Before Nadine and Katherine could escape from the sinister underground facility—
“Well, well. Of all the surprise visitors.”
—a man’s voice called out to them, flat and emotionless. There was something about its emptiness that sent a shiver up their spines. The sight of the figure before them threatened to make Katherine’s legs give out.
“Wh... Who are you?!”
His face was shrouded in shadow. Katherine held her staff at the ready as Nadine pulled out a combat knife.
Then they heard the clack, clack of dramatic footsteps... and the man stepped into the light.
He was pale, with sharp eyes and a faint smile. Katherine’s first reaction: wow, he’s actually kind of hot. But those dark, murky eyes evoked a deep, primal fear she couldn’t explain. Almost like he wasn’t human.
“Run,” Nadine whispered.
“What?”
“Please, Katherine, you have to run. We can’t...”
No... Her voice was less of a whisper and more of a barely restrained scream.
“We can’t fight him!”
Katherine’s eyes widened. Did Nadine just tell me to run?
Her chest ached.
For years she’d worked her ass off. As an adventurer, as a Mage—and often, the only woman in the party. And this wasn’t the first time she’d been given similar orders. Far from it.
Stay back—it’s not safe for a woman. The men will handle this. You get out of here.
She knew they were only trying to protect her, but... it always left her feeling so powerless.
Men need to be strong to protect women, while women need to be protected.
From an early age, she remembered the red-faced middle-aged men who would frequent her grandmother’s restaurant... and the comments they would make to her every night.
“You’re a pretty girl, Katherine.”
“I bet you’ll find a good husband someday.”
“Get yourself a real man to protect you.”
They always waited until her grandmother was distracted with other work to say these things, too. And perhaps their hearts were in the right place—perhaps they were only looking out for her well-being. But their comments festered in her chest like a disease.
And as time wore on, she only heard more of the same sentiments—at the Imperial Magic Academy, in adventuring school, and even after she graduated. But it wasn’t what she wanted.
“...No, you.”
“Wait, what? Katherine?”
“I said, you run!”
Katherine turned back to the expressionless, dark-haired man and held her staff at the ready. Deep down, what she always wanted was—
“You hear me?! You’re the one who’s going to escape, not me! I’ll buy you some time, so... use your agility or whatever and get out of here! I know you can do it, Nadine!”
“No... I can’t just leave you!”
—to protect someone else.
That was her deepest, most desperate wish. She still remembered the way little Anca had looked at her during the duel, her eyes full of trust.
“After what you’ve seen, I’m afraid I cannot simply let you escape,” the man stated mechanically. But Katherine didn’t back down.
“Quiet, you. I’m gonna bust out my albino foxkin secret technique!”
“Katherine!”
“Run for it, Nadine! Round and round the wheel turns... O holy Amaterasu, ignite your flames and let your sacred mirror shine! Foxfire Flash!”
The next instant, a blinding light erupted from the tip of Katherine’s staff—multiple times, in quick intervals. This spell was designed to dazzle the eyes; in combat it created a split-second distraction.
“Nngh... Be safe!” Nadine shouted—and then she took off running.
Meanwhile, she thought to herself... how could that man have managed to conceal his presence from her? Who was he?
Nadine bit her lip. She knew she didn’t have the strength to fight him, and she knew Katherine wasn’t fast enough to escape him. Ultimately, this was the best choice available to them.
Promise me we’ll meet again, Katherine!
She could hear spells exploding somewhere behind her... but Nadine didn’t look back.
She needed to hurry and find the others ASAP.