Four sentinel towers stood along Paramount's wall, each staffed by Moon Killers. Haven was posted at the third with nearly twenty comrades.
Currently, she'd just gotten back from helping finish off a Danger-level Nightwalker that had threatened the wall. But victory brought no relief, she paced anxiously, fingers tapping in barely controlled impatience.
Beneath the scarlet sky, she resembled a goddess enraged by her followers' sins. Her white hair whipped in the wind, and her pale skin seemed to glow crimson in the reflected light.
Admittedly, her lineage and Inheritance kept people at a distance. She was alone atop the sentinel while her companions worked below. But her isolation wasn't the real issue.
She faced threats from her father, true, but Karl's words wouldn't have resonated so strongly if part of her didn't agree.
She needed to take down a Hostile-level threat Scarlet Kin. That was practically impossible for her rank since even a named Danger-level threat would be a challenge.
But she had to. Not for rank or recognition among the Moon Killers, but to prove to herself she could handle whatever came.
"I wish I could ask Scar for some help."
Her agitation increased, manifesting in quiet mutterings. She wasn't the most brilliant, despite having nine predecessors. But after coming up short against four Hostile-level threat Scarlet Kins, one thing was obvious, she lacked the strength she needed.
"I need to protect him… and I need to stand against this world too. What if he decides to make Scar his enemy? An Enforcer or not, I can't do this like this… not anymore. I need to end all of it."
Word had reached her about the Barbados attack, about Scar's hands looking decomposed and corpse-like. It ate at her. Not only had people been injured, but she'd also been absent when Scar needed help.
She bit her fingers aggressively.
Someone's voice cut through her brooding, snapping her back to attention.
"My lady, you might be a goddess of ice and snow, but I don't think being alone in this cold is ideal for you."
She looked at that annoying smile and how he always carried himself as though the world belonged to him. This was Robin Bradley, ranked around 154th among the top 200 Moon Killers. It was impressive, considering Haven herself was down at 187th.
Haven scoffed.
"Do not be like that, my lady. You know behavior like this makes it difficult for others to remain by your side."
Robin spoke nobly, but Haven didn't trust his motives for a second. He'd been pursuing her relentlessly since she'd joined the Moon Killers, and he was at least four years older than her to boot.
Still, Haven didn't share a word. Instead, she resumed her ritual.
"You went too hard on the Nightwalker back there. Freezing its entire body? I heard the ice couldn't even melt. It could've been a perfect test subject for the researchers." Robin ruffled his dark hair and perched around.
But Haven's mind was still elsewhere. As the only child of Karl Velanora, the family fortune would be hers. That didn't interest her at the moment, though. Her sights were set on something seemingly impossible.
"Do you need anything? I can be useful… I am here to serve you, after all. Until the day you serve me instead." Robin said.
Haven stopped dead. Her dazed eyes, cold as ice, locked onto Robin. The murderous look nearly made him lose his balance and fall from the sentinel.
Her eyes sometimes looked glazed, lost in some lightless void, completely emotionless. So when that vacant stare became a murderous glare, the effect was deeply unsettling.
But soon, Haven's expression softened.
"You can imitate any metal, right? And reinforce your body—make it twice as hard?"
Robin looked confused for a moment but responded positively moments later.
Haven's expression stayed carefully neutral, but beneath the tough exterior, excitement burned as intensely as her vengeful thoughts. She simply couldn't reveal it.
"Meet me in the training room at 3 am…"
Confusion lingered in Robin's expression, but he agreed anyway. Little did he know Haven intended to use his reinforced body for target practice. An Inheritance granting durability twice that of any metal he touched? She'd be a fool to pass up such a training tool.
Robin smiled the entire time, though. He clearly had his own plans. But Haven couldn't care less about such a pathetic opponent. As the Heir of Skadi, one of the eight Founders of Magic, her predecessors had weathered threats infinitely worse than anything Robin could pose.
As she went back to her contemplation, Robin continued talking regardless. This time, nothing he said penetrated her focus.
Still chewing her fingernails, pulse hammering frantically, she had no answer for how to beat a Hostile-level threat Scarlet Kin. Four attempts, four failures.
Soon, a voice echoed in the distance.
"Alert! Intruder detected! A Scarlet Kin is approaching!"
…
Name: None
Classification: Nightwalker
Scarlet Kin – Generic
Threat Level: Hostile
…
Her head whipped toward the sound. A bat-like creature the size of a human was flying straight at them.
"What does this one react to? The smell of blood?"
Frowning, she conjured an ice blade from thin air. In the next instant, she shot upward. The force of her launch was so powerful that it cracked the stone where she'd been standing.
She wanted nothing more than to kill the creature herself before any of her squad could arrive and help.
She'd been only six when her mother was slaughtered by a rampaging Scarlet Kin, years before Quagmire's last appearance. At that tender age, she'd watched the tragedy transform her father entirely, warping him into someone who cared only about his own survival.
Even so, though it was obvious everything her father asked of her was to ensure she'd be strong enough to save him when things went south, Haven was a bit naive. Perhaps, as a child, it was her only way of understanding what was happening.
In her mind, she had to get strong enough… stronger, even… to put an end to the apocalyptic nightmare engulfing the world.
This relentless pursuit had robbed her of much, yet somehow she'd found purpose in what remained. Her mother, if alive, would have wanted the same from her. Haven was certain.
Now…
She stood there gasping, then crushed her blade in rage until it shattered. The Nightwalker lay dead below, but she hadn't killed it alone.
Despite everything, she failed. The Nightwalker defeated her. But that wasn't the end of her. Strength was all that she sought.