For the first time, unconsciousness didn't lead to darkness—but to something else. A dream. Or perhaps… a recurring memory. From a distance, as if from a third-person view, I watched myself moving through shadows and blood, cutting down everyone in my path with a detached, vacant expression on my face… yet I was weeping. And smiling. At the same time.
I could never understand that look. It wasn't me. Or maybe it was me—just a version I didn't want to acknowledge.
When the silence finally settled, ghostly figures emerged from the fog. They circled me like spirits of vengeance, their voices rising in condemnation. Screams. Blame. Curses. Were they real? The souls of those I had slain? Or was it all a manifestation of my own guilt?
Then it came—blinding yellow-white light, bursting through the dream like a divine judgment. I knew what that meant. I was waking up.
The dream collapsed. The warmth faded. And all that remained was pain.
Pain greeted me before my eyes even opened. It wasn't unbearable, but it was there—a reminder that I was alive, broken, and vulnerable.
Where was I?
I blinked, trying to adjust to the soft glow of firelight. My body was weak, slumped half-sitting against a tree trunk. My torso was roughly bandaged. Whoever did this wasn't a medic, but it was enough to keep the blood from pouring out completely. I was alive. Somehow.
The smell of firewood and boiled fish reached me. And then… I saw them.
Amelie and Isabelle.
They were tending a campfire, preparing food, their movements calm and practiced. It didn't match the image I'd had in my mind of noble daughters panicking in the woods, screaming at dirt on their dresses. No. They were composed. Focused.
My perception of them—of aristocrats in general—shattered in an instant.
They noticed me watching. Isabelle smiled and said something, but I didn't catch the words. My body was too drained to even speak. I couldn't stand. Could barely lift a finger. I needed rest. Food. Steady breaths. And above all—no forceful movements. I had to conserve what little life remained in me.
A moment later, Amelie walked over with a wooden bowl in her hands. Steam curled from its surface.
Broth?
She dipped a spoon and held it out to me. I hesitated. I didn't know what it was. But if they'd meant to kill me, they would have done it already.
I opened my mouth and let her feed me.
The warmth surprised me. The broth was delicate, rich with the flavor of rabbit and fish. It carried a strange comfort—a softness I hadn't felt in days. Maybe weeks.
They hunted?
Cooked this themselves?
The thought surprised me. Nobles… hunting? Cooking?
Amelie kept feeding me without saying a word, her expression gentle. I could have taken the spoon myself, but… I didn't want to. Not just because of the pain. Because for once, I felt safe.
When the bowl was empty, I nodded weakly. "Thank you…"
Isabelle approached next, offering a cup of clear liquid. I took it without hesitation and drank. Cool. Sweet. It slid down my throat like spring water touched with honey. My body warmed slightly, as if the chill retreating from my bones.
"It will help your recovery," she said softly.
"Thank you. For everything," I said, my voice hoarse.
They exchanged a meaningful look.
"Because of you—the one who saved us—we owe you so much," Amelie said softly.
"No," I muttered. "You owe me nothing. I made that choice myself."
A silence fell between us. I saw it in their eyes—the discomfort, the need to understand. So I spoke.
"To be honest… I didn't plan to save you at first. I just wanted to watch. Observe. But when I saw what they were trying to do to all of you…" My fists clenched weakly in my lap.
"At that moment, I faced two choices: either you would surrender and I'd let it happen… or you'd fight to the end and earn your own fates."
I met their gazes.
"You chose to resist. You were ready to die on your own terms. That's why I intervened. Not to be a hero. Not because I'm noble. I simply wanted… to give you a second chance."
I paused, then added more quietly, "When I first saw you, I wanted to save you because you were… beautiful. And that thought fills me with disgust. It hurt—that I could be so shallow, even for a moment. I hate that part of myself."
Their reactions surprised me.
Isabelle chuckled, her eyes warm. "Then you are more noble than most."
Amelie nodded. "Thoughts don't define us. Actions do. You acted. That's what matters."
I looked down, trying to hide the emotions welling up in my chest. "Still… thank you. And I'm sorry. For everything."
"You don't need to apologize," Isabelle said softly.
I smiled faintly. "My name is Renji Takasawa."
They also formally introduced themselves, even though I already knew who they were.
Isabelle was the one with light green eyes.
Amelie had light blue eyes.
I asked how they managed to heal me and survive it all.
Amelie explained.
"In our dresses, there are hidden compartments. Inside—dimensional rings. One each. We couldn't risk using them before; any suspicious movement could've gotten us killed."
My eyes widened slightly.
"There was just enough in them to survive. After you told us to stay in the carriage and then went silent… we waited. Then we saw it. Everyone… dead. But you—barely breathing. We used water from the rings to wash the blood and filth from your body. We used a one-time healing artifact. That saved you from bleeding out."
"And the painkiller. And the bandages," Isabelle added.
They had done all of this… for me?
"Then we carried you out. Somehow got the carriage moving ourselves. Reached the edge of the forest. Set up camp here."
Amelie gave me a small smile. "We even caught the fish and rabbits ourselves."
"You thought nobles couldn't cook," Isabelle teased.
I blinked. "You hunted?"
"We had to," Amelie said, voice quieter now. "Before we turned sixteen, we were homeless. Abandoned."
My heart sank. I listened as Isabelle continued.
"We always had each other. And we believed everything would change once our powers awakened. But fate… turned out to be cruel. We were born with a curse. In our lifetime, only one child is allowed to be born. And when they turn sixteen, they awaken and immediately receive the rank of Saint. And we… remain ordinary people. Without abilities. Without power. Just… shackled by the chains of circumstance."
Her voice trembled as she spoke again:
"He just used us. We contacted the Church on his orders. Our so-called father — Lord Whitmore — took us in only to exploit us, to take advantage of who we were. And now, after everything that's happened… we have nowhere to go."
They held hands, smiling through pain.
I lowered my head. "I'm sorry… I misjudged you."
"It's okay," Amelie said.
And then a question arose in my mind because something didn't add up—or so I thought...
"Wait, you used a healing artifact… but I was poisoned. That wouldn't have helped."
The sisters went silent.
"We… removed the poison ourselves," Isabelle said finally.
"You what?"
Amelie's cheeks flushed. "We… sucked it out. From every wound. One by one."
Silence fell immediately.
My face burned with embarrassment. I looked away, heart pounding. Just the thought of it—
"I… thank you," I whispered.
That night, as the fire died down and darkness settled around us, I tried to sleep. But my mind wouldn't rest. I had cheated death—again. This might have been the second or third time I came close to the end. I couldn't let it happen again.
I lay there, trembling slightly. My body was cold. Not just from the air, but from weakness. My temperature wouldn't stabilize. I was… fragile.
Then I heard footsteps.
Amelie and Isabelle stood before me, still in their torn dresses.
"It's cold tonight," Amelie said softly. "And we'll need to reach the city by foot."
Isabelle added, "We were thinking… to repay you. May we sleep beside you? Just for warmth."
I blinked, stunned. My first night shared with a girl—no, two girls. Even if it wasn't what it sounded like, the thought alone—
I nodded. "All right. It's cold. And… if anything happens, I'd rather keep you close."
They smiled and lay beside me—Isabelle on the left, Amelie on the right. I stretched out my arms so they could use them as pillows.
And just like that… we drifted into sleep. Together.
Beneath the soft shimmer of the stars in the night sky.