A Glimpse of Color in a Lifeless World

Erielle watched as Venice comforted the citizens who had been kidnapped by the dark mages and only just rescued. Tears streamed down their faces as they bowed to him again and again. Venice reached out with gentle hands, patting their shoulders and offering quiet reassurance.

'How strange.'

It was fascination. And a faint spark of interest. That was the emotion that stirred in Erielle as she gazed at Venice. How long had it been since anything had truly caught her attention like this?

Back when she was a child—before she could even form proper thoughts, and later, when she finally became capable of reflecting on herself—the girl who had loved everything in the world and found wonder in it all had vanished. All that remained was numbness and emptiness.

She didn’t know exactly why it had happened. At some point… interest in anything had simply disappeared. Emotions themselves had faded away. The world, once vivid with color, had turned into shades of gray. She had even forgotten what she once wanted to do.

Magic. In that colorless world, it had been the only small flicker of light. Her talent for magic far surpassed others, and anything she wished to achieve, she succeeded at almost instantly. The long-forgotten feeling called interest had begun to stir faintly once more.

When she was young, her father had hired a magic instructor for her after she showed interest in the one thing that had managed to capture her attention despite her inability to find wonder in anything else.

The instructor had made a huge fuss the moment he saw her. He had puffed out his chest, eyes gleaming like he had discovered a rare jewel. It was almost comical.

Is that really all you think my mana capacity is?

Without anyone teaching her, she had naturally learned how to condense her power. It came as easily as time flowing forward, the sun rising, and the moon following in its wake. And that so-called “outstanding” magic instructor couldn’t even measure the true depth of her mana.

Even when she had only released a fraction of her power, the instructor broke into a cold sweat. It had been almost funny watching him struggle to even breathe properly.

Every spell he demonstrated became hers in an instant. He had nothing left to teach her.

On their third meeting, the instructor fled. The look in his eyes as he stared at her one last time had been filled with pure terror—like he was looking at a monster.

After that, her father tried to hire new instructors many times, but every single one refused. It seemed the first instructor had been more skilled than she thought. Or perhaps rumors about her had spread, and the others were too afraid ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to approach.

It doesn’t matter.

What did it matter if there were no instructors? She could learn on her own. In fact, studying magic by herself had proven far more effective.

…It had been effective. The only downside was that even the few people who had stayed by her side eventually left her.

It seemed she had secretly enjoyed those lessons with the instructors more than she realized. For a girl who had never had friends, they had been a source of comfort.

That dull ache gnawing at her heart was proof enough of that.

As time passed and the days turned into years, her mana grew even more immense. Unless she concentrated with all her might, the pressure it emitted was so overwhelming that ordinary people could barely breathe in her presence.

"…Sever."

With a single gesture, the massive boulder in the middle of the mountain behind the house split cleanly in two. It was a rock that dozens of grown men wouldn’t have been able to lift.

Whether in mock battles against renowned mages or ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in contests of pure mana against those who called themselves archmages, she had always looked down on them from above. Even those she once had to look up to now scurried about beneath her feet.

"…………"

She stared absently at her own hand. It was cold… pale… the hand of a monster.

The emptiness and loneliness that filled her entire being only grew stronger with time. It was unbearably sharp and freezing cold. No matter how many years she endured it, she could never get used to that feeling.

By now, there was no mage in the entire northern territory who could surpass her.

"…It’s not fun anymore."

The day she truly became a monster, even the last remnant of her interest had died out. With the final trace of color gone from her world, she had become an impurity cast out from a once-vibrant existence.

It felt like sinking into the ocean—plunging endlessly into the abyss. No matter how much she struggled, no one would notice. She couldn’t even tell if she was rising or falling in that infinite darkness.

Her emotions sank into the abyss. Slowly, without end, they simply faded away.

Meaningless time flowed on endlessly. She lived on without even realizing time was passing, unable to die.

"…Damn those dark mages. Another victim."

One day, while walking down the corridor of the castle, she happened to overhear her brother Kyle’s voice filled with rage.

Dark mages. They had begun appearing out of nowhere, kidnapping good people, torturing them, and even killing them—like vermin. She had heard that dark mages had even been spotted in the Frost Territory, but they still hadn’t been caught.

Dark mages… huh.

That night, when the bright lights of the castle had dimmed and everyone was asleep, she found herself pulling out the plain black robe she had shoved into the back of her closet and the crow mask she had used for costume play as a child.

"…How ridiculous."

The figure reflected in the full-length mirror looked utterly absurd. But it would be enough.

She quietly opened the window and threw herself out, racing toward the Frost Territory. Her destination was wherever the dark mages were.

Her overflowing mana allowed her to run faster than a carriage even in a human body. She reached the territory in the blink of an eye.

"…………"

Grabbing hold of her robe as it fluttered wildly in the strong wind, she perched on the roof of a house and looked down over the Frost Territory. It was late at night; everyone was asleep. The only figures visible were the occasional patrolling guards.

"……?"

Then she saw it. In the distance, a figure in a black robe was carrying a sack that writhed as if something living was inside. The figure was carefully avoiding the guards’ eyes.

…Found you.

Leaping silently from roof to roof without making a sound, she soon arrived at the house the dark mage had entered.

Creak—

"You… who the hell are you?!"

"Mmmph… mmmph!!"

"…Hmm."

When she opened the door and stepped inside, she came face to face with the dark mage who had just pulled a bound and gagged person out of the sack. The captive was crying desperately, struggling with all their might. The gag muffled their screams, of course.

"Y-you bastard… die!!"

Whoosh—!

A black awl formed in the dark mage’s hand and shot toward her. Normal mana-based attacks usually left traces or trails, but this one was undetectable.

Clang—!

She dodged. Being hit by that didn’t seem like it would end well. The awl embedded itself deep into the wall.

"Hmm. So this is dark magic…"

"What are you babbling about…! Die—!"

"…Sever."

Shuk—!

She had no desire to listen to the vermin’s babbling any longer, so she silenced it permanently.

Dark magic was… a little interesting. But she had no interest in becoming something as disgusting as that.

"Are there any other victims?"

"I-I-I don’t know… please, spare me…"

"…Hmm. I wasn’t planning on killing you."

Leaving the trembling person behind, she scanned the room. It seemed this victim was the last one; there was nothing else of note.

"Report this to the guards. They’ll take care of the rest."

"Y-yes… thank you…!"

She left the person—who looked like they might faint at any moment—and returned to the castle. The castle remained quiet, as if nothing had happened.

"…Dark mages."

They were parasites that gnawed away at the world—vermin that had to be exterminated. If she wasn’t going to do anything else, she might as well crush a few of them.

After that, she spent her days acting as the quiet and well-behaved Northern Archduchess while the sun was up, and hunted down dark mages once the moon rose.

"Lady Erielle? Could you take a look at this?"

"…Hm? What is—urk!"

"Heh… kuhahaha… I finally did it…! After all the suffering working under those damn bastards!"

One night, the butler—or rather, the former butler—did something to her that completely sealed her mana.

"Just close your eyes for a moment… hehehe!"

"You son of a—!"

After that… her memories became hazy.

When she came to, she was locked in an iron cage, subjected to horrific torture every single day.

"Kekeke… shall we see if you’re worthy of becoming the vessel for our Lord?!"

"Guh… AAAAAAAGH—!"

Pain beyond words. It felt like her organs were being torn apart. Head-splitting migraines struck her repeatedly. When they injected something with a needle, her body burned from the inside out.

Every single day, she was tortured.

No matter how much she screamed, begged for mercy, or cried out the names of her father, mother, and brothers, no one came for her.

Days passed. Her throat had grown hoarse from constant screaming, and her vision had become blurry. By then, she had probably given up on life. She felt no hope. The pain that had once wracked her body no longer even registered.

The hand clinging to the edge of the cliff began to slip. Slowly… slowly… her body began to fall toward endless darkness.

The grip that had endured any amount of pain or hardship finally lost its strength. She fell.

She would sink to the bottom of the abyss where no one could find her. And then… she would be slowly forgotten.

…I want to live.

She thought she had given up on everything, but as the final moment approached, the desire to live felt almost laughably ironic. Her father, mother, and brothers had never come for her. Now, the only one who might—

Grab—!

At that moment, through her blurred vision, she saw a man firmly grasp her slipping hand as ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠if he would never let go. Messy black hair tied back in a loose ponytail. Eyes the color of deep red roses. His mana level seemed utterly ordinary, and his body didn’t look particularly well-trained.

Yet he had slain the former butler—no, the dark mage—in a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠single strike.

Though her vision was blurry, she could tell. After dealing with the dark mage, he immediately began working to free her.

…Can you really trust me?

We’ve never even met before. I could hurt you.

"You don’t seem like the kind of person who would. Am I wrong?"

The man smiled as if it were the most natural thing in the world and pulled her out.

"Venice. My name is Venice."

Venice. He had introduced himself as Venice.

…How strange.

Why did this man—who she was certain she had never met before—make her heart stir with such intense interest?

For the first time in years since she had discovered magic, a sliver of color had returned to her world. At the same time, the girl who had been exiled from it had finally returned to the ordinary world.

It was fascinating. And interesting. How had he seen through the dark mage’s illusions? How could someone so ordinary fight so well? Why had he taken the dark mage’s attack in her place?

She was curious about everything.

"Little friends, would you like to make a promise with this uncle?"

"Sniff… what kind of promise…?"

"…That you won’t tell anyone what happened today. Can you do that for me?"

"But… then no one will ever know about you, mister…?"

"That’s okay. Then… how about this?"

He pressed his index finger first to his mask, then to the child’s lips. The child nodded vigorously before leaving with the adults.

"…Ha. And they’re not even kids anymore."

It was the kind of childish act she would normally have dismissed as silly. So why did it only make her more interested?

She still knew nothing about him. What he did, what he thought. So… she would find out. Everything about him.

As she gazed at the small miracle that had come to her after so many years, the dull, lifeless violet eyes of Erielle began to shine brightly once more.

Shiver…

'Whoa. Why did I suddenly feel a chill…?'

Maybe it was because the weather was cold. Venice felt an inexplicable chill run down his spine.