It was well past midnight when Noah returned to the Sixth Palace.
He moved through the silent halls like a phantom, his body caked in drying blood that was not his own, a sight that sent the few maids still on duty scattering with panicked screams.
Upon reaching his private chambers, he calmly instructed them to prepare a bath before dismissing them.
Once alone, he stripped off the sullied clothes and submerged himself in the steaming tub. The scalding water engulfed him, a welcome shock that washed away the chill of the night and soothed a deeper ache for comfort.
He raised a hand from the water, focusing his will. Mana burned at his fingertips, coalescing into a transparent, shimmering lotus flower that hovered above his palm.
"Not bad," he murmured, inhaling its clean, ethereal scent. "It could be used as a fragrance."
Immersed in the warmth, Noah's thoughts drifted back to the fight. The demon he'd been sent to kill had perfectly replaced that vapid princess, mimicking her every action.
It had played its part flawlessly, right down to the feigned affection for him and the petty jealousy it showed towards Summer.
But the demon had no idea that his little elf possessed an insatiable craving for the blood of its kind. A slow smile curled Noah's lips.
Summer had no clue she was the Bastian domain's most effective, and most beautiful, walking demon scanner. He found he quite liked how that innate craving manifested as a fierce possessiveness over him.
His ears twitched, catching the faint scrape of footsteps just outside the window.
The balcony door creaked open a fraction, and a pair of familiar purple pupils peeked through the gap.
Noah stretched languidly in the water, deliberately showing off the lean muscle of his back, and was rewarded with the sound of a faint, sharp gasp from the little pervert.
Summer was always like this, unable to resist peeking whenever he bathed. Noah ignored her direct presence, continuing to enjoy the heat of the water while occasionally shifting in a way he knew would make her stare.
He waited until the water had grown cool before finally rising from the tub and shrugging on a sleeping robe.
By the time he was dry, she was gone, her light footsteps quickly fading into the distance.
Lying on the cool sheets of his bed, Noah closed his eyes and called forth his status screen, the familiar text glowing in his mind's eye.
[Name: Noah Looper]
Spirit: Death Looper
Rank: Dormant 1*
Traits: Space Jump, Wall of Fire, Lightning Rain, Lotus cleanshe
He was already sixteen, the same age as Summer. It had been years since he'd first awakened, years spent as a Dormant. Soon, he could finally begin to rank up properly.
'Mother and father will arrive in a month,' he mused. 'Leaving before then is impossible. And the city already has demons hiding within its walls.'
An idea began to form, a smirk touching his lips.
'Tomorrow, I'll take Summer on a trip into the city.' With that pleasant thought, he finally allowed himself to sink into sleep.
*
* *
"Summer. Wake up."
"Not now, Noah. A little bit more," she mumbled, burrowing deeper into the plush comfort of her bed.
"Then I will take Maria to the city."
"…bit more for me to dress." Summer's door slammed open as she rushed out, a whirlwind of tangled hair and rumpled clothes.
She launched herself at him, but before she could collide with his chest, Noah activated the Lotus Cleanse. A translucent flower of pure mana bloomed around her for a scant second, its petals washing over her in a wave of warmth and energy.
The grime of sleep vanished, her hair fell into perfect silken waves, and her rumbled clothes was returned to it's clean form.
She stared in wonder at the disappearing motes of light where the lotus had been, then jumped into his arms, laughing with pure delight.
"Noah! I love you the most!" Her kisses rained down on his forehead and cheeks, each one filled with an unreserved affection that was uniquely Summer.
Noah let out a helpless sigh, catching the eye of several maids in the hallway whose faces were turning a vibrant shade of crimson.
He gently disentangled himself from her embrace, his hands resting on her shoulders.
"Go have breakfast. I will meet you at the southern gate in twenty minutes," he said, his voice calm but firm, a steady anchor in the storm of her enthusiasm.
"Only if you promise not to even think Maria's name again," she declared, pointing a finger at his chest with a mock-serious expression.
He allowed a small smile to touch his lips. "I promise."
With a final, beaming grin, she skipped off toward the dining hall. Noah watched her go, the quiet fondness in his eyes a stark contrast to his emotionless face.
The threat of 'Maria', her oldest sister was his most reliable tool for motivating the otherwise lazy little elf. Maria was the only sibling Summer respected dearly and also felt inferior to.
After all she almost became his Royal.
Twenty minutes later, they stood before the massive, frost-rimmed southern gate of the palace grounds.
Summer was practically vibrating with excitement, her purple eyes wide as she looked out at the distant city.
"How are we getting there? A carriage? They're so slow!" she acted ignorance.
"Something faster," Noah replied, wrapping an arm around her waist. He pulled her close against him, ignoring her surprised acts.
"Hold on."
The world fractured.
For a heart-stopping second, reality dissolved into a kaleidoscope of screaming colors and warped space.
Then the chaotic noise and vibrant energy of a bustling metropolis replaced the quiet serenity of the palace.
They stood in a secluded alleyway, the air thick with the smell of roasting meats, exotic spices, and the sharp, clean scent of ice.
They had arrived in Winterfall, the largest city in the Bastian domain. It was a marvel of magical engineering, a city carved from the very ice of the mountains.
Crystalline towers scraped the sky, connected by elegant bridges of frozen light. Steam from geothermal vents hissed from grates in the cobblestone streets, keeping the main thoroughfares free of snow.
"Wow," Summer breathed, her earlier excitement now tempered with awe.
She clung to Noah's arm as he led her out of the alley and into the river of people flowing through the Grand Market.
For the first hour, it was perfect.
He bought her a skewer of candied frost-berries that shimmered with a faint blue light. They watched a street performer juggle orbs of captured fire, and listened to a bard sing ancient epics of the First Loopers.
Noah found himself relaxing, the ever-present tension in his shoulders easing as he watched Summer's genuine joy.
It was near a stall selling intricate silver jewelry that he felt the change. Her grip on his arm, once light and comfortable, tightened like a vice.
Her laughter died in her throat, replaced by a stillness that was utterly alien to her personality.
Noah glanced down at her. The playful light in her eyes was gone, supplanted by a predatory gleam. Her pupils had dilated, and he could feel a low, almost inaudible hum vibrating through her body.
The craving had begun.
"Summer," he said softly, his voice a low anchor. "Look at me."
She turned her head, and the intensity of her gaze was startling. It was the hungry look she'd had in the palace, but amplified tenfold by the proximity of its target.
"Noah… I want to…"
"I know," he cut her off gently. He placed a hand over hers, still clamped to his arm. "Don't let it control you. Use it. Pinpoint it for me. Where is it?"
Her eyes unfocused for a moment as she scanned the crowd, her head tilting like a hawk searching for prey. The hum in her chest grew stronger.
Her gaze swept past a group of boisterous mercenaries, over a family haggling for furs, and finally, locked onto a small, unassuming bakery on the corner.
It was a cheerful-looking place, with a plump, rosy-cheeked woman handing out free samples of sweet buns to children.
"There," Summer hissed. "The baker. She… she smells so sweet. Let's kill her."
"Sure."
If anyone were to hear their conversation, they would be horrified by how casual Noah sounded about murder. He took Summer into his arms and then activated Space Jump to reach the plump woman.
Giving her no chance for retribution, he severed her head. Summer's trait flared as the blood of the demon entered her body, causing the corpse to become mummified at a visible rate.
The onlookers took a few minutes to decipher what happened. Noah had already left with Summer.
A few streets away from there, he and Summer appeared again, returning to their leisure, oblivious to the terrified screams coming from the distance.
'Today will be long…' Noah muttered, feeling the new power that had entered his body after the kill.
Summer also became a bit stronger. But her attention was on the sweets on both sides of the street.
Noah shook his head as he followed her.