— “The God-Forsaken One.” —
Since the moment Amir gained consciousness, this inexplicable title had been like an inescapable brand, deeply seared into her being.
On the continent known as Eldria, many powerful races existed.
The reason the weak Humans were able to occupy the most vast lands and flourish there was entirely dependent on the Divine Protection of the God of Light.
Even a newborn Human infant would be noticed by the Deity as long as they underwent a priest’s baptism and listened to the prayers praising the God.
They would receive the blessings bestowed by the Deity, gaining enough strength to survive in this world.
Those with more blessings often held higher status within the United Kingdom, while those born with sparse blessings were viewed by society as unfortunate, disparaged as jinxes.
Although the amount of blessing varied, theoretically, as long as one’s veins flowed with Human blood, they were, without exception, living beings who received the Deity’s grace.
— Except for the young girl named Amir. —
In the history of the United Kingdom that had lasted for over 1,000 years, she was the sole exception.
With hair and eyes as black as the night, she looked like a symbol of calamity based on her appearance alone.
Furthermore, the Deity’s blessings could not leave a single trace upon her soul, nor could the sacred Divine Protection shield her body in the slightest.
Even the prayers chanted by the priests were nothing more than a pile of meaningless noise to her ears.
Cursed one, the God-Forsaken One, Demon Race spy, Child of Calamity…
Amir’s existence itself had become a terrifying omen.
Had she not been born into a prominent family, she likely wouldn’t have lived past 3 years old before being locked in a cage and drowned by a fearful populace to appease the Deity’s wrath.
However, even though her family struggled to support her, they were ultimately unable to withstand the immense pressure from the Church and society.
On a cold, rainy night, the young Amir was abandoned in an alleyway outside the Royal Capital.
It was on that night, at the dark edge of death brought on by hunger and cold, that Amir discovered the only Divine Protection she would ever possess in her life.
A Divine Protection that a Human blessed by the God of Light could absolutely never possess.
— The Divine Protection of Melting into Shadows. —
—
“…”
The sound of the wind whistled past Amir’s ears as her body fell rapidly in a state of weightlessness.
‘So… they finally made their move.’
Looking at the broken bridge rapidly receding above and the fragments of wooden planks disintegrating around her, Amir gently closed her eyes.
She allowed gravity to pull her down into the shadows below.
‘It really has been a long time.’
‘When was the last time I tasted the sensation of falling?’
‘Was it when I was 11 or 12 years old, jumping from the skylight of a noble’s house to escape pursuit by fanatics?’
‘Or was it during that assassination mission when I accidentally fell into a trap and the area was simultaneously lit up by Holy Light spells, forcing me to jump into the sewers in a pathetic state?’
Regardless of which time it was, the only things waiting for her below were the cold, hard ground and that sticky, thick darkness.
Seeing the sunlight overhead begin to grow thin, the shadows at the bottom of the canyon prepared to swallow everything like the maw of a giant beast.
Amir’s lips curled slightly into a mocking smile.
‘How should I reappear before Histori later?’
‘Should I use the shadows to climb up the cracks in the rock wall and suddenly grab her ankle to enjoy her terrified expression?’
‘Or should I simply hide in Histori’s shadow and watch her smug face, waiting until she has completely relaxed before speaking out to break her dream?’
In any case, this game of playing house should come to an end now.
However, just as Amir’s body was about to sink completely into that comforting darkness, a heart-wrenching scream abruptly pierced through the clouds above and drilled straight into Amir’s eardrums.
“Amir!!!”
“?”
Amir reopened her eyes and looked toward the source of the sound.
The culprit who had personally cut the rope and pushed her into the abyss, the silver-haired girl, had actually jumped down after her for some reason.
A pair of massive wings, black as ink, were spread behind her.
She dove straight toward Amir like a silver meteor.
‘Is this a pursuit?’
Amir raised an eyebrow slightly, a hint of coldness flashing in her eyes.
‘What a foolish Demon. Does she think I can’t counterattack just because we’re in the air?’
Even without any footing, as long as Histori dared to close into her attack range, Amir could still cut her in half in an instant.
No, she didn’t even need to use her sword.
With a slight adjustment of her posture, she could turn the girl’s momentum against her and smash her violently into the rock wall.
… 20 meters, 10 meters, 5 meters.
‘Now!’
Amir’s gaze darkened.
She gripped the handle of the Greatsword on her back with her right hand, and a cold killing intent slowly coalesced around her.
However, at the very moment the blade was about to be drawn, Amir’s fingertips stopped as if possessed.
Through Histori’s scattered silver hair, she saw the girl’s expression.
On that face, as exquisite as a doll’s, Amir did not see the anticipated malice or ruthlessness.
Nor was there the killing intent or violence that should accompany an act of cruelty.
Within those blood-red eyes, what filled them was actually a heavy sense of worry…
‘…And fear?’
‘What is she afraid of? Why is she afraid?’
‘Could it be… she’s afraid of my fall?’
This absurd thought caused Amir’s mind to go blank for an instant.
In that brief moment of distraction, Histori had already breached the final bit of distance and crashed heavily into Amir’s arms.
‘Damn, I won’t make it in time…’
Amir bit the tip of her tongue and moved her hand away from the sword hilt.
She prepared to grab Histori’s wings and throw her body against the rock wall as she had previously planned.
However, Histori, who had gained the initiative, did not reveal her sharp Blood Blade or her fangs.
What greeted Amir was a tense, slightly trembling embrace.
Histori wrapped her arms tightly under Amir’s armpits, locking onto her back as if she were terrified the girl might slip away again.
Those black wings suddenly spread to their limit.
Histori desperately beat against the surrounding air currents to counteract the force of the fall.
Just as Amir’s body was about to sink into the shadows and return to the darkness, Histori used a brutal, unreasonable force to yank her back into mid-air.
“…”
Feeling the small, warm body in front of her and the rapid, frantic heartbeat within it…
For the first time in her life, Amir’s fingertips froze in the air, completely at a loss.
‘Huh?’