It seemed that Lilith wasn't going to recover anytime soon, and Wal remained trapped in a deep, unshakable slumber. That was when Liz approached me with an offer.
"You know, I can erase her memories of that night. In exchange, I expect you to surrender your free will entirely."
I agreed without a second thought. It was obvious — if I refused, Lilith would only become a liability. Liz then summoned an acquaintance of hers — a man, tall and regal, with golden hair, piercing blue eyes, and skin as pale as marble. He looked less like a human and more like a character torn from the pages of a forgotten fairy tale, some idealized prince that did not belong to our world.
My memory of what followed is fragmented, but I distinctly recall him weaving magic — magic unlike anything I had ever seen. What spells he used, I couldn't say. At least he wasn't someone I would have to cross swords with.
Still, a gnawing question plagued my mind: what was Liz? She appeared to be an elf, yet her sister was a half-human, half-devil hybrid. Did that mean Liz was a devil too? But her aura was completely different — dense, muted, almost invisible.
Now that I think about it, I couldn't even sense her aura the first time we met.
Frustrated, I decided to confront Lain, hoping she would shed some light on the matter.
"Liz and I are siblings, but not by blood," Lain said coolly, barely sparing me a glance. "I was taken in by her parents. I was the youngest when I joined the household — Liz was the eldest, and my so-called 'brother' came second. Neither of us was truly part of their bloodline."
"What about Liz's parents? What race were they? What race is Liz?" I asked.
"Our mother was an elf. Our father… that's another matter entirely. He resembled an angel, but his power was something else altogether — something darker, something far less pure," she replied, her voice tinged with disdain.
"I see… Then what happened to them? And what about you — how did you end up… like that?" I pressed, though her glare warned me not to push too far.
"After our mother died, our father cursed my brother and me — halted our aging. Guess he realized how pitifully short our lives would be compared to his and Liz's. I spent years hunting for him, but it was useless. He vanished, probably abandoned us like broken toys. And then, when the humans saw a devil wandering around, they reacted the only way their kind knows how — with fear and violence. They shot me with a cursed arrow, and I was forced into that wretched form," she spat.
"Speaking of that form," I asked carefully, "you and Liz said it's called a 'trump card,' right? Is there any way I could learn to use one?"
Lain let out a sharp, mocking laugh. "You? Learn a trump card? Don't make me laugh. Like I said, the artifact forced me into mine. Trump cards aren't something you learn. They're born from who you are — not that you'd ever understand."
"…Thanks for the information, I guess," I muttered under my breath.
"Tch. Save your breath. I'm only talking to you because Liz ordered me to. If you've got gratitude to throw around, toss it at her, not me," she sneered. "Anyway, we leave tomorrow. Be ready — assuming you don't slow us down."
As Lain turned to leave, I barely caught her muttering under her breath:
"As if thanks from a worthless human-lover like you would mean a damn thing."