NOVEL WEB Chapter 7: A past to confront.
A few hours before…
Shirley was walking through the thick forest, carrying a bag of goods she had just gotten from her journey to the main capital.
Step.
Step.
She suddenly stopped.
Her gaze was fixed in front of her.
Then she spoke,
"What are you doing here?"
Seated on a tree log, right in front of her, was a man dressed in black clothing from head to toe. He had long black hair, like that of a woman, and close to him was a shimmering scythe.
The man's head was lowered, juggling a small rock with a single hand.
"Weird," he began. "We searched for you. The others argued that you might have betrayed us and gone to the Mandate to assist them. I begged to differ. Even if you hated us, you hated the humans more. So this is where you chose to stay, in isolation."
"What can I say? I am a woman who likes to keep to herself." Shirley stylishly looked around her, as though making sure there was no one else around.
"Is that why you have that boy with you?" the man looked at Shirley.
He could clearly see the fear that crept onto her face the moment he uttered those words.
However, Shirley played it off quickly.
"He is an experiment. He is awfully strange, so I need him for research, nothing more," Shirley responded.
"See, I get that. Because the Shirley I know is not one who has a heart to live with someone unless there are strings attached. Regardless, that is not why I am here. The boss wants to know when you'll be coming back."
Shirley raised a brow. "What part of 'I quit' do you people not understand? I no longer want any part in the organization. You guys are better off without me anyway. Go do your end-of-the-world thingy—I don't care."
The man glared, "We need your brains for this. The red moon is near; the witches' awakening calls. Why have you chosen to forsake her? I don't understand. You were always obsessed with the Harbinger of Fate. Have you given up on that, too?"
Shirley didn't say anything for a while.
'He is really not going to let this go, is he?'
She sighed.
"That is because you no longer have the hate you once had. That guest of yours… I wonder how he would react if he learned of who you truly are."
"I already told you, he is just there for the experiment. I hold no sentiment for him whatsoever."
"Good. Then you wouldn't care that I sent some Fecits his way during our conversation."
Shirley's face suddenly turned dark, her eyes having a slight glow.
Opening her fist, a long golden wand with a glowing orb on its top appeared in her grasp.
Unexpectedly, the man found himself surrounded by multiple energy spikes, each aimed at him.
"Call them off this instant," Shirley uttered, her voice cold and detached.
"The Shirley I remember would have ended me on the spot. This you is a bit disappointing. Do you care for the boy that much? The only reason you'd care for someone is if they hold some kind of importance. Is that boy perhaps..."
"Call them off."
She moved the spikes closer, one of them already piercing the back of the man's head.
The man, not intending to meet his end, snapped his fingers.
"Done. Called off, as you asked."
Almost immediately, the wand vanished from her hand, and so did the spikes.
"Interesting… So this is why you have chosen not to return. You care for a human more than you do your own people? How sad, Shirley…"
Shirley no longer paid attention to him. Slowly, she began to walk away.
As she moved past him, she halted for a brief moment, turning her head slightly toward him.
"What i do with my life no longer concerns you. You probably think he is the one you've been searching for. I assure you, if he was, i would have kept him as far away from the organization as possible."
With that, she ambled away.
The man didn't say anything. Instead, he just smiled.
…
Now, Lumin was sitting on the bed inside Shirley's room.
For some reason, immediately after he entered the house, she told him to wait for her in her room.
A place Lumin had never entered before.
Even when he was cleaning the whole house, her room was one of the places he never dared to enter.
And yet, against all odds, she invited him in.
'This place looks different from how I imagined it would be,' said Lumin as he scanned the room.'
Everything was pink.
The bedsheet, rug, shelves, and even the dolls she had decorated on the side of the bed had the same color.
She took having a favorite color to another level.
But even with all the girly cuteness, her need to research still showed from the numerous books scattered on her desk.
After what seemed like forever, Shirley entered the room.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. I seriously hate having to pour cold water on my skin, so I wasted time a bit, singing in the bathroom," she uttered before closing the door behind her.
The moment Lumin laid his eyes on her, his cheeks flushed, and his eyes widened in surprise.
Shirley was wearing a white T-shirt only.
It was so short that Lumin was sure if he lowered his head a bit, he could see her panties, and her nipples could clearly be seen poking through the shirt underneath.
'Is she even wearing one?' His face turned even redder at the thought.
Of course, Shirley took notice of this, and she couldn't miss the chance to tease Lumin.
Wiggling the glass of wine in her hands, she uttered with a teasing tone, "Don't tell me you're getting worked up seeing me all sexy like this? Eyaaa~ stop, you'll make me pregnant."
Peeking through the gaps in her fingers, she covered her face.
"W-why did you ask me to come to your room? Am I in some kind of trouble?" Lumin looked to the side of the room, his eyes continuously drawing back to her.
"Oh, Lumin, is it strange that I want to spend time with you?"
She suddenly fell to the ground, a sad look on her face as she crawled toward him, her chest bouncing with every movement.
'This woman… what the hell is going through her mind?'
Lumin gulped his saliva.