Erynport was loud. Saltwater and smoke mixed in the air. Narrow alleys crammed with sailors and merchants. Kaera and Eira moved through the crowd without speaking.
They found the bounty board near the harbor. Eira narrowed her eyes at a slightly worn poster.
"Target: A thief named Vale. Charge: Stealing a sacred relic from the old fire temple. Reward: 800 coins."
She read it aloud. Her gaze then locked onto the sketch of a locket printed on the notice.
"Kaera, you see the glyph on this locket? Looks like... ancient demon script."
Kaera stepped closer. Her sharp eyes thinned. Her heartbeat spiked without warning.
"I recognize this pattern." Her voice turned heavy. "It could be the crest of a high-ranking demon faction. The one that destroyed my village."
Eira fell silent. The noisy marketplace seemed to fade into nothing.
"So Vale's not just some petty thief. He must know something about your past."
Kaera didn't reply. Her grip on her katana tightened. "We find him tonight."
---
They found a cheap stall near the harbor. Eira ordered bread and fish stew. Kaera just stared at the bounty poster, tracing the locket's glyph with her finger.
"You're not going to eat?"
"Not hungry."
Eira sighed. She pushed a piece of bread toward Kaera. "You need energy for tonight. Don't be stupid."
Kaera's jaw tightened. But she took the bread.
After eating, they scouted the area. Eira closed her eyes, activating Echo Vein. Vibrations of heat and sound beneath the ground guided them to a hidden door wedged between the ruins of an old building.
The moment Kaera's hand touched it, the demon glyph carved into the surface flickered faintly. As if welcoming its master home.
"Tonight," Kaera said. "We move when the streets empty."
---
Night fell. Erynport changed its face. The once-crowded alleys turned dark and hollow. Kaera moved like a shadow. Silent, not a single footstep heard.
Eira followed close behind. Her Echo Vein still active, feeding her a mental map of the underground tunnels.
They descended damp stone steps. The echo of dripping water against the cavern walls sharpened the unease in the air.
At the center of a chamber lit by candlelight stood a young man in robes. Around his neck, the stolen golden locket glowed dimly.
"Hunting me for the bounty? Or do you actually know what this locket is?" Vale's eyes flickered toward Kaera. Curious. Not afraid.
"That relic isn't yours. Hand it over. Now."
Kaera drew her katana. A cold aura bled into the room.
Vale let out a soft chuckle. "Funny. I'm just looking for answers. Just like you."
Kaera froze. Her eyes widened.
Sensing something wrong, Eira pulled back her root-carved bow. Vale's aura wasn't human anymore. He was a demon in disguise.
"This locket carries the memories of a demon who once bowed to Astaroth," Vale continued, deliberately stirring Kaera's emotions.
"You're lying!" Kaera shouted. But her hand had begun to tremble.
ZASSS!
Vale struck first. The shadows around him stretched and sharpened into black spears.
Kaera lunged forward, deflecting each strike with her blade. Eira covered her flank with Verdant Shard arrows.
Then Vale gripped the locket.
Violet light burst outward, flooding Kaera's mind. Fire. Screaming. Her mother's terrified face.
Kaera stood paralyzed. The world spun. She nearly drowned in the false memories conjured by the relic.
"Kaera! Focus!" Eira's voice cut through the illusion.
"He's dragging you into a past he doesn't even understand! Don't let him win!"
Kaera blinked. Vale was already running. His shadow magic coiled around his feet, propelling him toward the exit. But Eira's arrow had already left her bow.
ZUP!
The arrow struck the locket. Violet light shattered. The relic fell from Vale's neck and clattered against the stone floor.
Vale collapsed, smoke rising from his body. Weak. But alive. He sprawled across fractured stone, coughing blood.
Kaera stood over him. The broken fragment of the golden locket gripped in her trembling hand. Her eyes fixed sharply on Vale.
"Tell me." Her voice was low, edged with a threat that could stop a heart. "What do you know? Where is that demons now?"
Vale slowly lifted his head. He tried to smile, but only a bitter chuckle came out.
"What demons?.. Astaroth?" He shook his head weakly. "You're easy to fool, kid."
Kaera went still. Her eyes widened. "What do you mean?"
"I stole that locket from a black market on the outskirts of Erynport," Vale admitted between coughs. "It's not a sacred relic. It has nothing to do with you. It's just a cheap hypnosis tool. Designed to project a victim's memories or trauma.."
ZAP.
His words hit harder than any arrow.
Kaera stared at the fragment in her hand. The violet glow that once seemed mystical had faded completely. Leaving behind nothing but a lifeless piece of metal.
No clues. No answers. Just emptiness.
Eira stepped closer, resting a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Kaera... he just used your emotions."
Kaera brushed her hand away. Subtle. But firm.
She sheathed her katana with a sharp click. Her face returned to that dead-eyed stare. Cold. Hollow. And this time, laced with a hint of self-loathing.
"800 coins," she muttered. "That's all we earned tonight. The rest was just.. trash."
---
The reward office was still open. They collected the coin. Thin stack. Barely worth the trouble.
But what stung more than the money was the truth. The information on that bounty poster had been fake. A cheap lure meant to draw in anyone willing to capture a serial thief.
Eira cast an uneasy glance at Kaera, who was clearly disappointed, barely containing the anger boiling inside her.
"Looks like he really was just a small-time thief with a sharp tongue. He just wanted to save himself by keeping you distracted."
Kaera didn't respond. Her jaw clenched so tightly the veins in her neck stood out. The light that had filled her eyes earlier was gone.
Without warning, Kaera swung her fist with full force into the stone wall beside the reward office door.
BAM.
Fine cracks splintered across the surface. Fresh blood welled from her knuckles. She didn't make a sound. She didn't care about the sting in her hand. The ache in her chest was far worse.
Kaera strode away. Her steps were fast and rough. Shouldering past anyone in her path.
---
They walked back along the quiet harbor route. The salty air that once felt refreshing now suffocated Kaera. Each gust of sea breeze felt like a quiet mockery of her failure.
Eira watched her from the side, her heart heavy. She had to half-jog just to keep up.
"You okay?" Eira asked softly.
Kaera stopped abruptly. She drew in a long breath, letting the briny air fill her lungs before releasing it in a bitter exhale. Her bleeding hand slipped into the folds of her robe.
"I'm fine."
The answer was flat. But Eira heard the fragile tremor at the end. A lie they both knew wouldn't heal anything.
Kaera halted at the edge of an aging wooden pier. She stood with her back to Eira, staring toward the horizon where the night sky merged with the sea. Her injured hand remained clenched. Red droplets falling one by one onto the rotting planks.
Eira didn't approach. Some spaces weren't meant to be crossed.
The cheap locket that had once seemed like a clue dangled loosely in Kaera's grip before she released it into the sea.
Plup.
It sank instantly. Swallowed by the dark waters of Erynport.
"Kaera... even if that locket was fake, what you saw in that illusion it was real to you, wasn't it? "
Kaera stared into the vast darkness of the ocean. Her sharp gaze as if trying to pierce every wave.
"My blade can't cut through illusions, Eira. But if one day I find anyone connected to that clan... I won't hesitate."
Eira offered a thin smile. Trying to lighten the air. She stepped closer, closing the distance just a little.
"At least now we learned something. You can't fall for black market junk again. Next time, let me check the item's status first."
Kaera glanced at her. The tension in her shoulders eased slightly.
"Hm. Just don't let yourself get hypnotized too. You're way too quick to pity people."
"Hey! I am not!" Eira pouted in protest. Her expression almost cute. But inwardly, she felt relieved.
The frost around Kaera had softened. Even if only a little. Her jaw wasn't locked tight anymore.
Eira hurried after her as Kaera left the pier behind. "Okay, we didn't get answers tonight. But at least we got the reward, right? We can buy supplies, gather information."
Kaera stopped suddenly. She stared up at the starless sky. Something clicking in her mind.
"He mentioned Astaroth, Eira. Even if he lied... how would a petty thief like him know that name unless someone told him?"
Eira fell silent. She had a point. Astaroth wasn't exactly the kind of name people casually tossed around in taverns.
"You think... someone's watching us?" Eira whispered, goosebumps rising on her skin.
Kaera sheathed her katana neatly. "Either someone who sides with my father... or an enemy waiting for me to make a mistake."
She turned to Eira. The disappointment from earlier had sharpened into resolve.
"Split the money. Save half. We work at dawn. If that locket was a false clue, then it means we're getting closer to the real one."
Relief spread across Eira's face. Kaera was stubborn. But she didn't break easily.
"Alright, boss! Tomorrow we hunt for a clue that doesn't lie!"
The two of them disappeared into the mist of Erynport's night.
***