Ella inhaled slowly as the memory spell began to hum.
"Before the magic shows the scene," she said, "you must understand what led to that day. Sylvia hired Daciel, the strongest assassin, in exchange for access to their magic stone mines. His mission was simple: to kill our king."
Diana's expression darkened.
"And before attacking him, Daciel sought to… toy with the king's favorite wife..."
"Amina," Ella confirmed bitterly. "Cayn's mother."
Diana's jaw clenched. The pieces began fitting together in her mind with chilling clarity.
"That same evening, our brother had invited us to dine with him. Fate is sometimes cruel, and sometimes exact. The rest…"
Her eyes drifted to the glowing magic circle.
"…you must witness yourselves."
Ella tapped the spell.
Click.
MEMORY
A young Ella's voice filled the projection.
"I can't wait!" she chirped, running ahead down a bustling street.
From her perspective, the viewers saw Allen, Rai, and Cayn walking in front of her, Cayn holding grocery bags with calm ease.
Ella jumped to his side.
"Just so you know, your cooking is still the best."
Cayn smirked playfully, patting her head.
"Be careful, little flower. If Mother hears that, you're on your own."
Ella giggled and stuck out her tongue.
They were happy. Peaceful. Close.
Then everything changed.
Cayn stopped mid-step.
The groceries slipped from his hands.
His eyes, usually steady, flared open, blazing gold, trails of light streaking behind the slightest movement of his head.
He vanished.
The groceries hit the ground a moment later.
Allen, Rai, and Ella froze in shock, unable to even react before an explosion rocked the distant outskirts.
Cayn's home.
The siblings sprinted.
They reached what remained of the house, half of it blown apart, the air thick with smoke. Flames crackled. Debris was scattered like broken bones.
Something moved inside the smoke.
A man stepped out, laughing.
Daciel.
"Ahh… the king's favorite wife survives a divine-ranked assassination thanks to a little artifact."
His grin twisted.
"Shame something like that can only work once."
He noticed them.
"Well, well. The heirs of Archion. What luck. Imagine your father's face when I stack your heads at his feet."
His aura crashed over them like a tidal wave.
The three heirs collapsed to their knees, choking.
Daciel reveled in it.
But then—
his expression shifted.
The smoke behind him cleared.
Cayn stood in the wreckage, holding his trembling mother tightly to his chest.
He wasn't glowing.
He wasn't unleashing aura.
He was simply there, still and silent, whispering, "I am here. I am here. I am here…"
Amina sobbed into him until exhaustion took her and she slipped into sleep.
Daciel raised a brow.
"The dutiful son arrives… How touching."
Cayn said nothing.
Ella whispered, "Brother…"
Daciel's head snapped toward her.
"Oh? The little princess speaks. Should I save you for after your brother watches his mother scream?"
His presence intensified like a crushing hand around their throats.
Yet Cayn and Amina were completely unaffected.
He laid his mother gently onto the bed, brushing her hair aside, kissing her hand tenderly.
Daciel snorted.
"How sweet. I was aiming for your father's despair, but your terror will do. Tell me—"
He didn't finish.
Because Cayn turned.
And the world stopped.
There was no aura.
No magic.
No killing intent.
Just those golden eyes—
—glowing with something ancient and merciless.
MOVING WAS A SIN.
Something primal in Daciel broke.
But he still tried to laugh.
"Yes—YES! That look! The eyes of a man who's already lost—ghk—!"
Blood burst from his mouth.
He staggered.
His ears began to bleed.
His nose.
His eyes.
"What…h…how—"
More blood gushed out, cutting his voice into choking gasps.
He looked at Cayn with disbelief and terror.
"There… there was no artifact… It was you—"
He laughed, insane, shaking, as his mind shattered.
Cayn walked toward him slowly.
Daciel tried to speak, to stand tall, to pretend he still held power.
"M-madness," he stammered. "D-do… do you even know who I—"
He met Cayn's eyes.
He screamed.
No sound came out.
His mouth stretched in silent agony, tears of blood trailing down his cheeks.
His hands trembled.
His legs collapsed.
The Assassin Saint, feared across kingdoms, now looked like a child before an executioner.
Cayn exhaled softly, brushing his hair back.
"You should have gone for the king," he said quietly.
"For all I care."
His voice, deep, coarse, heavy, made the heirs watching from the memory tremble even through the spell.
"I will be merciful."
He lit a cigarette.
Smoke curled around him like a mourning veil.
He suddenly gripped the air, "Did I give you permission to take his soul?"
Confusion was drawn into his siblings' and Daciel's face. Yet they all look horrified in a moment.
A soul reaper, the guider of souls, was right in front of them, veiled in black, his reaper on the ground, block shrouds as hands trying to struggle away from Cayn's grip.
"**********," spoke the guide.
Cayn answered, yet no voice resounded in their ears even when his lips moved.
He let go of the guide, who stood there facing Cayn. Its expressions, through that of a faceless shadow, seemed to be frozen by whatever Cayn had just said.
It turned to Daciel, studying him with detached calm, while Cayn had returned to sit beside his mother, brushing her cheek softly.
Daciel's body collapsed, lifeless.
Dark flames consumed the corpse, leaving no blood, no bone, no trace.
Nothing, the guide was nowhere to be seen.
Without turning back, Cayn whispered,
"Leave."
The memory dissolved.
BACK IN THE PRESENT
Silence suffocated the room.
Cassis finally exhaled shakily.
"T-The saints we worship couldn't withstand his killing intent. And was that... the soul reaper??"
Diana hardly blinked.
Her voice was steady.
"That wasn't a fight. That was an execution. Even to that mythical being."
She turned to Ella.
"And the Guild… why me?"
Ella smiled gently.
"Because we have a lot in common. And… I wanted to be your friend."
Diana rose, extending her hand.
"You demonstrated sincerity, or maybe also intimidation for showing your brother's strength. But we have one goal. May this be the start of a strong bond."
Ella took her hand.
"Let's take care of each other."
Allen and Cassis shared a knowing smile.
Their little sisters were clearly the ones leading their kingdoms' futures.
The room relaxed. Laughter returned piece by piece.
Ella nudged Diana with a mischievous grin.
"So… He also knew of you for a while, getting reports about you here and there by the guild, and whenever I spoke about you. What do you think about him?"
Diana's cheeks warmed.
"I… think I am curious about. To a dangerous extent for now..."
She surprised even herself.
But she couldn't forget:
His rage.
His fear.
His love for his mother.
His gentle hands.
His monstrous strength.
Her heart beat faster.
Ella handed her a small perfume bottle.
"Take this. He likes sitting near this flower. I'll tell you where he usually smokes. Walk around there… and let fate do the rest."
They laughed softly.
"It's not up to fate. But wish me luck," Diana said.
"You don't need luck," Ella said proudly.
"You're hot and smart."
She pushed her out the door.
"Diana?" Cassis asked.
"She'll be right back," Ella answered innocently.
"Girls' things."
All three men went red.
Ella didn't correct them.