[Darkness swallows your consciousness.]
[You can no longer feel the changes in the outside world. Right before you lose consciousness, you still don't understand why the Dark Koyanskaya suddenly attacked you.]
[Now, you lie on an altar. At your side, a pair of complex eyes quietly watches you.]
It was the ruin of an ancient temple, forever buried in ice and snow.
Gigantic icicles pierced the sky, glowing with a sinister dark-blue light beneath the gloomy heavens.
At the heart of the temple, on a great altar, the blonde woman known as the Dark Koyanskaya knelt on the floor. She stared at the sleeping teenage man before her, strange emotions flickering in her eyes.
In the strange stillness, a figure exuding a sweet fragrance slowly walked out from the shadows.
Her beautiful, form-fitting black dress hadn't even had time to be changed. Every line of the fabric clung to snow-white skin that shone with a seductive luster beneath the moonlight.
Her tall, elegant figure and her usual smiling golden eyes seemed to gather all the world's luxuries and charm into one person.
Light Koyanskaya.
"I didn't expect you would really chase me all the way here," the Dark Koyanskaya said. Her voice was as cold as ever, her head bowed.
Light Koyanskaya glanced once at the man on the altar, then fixed the Dark Koyanskaya with a sharp, frigid stare.
"Why did you bring him here?"
As she spoke, she quietly checked the man's breathing. He appeared only to be in a deep sleep. His body was unharmed.
Only after confirming that did she let out a silent breath.
"This is really interesting."
The normally cold golden-haired woman rose slowly to her feet. The nine fox tails behind her swayed gently, as if they had a will of their own, radiating a dangerous, enchanted beauty.
"You deliberately came into my territory because of this human… This should be a first, shouldn't it?"
"Or…"
Her tone turned playful, mocking.
"You didn't come for his sake at all, but just to have a little talk?"
"Your jokes are dull as always, for someone who calls herself the Playful Beast."
Light Koyanskaya narrowed her eyes slightly, staring into the other's indifferent golden gaze.
"Over this time, you took the initiative to contact him. I didn't intervene too much… Because I wanted a fair competition between us, so that in the end I can prove that the path I chose is the correct one."
"But that's only on the condition that—"
All around the temple, countless strands of resentment surged toward Light Koyanskaya's feet. Her tone suddenly turned ice-cold.
"You don't drag him into it."
Even under the forced pressure radiating from a Beast, the Dark Koyanskaya didn't seem particularly shaken.
She only dropped her eyes to stare at the black-haired man lying on the altar. Unconsciously, her lips curved ever so slightly, and the sharp chill in her gaze softened a touch.
Seeing the harmonious image of the blonde woman and the man side by side on the altar, Light Koyanskaya involuntarily frowned.
Ridiculous.
What a bizarre sight.
Be it the Light Koyanskaya or the Dark Koyanskaya, by nature both were existences that loathed mankind. The Dark Koyanskaya's attitude toward humans was even more extreme.
This had been determined from the moment the two Beasts were born.
Not long ago, this Dark Koyanskaya still harbored intense hostility toward Izaya.
But now…
This woman, this cold Beast that hates humans even more than her light counterpart—
Actually had such a "gentle" side?
Just looking at this scene, one might suspect they were seeing an illusion.
A Beast that hated humanity… looking down gently at a human.
Was there anything more terrifying?
Yet the Dark Koyanskaya ignored Light Koyanskaya's subtle glances.
Her eyes remained fixed on the black-haired man.
The Dark Koyanskaya hated all humans and denied all human civilization, including human reason itself.
But every time the man used his empathic magecraft over this period—even showing sympathy for the creatures of this land—she saw it all clearly with her own eyes.
Most importantly…
For the first time, a human had looked her in the eyes and said:
She could hate every human in the world—
But she should at least accept him, and accept his help.
And it wasn't just lip service.
Every time he met her gaze, there had never been even the faintest hint of disgust or fear.
So this is what they call emotions…
They really were something marvelous.
He was human, but his way of thinking was completely different from other humans.
At the very least, the Dark Koyanskaya believed that if he had appeared in any noisy human settlement, people would have fled in terror long before he ever reached them—let alone sit down and speak with him.
"It's the first time I've met such a strange human," she said quietly. "And it's also the first time I've received help from a human."
"So this is what it feels like… to accept someone's kindness and want to repay it."
Her cold voice carried a confusion of feelings.
Light Koyanskaya only sneered.
"Dragging him into our struggle—this is your idea of repayment?"
Her emotionless voice echoed through the temple.
"You brought him to the altar to be devoured, didn't you?"
The Dark Koyanskaya came back to herself. A mocking curve tugged at her lips.
"Heh… I never thought the Beast who wants to keep humans as pets would care this much about a single human."
"But tell me… Are you afraid he might get hurt, or that your 'meal' will be ruined?"
"Ridiculous."
A frigid look fell over Light Koyanskaya's charming face.
"Don't project your own thoughts onto me. I never intended to eat him."
"Really?"
The Dark Koyanskaya's sharp voice cut through the air.
"He's already become the third existence recognized by the Tunguska Sanctuary. If either of you ever devoured him…"
"Then unfortunately, I don't think you're one step away from evolving into a complete Beast."
"You're really not tempted?"
Light Koyanskaya lifted her snow-white chin, looking down at her other self, eyes filled with a hint of condescending pity.
"I'm not like you. Even if I don't eat him, I'll still evolve into a complete body someday. I do want to 'devour' him, but not the way you think."
The Dark Koyanskaya frowned.
"…What's that supposed to mean?"
"I just want to make him mine."
"…"
The Dark Koyanskaya, who always wore a cold mask, suddenly froze. Her eyes, which refused to soften even a moment ago, were now firmly fixed on Light Koyanskaya.
All the harsh words she had prepared in her heart jammed in her throat.
"What…?"
For a moment, she even doubted her own hearing.
"I said I want to make him mine. Did you not hear me clearly?"
Light Koyanskaya let out a cold laugh.
"Don't force your own ridiculous notions onto a Beast who supposedly doesn't understand emotions. And don't toy with my thoughts like that."
Dark Koyanskaya: "?"
…