The heavy doors of the ruined castle creaked open.
Fujikawa Airi stepped cautiously into the grand hall, her sandals splashing through shallow pools of blood, her white nightwear billowing in the cold wind. The scent of iron was suffocating, clinging to her throat and making her stomach churn.
Around her, the bodies of knights and commoners alike lay strewn across the marble floors, faces frozen in terror, weapons shattered and useless at their sides.
Above it all, seated upon a grand, crimson-drenched throne, was a boy.
He couldn't have been more than five or six years old, dressed in resplendent noble clothes stained by the chaos around him. His black hair was tousled, small black horns curling from his head like a devil from an old legend. A spade-tipped tail lazily swayed behind him. In one hand, he held a polished metal scepter; in the other, he idly toyed with a golden butterfly that perched on his finger, seemingly unbothered by the carnage.
Standing proudly beside him was a beautiful woman — Velmaria. Her black hair cascaded like a waterfall over a pristine white wedding dress. At the boy's other side, a human girl, barely fourteen, stood demurely in a maid's dress, her hands clasped before her, her eyes lowered in perfect submission.
The ruined banners overhead still fluttered from the broken rafters, bearing the once-proud crest of a fallen barony. Airi tried to remember what little she could of those crests—just like the faces of the people sprawled across the floor.
Airi wasn't a newcomer to strange dreams. She held the godhead of clairvoyance after all: Airi of the Stars, the Saint of Prophecy, the Hero of Veyrunth...
And through her years in this world, she had learned to never take any one of her dreams for granted. Are the demons still a threat? Who is this child? Or is it that woman beside him I should fear?
Her eyes scanned Velmaria — a wedding dress? What could that mean... She thought deeply about what she was seeing. Her dreams rarely showed full scenes about the future; instead, they offered fragments and glimpses. From what she could tell, this one represented the fall of a region. The fact that the scene was centered around a smaller castle, and only commoners and knights were dead, indicated that the disaster wasn't widespread — it was contained to a single place or region under a noble's rule.
The second thing she noticed was far more chilling: Velmaria was pregnant. She hadn't noticed it at first, but the closer she looked, the more prominent the woman's belly became. A new generation of demons? she thought, casting another wary glance at the demon child on the throne.
The boy's crimson eyes lifted to meet hers.
They were soulless eyes, cold and fathomless, as if he held nothing but endless darkness within him. Airi shivered. She had fought demons, dragons, and monsters centuries old — yet this child unsettled her.
Her voice broke the heavy silence.
"Who are you?" she asked, her Japanese accent curling around the words, her voice almost a whisper against the vast emptiness of the ruined throne room.
The boy smiled then — a slow, chilling smile — and golden butterflies danced around his head like a twisted crown.
He muttered something, but Airi couldn't perceive it.
Then, a golden status panel appeared beside him—
──────
Name: ????
Race: ???? (????)
Class: ???
Level: 6 {+1} ([???] - Locked)
EXP: 340 / 800
Alignment: Neutral Evil →Chaotic Neutral
Affiliation: ???
Title(s):
Monster's (Shared title)
????
????
????
──────
HP: 432 / 490 (????) {+70}
MP: 160 / 218 (????) {+40}
Stamina: 348 / 357 (????) {+65}
Strength: 18 (???) {+6}
Dexterity: 22 (???) {+7}
Vitality: 16 (???) {+10}
Intelligence:14 (???) {+9}
Charisma: 25 (???) {+13}
──────
ABILITIES
??? (Passive):
????
??? (Active): ???
??? (Passive): ????
──────
?????
??? (?????):
????
??? (?????):
????
──────
Everything was mostly covered up, but this only intrigued Fujikawa Airi even more. Only level six? That was decent, sure — but nothing she should be intimidated by. A demon at that level should be completely weak compared to Demon Sanders.
So is it the last section that makes you a threat? she thought. Or is this meant to show that they're getting better at hiding themselves... blending in?
She sighed, deciding to take a look around the castle — but then—
"You've seen mine, so it's only fair I see yours~," Malrik said as she turned away from him. "Or were you planning to leave? Tch. Humans are so inconsiderate."
Airi froze mid-step. Slowly, she turned back around—
—
Airi shot upright in bed, her breath ragged and clinging to the cold sweat that slicked her skin. For a moment, the nightmare's bloodstained castle still floated before her, thick and real as a living memory. She clutched the velvet blanket, feeling the tremble in her fingers before she forced herself to breathe.
The world around her was the opposite of that nightmare.
Her bedroom was a vision of impossible luxury — towering walls of pale marble, draped with gossamer curtains that shimmered like captured starlight. The ceiling was a masterpiece of gilded carvings and delicate, ever-glowing crystal lanterns, casting a soft, enchanting light over everything. A canopy of rose-gold silk cascaded from the heavens above her bed, studded with thousands of tiny diamond-like flecks that glittered as if the stars themselves had descended just for her. The bed beneath her was absurdly vast, layered with thick quilts, satin sheets, and embroidered pillows. A rug of white fur lay sprawled over polished golden wood floors, silencing her every movement.
Before she could steady her breath, there came a soft thump — then a low, familiar rumble of worry.
Airi blinked, then smiled as a small, sleek dragon the size of a large dog scrambled up onto the bed, its silvery scales catching the light like a living mirror. Wide, opal eyes stared up at her, luminous with concern. It nudged her chest with its snout and released a crooning whimper that vibrated through its body.
"Awwww," Airi cooed, her heart melting on the spot. She scooped the dragon up into her arms, hugging the warm, muscled creature close. "Are you worried about mama~? Come here, big girl."
The dragon, all proud dignity a moment ago, immediately melted into a puddle of adoration, rumbling and wagging its spade-shaped tail as it nuzzled into her lap.
Airi chuckled softly, smoothing a hand down the dragon's sleek head. "You're too cute, you know that? What would I do without you?"
For a time, she just sat there, stroking her pet's shining scales and letting the tension bleed from her body. But unease still stirred at the back of her mind. That dream—no, that vision—wasn't something she could ignore. She would have to tell the princess. Even if it was ridiculous, even if it was just a nightmare, it was better to say something than regret it later. The princess trusted her instincts after all.
As she absently rubbed her dragon's head, her fingers brushed against something cool and solid.
She froze.
There, gleaming under the soft light, was a silver ring wrapped snugly around her ring finger. Thin but unmistakable, inlaid with the faintest line of strange, shimmering runes that shifted when she tried to focus on them.
Airi stared at it, dumbfounded. She hadn't been wearing a ring to bed — she never wore jewelry when she slept. Her stomach twisted. There was only one person who could have—
Her eye twitched dangerously.
"Princess Lunariaaaaa," Airi growled under her breath, her voice dripping with betrayal. "How many times do I have to tell you I like guys?!"
The dragon stirred in her lap, sensing her sudden anger, and chirped uncertainly.
Grumbling, Airi grabbed the ring with her other hand and tugged — first gently, then more forcefully.
Nothing.
Her brows furrowed. She pulled harder, using the strength that could snap a steel sword in two.
Still nothing. It didn't even budge.
Airi sat there, panting slightly from effort, glaring at the traitorous piece of jewelry now glinting mockingly at her. A sinking feeling gnawed at her chest.
"...It's not coming off," she muttered darkly.
The dragon looked up at her, tilted its head, and let out a low sympathetic hum, pressing closer against her side.
"Yeah, yeah," Airi sighed, flopping back onto the luxurious mountain of pillows. "Apparently Mama's life just got way more complicated."
The dragon happily climbed onto her stomach, purring like a giant, contented cat as it curled up, its wings folding neatly against its back.
Airi closed her eyes, feeling the irritating but inescapable weight of the ring around her finger. She grumbled to herself, pulling the fur throw up over her head.
"I'll just make Onii-chan deal with it," she muttered, already imagining her older brother's horrified face as she shoved this ridiculous problem into his hands.
"Deal with what?" a voice chirped sweetly from the doorway.
Airi froze, the dragon's purring faltering slightly.
Peeking from under the blanket, she saw Princess Lunaria standing there, framed by the gold-trimmed double doors. The princess's long silver hair spilled around her like moonlight, her violet eyes sparkling with mischief as she hugged a velvet pillow to her chest.
"What about your dear brother, hmm?" Lunaria asked, tilting her head with exaggerated innocence.
Without missing a beat, Airi grabbed the nearest pillow — a luxurious, overstuffed one embroidered with tiny pearl-like beads — and hurled it straight at the princess's smug face.
Lunaria yelped, laughing, as the pillow bounced off her head and sent her stumbling back a step. She dropped her own pillow and marched forward, hands on her hips in mock outrage.
"You savage!" Lunaria accused.
"You menace!" Airi shot back, holding up her cursed hand and waggling the silver ring in Lunaria's face. "What kind of magic did you put on this stupid ring?!"
The princess clapped her hands together, her laughter bubbling out like music. "I don't knooow," she said far too cheerfully, rocking on her heels.
Airi stared at her flatly.
The dragon, sensing the incoming storm, prudently slid off Airi's stomach and took shelter behind a mountain of pillows, only its sparkling snout peeking out.
"Ohhh, that's definitely confirmation," Airi growled, sitting up and grabbing another pillow.
Lunaria's grin widened, but she threw up her hands defensively. "W-wait! I really don't think I did!"
The slight hesitation, the almost-question at the end of her sentence — I don't think I did? — was all the proof Airi needed.
"You little snake," Airi hissed, lunging.
The bedroom exploded into chaos.
Gleeful shrieks echoed through the golden halls as Airi tackled Lunaria onto the bed, both of them half-laughing, half-wrestling as they exchanged blows with fluffy, jewel-studded pillows. Feathers burst into the air, glinting like snowflakes in the enchanted lights. The dragon chirped from its hiding spot, occasionally batting at floating feathers with its tiny claws.
"You're such a liar!" Airi accused between laughing huffs as she pinned Lunaria's arms above her head.
"I didn't—maybe—I don't remember!" Lunaria wheezed, kicking uselessly at the bedspread as she tried to squirm free.
"You put a ring on me in my sleep like some creep!" Airi barked, brandishing the sparkling silver thing on her hand as evidence.
"Romantic creep!" Lunaria corrected, grinning despite herself. "There's a difference!"
Airi let out an exasperated groan, flopping sideways off the princess and shoving a pillow over her own face.
"This castle is doomed," she mumbled into the pillow.
"And so are you~," Lunaria sang, giggling as she curled up beside her, her silver hair tangling with the pink silk of the bedspread.
The dragon cautiously crept out from behind the pillows, eyeing the two humans with wide, innocent eyes before leaping back onto Airi's side, snuggling in against both girls with a happy chirrup.
Airi smiled and gave the little dragon an affectionate scratch behind its delicate, curved horns. Its eyes fluttered shut, purring even louder as it nestled deeper into the folds of silk and lace.
Beside her, Lunaria shifted. The mattress dipped as the princess leaned closer — much closer — her violet eyes half-lidded with a mischievous sparkle.
Airi barely had time to react before Lunaria tilted her head, lips puckering ever so slightly as she made a bold move toward Airi's cheek.
Airi immediately stuck her hand between them, firmly planting her palm against Lunaria's forehead and pushing her back with all the lazy force of an older sister dealing with an overeager toddler.
"Nope," Airi said flatly, as Lunaria whined and squirmed against her hand.
"I. Like. Guys."
The words were delivered with all the finality of a queen issuing an unbreakable decree.
Lunaria let out a frustrated huff, puffing up her cheeks in a ridiculous pout. She flopped backward onto the bed, arms sprawled dramatically across the pink silk as if Airi had mortally wounded her.
"But whaaaat's so good about guys anyway?" she complained, kicking her slippered feet in the air like a child.
Airi, used to this by now, didn't even bother opening her eyes. She continued rubbing the dragon's head in slow, soothing circles, feeling the slight rumble of its contentment vibrate through the bedding.