the master suite, she would sit quietly beside him, contemplating how to ask. Now, she waited anxiously for his response.
Alicarde looked into her violet eyes, searching for the right words. "Honestly, I don't know. I didn't really think about it. You didn't seem to notice, and I... I just moved without thinking. I guess I just did."
"I never properly thanked you," Carrisa said, her voice softening. "And I know words can never fully express it, but... thank you, Alicarde. Twice in one night, you saved . You've given my life new purpose." She caught him off guard with her heartfelt gratitude.
What was this sudden vulnerability? Had she really just thanked him?
"I can't offer you much," she continued, her voice trembling slightly. "But you have . I promise that for centuries, even millennia to co, I will stand by your side. So... please, stay by mine."
Her words, a declaration of unwavering loyalty, left him at a loss for words. He trusted her, if only because he had no one else to rely on. The battle with the skinwalker had solidified his place in this strange new world, and he vowed to keep his family far removed from it. He had crossed a threshold, fully embracing his involvent in Carrisa's world.
At least now he had a capable and beautiful guide.
Turning his gaze away from her, he gestured toward the burning mansion. "Your plan worked, but where exactly are we supposed to live now?"
Carrisa smiled, a hint of mischief in her eyes. "Ah, my last citadel... It appears we may be living on the streets."
"The streets?" he repeated, incredulous.
"Just joking," she replied with a chuckle. "The mansion will restore itself within an hour or two. It is enchanted to do so. You didn't think Ana was truly responsible for keeping the entire place spotless, did you? While she is a homunculus, she is still a biological lifeform, not a machine."
Her words were reassuring, and Alicarde found himself believing her. As the flas gradually subsided, the three of them stood amidst the ashes of their once-opulent ho, now reduced to cinders.
They remained on the mansion grounds, waiting. The expected arrival of the fire departnt never ca—no one had noticed the blaze. Alicarde spoke with Carrisa, feeling that the night's events had drawn them closer. He began to see the she-devil in a different light, recognizing a hidden depth of compassion beneath her reserved exterior.
It took longer than Carrisa had anticipated—four hours instead of one or two—for the mansion to fully restore itself. Ana had explained that the extent of the damage determined the restoration ti. The mansion's enchantnt, known as [Auto Keep], not only restored it but also maintained various wards and traps.
Alicarde had wondered why they hadn't used those traps against the skinwalker, but he refrained from asking. He was too tired and far too hungry. Healing always left him ravenous.
"Why do I always get so hungry after healing?" he asked as they entered the now-restored mansion.
Carrisa glanced at him, offering an explanation. "It is due to your weak mana. With ti, as your body sustains damage and regenerates, you will grow stronger. Your mana will increase, and if you are fortunate or diligent, you may even awaken an innate ability."
"Oh, fine," Alicarde muttered, his thoughts turning to his imdiate needs. "Ana, I'm starving."
"As you wish, Ali," Ana responded with her usual calm deanor. "I shall have your al prepared posthaste."
As she departed, Alicarde and Carrisa made their way to the elevator and ascended to the fourth floor. The maid soon returned, bearing enough food to satisfy his hunger. Carrisa excused herself to wash up on the sixth floor, leaving him to eat in peace. As he devoured his al, he wondered if this life of battles, mysteries, and unexpected dangers would beco his new normal.
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