Elise rushed down the stairs with her face red as blood. She made her way out of the inn and ran for a while, then stopped to catch her breath.

She checked her bag to confirm she had taken all her belongings.

Elise originally came to the capital for some stuff for her guild back in Astrared and some armored equipment.

SIGH~

She sighed and started walking. It was already night, and the passersby on the street decreased as she walked further and farther.

'I can't believe I kissed so many times,' she recalled her moments with Nero.

"Even though it was my first time kissing a boy… I hope I did well," she muttered.

"I wonder if he felt as good as I did?"

Elise was more novice than Sophia—  in kissing, but also in relationships. Sophia had been with Nero ever since he was a child, although their relationship was pure— at least from Nero's side.

Meanwhile, Emilia and Nero were awfully attracted to each other due to their compatibility with each other. Emilia had opened up a lot to Nero after the incident in the Astracliff, and she was honest in everything now; let it be her feelings or fetishes. 

Nero said he would have fallen in love with Laira if they had spent more time together, but his feelings would have reached one point and then stopped, just like they did with Sophia and Emilia.

"Oops! I should haste now; I hope Mark and his party—!"

It was dark, but Elise saw a hooded figure walked past her who had similar features as Laira.

Elise immediately turned around and shouted, "Wait!"

The hooded figure stopped but didn't say anything nor turned around.

Elise placed her hand on the figure's shoulder and said, "Can you please turn around?"

The figure said nothing nor looked back.

Elise moved her other hand and took off the figure's hood— that revealed shiny white hair. Elise froze, seeing white hair, and took one step closer to look at the figure's face.

"Excuse me. Do you want something from my companion?" a voice sounded from behind Elise.

Elise looked behind to see another hooded figure standing in front of her.

"Uhh… It's just… I— I thought—!" Elise stammered.

The hooded figure took off her hood and showed her black hair and crimson eyes. "Yes?"

Elise glanced back and forth between Hera and Laira and said, "I just thought she was someone I knew."

"Oh!" Hera exclaimed and walked closer to Elise, "Even though it's so dark— I am surprised you were able to see her face."

"I just had a feeling." Elise walked past Hera and said, "I am sorry for disturbing you."

"Wait!" Hera grabbed Elise's right hand and pulled her back, "Why are you in a hurry? Don't you want to see her face?"

Hera glanced at the ring on Elise's ring finger and reluctantly let go of Elise's hand.

"I mean, if you want to, then you can go ahead and see her face," Hera said again, but this time in a calm voice.

"Although she is a shy girl, she will obey my orders," Hera asserted.

"No, it's okay. I am just thinking too much." Elise rushed to the main gate of the capital to meet up with Mark and his party.

"Tch!" Hera clicked her tongue and bit her lips, "She was wearing a soul ring."

"You disappoint me, Zane," she added.

"Who was that girl, master?" Laira asked.

Hera squinted her eyes and frowned her face, "Stop this act. Do you think I am a fool?"

"What are you talking about, master?"

"I know you have all your memories, and you remember everything. So stop acting dumb," Hera remarked.

"I have no idea what you are talking about, master," Laira said with a straight face.

Hera furrowed her brows and nodded, "I see."

She raised her hand and asserted, "Come forth, Uriel!" and a scythe appeared in her hand.

Hera showed the scythe to Laira and said, "You remember how I had fun killing that monster, right? I shall go and kill that girl the same way, again and again."

Hera gazed at the way Elise went and raised her scythe.

"Wait!" Laira stopped Hera and grabbed her hand, "You can't hurt Elise!"

"Heh!" Hera smirked as her scythe disappeared, "You should have admitted it right away."

Laira clenched her fists and uttered, "I didn't want you to hurt Elise and others."

Hera looked at Laira with a puzzled look on her face, "Laura— or should I call you Laira?"

"Call me Laura, please."

"Alright," Hera cleared her throat and looked into Laira's eyes, "Laura, tell me honestly; do you hate me?"

"No!" Laira shook her head and uttered, "Why would I hate you? You are the one who gave me a second chance to live."

Hera shook her hand and sighed, "You should have hated me."

"Can I ask how did you know I had regained my memories?" Laira asked with a curious look on her face.

"Simple. When I renamed you, I had to choose 'With memories' or 'without memories', so I chose the one with memories."

"Then why did you… all this time. Why did you act as if everything was normal?" Laira asked hesitantly.

"I was waiting for you to tell me, but you never did." Hera placed her hand on Laira's shoulder and said, "I hate disloyal companions."

"I will forgive you this time, but next time— there will be a punishment, got it?" Hera warned.

Laira gulped down fear and nodded repeatedly.

"Or you can decide to leave my party and go to your 'Elise' or join Zane— Nero's party."

"I can't do that," Laira shook her head violently in denial.

"Why not? Are you worried they won't recognize you?" Hera asked.

"No, I am not yet ready to face any of them. I haven't accepted me and my powers yet, so I can't expect them to accept me either," Laira asserted.

Hera sighed and turned around to look in the direction of the inn, then said, "I don't understand. You have a chance to be with them, and you are still resisting. Why?"

"I can ask you the same thing. You are stalking Nero— even going as far as possessing that woman in the guildhall, but you are not interacting with him face to face. Why?" Laira asked.

"It's not as easy as you think. Just as you are afraid whether they will accept you or not, I am afraid of… rejection. I am afraid of how he would act if I told him who I am, or if he would recognize me or not," Hera murmured with a distant yet sad smile on her face.

"So we are the same," Laira declared.

"We are different. And besides, I have to end something I started five thousand years ago," Hera declared with a serious look on her face.

"Umm… Master, What is your relationship with—"

"Don't call me master. I hate it when someone calls me master," Hera retorted.

"Then…" After a brief moment, Laira tried to call Hera by her name, "Her—"

"You can't call me that!" Hera shouted.

"Then what should I call you?"

"Hmm. His name is Nero, so…" Hera pondered for a while and then said, "Call me Nora— no, wait! Nora sounds kinda meh."

Hera turned to Laira and uttered, "Call me Nure."