Freed stepped forward, his brow furrowed with worry. Time had passed, but the sight of Aurianna still managed to unsettle him in ways he couldn't put into words. She was taller now, almost near his height, but it wasn't just her height that had changed. Her eyes—those once lively eyes—had become cold, and more lifeless. Beautiful, yes, but terrifying in the way they seemed to suck the soul right out of anyone who dared to meet them for too long. There was something fundamentally inhuman about her now.
"Aurianna, can I ask something?" Freed's voice was cautious, as though afraid of the answer he might receive.
"Of course, big brother!" Aurianna chirped, her grin unwavering.
Freed hesitated for a moment, then finally asked, "Are you really the one who wiped out Shinia Highland?"
A moment of silence stretched between them. Then, Aurianna's grin twisted into something darker.
"Of course it was me. Who else would it be, silly?" Her voice was light, but the words dripped with malice.
