"I want to get strong, like you." This was the first thing Brenda told Vernisha that day.

  Vernisha hadn't even finished the fruit smoothie she had just purchased. Hell, she hadn't been sitting on the wooden chair outside the small shop for longer than a minute.

  But she would be lying if she said being referred to as strong didn't make her feel good. She knew she was strong, of course, but it felt nice when others acknowledged it.

  Vernisha replied, "Uh, yeah. You want me to train you…? Help you level up?"

  She paused for a second, thinking of the best questions to ask. If she was going to be someone's trainer, she had to think wisely.

  Vernisha added, "Why do you want to get strong?"

  She immediately felt stupid for asking such a dumb question. She might as well have asked why someone would want a functional leg.

  Even Brenda looked a bit confused by the question, but she answered anyway. "I want to make more money."

  Vernisha just stared at her, surprised. She had expected the answer to be related to self-defense. Feeling safer. Something like that.

  She couldn't help but wonder what kind of circumstances this girl was cursed with. Were there actually more loan sharks around, she thought.

  She doubted she would get an honest answer, so Vernisha just shrugged. "Sure…"

  She looked at the dark sky and thought, Fuck it.

  Vernisha stood up and hurriedly drank the rest of the smoothie, which tasted like banana and grapes, before tossing the cup into the trash.

  Then she said, "I know a super-fast method to level up quickly."

  The two made their way to the Great Monster Forest. Honestly, Vernisha was getting tired of this forest, but it was the only one she knew well enough.

  The ride on Crushbull was bumpy as always, but Brenda didn't complain much. As they traveled, Vernisha asked:

  "So… are your parents dead or something?"

  "They're alive. Just not here."

  "Oh. Why's that?" Vernisha asked.

  "Stuff happened."

  Vernisha understood that Brenda wanted the topic dropped, but it was a bit difficult to let go. After a short while, they came across… a giant electrical wall. One with a massive goat's head staring straight at them.

  "What the fuck?" Vernisha gasped. The wall was blocking the entrance to the Monster Forest.

  Then she felt it again. Her left hand throbbed, and just like before, it felt different.

  The goat head commanded, "This zone is off limits until the present issue has been dealt with. Flee immediately."

  It was Vernisha's first time experiencing a talking skill. Was it a skill? Or a monster? A monster this massive? That idea sounded ludicrous to her.

  But it wasn't to Brenda.

  "We should go," Brenda said. "Intelligent Skills are never a good sign."

  Vernisha agreed they needed to leave, especially since the throbbing had started again. Not to mention, it had explicitly said to flee.

  But she also wondered… what if this was a trick? But why? That didn't make much sense. Paranoia was starting to eat away at her rationality.

  She forced herself not to spiral into what-ifs and commanded Crushbull to retreat. It turned and ran.

  But as they did, Vernisha wondered why her encounters with Darseans were increasing.

  Sure, Tarnisha had warned her, but she had stopped using the darkness. Did it not matter? Was using it one time enough to doom her? The thoughts scared her.

  What would happen if she used it again? How much worse would things get?

  Then she asked Brenda, "That skill. Why is it a bad sign?"

  Vernisha assumed the Guild educated its members on skills and such.

  Brenda responded, "They're super ether-demanding. You need a super high-level monster to pull that off. The vlandos must have a super, super good reason for using it. The Guild must have an even bigger reason for calling them in."

  "And… what level would they be?"

  "How would I know? Super high. I mean, the skill is probably covering the entire zone. They'd have to be freaks of nature."

  Vernisha had no business getting involved with threats of that caliber.

  Then an electrical sound erupted from inside the barrier, followed by distant screams.

  As they retreated, a thought refused to leave Vernisha alone.

  "How much of this adventuring stuff do you know?" she asked. "Because I'm wondering—why isn't the road to the zone blocked? Why isn't there some guard warning people? Why didn't the Guild alert its employees… like you?"

  Brenda frowned. "I don't know. Maybe this was last-minute. You didn't notice anything strange earlier? Because I didn't, and I spent about four hours in there."

  Vernisha hadn't noticed anything unusual either.

  "Do you think the Guild was trying to deal with… whatever's in the zone in secret? But—"

  "But it got out of hand?" Brenda finished. "I—I guess so. That makes sense. They wouldn't want to cause panic."

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  Vernisha frowned.

  They continued toward the city, but Vernisha remembered the two throbs she had felt earlier.

  Had the threat already reached the city?

  What was her best course of action? Alert the Knights? But if they already knew something dangerous was in the Monster Zone, what were the chances they didn't know about the city?

  Slim to none.

  She bit her lip, trying to decide.

  Her instincts told her to run to Abella's estate. That was the obvious move. The safest move…

  Except it probably wasn't.

  She wasn't sure if it was the Darseans or just her common sense, but something told her they were being drawn to her.

  She and Tarnisha both smelled of Darsean darkness.

  Vernisha didn't know if being in close proximity doubled the lure, but she hated the idea of bringing trouble to the people who had helped her so much.

  Yet what was the better option? Was there one?

  All the thinking was starting to hurt.

  And worse—she wasn't alone.

  Brenda was with her.

  Vernisha took a deep breath and was about to head toward Abella's estate when she felt a deep wave of darkness in two different locations.

  One pointed toward Sundawn. The other toward the Monster Forest.

  Then another thought struck her.

  If Sundawn was attacked… Ferzan would rush to help.

  Was she so selfish that she would attract danger to a sick woman?

  Yes, she knew the woman was a Hero, but merely training Vernisha visibly strained her already weakened body.

  Crushbull came to a stop as Vernisha froze in place.

  Brenda asked nervously, "What's the matter?"

  "We can't go to Sundawn. We can't go to Abella's estate."

  Brenda blinked. "What do you mean we can't go to Sundawn? Why wouldn't we go to Sundawn? It's Sundawn!"

  "It's not safe. Whatever that attracted—"

  She cut off mid-sentence.

  The forest suddenly fell under a deep shadow.

  Both of them looked up.

  A whale the size of an entire village—composed of pure gold—was flying toward the city.

  If not for the fact that Darseans didn't command monsters, she would have been terrified.

  But the fact that backup—hopefully—on that scale was moving toward Sundawn this quickly made her far more afraid.

  Level cannot be determined. The monster exceeds Inspect limits.

  Vernisha didn't need Inspect to know the creature was monstrously powerful.

  She jumped off Crushbull, sending Brenda into a panic.

  With trembling hands, Vernisha absorbed Crushbull and summoned Meloporian.

  "We're seeking refuge far from here. We'll wait until this is dealt with… then we'll move."

  "Oh… okay… okay…"

  Meloporian's drill legs began spinning, cleanly tearing through the soil. The two grabbed hold as it burrowed downward, eventually reaching one of Vernisha's familiar tunnels and carrying them into a cave.

  Vernisha absorbed Meloporian, wincing at the mental strain, then made her way toward her small stash.

  Brenda sat on the damp cave floor. "This place will keep us safe?"

  "No. I had plans to fortify it. Didn't have the monsters for the defenses I wanted. I just came to grab some important stuff. After that, we'll head deeper into the tunnels and take refuge there."

  Brenda swallowed. "Those important things… how important?"

  "Don't know. But…"

  Vernisha stood over the Golden Cup.

  "With how fucked we are…"

  She hesitated.

  Part of her wanted to leave it and hope for the best.

  But when had things ever turned out okay for her?

  She survived, yes—but survival always dragged chaos and destruction behind it.

  The thoughts bubbled up.

  She started to spiral—

  No.

  She wasn't cursed.

  She was different.

  Not cursed.

  Different.

  Different…

  "I'm tired," Vernisha said quietly. "So tired of this shit."

  Happiness. Freedom.

  She clawed desperately for both, and everything seemed determined to rip them away.

  I'm going to be happy. I'm going to be happy.

  But was now really the time for thoughts like that?

  Silly Vernisha.

  She formed a rock gauntlet, picked up the Golden Cup and the books, then silently gestured for Brenda to follow her toward the tunnels.

  But Brenda hesitated.

  "You're… not going to help?"

  Vernisha frowned.

  "When I said seek refuge, what did you think I meant?" she said. "And help? Don't you see the kind of vlandos being summoned into this fight? A village-sized whale doesn't ring a bell? A skill probably covering an entire Zone doesn't ring a bell?"

  She hadn't meant to sound harsh, but the question was absurd.

  "But you're a Freebird."

  Vernisha's eyebrows furrowed as she looked at Brenda, trying to understand what that was supposed to imply.

  "You're free from so many chains because… you're better than most. Because when all fails, you're among the many they call for help. Because—"

  "Stop that shit. I only became a Freebird because I didn't want to be an adventurer yet still wanted the benefits of one. Besides, I'm only one because of my connections, not because I deserved it."

  Brenda pursed her lips before giving up on whatever she wanted to say. "Okay."

  "Sorry, but I'm sure whoever you have close there will be okay."

  "I don't have anyone close there. Let's go. I forgot myself."

  A booming voice invaded the minds of everyone in Terrafall at that moment.

  'This is the Minister of Defense speaking directly into your minds. I wish to inform everyone in Sundawn and the surrounding areas that we are facing a crisis. If you're a vlandos, we are in need of you. If you're a civilian, please seek shelter immediately.'

  The two entered the tunnels, and Vernisha used Meloporian to lead them to the tunnel that was the most annoying to reach.

  The space was cramped, but they lay there. Vernisha could not see, but she heard Brenda whisper, "Please lend me your luck… And Dragons, I will steel myself like you all…"

  Vernisha wasn't entirely familiar with Holvion culture, but she had learned quite a bit from the mansion's library. It made her wonder why she didn't also pray to their Mortal God.

  No matter—she had more important things to focus on. She forced herself to sleep, trying to make contact with Tarnisha. She wasn't sure how Natasha had reached her mind before, but she hoped she could do the same.

  But just as quickly, she was reminded she couldn't use any Darsean darkness.

  Time passed until Brenda fell asleep.

  Then Vernisha's palm began to pulse again.

  She moved quickly, grabbing Brenda and preparing to summon Meloporian—but before she could, something seized her by the neck, and everything was swallowed in darkness.

  The next moment, she was rolling across hard dirt.

  She looked up and was met with the sight of a man who surpassed the height of the tallest vlandos. His figure was grotesque and heinous, yet packed with muscle.

  At the base of his neck was a 'C'.

  There were two of them.

  Vernisha crawled back.

  Then he spoke.

  "We thank you, Princess of Darkness."

  She was baffled. Why was she being thanked?

  "For presenting yourself to us. For making us aware that there were two of you. For… giving us a chance to stop a great evil from being born. Princess of Darkness."

  "What?"

  He staggered closer until he loomed over her. "We will save the world from you. From the Great Father. Princess of Darkness."

  It didn't make sense. The Darsean cult worshipped the Great Father. They wanted the world to fall—not save it.

  She had heard many things about them. Extremists. Dangerous. But never truly insane. Never… confused about their own goal.

  Her trembling hand shot forward, and Meloporian's tail slid from her palm toward his neck.

  The tip bounced off his skin.

  He kept talking like she hadn't just tried to kill him.

  "We are about to kill your twin. And your other brother and sister. We thank you… We thank you!"

  His hand moved toward her face—

  —and a massive skeletal hand erupted from the ground, seized him, and dragged him skyward.

  Vernisha snapped back and saw an adventurer shouting at her, "What are you doing here, kid?! Get to fucking safety! They're not infecting anyone, so don't panic!"

  His arm hung loosely at his side.

  He summoned a cloud covered in eyes, his body turning translucent before he vanished.

  Vernisha looked up again.

  The skeletal arm was still stretching skyward. The grass around it was fading of color.

  Vernisha got up, grabbed Brenda, and then… stopped.

  She didn't know what to do.

  Where to run.

  She could pretend ignorance—pretend she didn't know who the twin was.

  But she knew.

  Tarnisha.

  In the distance, a massive explosion bloomed.

  They weren't just after her, and…

  …she couldn't let Tarnisha die.

  There was nothing she could do. She knew that.

  But she had to risk it.

  There was no logic she could use to justify what she was about to do.

  And strangely, that made her happy.

  At her side were the books and the Golden Cup.

  Without any protection, she grabbed the Golden Cup.

  Upon direct contact, a sudden chill slid into her very being.

  That was all.

  All in that moment.

  Vernisha shoved everything into Aquaren's mouth and ordered it not to digest them.