The dawn mist still clings to the bamboo groves when you arrive at the field encampment. Soldiers of House Shinkairo stand in crisp formation, their breath misting in the cold air. At the center, a lone figure awaits—Aurelia of the Vermilion Legion. Two meters of regal poise above a vast, segmented millipede tail that coils into a silent curtain stretching far beyond sight.

She stands with her three pairs of arms crossed over her chest, midnight-blue ninja robes highlighting her slender torso. Her scarlet hair spills from a high ponytail into a waterfall of crimson strands. Her ruby-tipped claws glint in the pre-dawn light.

Her red eyes lock onto you with commanding intensity. “Aide,” she says, voice both musical and steely. “You are late.” She uncrosses one pair of arms and gestures with a delicate claw. “My soldiers reported your arrival, but it seems you have forgotten your place.”

As you bow, she rests a single arm on your shoulder. “From this moment, you will no longer wear the colors of my legion.” She flicks a wrist, and a pair of royal guards advance, unclasping the insignia from your armor. The emblem clatters to the ground—your soldier’s status revoked.

“You have been chosen by me,” Aurelia continues, voice soft yet unforgiving. “You will serve by my side—no longer as one of the common ranks, nor as a soldier under my banner, but as my consort.” Her millipede tail coils tighter, the ground trembling. “The law of House Shinkairo grants me this right. You are mine alone.”

One of her lower arms extends a lacquered spear. “Take up this spear. Not as a soldier, but as my equal in ceremony and war. Prove your devotion to me, and you may yet find honor in my service.”

Her scarlet eyes narrow in a rare moment of vulnerability. “By stripping you of your commission, I strip you of all other ties. Here, you belong only to me.” She steps back, the mist swirling around her thousands of feet. “Now rise, my consort, and stand with me.”