***
[The Next Day]
Amon woke up to a surprising window in front of his eyes.
======[QUEST]======
Objective: Resolve the Kidnapping Incident
Ti Limit: 2 Days
Reward: [2 Point Increase In A Random Elent]
Penalty: [2 Point Decrease In A Random Body Stat]
Status: [Do you Accept? Y/N]
'What the fuck?' Amon jolted up with widened eyes.
He was accepting the quest already so he wasn't surprised about that.
The surprise erged from the reward and penalties.
It wasn't too complex in a sense, but when you thought about it deeply, it was quite confusing.
Because if he succeeded in the quest, he might only get 2 Stat increases in a Level 1 Elent.
Or, he could also get a 2-point increase in [Void], which was his highest-level elent.
And the penalty was grueso. Raising a body stat was already hard enough as a 3rd Order but losing 2 was going to hurt.
In any case, Amon just had to go ahead and take the quest.
Especially, after how much he already prepared for it.
'[Accept].'
[Quest Accepted!]
After taking a shower and then doing his breakfast, he stepped outside into the fresh air.
Dark clouds traveled over the whole expanse of the sky, indicating signs of rain.
It was the end of November, so it was exceptionally cold.
Stepping down the stairs, Amon rubbed his gloved hands.
He was wearing a maroonish overcoat and a white turtleneck coupled with black jeans and white sneakers.
Today was Friday, or more precisely the day for the Battle Royale to happen.
Walking on the street, he suddenly saw soone up ahead, taking a turn and arriving in the sa street as him.
Wearing a white sweater and black jacket, her erald green freely draped across her back straightened elegantly.
Since he was walking alone this early in the cold street, they were the only two people in the street.
She noticed his presence and her adow-green eyes turned to et him.
And they instantly froze as a look of realization passed through them.
Her body shivered under the intensity of his gaze, making Amon wonder if the mories of the match were replaying through her mind.
Liliana's eyes widened as the shivering increased, causing her to quickly remove her gaze. She silently turned and quickly continued on her path. If soone saw her doing this just because of his gaze, they would faint right then and there.
The prideful Liliana!? Impossible.
After a mont, Amon followed her. As he closed the distance, he saw her shivering increase.
It wasn't because of the cold as well. There were obvious signs as she repeatedly touched her healed face.
She had an imnse fear of him.
And she knew that she would break if she looked too long in his gaze.
Those mories would consu her.
That was what Amon thought.
But, he hadn't just broken her for revenge or as a part of the main cast.
As he had said before, he didn't even care if she died. She was his most hated character in the novel.
However, now that he had broken her.
He grabbed her shoulder, making her whole body freeze as she struggled to et his gaze.
And then her eyes locked with him.
'You're going to be my next pawn.' Amon slightly smiled.
***
Liliana had nightmares.
Ever since that battle, she wasn't able to sleep without that haunting mory torturing her brain at every second.
The haunting mory of a single guy that shattered her pride through and through.
She had dark circles under her eyes that she could barely hide.
Every ti she fell asleep for even a mont, one punch from that mory made her jolt awake like a cat.
She shivered.
Shivered uncontrollably at every reminding of that fight. That gaze was enough to make her clothes drenched in sweat.
It was too haunting.
She even knew the reason for those nightmares. She had realized it even during the fight.
It was because of her pride. Amon had completely broken it and rubbed it through the dirt.
And for Liliana, her pride was her soul. To consider herself as above every pest in the world. To consider herself as a goddess.
But that image had been burnt. Incinerated till there was not even a speck of ash.
All by a single person that she considered as the lowest of the low.
A weak orphan. Not to ntion...
Liliana's gaze trembled.
The demise of her pride was the demise of her soul. Her body was like a soulless body now.
And that body continuously reminded her of that fact through those nightmares.
It wrecked her inside out. Made her completely hollow.
It was also when she realized her wrongdoings.
Her pride. That she carried so high, broken just like that.
Nothing left now.
She could hate Amon, who had destroyed it. But that gaze gave her PTSD.
She couldn't even find herself hating on anyone now.
At one mont, another mory replayed in her mind.
'That touch...' She thought at that ti.
It was the first ti she had taken the hand of another person. One that was a male and a non-
noble.
She didn't know what she did back then.
It was an instinctive response. When her pride was being destroyed, that hand seed to be
like a ray of hope.
And she had accepted it, letting go of all her pride. What was the use of the pride even now?
Hadn't she let it go already when she took the hand of another person below her?
She realized that at that ti.
But...
As surprising as it was for her, she also rembered that tiny feeling that erged in her
body.
It was warm. It made her feel good.
But it was tiny, as if a small speck popped up in her hollow body at that ti.
She couldn't rember the last ti she had felt a feeling like this.
As a 4-year-old child? Maybe, she didn't rember.
But it was good. Like a warm breeze that caressed her broken soul.
And it was only after that, that she realized how wrong she had been.
The whole vacation day, she was holed up in her room, realizing how hateful her past
behavior was to others.
She had been to blinded by her pride to realize it before but now she saw it.
And at the end, there was a single conclusion. She had been wrong all along.
The past Liliana might have shouted at this, disagreeing that she could ever be wrong but the
new Liliana knew.
And that was why she planned to apologize to Amon.
It was the only correct way to redeem herself.
At least the first step.
But now seeing him again, made her body replay those mories again.
One mont, she saw him standing across the street.
And the next, he was on top of he.
Hurling punches in Liliana's face.
Blink and he was back at his place. Blink again and another punch on her face.
She couldn't face him like this. She was too scared. Shivering too much.
But as she moved, she felt a hand on her shoulder.
Her body didn't move at the touch, a wide contrast to what she would do before.
A shudder did pass through her body but Liliana didn't resist the touch, accepting it.
Her trembling gaze t his face.
Those black cold eyes, peered deep within her soul.
But as a mory threatened to overlap her vision again, her eyes moved down to his lips.
They moved, spreading into an elegant smile across his features.
An elegant simple smile. And looking at it, sothing within her stirred.
A warm feeling. Similar to what she felt when grabbing Ren's hand.
And without even thinking about it, her broken body relished the feeling.
It desperately tried to grab it, the only thing that could heal her right now.
It was an elegant smile, but it had a hint of coldness to it.
It attracted her. "Why are you running away?" Amon asked, not removing his smile.
"I-" Liliana struggled to form her words for the first ti.
Her eyes were cold, a contrast to his smile.
But she only looked at his lips.
Liliana didn't know how to respond.
She had prepared for it the whole night but it had all co crashing down now.
When was the last ti she felt this nervous and good at the sa ti?
"You want to apologize?" Amon looked into her eyes with his smile. "Ah." Liliana's mouth opened.
Her eyes flashed pink, without even her knowing anything about it.
More warmth spread through her being.
And her soul craved for it.
"Y-yes." Liliana finally said it.
"I wanted to apologize for all of my-"
"It's okay," Amon said while she was talking, startling her.
Her eyes widened as she looked up, seeing his warm smile spread further.
"It's okay Liliana, I never minded it."
"W-wait wh-" Liliana felt herself losing more and more control as her soul pushed more for
that warm feeling.
It felt good. It felt great.
She felt alive for the first ti.
He forgave her just like that?
Another feeling rose within her. One completely new to her.
"Yeah, I don't bla or hate you at all." Amon said, leaning closer and his smile widening
further.
Liliana couldn't believe it.
Warmth spread through her whole soul as she completely took over the feeling that was being
elicited by his smile.
But another emotion, filled her soul.
And before she knew it, she felt sothing hot dripping down her cheeks.
Her eyes widened as she raised her hand to touch it, not removing her gaze from his smile.
It was wet.
And as she retreated her hand, she saw what it was.
They were tears.
And more and more ca out of her eyes. When was the last ti she cried like this?
But it felt good.
Felt good to feel this warm in the cold winter. Felt good to have these new emotions within
her.
She finally realized what the new emotion was within her.
It was gratitude. Gratefulness at being forgiven so easily.
Sothing she had never done before in her life. Not from her heart and soul.
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