As my mind snapped back to reality, my thoughts still circled the one thing I had learned.

The father of that transmigrator, Lucien's father, was the same psycho who had bombed me.

All because he thought I slept with his wife.

His wife.

A woman I had never even seen in my entire life.

Hell, from what I remembered of the memory, she wasn't even the kind of woman who could make me break my sacred code of never touching a married woman.

So why?

No, more importantly, what the hell was that bastard even talking about?

I had heard him clearly: "It was necessary. It's the beginning."

The words still echoed in my head like a riddle.

From what I had seen, that man wasn't broken.

He had been happy.

He loved his wife.

He loved his family.

So what made him go mad one day out of nowhere?

And even if he snapped, why go that far? Why kill her? If it was really about betrayal, there were easier ways like a fight, a divorce or anything but… that.

So what pushed him over the edge?

Was there something or someone else involved?

It was the only thing that made sense. The only explanation that didn't end with "some random psycho lost his mind."

But if that was true… then my death wasn't just the whim of an insane bastard. It was planned and that thought… was a hell of a lot worse.

But obviously, someone just had to interrupt my thinking.

A fist came flying straight for my face, fast enough to make the very air scream.

I moved on instinct, twisting my body back.

The punch cut through empty air and the shockwave that followed, burst out in a deafening boom.

Dust scattered and my cloak fluttered.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" I muttered, brushing the dust off my shoulder as I stared at the girl who had just tried to rearrange my glorious face.

She was giggling.

"You blanked out for a second," she said between laughs, eyes filled with madness. "So I thought I might… wake you up."

I blinked.

"By punching me?"

She only grinned wider and nodded.

I didn't even know what to say anymore but damn, that punch had power.

Now that I had felt it that close, I finally understood how the hell she managed to throw such brutal hits with that deceptively frail body of hers.

It wasn't brute strength.

It was gravity.

She was manipulating it, making herself lighter when she moved and heavier when she struck.

It was simple and yet terrifying.

From what I could tell, she wasn't using affinity at all.

No, this felt different and that meant, it was definitely a skill. Because using an affinity that precisely, that instinctively, was almost impossible, not unless she had been trained from childhood.

And that was impossible because people only discovered their affinity after awakening… which didn't even happen until seventeen.

So yeah, that was definitely a skill. Not that it had anything to do with me.

I straightened up and looked at her.

"So… who exactly are you?"

I had to play it cool. I mean, when a timid little healer suddenly turns into a giggling psychopath, you have to ask at least a few follow-up questions to not look suspicious.

"I'm Seraphina," she said immediately as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"I see…" I nodded slowly. "Then what's with the sudden makeover? And, you know…" I waved a hand vaguely toward her face. "The whole personality swap?"

I just wanted to see how she would respond.

Would she tell me about her little deal with a Goddess or play the fool?

But before I could get my answer, her body started shifting again. The dark edges of her hair shimmered, fading back to platinum blonde.

Ah… so her time is up, huh?

"See ya soon, pretty boy."

Her voice had changed, becoming softer but still carrying that faint echo of madness underneath.

Then, just like that, her legs gave out.

The grin slipped from her face as her body went limp,

the last trace of that other self fading from her eyes.

Her body started collapsing backward, completely spent.

Normally, I'm not the type to jump into some cliché,

"oh no, the girl's falling, better catch her" moment but I had just finished reevaluating my opinion of her.

She was useful… Useful enough to be worth catching.

So I leaned forward, caught her hand and pulled her toward me.

Her body was light, almost too light, as she stumbled into my arms.

For a moment, the cave fell silent except for her shallow breathing.

I flashed my nicest smile.

The one I save for diplomacy… or disasters.

"You okay?" I asked softly.

—

Seraphina's eyes fluttered open and the first thing she saw was him. The boy's face was far too close as his crimson eyes were locked on hers.

There was a smile on his lips, the same one he always wore but right now, it felt… softer and more humane than the one he always had.

For a moment, she forgot everything, the exhaustion, the blood and the fading pulse of power in the air.

All she could do was stare back into those crimson eyes that somehow burned and made her feel calm all at once.

She could hear his heartbeat… but hers was louder, thundering in her chest.

She had never been this close to a boy before.

Technically, she had clung to him earlier, back in that collapsing part of the cave but that had been pure instinct.

Her body had just moved on its own, trying to survive.

But this… This felt different.

Something deep inside her screamed not to trust him. It was as if the entire universe itself was whispering a warning in her ear.

And yet… Something else wanted to believe him…. Wanted to trust every word that left his lips.

It was weird.

Her body reacted before her thoughts caught up as she pushed herself back, putting some distance between them.

The memories of her other self were still fresh because even if the personality had shifted, the body and the mind was still the same.

The same heart that had laughed like a maniac moments ago was now pounding in confusion and shame.

Everything felt foreign and yet, somehow, still hers but beneath the fear and the trembling, there was something else.

Happiness.

Because for the first time, she wasn't a burden.

She had fought.

She had stood her ground.

She didn't hide behind someone stronger, didn't cry for help.

She helped end it and that small truth was enough to make her chest fill with quiet pride.

She looked at the boy, her gaze shifting but never quite reaching his eyes.

"I–I'm… fine."

Her voice was different now, fragile and hesitant, a far cry from the confident tone of her other self.

And she felt it.

Unlike the one who acted without thinking, this Seraphina thought too much.

She worried what people might think.

What if they hated her?

What if she said the wrong thing again?

So she stayed quiet and careful… trapped inside her own thoughts.

She knew her flaws and she knew exactly how her other self moved, spoke and lived.

And yet… She couldn't bring herself to act like that.

Because this part of her, this timid and uncertain side, was still her and no matter how much she wanted to change, some things weren't meant to be erased.

She could feel the boy's stare on her.

Did I say something wrong or was my tone too sharp or too soft?

Her thoughts scrambled, tripping over each other in panic. Every second of silence felt like it stretched forever, each heartbeat echoing a little too loud in her chest.

She didn't even know why she was thinking so much anymore. Why every word, every breath, had to feel like a test.

But deep down… she knew.

Her flaw.

It had changed her slightly… This constant overthinking wasn't entirely her. At least, that's what she understood from the flood of knowledge and what she had seen about her Flaw—Duality of Soul.

It made her painfully self-conscious.

But she didn't mind because that was how she had always been, hesitant, unsure and full of too many thoughts without enough courage.

The only difference now was that the Flaw had turned the volume up.

It didn't change her… it just made everything louder.

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Then Rael's voice broke the quiet, softer than usual and almost gentle.

"I see," he said. "Good to know."

A second passed.

Then, with that familiar smile on his face,

"Say, Seraphina… wanna be mine?"

He muttered the words so casually that it took a second for them to sink in.

For a moment, Seraphina's mind just stopped and everything went blank.

"…What?" she whispered.

Her thoughts stumbled.

What?

What?

The word echoed again and again in her head,

as if her brain refused to process anything else.

—

Author's Note:

Guys, relax, this ain't your usual cliché… probably. And no, Seraphina isn't "in love," it's the Myth and Flaw of Rael messing with her head 💫.

The scammer who fooled Hel is now twisting trust itself… and his own flaw? Yeah, it's what's making her doubt it. And her own flaw isn't helping at all. So yeah, it's not love.

So, why is Rael asking her to be his? Its for next chapter or you all can guess if you want. 😂

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

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