City of Suitsen – West Wing of the Palace…
"We need to get out of here," Kael whispered, his eyes constantly scanning the surroundings.
Akaren gave a weak nod, his hand pressing down on the wound on her shoulder. "Alamen… he must've already escaped to his underground hideout."
Suddenly, a rustling sound came from behind a pile of debris. Kael immediately tensed up, his axe drawn.
"Who's there?"
From behind the smoke, a slender figure emerged—a woman with short silver hair and glowing green eyes, standing with her weapon ready.
"The Guild Master sent us," the woman said, her voice cold but firm. "I'm Nyx, leader of The Step Sister. The Guild Master ordered us to assist you."
Kael relaxed slightly, lowering his weapon just a bit. "Where's Himato?"
Nyx glanced toward the dark corridor to the left. "He's facing Byorne."
"Damn it, he's being reckless." Kael looked frustrated.
"Kael, I bring a message from Guild Master Garens!"
Kael frowned in confusion—it wasn't like Garens to send an elite team just to assist him. "Tell me!"
"Finish your mission quickly. Kill Alamen and return to Evernight immediately!"With that, Nyx pulled the strap off Kael's shoulder and helped carry Akaren. "She's my responsibility now. I'll take care of her. You go and finish your mission!"
Kael nodded, recognizing the direct order from Garens. Nyx carried Akaren away from the area while Kael continued his pursuit of Alamen.
Underground Tunnel…
Thick fog and swirling dust filled the narrow passage beneath the palace ruins. Himato ran, his breath ragged, his dagger gripped tightly. Behind him, Byorne gave chase, his black staff radiating dark energy that made the walls tremble.
"Keep running, rat!" Byorne snarled, swinging his staff. "Do you really think you can escape your fate?"
Himato dodged sideways just as a blast of magic obliterated the ground where he had been standing. He's too strong, he thought. I need help.
Suddenly—
"Himato! Over here!"
A voice called from the darkness. Before Byorne could react, three arrows shot from the shadows, embedding themselves in the sorcerer's shoulder.
"ARRGH!" Byorne growled, his eyes narrowing toward the source of the attack.
From the shadows emerged three members of The Step Sisters—Veyra, Risa, and Lyna. All three stood ready, weapons drawn.
"Guild Master Garens sent us," said Veyra, the trio's leader, her shortsword glinting in the dim light. "Nyx is securing Akaren. We're here to help you deal with this ugly, twisted sorcerer."
Byorne smirked, blood dripping from his wound. "Three Hunters and a mercenary against a master of dark magic? You're overconfident."
Himato stood beside Veyra, still catching his breath. "Don't underestimate him. He can summon Shadow Beasts."
Risa, the youngest of The Step Sisters, nocked another arrow. "We've faced worse."
Lyna, the dagger expert, stepped forward. "Let's finish this quickly. Kael needs us in the throne room."
Byorne raised his staff high. "Let's see you try!"
He chanted a hoarse incantation, and instantly, the shadows on the walls writhed—forming two snarling Shadow Beasts.
Veyra didn't hesitate. "Risa, Lyna—handle the beasts! Himato and I will take down the ugly sorcerer!"
Risa immediately loosed three rapid arrows at the first Shadow Beast, while Lyna darted like lightning, her dagger slicing through its tendons.
"SKREEE—!" The beast shrieked in pain but retaliated instantly.
Meanwhile, Veyra and Himato attacked Byorne from two sides.
"CLANG!"
Veyra deflected Byorne's staff strike with her shortsword, while Himato lunged from behind. But Byorne spun swiftly, blocking with an energy shield.
"You're fast," he sneered, "but not fast enough!"
He slammed his staff into the ground, and a shockwave of dark energy exploded outward, sending Himato and Veyra flying back.
"Ghk—!" Himato landed hard but forced himself up.
Veyra wiped blood from her lip. "We need another plan."
On the other side, Lyna drove her dagger into the core crystal of the first Shadow Beast, causing it to explode into black dust. "One down!"
Risa, locked in combat with the second beast, shouted, "I need backup!"
Veyra glanced at Himato. "Go help Risa. I'll hold him off."
Himato nodded and dashed toward Risa.
Byorne laughed as Veyra stood alone. "You really think you can defeat me by yourself?"
Veyra smirked. "I'm not alone."
From her cloak, she drew a silver seal—a tool Nyx had given her specifically to counter dark magic.
Byorne's eyes widened. "That's—"
"Yeah," Veyra cut in. "This is your end."
She hurled the seal into the air, and in an instant, blinding white light filled the tunnel. Byorne screamed as his flesh began to burn.
"NO—!"
Veyra didn't give him time to recover. In one swift motion, she drove her sword straight through his heart.
"CRUNCH!"
Byorne choked, black blood oozing from his mouth. "Dammit… you—!"
Veyra yanked her blade free, and as Byorne collapsed, his staff clattered to the ground—shattering the moment it touched the floor, its dark magic drained. A sure sign that Byorne had been defeated.
"You Hunters… reek of filth… Alamen will punish you!" With his dying breath, Byorne pointed at Veyra in hatred.
Veyra looked at him with disgust, wiping the black blood from her sword. "An old fool like you should've died long ago, sorcerer.
"Big Sis Veyra!!" Risa shouted.
The Shadow Beasts had been defeated—Risa and Lyna had successfully destroyed every last one summoned by Byorne.
"Are you okay, Sis?" Lyna immediately hugged Veyra, clearly worried her older sister had been injured fighting the sorcerer alone.
Veyra shoved Lyna off. "Get off me, Lyna."
"ACKHH— You're so mean, Sis!" Lyna whined, rubbing her back.
"You're too heavy to be hugging Big Sis Veyra, Lyn. Look at that chest—disgusting," Risa muttered with a hint of jealousy as she helped Lyna up.
"You're just jealous of me!" Lyna shot back in her usual annoying tone.
"What—you wanna die, little sister?" Risa clenched her fists.
"Sis, help meee!" Lyna immediately dashed behind Veyra, using her as a shield.
"Enough, both of you. You did well taking down those Shadow Beasts. I'm proud of you." Veyra patted Lyna's head, genuinely impressed that her younger sisters had grown strong enough to defeat magical monsters.
"CRACK."
The sound of a blade slicing flesh came from Byorne's direction. Himato was finishing the job, slitting the sorcerer's throat.
"We need to catch up with Kael," Himato said, staring at Byorne's lifeless body. "Before Alamen finishes him off."
Veyra nodded, sheathing her sword. "Risa, Lyna—you two still good to fight?"
Risa confidently tapped her bow. "Always."
Lyna grumbled while rubbing her dust-covered cheek. "Unless you keep throwing me around, Sis."
Veyra just snorted before turning to Himato. "You know the way to the throne room. Take the lead."
"Fine, I'll guide you. But first—what's your real mission here?" His gaze sharpened as he scrutinized the three sisters like he was interrogating an enemy.
Veyra sighed before answering. "Direct orders from Guild Master Garens. We're here to make sure Alamen is truly dead. No mistakes this time."
Himato narrowed his eyes. "So you're not just backup? Garens sent you with a specific objective."
"Our main goal is to help Kael return safely—that's all!" Nyx, who had been securing Akaren earlier, had already explained their primary mission. But there was one thing left unsaid. Veyra continued, "We're also ordered to retrieve something from Alamen's body."
"Retrieve something?" Risa turned to her, confused. "You never mentioned that. What are we looking for?"
"His blood," Veyra answered bluntly.
Himato looked uneasy. "So you've been told who Alamen really is?"
Lyna frowned. "What do you mean, 'really'?"
"We're Rank 3 Hunters in the Hunter Union. Isn't that enough for you to stop questioning us, Himato?" Veyra shot back sharply, as if challenging him to doubt their credibility. Mission details, especially those entrusted to elite Hunters, were not to be disclosed.
"You forget—I'm also an Informant!"
With a calm motion, Himato reached into his pocket. Instantly, Lyna and Risa moved—dagger and bow aimed at him.
"Don't play games with us, Hitchu," Risa hissed.
"Or we'll slit your throat anytime!" Lyna added coldly.
They were dead serious, but what Himato pulled out wasn't a weapon—it was a folded document.
"You react too fast. Should've looked first," he said, handing it to Veyra.
"What is this?" Veyra asked, puzzled.
"Why don't you open it and see?" Himato replied smoothly, making the weapons in Risa and Lyna's hands vanish.
"AHH! My dagger!" Lyna panicked.
"Not bad. You can use Steal techniques," Risa remarked, smirking.
"All Informants have this skill, you know," Himato explained before swiftly releasing Lyna's dagger, letting it clatter to the ground.
"Well? Have you read it? We don't have much time," he pressed.
Veyra quickly scanned the document, then folded it and handed it back.
"This matches the intel we received. So our objectives align," she said.
Himato took the document calmly, glancing at it before tucking it away with practiced ease.
"No, our goals aren't entirely the same. We just agree on destroying Alamen and helping Kael. That's all," he replied with a cryptic smile.
"I hate people like you, Hitchu. You're disgusting!" Lyna glared at him in annoyance.
"Yeah, you're such a creep!" Risa added with a cold, disdainful look.
"Right?!" Lyna continued, but Risa stopped her with a hand gesture.
"You two are cute—not just in strength but with your words, too," Himato sighed.
"Enough. We need to move now," Veyra cut in firmly.
Without hesitation, Himato took the lead, guiding them toward the throne room. "Follow me. If we're late, this could all end badly." The three sisters nodded and immediately followed Himato toward the treasure chamber.
Western Wing of the Palace…
"We... We need to get to the throne room... to help Kael," Akaren gasped weakly, cradled in Nyx's arms.
Suddenly, Nyx stopped. She gently set Akaren down against the wall. "Forgive me, Lady Akaren. Our mission is to protect Kael... but we were also given a special order—to destroy all of Alamen's creations."
In an instant, Nyx drew her dagger, poised to strike—
"BLOOD MAGIC—NOMUSTRADA!"
A blinding crimson light erupted from the end of the corridor, slamming into Nyx and hurling her back.
"Keep your filthy hands off my sister, Hunter!" A furious voice rang out—Selene.
"Se... Selene..." Akaren whispered weakly.
"Akaren... I'm sorry." Selene pulled her sister into a tight embrace. Akaren was barely conscious, but it seemed she had finally regained her memories after breaking the blood seal earlier.
"You... You remember now?" Akaren managed a faint smile.
"Yes... Yes, I do, my sister." Selene smiled back before pressing a healing potion to Akaren's lips and channeling restorative magic into her. "You'll be alright."
"SHIIING—!"
A knife suddenly flew toward them from the shadows.
"CLANG—!"
Selene deflected it with a floating rock, her eyes blazing. "You... are really pissing me off."
The knife had been thrown by Nyx, who had recovered from Selene's blood magic. "What an honor—two targets in one time," Nyx mused, twirling her blades.
"Isn't your mission Alamen? Go after him!" Selene snapped.
"You're mistaken, girl." Nyx's voice turned icy. "We four sisters of The Step Sisters were given a direct order from the Hunter Union's central command—to eliminate all of Alamen's creations." Her sinister grin widened as the thrown knives returned to her hands.
Nyx stepped forward, her dagger glinting in the dim light. Her pale green eyes locked onto Selene and Akaren with chilling indifference.
"That includes the two of you," she hissed.
Selene stood tall, her body still weak but her gaze unyielding. "You have no idea what you're talking about, Hunter."
"Oh, I know exactly what I'm saying." Nyx smirked. "You two are the results of Alamen's experiments—half-demon, half-human blood bonds. An abomination against nature. The Union ordered us to... cleanse you."
Akaren coughed, blood staining her lips. "We're not monsters... We're victims!"
"Unfortunately, the Union doesn't care." Nyx spun her dagger. "But I'll give you a chance—tell me how Alamen created you. If your story moves me... maybe I'll let you run."
Selene growled, but Akaren touched her arm. "Let me speak... They need to hear the truth."
17 Years Ago – Akiron Palace, Near Suitsen City
A thick fog shrouded the towers of Akiron Palace that night, as if nature itself was ashamed to witness the vile transaction taking place within Lady Veyra's opulent chambers. The lady of the palace sat at the edge of her silk-covered bed, her pale fingers clutching the blankets in restless folds. Before her knelt a young maid, her head bowed low, jet-black hair obscuring a face damp with tears.
"You understand what I'm asking, don't you?" Lady Veyra whispered. Her voice was as sweet as poison, but her usually cold violet eyes burned with desperate resolve.
The maid—a woman with deep ocean-blue eyes—bit her lip until it bled. "Lord Akiron would never—"
"My husband doesn't need to know!" Lady Veyra snapped suddenly, rising with a sharp motion. Her lavish nightgown rustled like the slither of a serpent. "Five years of marriage, and still no heir. If this continues..." Her trembling hand reached for a small dagger on the bedside table, its blade glinting faintly in the candlelight.
"All you need to do is take my place in his bed," Lady Veyra murmured, her sharp nails digging into the maid's chin. "And the child born from it... will belong to House Avalone." Her lips curled into a cruel smirk.
The maid stared blankly, her voice hollow. "But, My Lady... Lord Akiron despises deception..."
"Silence! You could never understand!" Lady Veyra hissed. "I've prepared a potion. When he takes you, he'll see only me. Everything will proceed as planned!" Her eyes gleamed with ruthless certainty.
The maid could say no more. Swallowing her fear, she bowed her head and whispered, "...As you wish, My Lady."
THREE MONTHS LATER...
The night wind whispered through the narrow window of the maid's chamber, carrying the scent of blooming moonflowers from the palace gardens. The maid sat on the edge of her hard bed, her thin hands pressing tightly against her rounding stomach.
From beyond the window came the rustle of leaves and the sharp whistle of a sword cutting through the air. With a pounding heart, she peeked through the gap in the curtains. There, in the moonlit garden, Akiron Avalone was practicing with his blade—his powerful body moving with lethal grace, his long silver hair flowing like a war banner, his crimson eyes burning like embers in the dark.
"Forgive me, my lord..." she whispered, her voice hoarse from unshed tears. A silver crescent moon pendant—a gift Akiron had absentmindedly given her while she cleaned his study—burned hot against her skin beneath her clothes.
SIX MONTHS LATER – THE NIGHT OF BIRTH...
The night wind rustled through the damp basement window, carrying muffled cries of pain. The maid lay on rough cloth, her body drenched in cold sweat, her hands gripping a tattered rag. Beside her stood Lady Veyra, her expression icy, her violet eyes tracking every contraction that wracked the maid's swollen belly.
"Push harder!" Lady Veyra hissed sharply. "I won't wait any longer!"
"WAAH—WAAH!"
The long-awaited cry of a baby pierced the air. Lady Veyra snatched the infant up and named her Akaren—a tiny girl with jet-black hair and dull blue eyes, like moonlight reflected on a lake's surface. Her skin was pale, tinged with blue.
"My Lady, another contraction is coming!" shouted the holy midwife assisting the birth.
"What did you say? Twins?!" Lady Veyra gasped in shock.
The maid clutched the rough cloth beneath her, her breath ragged, her face ghostly pale. Her exhausted body trembled as another contraction seized her. The midwife quickly knelt beside her, her white robes now stained with blood.
"WAAH—WAAH!"
A second cry rang out—twins born in a single night. The midwife deftly lifted the newborn, but her face immediately darkened with unease.
"Your Grace..." Her voice trembled. "This child's eyes... they're different."
Lady Veyra stepped closer, and for the first time, her cold indifference gave way to genuine shock.
The baby opened her eyes—deep violet, just like Lady Veyra's own. But what sent chills down the spine was the faint, smoldering crimson flicker in the center of her pupils, like dying embers.
Lady Veyra stood frozen. A heavy silence filled the room.
With the last of her strength, the maid reached a trembling hand toward the infant. Her lips curled into a faint, relieved smile.
"Selene... My child....." she whispered—before her eyes slowly closed forever.
Lady Veyra stared at the lifeless body with an unreadable expression, then turned to the midwife.
"Take this child away," she said coldly. "Keep her far from our sight. Ensure she never learns she has a sister."
The midwife swallowed hard but nodded obediently. Carefully, she wrapped baby Selene in a ragged cloth and carried her out of the room, leaving Lady Veyra holding Akaren in her arms.
Outside, the night wind whispered once more, carrying the scent of blood and the weight of a dark fate—two sisters torn apart by ambition and secrets far greater than their destinies.