As soon as the clock struck at twelve, Haniel and I set out to come to the Hina Forest. Unexpectedly, the entirety of Izumo was lively even at midnight.

Many establishments were still open, with most of them being house to courtesans. As we walked side by side, prostitutes tried to entice Haniel but he never even spared them so much as a glance.

I lifted my gaze to the sky. The full moon, rather than a beautiful sight to behold, somehow made me apprehensive as if it portends a tragedy ahead.

"I am going to die tonight." Haniel blurted out with an impervious face. "I feel it, and my intuition has never been wrong. It's upsetting, but that's life."

The mage halted from walking so I did, too.

As we stood under a lamp post, his deep purple eyes looked even darker in contrast to the light.

For a while, Haniel stared at my face. Compared to me whose composure was broken, his face looked dead calm, like not even a meteor could faze him.

After a few seconds, he took out something from his robe. It was a necklace with a round cerulean pendant, and the mage gently put it on my neck.

"This pendant contains my mana." Haniel placidly stated. "It will activate a barrier around you once it senses bloodlust directed towards you, Callie."

I held onto the pendant and took a closer look on it. His mana, in the form of blue, was so pure like a portion of a deep river with crystal clear water.

"However, take note that the barrier will break once I cease from living." Haniel added casually.

And so, we continued on our way to the forest.

I'm sure that he felt the hesitation from my little steps, but Haniel never rushed me. He patiently walked by my side and matched my pace as the two of us marched towards death's door itself.

The more we strayed away from the city, the more trees greeted us. Soon, we arrived at the glades of the Hina Forest, stopping by its woodland edge.

"Remember, Callie." Haniel pursed his lips. "To increase my chances of winning, I need you to take your brother and escape from this place."

I kept quiet. It still doesn't sit well with me.

The mage smiled to me then raised his fist, as if initiating a fist bump. "I'm counting on you."

Despite my qualms, I bumped my fist on him.

"Hmm," Haniel murmured softly. "Good girl."

My companion and I cautiously entered the Hina Forest. Perhaps it was due to the darkness, but my senses were more sensitive tonight than usual.

Even at this hour, the forest was humming with life around us. As we advanced, twigs crunched underneath our feet, while trees that stood erect into the night skies danced along the whistling wind. The smell of damp wood was also strong.

All of it just made me more anxious.

Haniel must have noticed the more erratic rise and fall of my chest. He stopped from walking then gently held my hand for reassurance.

"Callista," He whispered. "Calm down. I will do everything in my power to protect you, okay?"

No. You don't understand at all.

Having gone through death twice, I no longer fear it as much as normal people do. Now, I am more afraid of losing those who are important to me.

How many people have I lost and will continue to lose as the plot progresses? When will this end?

"I made a promise to His Grace that I will bring you to the south safe and sound." He cupped my cheeks. "I am a man who honors my promises."

I sentimentally held his hands on my cheeks.

I don't want to lose you too, Haniel.

Despite his constant attempts to soothe my worry, it was impossible to quell my fears. Still, I had no choice but to move forward with my companion.

The sound of creaking cicadas rang on my ears like a warning. The moonlit broke through the cracks between the trees, lighting up the path ahead of us. Finally, upon reaching an old and massive tree in the center of the forest, we saw him unconscious, his body tied into the tree.

It was my kind and selfless brother.

"Wait." Haniel stopped me just when I was about to approach the defenseless Servan. "There's no way Lilith would leave him here like a fish bait without preparing anything. Let me check first."

That being said, the purple-eyed mage picked up a small rock from the side then imbued it with a bit of magic. After that, Haniel warily threw the rock a few radius within Servan's position. No reaction.

Nothing happened at all.

Haniel clenched his jaw while glancing over my brother who was asleep like an infant. The mage didn't seem convinced, and it looked like there's something on his mind. He was lost in thought.

After a moment of hesitation, Haniel sighed.

"Well, I suppose we cannot stay here forever." He muttered grimly. "I feel uneasy, but let's do it."

The two of us kept our bodies low as we walked up to Servan. I examined the ropes wrapped on his body. They were tied in a sloppy manner.

Since we couldn't afford to let our guard down, Haniel asked me to untie my brother while he eyes the surroundings. I nodded in assent.

However, as soon as my fingers touched Servan's body, a passage from the novel came to my mind.

Ah. I knew there was something wrong with her, but I didn't think that the original Allari was that sick in the head. I thought she was at least normal.

All this time, I've had a feeling that I was missing something important, but I couldn't figure it out.

I kept asking myself. Why did Allari betray Haniel in the original storyline? Did they threaten her to do it? Was her brother's safety compromised?

I failed to notice the most crucial detail.

First and foremost, she was mute.

The novel is attentive when it comes to small details. I wouldn't be a mute character for no reason. I should've known that from the start.

Allari, despite being raised by a gentle brother and meeting a perfect lover, must've experienced a lot of hardships and discrimination for being mute.

It was obvious when I saw her childhood portrait.

She was, no doubt, a child unhappy with her life.

As somebody incapable of speaking, she must've been shunned in the past, and when a child gets shunned, they tend to grow up with resentment.

But to think that Allari's resentment would turn her borderline psychotic... I'm just speechless.

"Callie? Is something the matter?"

I turned my back from my brother and looked at Haniel. He had a puzzled look on his face, questioning why I was suddenly in a daze.

I couldn't help but harbor sympathy for him.

The strongest mage of the empire died by the hands of his own lover, but it wasn't even his fault. He was just too pure and trusting of her.

Above anything else, Allari just happened to be a selfish, ugly, and vile human being, unfortunately.

I don't want to invalidate her feelings, but if only Allari took some time to look at the people who loved her, she wouldn't have chosen that path.

Haniel was about to say something when his eyes shifted behind me. At that moment, it felt like time stopped. Based on the deathlike pallor of his face, I knew that there was something amiss behind me.

After what seemed to be an eternity, I was brought back to reality when Haniel lunged forward at me then pushed me aside. That's when I saw Servan, who was supposedly unconscious just a while ago.

My brother was holding a knife on his hand.

And he was aiming for Haniel's heart.

"Servan!" Haniel shouted through gritted teeth.

Thanks to his quick reflexes, Haniel managed to shield his chest with his hand. However, the knife went right through his palm, cutting through his bones and flesh. He winced in excruciating pain.

I, on the other hand, was paralyzed on my spot.

"I already knew that you would betray me, but I chose to have faith in you until the end." Haniel clenched his jaw. "I didn't expect you to resort to such trickery. How could you harm your sister?"

There was a somber look on Servan's face.

"Don't get me wrong, Haniel." My brother replied with a pained expression. "I knew you would save my sister without hesitation, that's why I did it."

I flinched. I lowered my gaze to the pendant that Haniel gave me. He said that this would activate a barrier once it senses bloodlust directed to me.

The fact that his mana never manifested it means that it didn't sense any bloodlust, which implies that Servan never intended to kill me at all.

He simply aimed at me knowing that Haniel would take the blow for me. I was the bait.

"Even so, that's very low of you." Haniel's face was dangerously calm. "What a sordid fellow you are."

My brother gave him a small smile. "I'm sorry."

"How did you know?" He asked in a sonorous voice. "Who told you about my heart, Servan?"

A sense of fear crashed down on me.

Somehow, I already knew the answer, but my mind refused to accept it. After all, only three people knew about the truth of the devil's heart.

So if it's not me and Haniel, it must be him.

Even so, I couldn't process it at all.

But then a figure appeared out of nowhere and lunged at Haniel from behind. The mage, whose hands were both occupied with defending from Servan, was unable to fight against the intruder.

In that split second, his eyes darted on me.

"Run!" Haniel exclaimed in anguish.

That was the last thing Haniel said to me.

Right after he spat those words, the sword of the intruder pierced through his neck. No, he wasn't decapitated. His head remained intact, but the blade passed right to the other side of his neck.

It was such a brutal sight.

His lips were slightly parted and his eyes were filled with sorrow when he breathed his last.

"It was me, Astana." The man who just arrived wiped the blood from his face. "Ah, he's already dead. It seems I answered his question too late."

His face softened as he turned to me.

"Isabelle," Alistair smiled. "Have you been well?"

On this day, I saw the cruel truth of this world.

That humans are, indeed, selfish, ugly, and vile.

---

Hi. If anyone is disappointed about the character development of Alistair, then I'm sorry lol that's just how it is. But I think I made it clear from the start that this story would be dark and different.

In the first place, none of the characters in this story were bound to stay the same after everything they went and will go through.

Anyway, thank you for your votes and comments!

Yours Truly,
Aomine-san