Chapter 34: Nishin Ve

Lori looked completely overwhelmed, like his entire composure had collapsed at once. Years of admiration, obsession even, for someone he had only ever seen from afar now stood right in front of him.

Because Denra Shinuu wasn’t just anyone.

He was known as the greatest fire-user in the entire Kingdom of Dissiri.

“Right. This guy owns the building,” Nightshade cut in, breaking the tension before it could settle too deep.

“I told him about what went down recently, so he’s letting us lay low here for a while.”

“Besides,” Nightshade added with a smirk, “Denra owes me one.”

“Nah, shut the fuck up,” Denra laughed, casually flipping him off without any real hostility, like this kind of exchange between them was routine.

They carried their bags inside and made their way to the elevator.

Denra pressed the button for the second floor, and the soft mechanical hum filled the space as the lift rose steadily upward, carrying them into the building’s quieter interior.

When the doors slid open, a long, clean hallway greeted them, lined with neatly arranged doors stretching into calm silence.

“Here are the keycards,” Denra said, handing them out one by one. “Just tap them against the sensor to unlock your rooms.”

“Thanks, pal. Truly appreciate it,” Nightshade said, giving him a firm pat on the shoulder. Denra nodded once before stepping back into the elevator and leaving them alone in the hallway.

Nightshade then turned to Tsukia and gestured toward the nearest room beside his.

“Tsukia, you’ll be in this one. Right next to me.”

Tsukia nodded slowly, feeling something small but steady settle in her chest as she took the keycard.

“Got it,” she replied.

The moment she stepped inside, silence rushed in to meet her.

She didn’t even bother organizing her things properly. The bags simply slipped from her shoulders and hit the floor with a dull, heavy thud that echoed faintly in the quiet room.

She didn’t even remove her shoes before collapsing onto the bed, sinking into the mattress as exhaustion finally caught up with her body, a long yawn escaping her that left her jaw sore afterward.

But her mind didn’t follow her body into rest.

Instead, it kept running.

Everything from earlier replayed again and again, the tension in Jasmia’s voice, the shock of her words, and the lieutenant’s cold, controlled tone that lingered like a warning she couldn’t decode.

It all pressed against her thoughts like a riddle she couldn’t solve but instinctively knew she should fear.

With a sigh, she rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling, letting her hands rise into view under the dim light, studying her palms as if they could explain something she hadn’t yet understood.

Then, with a slow breath, she reached inward.

A faint, dark aura began to rise from her skin—black mixed with violet, flickering softly like something alive beneath the surface. She guided it carefully, shaping it with controlled focus until it condensed into a small, dense orb of energy hovering above her fingers, pulsing with a steady, quiet rhythm.

She watched it carefully, almost absently playing with it, letting it shift between her hands like a fragment of something deeper—something dangerous she was slowly learning to hold without losing control.

A rare moment of clarity in a day that had otherwise felt completely out of her hands.

KNOCK. KNOCK.

The sharp sound shattered the silence.

The orb disappeared instantly, dissolving back into her skin as if it had never existed at all.

Tsukia sat up at once, her heart hammering hard against her ribs. She stayed still for a second, catching her breath, steadying herself, then moved toward the door.

“What is it?” she muttered as she opened it.

But she froze.

It wasn’t any of them.

A woman stood there, roughly smaller than her height, fair-skinned, with short violet hair that framed a cute face. Her eyes were unsettling snake-like, alert, studying everything at once and beneath her left eye was a long scar that cut through her expression like a permanent mark of something survived.

“Oh, sorry. I thought this was my brother’s room,” the woman said, her voice smooth and light, carrying a strange calm confidence.

“Oh… okay then,” Tsukia replied awkwardly, already moving to close the door.

The woman stopped it with her foot.

“You have a strange aura, don’t you?” she said again, this time with something playful underneath her tone.

“Excuse me?” Tsukia frowned, confusion taking over her expression.

The woman smiled faintly, tilting her head as if she had already decided something about her.

“I think… I like you,” she hissed, licking her upper lip as her smirk sharpened, eyes locking onto Tsukia with intense interest.

“I’m Nishin Ve!"

“Nice to meet you,” Tsukia nodded slowly, though her expression stayed clouded with confusion, as if she was still trying to place where exactly this moment fit into everything she had been thrown into recently.

Nishin returned the gesture with a warm smile and offered a handshake. Tsukia hesitated for a moment before taking it, a little awkward in her grip, but Nishin’s presence carried something oddly calming. There was no hostility in her aura, no sharp edge of intent—just an easy friendliness that made Tsukia lower her guard without fully realizing it.

The door beside Tsukia’s room suddenly swung open with a soft creak.

Nightshade stood there, the light behind him catching on his white hair and briefly making it glow as if it were threaded with silver. His presence shifted the atmosphere the moment he entered, subtle but noticeable, like the air itself adjusted around him out of habit.

His gaze moved between Tsukia and Nishin Ve, who were still mid-handshake, both of them caught in that same quiet confusion, studying each other like they were trying to solve a puzzle without enough pieces.

“Huh?” Nightshade blinked, his expression briefly widening in genuine confusion.

“Ashen!” Nishin’s mood changed instantly the moment she saw him. Her eyes lit up with recognition and excitement as she released Tsukia’s hand and rushed forward without hesitation, throwing herself into a tight, unrestrained hug.

“Ashen?” Tsukia echoed under her breath, curiosity sharpening her tone as she watched the interaction unfold.

“Nishi, calm down,” Nightshade said, gently but firmly pushing her back just enough to break the hug without being harsh.

Nishin, however, only smiled brighter, completely unfazed, her eyes shimmering with excitement—and beneath that excitement, the unmistakable slit-pupiled gaze of something far from ordinary.

“So, what’s the news?” Nightshade asked, his tone immediately shifting.

At once, Nishin’s expression changed. The playful energy vanished like it had never existed, replaced by something sharper, more focused—almost predatory in its seriousness.

Tsukia stood slightly apart from them, watching the shift in atmosphere unfold too quickly for her to fully catch up. She felt like she had walked into the middle of a conversation that had already been going on long before she arrived.

Noticing her confusion flickering between their faces, Nightshade let out a small, awkward sigh and cleared his throat, as if resetting the room itself.

“Tsukia, this is Nishin Ve. She’s my companion,” he explained.