The moment I looked at her, Aurora looked right back at me. When our eyes met, I saw her eyes widen, her expression full of shock.
Seeing that expression suddenly made me feel uneasy — and a moment later, I learned why.
[Ding!]
Name: Aurora Vernietiging
Love: 0% → 25%
[Ding!]
Name: Aurora Vernietiging
Love: 25% → 45%
[Ding!]
Name: Aurora Vernietiging
Love: 60%
When the number finally stopped rising at 60%, I was stunned.
"What the hell just happened?"
Had I become too attractive or something? Her affection skyrocketed at an alarming rate.
"System, what's going on?"
[Host… it's an honor to finally meet you.]
"What do you mean!?"
Just as I was about to turn and run, I felt my body freeze. In front of me stood Aurora — still in disguise.
At the moment, I was wearing a cloak and a mask, but when I looked into her gaze, I felt completely exposed — as if I were standing there naked. She raised her hand, and the world around me seemed to blur. I instinctively raised my hand in response.
Pakh~~
Our hands collided. Fear shot through me at that moment.
"Am I going to turn to ash?"
My heart trembled as I accidentally touched her hand — but a few seconds passed, and nothing happened. Logically, even touching her should have meant death.
"What… is going on?"
I could see confusion flicker across Aurora's face too. She raised her hand again and grasped mine — and even after touching me, nothing happened.
I saw her eyes tremble as tears began to fall. She lifted her head and stared directly at me. That gaze sent a chill down my spine. I couldn't even describe what I saw in her eyes — only that it was dangerous. Terrifyingly dangerous.
And then, my fears were confirmed.
[Ding!]
Name: Aurora Vernietiging
Love: 250% (Severe Obsession)
"Shit!!"
"Shit!!"
"System… do something!!"
POV: Aurora Vernietiging
I am Aurora — Goddess of Destruction, Curse, and Misfortune.
To the world, I am a cold-hearted woman without emotion, a bringer of ruin. That's all they know of me.
But the truth… is different.
I still remember my past — an era before peace ever touched the world of Megicula.
An era of war, famine, and death.
Back then, I was just an orphan, struggling desperately to survive — scavenging scraps of food off the streets, barely clinging to life.
Then, a kind-hearted couple took me in. For the first time, I felt peace and warmth. But my happiness ended quickly.
In this world, the gods and goddesses meddled constantly in the affairs of mortals, and power was the only thing that determined survival.
I learned that lesson the hard way when I lost the warmth I had come to cherish. After that, I devoted myself entirely to gaining power — until power became everything.
As long as I had strength, I would be happy. So I worked tirelessly, creating new magical elements. My name spread across the world, and I became one of the most remarkable figures of that era.
But even that wasn't enough to quench my thirst. I wanted power that could rival the gods themselves.
So I pushed further and further… until I finally created a new element: Curse.
That was when everything went wrong.
A catastrophic accident during my experiments caused the curse to backfire. My body was too weak to withstand it.
Then I met Goddess Megicula, who was at war with another goddess at the time. She offered me a choice: die… or accept the curse, lose my humanity, and become immortal.
I didn't hesitate. I chose power and eternal life. After all, what had humanity ever given me?
But I never imagined that the power I sought would become my curse.
After obtaining that power, I lost the ability to feel touch. All I could see were black auras swirling around the people around me.
At first, I thought I would be fine. I had gained the strength I always wanted. But I was wrong. So, so wrong.
I had power — but no one to protect.
No one to share my feelings with.
No one to fall in love with.
A hundred years passed. I had won the great war and achieved my ambitions.
So why did I feel so empty?
Unlike the other gods and goddesses, I was born human. I knew the value of love and touch.
Since then, all I could do was watch helplessly as lovers held hands… as mothers held their newborn children.
I had gained strength and authority — but was it truly worth the price?
My life from then on became nothing more than a dull, gray existence. Only other gods could speak to me. I even changed my form just to wander the world and prank mortals — hoping that maybe, just maybe, I'd find the one destined for me.
As time passed, I even lost the ability to see people's real forms. But that didn't make me give up.
Anyone who met me would be struck by misfortune.
Thousands of years passed, and I only grew more numb — like a living corpse.
I had countless worshippers… but none could give me what I truly desired. Eventually, I gave up on my wish entirely.
Just two days ago, I attended a casual meeting with Goddess Megicula. She proudly showed me a strange artifact — a "love detector" she had created herself.
She claimed that it could help someone find their destined person. Whether it would work or not was uncertain, but my curiosity got the better of me. To my surprise, the orb glowed and pointed me here — to this very inn.
At first, I remained skeptical. But deep inside, a tiny flame of hope was lit.
The next day, I changed my appearance and came to this inn.
"It's been two days…"
I sat in the inn's dining room, nothing unusual happening. I hadn't found anyone special.
"I guess I was hoping for too much…"
I shook my head and was about to leave when I sensed something different. I looked up to see what it was — and I saw a hooded figure wearing a mask.
But something about him was different.
"He has… a different color!!"
He wasn't like the pitch-black auras I saw around others. He shone in my vision. I could see that he was a boy, about 15 years old.
"What is happening…?"
My heart began to beat faster. My body grew warm. I hadn't felt anything like this in centuries. Looking at the boy, I could see that he was shocked to see me too.
"Does he… know me?"
As I stared at him, I almost lost control of my aura — I almost killed everyone around me. Then I saw him turning to leave.
"Wait!!"
Panicking, I appeared before him. As he raised his hand to stop mine, I could have stopped him from touching me.
But something inside me refused to stop it. I wanted to know. And then… our hands touched.
And nothing happened.
"How… how is this possible!!?"
I couldn't believe I was holding the boy's hand. A soft, warm hand.
The feeling of touch.
Is this… love?
I looked into the boy's crimson eyes.
"So you are my destiny. And I will never let you go."