The office was quiet except for the soft scratch of pens on paper and the occasional rustle of wind. Sunlight filtered through the tall windows of the building, painting golden stripes across the long table covered in maps, reports, and registration forms for the newly recognized province and registration of it's people.
The "incident" everyone whispered about had carved out an new country, and now the paperwork fell to the leadership specifically to Astrid, and to Ren, who had sohow ended up as her temporary assistant while Nina and Kyouka were away on missions.
Astrid sat with perfect posture, her red hair tied back, sharp eyes scanning a ledger. Every few minutes, those eyes flicked sideways to Ren. He pretended not to notice at first, focused on copying district details, but the stare was too persistent to ignore.
Ren finally set his pen down and turned his head. "You need sothing from , Leader?"
Astrid didn't look away. "Not really," she said, voice calm and low. "I was just trying to figure out what you are."
Ren blinked. "What do I… an?"
Astrid fully turned her chair toward him, elbows resting on the table. "I think you're a woman trapped in a man's body."
Ren stared for a second, then let out a short, surprised laugh. "I'll take that as a complint."
Astrid's lips curved just slightly. "You should. n are boorish. Timid. Not interesting. They're barely useful for anything except breeding, and even then…" She shrugged. "Most are useless. You're the complete opposite."
Ren raised an eyebrow. "Sounds like you're a hater."
"Not a hater," Astrid corrected. "I just don't appreciate n. They lack drive. Lack strength. They coast through life expecting the world to carry them."
Ren leaned back in his chair, folding his arms. "Fair enough. But what do you think about those won who swear by making a happy family with a man? It's rare, sure, but so of them say it's the best thing in the world. They glow when they talk about it."
Astrid snorted softly. "Delusional. What's so great about tying yourself to soone weak?"
Ren's smile grew. "So you're attracted to strong people."
"Obviously."
"Oh hooo," Ren drew the sound out, eyes sparkling with mischief. "So you like won. Were the rumors true, then?"
Astrid t his gaze without flinching. "Yes. Lan Jia and I were lovers."
Ren's eyebrows shot up; he hadn't actually expected her to admit it. "I thought you'd deny it like Nina would. It's kind of taboo around here, isn't it?"
Astrid tilted her head. "Why should I deny it? I really liked her. Loved her, even. She was a strong woman."
Ren's expression softened. "Good for you but does that an you would fall for anyone stronger?"
A small silence settled between them, comfortable rather than awkward. Astrid broke it first.
"Forget about . What about you?" she asked. "You seem to be having quite the ti here...for a man. And I get the feeling you're hiding a lot. The way you look around sotis, like you already know what's going to happen next… it rubs the wrong way."
Ren placed a hand over his heart in mock hurt. "Ouch. I'm wounded, Leader. Truly."
Astrid said nothing, just waited.
Ren sighed dramatically. "Fine. You win." He leaned forward, lowering his voice. "I'm sleeping with a lot of won."
Astrid's eyes widened, she couldn't help it. "You can even do that?"
Ren grinned. "I'm not like other n. I've got power in my body. I'm not going to reveal exactly what it is, but just… imagine as a really powerful man. Not one of these ordinary guys walking around the province."
Astrid stared at him for a long mont, processing. Then: "Is that why the fake Lan Jia has been chasing you?"
Ren shrugged. "Probably. I still don't know what the hell she wants from ."
He glanced around to make sure no one else had wandered into the office, then continued. "Look, the reason I'm here helping with paperwork, staying close to all of you is because I'm not a threat to any of you. I do things my own way, that's all. I don't care about the clashes between the different factions unless they hurt people I know."
Astrid studied him, arms crossed. "I get it," she said finally. "I never really thought you were a bad person. You just… feel weird. A man like you doesn't fit."
Ren chuckled. "You'd better get used to it. Who knows what the future has in store?"
Astrid's brow furrowed. "What do you an by that?"
Ren stood, stretching his arms overhead with an easy smile. He gathered the finished docunts into a neat stack and tapped them on the table. "Exactly what I said." He gave her a small wave and headed for the door. "See you tomorrow, Leader."
Astrid remained seated, watching him leave. The door clicked shut behind him, and the room felt suddenly quieter. She turned back to the remaining paperwork, but her pen hovered over the page without moving.
A man like you doesn't fit.
Who knows what the future has in store?
Her eyes narrowed slightly. Ren knew more than he let on she was certain of it now. But for the first ti since he'd arrived, the suspicion didn't feel entirely hostile. It felt… curious.
She shook her head and forced herself to focus on the report again. The new province wasn't going to administer itself.
Still, every few minutes, her gaze drifted to the empty chair beside her thinking about what Ren's last few words ant.
***
The Valkyrie base towered over the new district like a silent guardian, its glass exterior gleaming under the late afternoon sun. From the highest balcony, an open platform ringed with carved pillars and overlooking the sprawling city below, Ren stood alone, one hand gripping the cold railing, the other pressed tightly against his chest.
The wind tugged at his dark hair and the loose collar of his shirt, but he didn't move. His eyes were fixed on the distant horizon, far beyond the rooftops and training fields, where rolling hills gave way to a thick, dark forest that no map had fully charted since the Incident and Ren had no idea what part of dungeon took over that area.
His fingers curled harder over his heart, as if trying to hold sothing in or keep sothing out.
"Luxy…" he whispered, voice barely louder than the wind. "Where are you? Guide . I'm lost. What should I do?"
No answer ca. There never did anymore.
Ren closed his eyes for a mont, letting the ache settle deep in his chest. It had been weeks since the connection snapped. Months since the connectio that linked him to the Goddess herself had vanished without warning. One mont he'd felt her presence, lazy and stubborn as always, and the next… nothing. Silence. Emptiness.
He opened his eyes again and stared at the sa distant point on the horizon. Sothing pulled at him there. Not a voice, not a vision, just a tug, like a hook behind his ribs.
"It's calling ," he muttered to himself. "Whatever it is… it's still calling."
He leaned forward, elbows on the railing, and let out a long, slow breath.
"My mission hasn't changed," he said quietly, as if arguing with soone who wasn't there. "Collect power from won. Grow stronger. Beco untouchable. That was the whole point. I need to get my revenge."
A bitter smile twisted his lips.
"But without Luxy… I can't even reach her anymore. I can't ask if this is still the path. I can't ask if I'm doing it right."
He glanced down at the courtyard far below. A group of Valkyrie recruits were running drills, their shouts and the clash of practice weapons drifting up faintly. Life here was orderly. Predictable. Safe, in its own dangerous way.
"I've been aimless," he admitted to the empty air. "Just… flirting. Seducing. Taking what I need and moving on. It's easy here. They trust or at least, most of them do. Astrid suspects sothing, but even she's starting to relax. Nina's too busy with missions to watch every second. Kyouka… well, she is..."
He laughed softly, a sound without much humor.
"I'm living like a playboy with a secret. Collecting power one night at a ti. And honestly? It's not bad. It's fun. It's distracting."
Ren straightened, running a hand through his hair rebering about that incident with Kyouka.
"Should I go?" he asked himself, voice low and serious. "Just pack a bag, slip out at night, and follow it? See what's waiting for in those woods?"
He paused, imagining it.
"Or should I stay?" he countered. "Things are calm right now. That psycho woman, the one who looks like Lan Jia but isn't her hasn't shown her face in weeks. Maybe she gave up. Maybe she's dead. As long as I keep things under control… don't push too far, don't draw too much attention… I probably won't get killed."
He shook his head slowly.
"But that's a lie, isn't it?" he murmured.
His expression darkened. A mory flickered at the edge of his mind—sothing that had happened just yesterday. Sothing that proved curse still existed and this world was not going to be forgiving for him.
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