Fillia teleported Xiandre—who was carrying Faye's unconscious body—back to their room, avoiding the front entrance so the adventurers wouldn't see them with her.
"Oh, you guys are back?" Velmora inquired, still knitting clothes.
"Yeah, it seems like we have her now," Fillia replied.
Amelia was awake, sitting on a chair beside Velmora. She glanced up from the clothes and looked at Xiandre.
"Eh?" Amelia smirked with a flushed face. "You found yourself another sex to—"
But before she could finish, Velmora shoved an entire towel into her mouth.
"Uwahhhhh," Amelia mumbled.
"That's enough with your lewd teasing, Amelia," Velmora said firmly.
Amelia spat out the towel and giggled.
"Sorry, fufu~"
Millie, fully awake, was sitting beside the window. She turned to Xiandre as he gently placed Faye onto the bed.
"Welcome back, Master," Millie greeted with a smile.
"Who here knows my full name?" Xiandre asked the girls.
Amelia raised her hand.
"I do."
"Really? What is it?" he asked.
"Isn't it Xiandre Valkyrie? But you also used to go by the alias Kian Natalist, right?" she replied.
"That's right... How did you know my names?" Xiandre asked.
"Well, 'Xiandre Valkyrie' was visible in your Window system. As for your alias, I literally knew everyone's name back in school—including your fake ones. What can I say? I'm the perfect human of the NAO," she said with a smug grin.
"NAO? What is that?" Velmora asked.
"It's a long story," Xiandre replied. "We'll talk about it another time."
"Yeah, to be honest, Xiandre and I have a long history," Amelia added.
"We'd like to hear about it sometime," Millie said with a soft smile.
"Anyways... Amelia, have you ever told anyone my full name?" Xiandre asked.
"Well, um... no, I haven't. I don't think anyone in this world knows your full name except you and me," she replied.
"Exactly. Excluding Lucifer and the other Seven Deadly Sins from Hell, no one should know my full name," Xiandre confirmed.
"Then how did she know about it?" Fillia asked.
"That's what I'm about to ask you too, Fillia. How did she know my full name?" Xiandre questioned.
"Umm, well..." Fillia paused, thinking.
"By the way, the reason we're all awake right now—even though it's midnight—is because we thought we were striking the castle today," Amelia interjected.
"Sorry, I changed my plans too quickly," Xiandre replied.
"It's no worries," Amelia assured.
Suddenly, Faye opened her eyes and slowly sat up.
Xiandre turned to her.
"What's your name?" he asked.
"My name... Faye. Faye Fernheart," she replied, holding her head.
"You still have a headache?" Xiandre asked.
"Yes... where am I?" she asked, glancing around.
"You're in the deluxe room of the Adventurers' Tavern. Remember?" Xiandre replied.
"Tavern? Wait—I've got to do my job!" she exclaimed, standing up and walking toward the door.
"If you go out there, the adventurers will kill you," Millie warned.
Faye turned toward her, confused.
"You're out of your mind right now, Faye. You died, right? Velmora told me. If they see you alive, they might think you're a doppelganger pretending to be the Faye they knew. Because of that, they might cut off your head before you even get a chance to speak," Millie said seriously.
Faye looked down, dropped to the floor, and covered her face with her hands.
"What is going on right now..." she mumbled.
"Tell us again—what's your name?" Fillia asked.
Faye struggled to remember. She opened her mouth to speak but forgot instantly.
"For you to know my full name... how did you know it?" Xiandre asked.
"Well, um... that's because... because you're my... Xiandre..." She turned toward him, his face hidden behind his helmet. "There's something in you that makes me feel attached to you somehow," Faye said softly.
"Your name is Faye. If we really did meet in your previous life... then tell me. What is my name?" Xiandre asked calmly.
"Oh my, she's in tears," Velmora noted.
Faye's eyes watered. She hit her forehead with her fist, trying desperately to remember.
Xiandre stepped forward and caught her wrist mid-swing.
"Don't hurt yourself," he said, his voice gentle.
As he touched her, a sharp pain surged through both of them. A zap of energy sparked where their skin met. Faye tried to scream, but Amelia immediately teleported behind her and clamped her hand over Faye's mouth. Xiandre let go at once, both of them breathing heavily from the shock.
"What... is the meaning of this?" Xiandre murmured, stunned.
"Please... don't hurt me, Xi-Xiandre..." Faye whimpered as Amelia removed her hand and sighed.
"I managed to hold in my scream," Xiandre thought to himself, "but she couldn't. If she had, the adventurers would've stormed in here instantly."
Amelia knelt beside her. "What's your name?" she asked gently, her voice calming Faye.
"M-My name is Faye Fernheart..." she answered.
"That can't be right," Fillia said. "We're asking about the name from your previous world. The you who met Xiandre once before."
"Well... um... Xiandre... Xiandre Valkyrie..." she muttered.
The room went silent. Everyone waited.
"Nunally... Nunally Valkyrie..." she whispered.
Xiandre froze. His eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at the girl held in Amelia's arms.
"Nunally? Is that your name?" Amelia asked.
"N-No... she was actually my stepmom. Someone I really adored in my previous life," Faye said softly.
"Your mother...? Your mother was Nunally Valkyrie?" Xiandre asked, his voice low and trembling.
"Yes... and you are Xiandre Valkyrie. My father was Dellas Valkyrie. He was imprisoned for robbing a bank. As for my mother... I never saw what happened to her. I died before I ever learned how her story ended..."
Xiandre lowered his head. "Mother... she died. She committed suicide after losing you and Father. She didn't even try to live on. All she cared about was you and him..." His voice was heavy, pained. He sank to the floor, facing the door, while Faye sat nearby in Amelia's arms.
"I see... I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I couldn't do anything. It's all my fault for being weak. But this time... I won't be. This time, I'll protect you. I swear I'll be the one to protect you..." she said, her voice shaky but determined.
"Protect..." Xiandre repeated under his breath.
"Protect..."
"I'll protect you the best I can, hihi~" she giggled as she crawled toward him and wrapped her arms around him.
Xiandre kept staring at the floor, lost in thought, until Faye gently pulled his head toward her chest. She cradled it there and softly patted his helmet.
"Tell me, what's your name? Could it be A—"
But before Xiandre could finish, she interrupted him.
"Alice. Alice Valkyrie. That's my name," she said with a soft smile. "It seems I'm in a new body now, but please... let me take care of you again, just like I used to."
Xiandre felt his heart freeze.
No one stays dry-eyed when meeting someone they've loved and lost. Especially not family.
This girl… Alice Valkyrie—she's my younger sister.
We protected each other in our past life.
When Father was imprisoned, Mother, Nunally, was left alone to raise the two of us.
Alice and I did everything we could to help... but it was never enough.
Then came that night.
We were walking together alone beneath the moonlight. The breeze was cold, the stars shimmering above.
We walked toward a place that had always been ours—
A bridge no one else went to.
A quiet escape, our little paradise,
where we'd forget how broken the world around us had become.
Flashback
Xiandre stood at the edge of the bridge, looking down at the rippling water below. Beside him, Alice silently stared at the reflection of the moonlight dancing across the surface.
"Mother... I wonder if she's going to be alright," Xiandre said, his voice soft.
"Don't worry. She's strong. She has a confident mindset," Alice replied, brushing her hair back as the wind picked up.
"She looked miserable after Dad went to prison..." Xiandre murmured.
A car passed behind them on the bridge's road, its headlights briefly illuminating the two. Alice's hair swayed in the passing breeze as she turned slightly toward him.
"I guess she did," she said, her voice low.
"And Dad... Well, he was never really my father. He was my stepfather, and... I never really got him," Xiandre said quietly.
"You didn't. You didn't even like him much, did you?" Alice replied, her eyes drifting up to the stars.
"You didn't either. You admitted it before," Xiandre said, almost smiling.
Alice's lips curved into a faint grin. "He wasn't my biological father, either."
"He wasn't?" Xiandre blinked.
"No. My real father married my biological mother before she cheated on him—with the man who became my stepfather. My real dad committed suicide after that. Then Mom died in a car crash. I ended up in the hands of the very man who ruined both their lives," she explained, her voice flat but fragile.
"...That's... so messed up," Xiandre muttered. "How could you go through all that at your age? Aren't you... fourteen?"
"Yeah. Turning fifteen tomorrow."
"Then we'll be the same age again," Xiandre smiled faintly.
"Hihi. You're supposed to be my older brother," she teased. "But we're only two months apart."
"Still means I'm older," he smirked.
"Hihi~ Then you're the perfect boy for me."
Xiandre turned to her, confused. "What are you talking about?"
"You know... the perfect person to marry someday," she said with a sweet grin.
"Your mind's insane... we're siblings."
"It doesn't matter," she replied without hesitation. "We're not blood-related. Even my 'father'—he's not related to me or you."
"...I guess you're right," Xiandre admitted, looking away.
"Hihi~ So? Are you gonna marry me, then?" she asked playfully.
"I'll... think about it in the future," he said, turning his eyes back toward the water.
Alice giggled and leaned in to kiss his cheek. Xiandre stiffened, a blush creeping across his face.
He sighed. "What's wrong with me..."
Suddenly, a white van pulled up close to them.
Xiandre and Alice turned quickly as a man stepped out— Blonde hair, black sunglasses, and a cigarette hanging from his lips.
He reeked of alcohol, swaying slightly, his grin slow and predatory as his eyes locked onto Alice.
More men stepped out of the van, all dressed in black suits and dark shades.
They moved with purpose.
"Boss! What are you doing?!" one of the bodyguards shouted. "You said you were just stepping out to take a leak!"
The blonde-haired man didn't respond to him.
Instead, he raised a hand and pointed directly at Alice.
"Take her," he said coldly.
Xiandre's heart dropped.
Without thinking, he grabbed Alice's hand.
"Run!" he yelled.
"What's going on!?" Alice shouted, barely keeping up as they sprinted down the road.
"They're after you!" Xiandre responded, panic in his voice.
"After me? Why?!"
"I don't know exactly—but I can guess. That blonde hair guy is going to—try and rape you," he said, his voice heavy with dread.
The van sped up and cut them off ahead.
Skidding to a stop, Xiandre and Alice turned—but they were already surrounded.
The men moved fast.
Xiandre tried to protect her—swinging, kicking, yelling. But they were older. Stronger.
He was just a kid still fifteen.
He was slammed to the pavement, a boot pressed against his back, pinning him helplessly.
"No! Let go of her!" he cried.
The blonde man walked up and grabbed Alice by the arm, a twisted grin on his face.
"Such a pretty little thing..." he sneered, beginning to tug at her clothes.
"Stop! Don't touch her!" Xiandre shouted, struggling beneath the guard's weight.
"Who the hell do you think you are, kid?!" the man snapped, kicking Xiandre in the ribs.
"I'll kill you! I'll make you suffer, you piece of shit!" Xiandre yelled.
"Xi–Xiandre... help me..." Alice whimpered, her voice trembling with fear.
And then... the night shattered.
Present
"I couldn't help you, Alice..." Xiandre whispered, his voice shaking. "I'm sorry."
Beneath his helmet, tears welled up and fell.
"Wow... I haven't cried in a long time..." he muttered, pulling her close.
Alice wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in his shoulder.
The other girls watched the reunion quietly.
"Fufu~ looks like we've got a new member," Amelia said gently, smiling.
Velmora and Millie exchanged soft looks, and Fillia's expression grew warmer.
Alice and Xiandre stayed like that—held together by grief, reunion, and the vow that this time… he would protect her.