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𝐅𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫
“Even after yesterday’s storm, it’s no surprise nothing’s biting.”
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Dangling a fishing line from atop a rock, a solitary figure mutters to no one in particular.
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Murky water flows below, frothing white, while red hair and brown skin glisten in the clear sunlight following the storm.
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“Well, it’s not like I catch much anyway.”
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Muttering this, the figure reels in the fishing line.
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Knowing all too well that there’s no one else to hear.
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Centuries of isolation have turned talking to oneself into a habit.
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“Looks like it’s dried meat and wild vegetable soup again today. . .?”
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Just then, something catches the eye across the river bank.
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There appears to be a mass resembling white clothing in the turbulent water.
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“Could that be a drowned person washed down by the storm? Let’s see. . .”
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As Iris casts her fishing rod, the line smoothly extends across to the other bank.
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Hooking onto the white mass, the line retracts, pulling it towards Iris.
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“If it’s fresh, maybe it’s edible. . .”
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Iris frowns upon inspecting what she reeled in.
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“What’s this. . .?”
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It’s Luke, who had fallen from a cliff.
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Pale-faced and breathless, having lost consciousness.
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But to Iris, something else is visible.
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A flame of magical power still burning fiercely inside Luke’s chest.
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“Well, this is an unexpected find.”
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Effortlessly lifting Luke, Iris swiftly crosses the rocky terrain.
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“Uh. . .”
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Upon waking, Luke’s first sight is a rugged grey ceiling.
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“Where is this. . .?”
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Sitting up with a hazy mind, he looks around.
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It’s a cave formed between giant boulders, not a house.
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Light from the entrance illuminates the space.
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Beneath him, soft straw; above, a fur of tanned animal hide.
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(Did someone save me. . .?)
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While thinking about such things, when I shifted my gaze downward, my left arm jumped into my sight.
Although there were bandages wrapped around it, it was missing from above the elbow.
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At that moment, Luke vividly remembered what had happened to him.
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He had been targeted by assassins, and his left eye and left hand were slashed before he fell into the turbulent stream.
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“Ugh. . .”
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He barely suppresses a wave of nausea.
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Hunted down, even by his own uncle.
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The reality, like a tangible darkness, threatens to overwhelm him.
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“Guh. . .uhhhhh. . .”
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Despite trying to hold back, tears spill over.
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Enduring many injustices before, this time, it’s unbearable.
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Curling up, trembling, Luke weeps.
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“Oh, you’re awake.”
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He heard a voice from the entrance.
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Rubbing his eyes, he turned around and saw a figure standing in the backlight.
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“I’m hungry. I’ll prepare something now, so wait.”
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Saying so, a remarkably beautiful woman entered the cave, as if she were not of this world.
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With luxuriant, fiery red hair, tanned skin, and deep crimson eyes darker than her hair, she sparkled in the middle of her perfectly sculpted face, like a statue.
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From both sides of her forehead, loosely curved horns protruded, resembling those of a bull.
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It was clearly not human.
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“D. . . did you save me? Who are you?”
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“My name’s Iris. Yeah, I guess it was me who saved you. It was quite a feat, you know? Your heart had stopped. A few seconds later, and you might have been off to the other world.”
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Iris laughed heartily as she skillfully skinned a rabbit.
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“T, Thank you. My name is Luke. I really don’t know how to thank you. . .”
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“It’s alright, it’s alright. I’m happy to have a guest for the first time in ages. It’s been 800 years since anyone’s come here.”
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“800 years?”
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Luke doubted his ears at those words.
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The woman who called herself Iris didn’t look her age at all.
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She looked to be in her mid-twenties, maybe even younger.
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At the same time, he felt something striking about the 800 years and the name Iris.
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Certainly. . . he remembered seeing it in a history book at school. . .
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“Could it be. . . you’re no ordinary person?!”
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“Oh, you’re quite knowledgeable. Pretty studious for someone so young.”
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Iris smiled at the astonished Luke.
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“No way. . . you can’t be that Iris. . .”
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Luke found it hard to believe.
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Iris was the name of a demon said to have plunged the great empire into chaos 800 years ago, only to be sealed away.
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“Well, I can understand your disbelief. How about I show you some proof?”
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Iris said this and pointed her hand towards the ceiling.
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At the same time, with a heavy sound, the surrounding boulders began to float.
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“W. . .What’s this?”
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Now, boulders several meters long floated around Luke like balloons.
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“I was thinking of redecorating.”
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As Iris spoke, the boulders began to split apart.
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The neatly broken boulders stacked up like building blocks, quickly transforming into a small house.
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Luke was completely at a loss for words.
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This power was beyond any magic a human could wield.
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Luke recalled the lectures at school as he watched this scene.
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It is said that next to this world, there is a world imperceptible to humans.
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In that world, magic governs all logic, and the magical essence used in magic also comes from there.
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And it was believed that demons came to this world from there.
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The power of demons far exceeds human understanding, building giant castles overnight, splitting mountains in two, bringing rain to the desert for days – these are just a few of the legends.
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And among them, Iris was known as the most powerful demon.
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Her power was immense, her nature reckless, and her attitude fearless even of gods. People feared even to speak her name, referring to her as the one who should not be named.
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Desperate, the great empire exerted all its national power to seal her, but it led to the empire’s downfall and the formation of several kingdoms that exist today.
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The fact that Iris was here was hard to believe, but the scene before him left no room for doubt.
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“So? Do you believe me now?”
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“Y. . Yes.”
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That was all Luke could manage to reply.