Unlike the curiosity and anticipation shared by the rest of the group, Hyacine appeared incredibly nervous. She kept glancing toward the door, her hands wringing together unconsciously. Even her signature pink twin-tails seemed to have lost their usual bounce.
Finally, the lock clicked, and the door slowly swung open.
Furina stepped out first, strutting like a proud cat. She held her chin high, clutching a fresh sheet of parchment in her hands.
Quietly following right behind her was a slender silhouette.
"Darling Castorice!"
Hyacine's voice trembled with undeniable joy. She hurried forward, only to pull herself to a hard stop just one step away, her eyes brimming with concern.
The girl standing before them looked as if she had stepped out of moonlight and morning mist.
She had waist-length, silver-white hair that faded into a pale, twilight purple at the tips. A pair of pointed ears peeked through her delicate locks, a quiet testament that she was not entirely human. Her skin was so pale it was almost translucent, as though she had been hidden away from the sun for an eternity.
She wore an elegant yet simple dress draped in white and purple, the hem and cuffs adorned with lifelike butterfly and floral motifs. However, upon closer inspection, stark white bandages were tightly wrapped around her wrists and ankles.
Seeing Hyacine, the girl lifted her perpetually lowered gaze and offered a faint, reassuring smile.
The rest of the Familia suddenly realized that Hyacine and this newcomer were already old friends.
"Take a look, Captain," Furina said, handing the parchment to Aiden. "See what kind of incredible new member you've brought into our big family."
Aiden took the parchment, his eyes scanning Castoricee's status sheet.
[Castorice]
[Level 1]
[Strength: I-0] | [Endurance: I-0]
[Dexterity: I-0] | [Agility: I-0]
[Magic: I-0]
[Development Abilities: Diving (I)]
[Magic:]
[Polydeuces]
Memory Magic. Extended Chant.
Incantation: Bound by memory, guided by the netherworld, following the cycle of life and death. Ancient dragon soul slumbering in the River Styx, break free from your eternal dream. Brush away the decaying scars and restore your true Titan form. Let the nether blooms blossom in the barren wasteland; let the butterfly's fire illuminate the abyss. Bearing the mercy of destiny, I shall shoulder your karma of annihilation and grant you dominion over this world. Flowers bloom from withered bones, new life springs from dead silence. Break out of the abyss, walk beside me, and embrace your rebirth—Polydeuces!
[Skills:]
[Curse of Bestowed Death]
Passive Skill.
Effect: Drains the life force of any living creature upon physical contact.
[Shelter of the Moon Cocoon]
Passive Skill.
Effect: Protects an ally from a fatal blow and fully restores them. Activates once per person per day.
[Divinity]
Active Skill.
Effect: Grants a transcendent boost to all basic abilities.
[Divine Protection of the Water God]
Passive Skill.
Effect: Grants [Water Walking], [Water Repulsion], and the development ability [Diving].
After reading her status, Aiden's expression grew complicated.
He looked at Castorice, then at the deeply worried Hyacine beside her, instantly understanding the weight of the situation. He lifted his head and offered the anxious girl a gentle smile.
"Castorice, is it alright if I share your magic and skills with everyone? Or would you prefer to keep them a secret?"
As the Captain, it was his duty to know the trump cards of every Familia member, but he fully respected her right to keep her abilities hidden from the rest of the group.
Castorice blinked, clearly caught off guard by the consideration.
She looked up, a glimmer of warmth flashing through her amethyst eyes, and answered softly, "I will follow your arrangements, my lord... Since we are all companions here, I am willing to place my trust in them."
With her permission, Aiden detailed her magic and skills to Robin, Tifa, and the others who had gathered around.
When they heard the effect of her [Curse of Bestowed Death], Tifa and the rest reflexively gasped, their eyes filling with a profound mix of sympathy and disbelief.
"This curse... is the shackle Darling Castorice has been forced to carry all her life," Hyacine said, her voice heavy with sorrow. "So, please, everyone, be very careful from now on. Do not touch her carelessly. It's not that she's cold; she just doesn't want to hurt anyone."
The realization washed over the group. It explained why Castorice instinctively kept her distance, and why Hyacine had stopped just short of embracing her closest friend.
However, when Aiden read her next skill, the room's collective pity instantly morphed into sheer shock.
"'[Shelter of the Moon Cocoon]'... A daily, guaranteed resurrection from death?!" Robin's voice pitched up in disbelief.
Even Hyacine looked completely stunned.
This was a divine miracle. For adventurers who constantly danced on the razor's edge of mortality, having Castorice in the party was equivalent to possessing the ultimate safety net—the most expensive, infallible life insurance in existence.
By comparison, her final skill, [Divinity], barely made a ripple. Despite its incredibly imposing name, a simple "transcendent stat boost" felt almost mundane next to her first two reality-bending abilities.
For a long moment, every eye in the grand hall was fixed on the quiet girl. The gazes directed at her were a complex cocktail of awe, pity, and a rapidly budding sense of absolute trust.
Amidst the varying stares, Firefly's gaze was uniquely complicated.
She and Castorice were two sides of a tragic coin. One suffered from a body that was constantly fading away, while the other carried a body that forced the fading of others. One desperately yearned for time to stop, and the other simply yearned for the safety of a human touch.
Their curses were different, but the crushing, suffocating isolation of being walled off from the rest of the world was exactly the same.
"Alright, everyone, back to your business. Let's not crowd her," Aiden said, clapping his hands to break the heavy atmosphere.
He could easily tell that the intense scrutiny was making the already socially anxious girl even more uncomfortable.
"I'm going to take Castorice to the Guild to finalize her adventurer registration."
He gently motioned for the group to disperse, giving Castorice some much-needed breathing room.
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