The night air was thick with the scent of blood.
Serena's steps were unsteady as she leaned against the alley wall, one hand clamped over the gash on her side. Her breath came in shallow gasps, and every movement sent fresh waves of pain through her body. The streets were quiet—most of the nobles had long returned to their gilded halls. Only the occasional flicker of lantern light danced across the cobblestones.
"System…" she whispered, teeth clenched. "Can you… stabilize the bleeding?"
> ⟨Insufficient Tier. Emergency Support Unavailable.⟩
The response was cold and mechanical, as always. No warmth. No pity.
Gritting her teeth, Serena summoned the last wisps of her elemental energy. Wind stirred around her fingers as she focused it into pressure against her wound, temporarily sealing the bleeding. It wasn't healing—just a patch to keep herself alive long enough to reach safety.
By the time she reached the servant passage into House Valen's estate, her vision was already swimming.
She didn't cry out. Not even when she collapsed behind the door of her room, the makeshift seal bursting with a wet pop. Only when the door clicked shut did she allow herself to fall, dragging herself toward her bed with her last strength.
Her fingers fumbled inside a hidden compartment beneath the floorboard. Inside were a few common-grade alchemy pills she'd hidden in better days—when her name still meant something.
She swallowed them dry.
The pills were low-grade, meant for bruises and shallow wounds, but they dulled the pain just enough. Her breathing slowed. The darkness that threatened to take her began to recede.
> ⟨Vital signs stabilizing. No further internal damage.⟩
The system's voice echoed once again—neutral, distant.
"I could've died tonight…" Serena murmured, staring at the ceiling. "And for what?"
The system remained silent.
She closed her eyes, reliving the fight.
Cassian had found her when the moon was at its peak. She hadn't sensed him approach—not until it was too late. His aura was refined, restrained, and dangerous. Unlike Serena, who was only just beginning to understand her new reality, Cassian had clearly fought—and killed—before.
And he had been trying to kill her too.
To devour her system.
That thought chilled her more than the blood loss.
She had expected hatred, maybe vengeance, but not this cold hunger. Not the look of someone who had done this before. She was nothing more than another stepping stone to him.
Yet… she'd escaped.
She had faced a true system user—and lived.
It wasn't a victory. It wasn't even close. But she had survived. And that was enough for now.
---
The next morning
Serena didn't rise with the sun. She slept until noon, and even then, only stirred when her system prompted her.
> ⟨Wound Recovery: 42%. Remaining duration: 2 days (based on current alchemy pills).⟩
⟨No passive regeneration available.⟩
She groaned, forcing herself to sit up. Her body ached, but she was alive.
Alive, and wiser.
Cassian wouldn't let her go a second time. He knew she had a system. Which meant… the next encounter would be to the death.
But she had something now—something he hadn't expected.
Resolve.
Not desperation. Not fear.
Resolve.
She moved slowly, wrapping bandages over the remnants of her wound. This time, she didn't cry. She didn't ask "why me." She was past that now.
---
Later that evening
As the stars returned to Etheria's skies, Serena stood beneath a tree in the Valen courtyard. Her elemental energy fluttered weakly around her—Wind, laced with something darker. Ever since the system's awakening, the darkness had become a quiet shadow in her aura.
She drew it in, controlling her breath, focusing her intent.
She had no official combat skills. No guidance. No master.
But she had time. And pain. And purpose.
And those would do… for now.
---