Izuna awoke on her large, soft bed feeling oddly lonely. Her luxuriant bedroom felt far too big and empty. Even lying on her back with her arms and legs outstretched, she had plenty of room before she reached the edge of the bed. She looked to her sides but saw no sign of her parents, who usually slept in the same bed as her.
Izuna’s parents were busy helping Analissia. Unlike her, they got up early in the morning to see to their work. Izuna missed them, but she understood why they had to be elsewhere. She brushed her bangs down over her eyes, hiding them from sight, then sluggishly got out of bed and left the room.
Izuna was a Greenfield, a member of the house of the Demon Eyes. She was a descendant of the one who had been found and cursed by the god of evolution while fighting on a battlefield. Her eyes were dark like the midnight sky, twinkling with tiny constellations of light. They had the power to destroy magic.
Until Analissia had taken Izuna in, the Greenfields had been treated as mere weapons by the people of Estoll. Because of their great utility when the kingdom had had need of strength in war, they were granted the title of nobility and given duties such as monster extermination. If they did well, they were rewarded with gold. Otherwise, they were cast aside and left to figure out the necessities of life on their own. None wanted to associate with members of the Greenfield family. After all, just being near some of them was enough to do serious harm to a person’s body. Without truly incredible power, associating with them would end in death.
Because the clan of the Demon Eyes was so loathed, Izuna didn’t go to school. There weren’t even any private tutors willing to give her an education. She only had her mother and father to teach her about the world or how to use magic and fight.
“Izuna,” her father used to say. “Nobody will ever come to your aid in your hour of need. You must become strong. Strong enough to survive on your own.” He trained her harshly for the sake of keeping her alive. After all, if she ever went for a walk through town, she would have stones and insults hurled at her, and she would be treated like some kind of monster. She didn’t know why. She only knew that ever since she was small, she had been hated and hated and hated.
And so, Izuna came to hate in turn. She hated Estoll. She hated Sindoria. She hated humanity. She hated everyone in the entire world.
That was why Izuna could only be grateful to Analissia for taking her in. Analissia gave her a place to belong, clothed her, and gave her food. Analissia treated her with kindness, and above all else, had reunited her with her mother and father.
“Good morning, sister...” Izuna said. “Where are mama and papa?”
“They just left,” Analissia replied. “They’re busy with work now, so you mustn’t bother them, okay?”
“Okay...”
“Good girl.”
Izuna had once asked why Analissia was so nice to her. What Analissia told her was, “Fifty percent is a tactical consideration. I simply desire the power of the Demon Eyes. Another twenty-five percent is my duty as one of Estoll’s nobility. I have no reason to refuse aid to such a great asset of our kingdom. And the final twenty-five percent is because you are a child. Adults are meant to help children, Izuna. So please take advantage of my kindness all you like.”
Izuna didn’t mind that Analissia was using her. Analissia had saved her after she’d lost everything, so she was just happy to have the opportunity to pay her back. And yet, somehow, she felt a strange distance between the two of them. Analissia possessed a beauty far beyond any human woman. Her hair flowed bewitchingly past her cold eyes and down to her alluring chest. Her every gesture was elegant yet restrained. She was hardly warm to anyone. The distance between her and Izuna was more than a few mere words could cross. So even though Izuna should, by all rights, love Analissia and be loved by her in turn, she somehow couldn’t bring herself to accept Analissia’s kindness.
“What are your plans today?” Analissia asked. She spoke in a gentle tone like always, but whenever Izuna caught sight of her cold eyes, she couldn’t help feeling small and overwhelmed. “Are you going to your usual place?”
“Yes...” Izuna answered. “I promised Aisha...” The girl she had found crying in her secret spot. The girl who had told her that her eyes were pretty and insisted on being friends with a pariah like her. Izuna’s one and only friend. They had met time and time again since then, and Aisha always spoke to her kindly and treated her with consideration. Somehow, the hatred she had buried deep within her heart didn’t stir at all around her. She was looking forward to seeing her again today. Just talking together about nothing made Izuna very happy.
“That’s right,” said Analissia. “I’m so glad you made a friend, Izuna! Will you be home in time for dinner?”
“I will...” Izuna replied, a smile on her face. She had a sister, a father, a mother, and a friend. Her one wish was that this happiness would continue forever and ever—that she might stay for all eternity in blissful stasis.
~ ‡ ~
The solitary tree looked lonesome in the shabby, dimly lit space. It creaked audibly as Izuna and Aisha sat down together on the swing. Sitting under this very tree and having endless, rambling conversations had become a daily habit for the pair.
“Aisha,” Izuna said with a frown as she swung higher, “you really do need to let your father spoil you more! If you act like his little girl, I’m sure the two of you can get along.” This was far from the first time she had made this suggestion.
“But I’m not a child!” Aisha protested. “He even tries to spoon-feed me, you know.” She blushed, embarrassed by the thought. It seemed like this must have been a fresh memory.