The mission was supposed to be simple. Yuuta had tracked the curse to an abandoned district, its cursed energy thick in the air. He was ready, ready to strike, to end it before it could cause more harm. But as he reached the scene, he froze.

The battle was already over.

The curse lay motionless, its body torn apart with raw, overwhelming force. Yuuta’s breath hitched. Someone had gotten here before him. Someone strong. The energy lingering in the air was unmistakable, chaotic, powerful, but familiar.

And then, he saw her.

A lone figure stood over the remains, shoulders rising and falling with measured breaths. She turned slightly, just enough for Yuuta to catch a glimpse of her face. His chest tightened, his heartbeat slamming against his ribs.

It was her.

He barely managed a step forward before she moved. In an instant, she vanished, slipping into the shadows as if she had never been there. But Yuuta knew. His hands clenched into fists, his entire body frozen in place.

Even if his eyes had betrayed him, even if he had mistaken the face—her cursed energy was too strong to hide, even more so after a fight.

His breath came shakily, barely above a whisper.

“You’re alive?”