Velmora took a piece of meat from the fire and started munching on it contentedly.
"If this was my typical food, maybe I could last a whole month without eating," Velmora chuckled.
Xiandre glanced at her. The way she ate, relaxed and carefree, made her chest bounce slightly with each bite—an oddly hypnotic detail that briefly distracted him. He sighed and turned to Fillia.
She hadn't taken a single bite. She was just staring at the meat in her hands.
"You a vegetarian?" Xiandre asked.
"Well... um... you see—I'll eat it now," she stammered.
Hesitantly, Fillia took a bite. Her eyes immediately lit up at the flavor.
"No need to stay a vegetarian. You're not a goddess anymore," Xiandre said as he tossed another log onto the fire.
Fillia nodded silently and took another bite—this time without hesitation. Before she knew it, she was eating like someone who'd never questioned it.
Xiandre thought quietly to himself: For a vegetarian, she's surprisingly curvy… Velmora makes sense—she eats like this all the time. But Fillia? Maybe it's just how her divine body was built… or maybe even some vegans turn out like that.
He glanced over at Millie and Amelia.
Millie was still nibbling at her portion of meat, eyes wide with wonder. As a princess, she had rarely ever experienced life outdoors like this. The natural world around her, the scent of wood smoke and blooming grass, gave her a strange but comforting sensation. It felt like her first real taste of freedom.
Amelia, having finished her food, leaned toward Millie with a smile.
"How does it taste?"
"It's… really good," Millie replied softly. "I've never felt something like this before."
Amelia smirked. "This isn't my first time. Back in my old world, I once had a mission to catch a fugitive hiding in a forest. I set up camp and let the smoke draw him in. He thought I was just a harmless camper. Big mistake. Took him down and handed him over to the authorities."
"Huh? What were you in your old world?" Millie asked, intrigued.
"Well, no point hiding it now," Amelia said, stretching. "I was an undercover agent. My backstory's kinda tragic… but I'm too lazy to tell it right now."
She yawned and stood up.
"I'm going to sleep. I'm tired."
Velmora finished eating as well and stood.
"Same here. I haven't slept in two days."
As the two entered the tent a sudden sound was heard.
"Uwaah~ Velmora, what are you— Ah—!" Amelia squeaked.
"Fufu~ don't worry, Amelia," Velmora replied playfully from inside the tent.
"Eh?! Stop that— Kyaaa~!"
Xiandre glanced at the tent, then turned to Fillia and Millie, who had just finished eating. They remained seated quietly, unsure of what to do next.
"Fillia," Xiandre asked, "what's Heaven like?"
"It's a land filled with spirits," she replied. "People live there in peace and harmony. But it's strict. Too strict. If you break even one of the many rules… you're cast down. Straight into Hell."
"I see." Xiandre added another log to the fire. "Listen—you two should devote yourselves to me. But don't be afraid. You're not my enemies anymore. You don't need to act like terrified servants. Call me Master, but don't cower like I'm some tyrant."
"Yes, Master," both Fillia and Millie said in unison.
"I'm not trying to be harsh—but you both made choices that brought us here. What matters now is that you stop being burdens. Open yourselves up to us. We're not going to carry you if you refuse to move forward."
"Yes, Master," they repeated, this time more steadily.
"You two should go rest. Join Velmora and Amelia. You two must be tired."
"What about you, Master?" Millie asked.
"I'll stay until the fire burns out."
"Alright… Thank you for your words," Fillia said softly. They both stood and quietly entered the large tent.
Xiandre remained seated, alone by the fire. The night was quiet and beautiful. The chirping of insects and the soft rustle of wind through leaves blended into a tranquil atmosphere.
The moon shone gently over him, casting pale light over his black armor. As the fire slowly dwindled and its last sparks danced into the sky, the night deepened into stillness.
We live in a dark fantasy world… Xiandre thought. A place where dragons roam, magic pulses in the air, and chaos lurks in the shadows. But it's also… amazing. Vast oceans, mysterious continents—this place is like something from an MMORPG. I don't hate it. But I don't love it either. It's just… real. More real than my old life ever felt.
He stood up and wandered into the woods.
There, beyond the trees, was a massive clearing—larger than a golf course. Blue flowers bloomed beneath the moonlight, their petals shimmering with a faint magical glow. In the center stood a solitary tree.
Xiandre walked to the middle of the field and sat beneath the tree, leaning against its trunk.
The wind stirred gently, carrying the scent of flowers. The moon bathed the field in silver. Xiandre closed his eyes, briefly lost in the serenity of it all.
A world written in fiction… and yet here I am, living it.
[System Update]
Resting will replenish your full strength and speed.
A transparent window blinked into existence before Xiandre's eyes. Pale blue text floated in the darkness like a ghostly whisper.
Xiandre scoffed softly.
"Rest? I've never once rested since becoming undead. I've never even fallen asleep. I don't understand why... I haven't eaten either, not since that day Morn—no, Lucifer—dragged me from restaurant to restaurant. And even then... everything tasted like ash."
He sat beneath the ancient tree, staring at the magical field of glowing blue flowers, thinking.
My body is worn out… dehydrated, hungry, fatigued. But I can't feel it. Not the way I used to. No hunger, no thirst. No exhaustion that pulls me into sleep. Just emptiness... and pressure.
Another window flickered—this one corrupted, filled with static and distortion.
[Broken-Error System…]
Lev3l: 1M
Us3r: Xiandre Valkyrie
El3mEP0w3r: Controller
T1er L3vel: 1
Stats: #####
Strength: ?????
Speed: ???? ?
Defense: ?????
Xiandre narrowed his eyes.
Then, underneath the error-ridden interface, a new section appeared:
(Omniscient: Limit Breaker – Lv. 5)
(Enslaving)
(Death Control)
(Life Control)
"So many strange abilities... transferred into my body. Absorbed, stolen, gifted—I don't even know anymore. But I've grown stronger. Far stronger than before."
He raised a finger and flicked it. The system window dissipated like mist in the wind.
"I don't care about systems or levels anymore. If it helps me and Amelia get revenge on those who betrayed us... that's all that matters."
The breeze blew cold across the field, making the flowers sway. The moon cast a silver glow over Xiandre's dark armor, making him look like a statue forged in shadows. He leaned his head back against the tree and let out a long breath, trying once again to drift into sleep.
But it didn't come.
He opened his eyes, tired but alert.
Even when I want to rest… I can't. It's like I'm trapped between life and death. Not fully either. Just... stuck.
Then—a faint sound in the distance. Footsteps. Soft, deliberate, approaching through the field.
Xiandre's left eye glowed red with instinct. He turned toward the noise, tension in his frame.
A familiar voice broke through the silence.
"Can you believe it?" Amelia said softly. "There's actually a paradise in the darkness."
Xiandre blinked and relaxed, turning his head away from her, back toward the blooming field.
"Aren't you supposed to be asleep?" he asked.
"I was," she replied, walking closer. "But when I noticed you hadn't come in, I figured I'd check on you."
She sat down beside him without another word. For a while, they both just stared at the glowing flowers and the lone tree at their back, the cold wind dancing softly past them, carrying the scent of blooming blue flowers.
Without a word, Amelia reached over and gently pulled Xiandre down, resting his head onto her lap.
"Amelia..." Xiandre murmured, surprised but not resisting.
"You looked tired," she whispered, brushing his helmet softly. "So I thought... maybe you could sleep like this. Fufu~"
Her hand glided gently over the cool metal of his helmet. Though her palm never touched his hair, Xiandre could feel the warmth through it—strangely comforting.
For the first time in what felt like an eternity, his body began to relax.
His crimson eyes slowly turned upward, meeting Amelia's calm, serene expression as she stared out at the magical field, her smile unwavering.
"It's beautiful," she said softly, gazing at the sea of glowing blue flowers that shimmered under the moonlight.
"It is," Xiandre replied. "But now... it's even more beautiful because you're here."
Amelia giggled gently. "Fufu~ Thanks."
Xiandre's breath slowed. The exhaustion he'd long ignored finally crept in—not like an ambush, but like a quiet invitation. With his head resting in Amelia's lap, her presence wrapped around him like a lullaby. His eyelids grew heavy.
So this is what peace feels like... even if only for a moment.
Slowly, silently, he drifted off into sleep.
Amelia yawned, her eyes softening. She leaned back against the ancient tree, letting her own body relax. Her cloak fluttered slightly in the breeze, her hair dancing with it.
She glanced down at Xiandre, her expression tender.
"He finally gets to rest..."
The wind passed again, cool and pure, wrapping the two of them in a delicate embrace. Amelia's eyes slowly closed, and sleep gently claimed her too.
Together, they lay in the heart of a flower-filled field beneath the moonlight—a quiet paradise in the darkness.