"Gosh, they stink!" Leon muttered as he wrenched his katana free from the head of the corpse of a goblin.

He flicked the blade to clear the blood, then turned to me and arched a brow.

Currently, I was looking at Audrey's profile. She had killed enough goblins to level up, and her level now displayed [15]. Which meant that she had unlocked her Regalia.

I was still studying the profile when Leon suddenly asked, "What's got you smiling like that?"

I looked away from the screens to him, but didn't say anything.

Leon glanced in the direction that I was looking, and when he saw Audrey who was wiping the sweat off her forehead, a sly grin grew on his face.

He nudged my shoulder then winked.

"Yeah, I support it. She's beautiful."

"Huh? What are you…"

My eyes widened when I turned to see what he was looking at, then I realized what he meant. "No, no… it's a misunderstanding."

Leon wiggled his brows and gave a knowing shrug with his grin growing even wider.

'Tsk. This guy!'

I sighed and shook my head, then turned the others. "Let's keep moving."

The goblins really did stink, making the entire air around us foul. Since there was nothing we could salvage from them, we all quickly resumed our journey.

Dion was right. The goblins did indeed migrate because we had to face them a few more times along the way, although there were not as many as the first horde.

We quickly dealt with them and kept on moving. By the time evening came, the temperature in this rocky clearing had dropped significantly.

We decided to camp in between three large boulders that faced each other. We lit a really small fire, just enough to cook our dinner, after which we poured some water to put it out.

Since the goblins and other predators had migrated around, we couldn't risk leaving a light source burning for too long.

Leon offered to take the first watch, while the others leaned against the boulders to get some rest.

As the others slept, I lay on my back with my hands as a pillow, looking at the moon above and chewing on a blade of grass, lost in my thoughts.

I stayed like that until midnight when sleep finally came, but just as I was about to close my eyes, through the corner of my eye, I saw Aika sitting atop a boulder smoking her pipe.

She had been sitting there since we arrived. Like always, she never spoke to anyone, she did not interact with the group and just kept to herself.

Although I could hear her thoughts, unless she spoke to me, I did not pry because she loved her boundaries. But… there are times when I wish I could tell what she was thinking… and what goes on in that head of hers.

I'd also like to know why she prefers being on her own all the time, or more importantly, why she seems to dislike people so much.

I eventually looked away from her, and closed my eyes.

***

Later in the night…

Aika's POV

——

I do not know why, but… from the moment I was born and opened my eyes for the first time, I felt a deep, inborn hatred toward humans and Dominants.

It was as if I had suffered a deep trauma etched into my very soul even before I was born. A trauma that did not only make me hate them, but fear them.

To make matters worse, I was born in a coliseum. And barely three seconds after I came into the world, my bearer was already being dragged to his death.

It was funny… how insignificant he looked.

At that moment, I already hated the guards of the coliseum. I already hated all the spectators in that damn place. And most especially, I hated my bearer.

…But the thing I hated the most was the fact that I was born a Bond.

Why? Why did I have to be born a Bond?

Even though I didn't know why, I hated all Dominants… so what was this reality where I would have to protect a particular Dominant for the rest of my life if I wanted to live?

What was this reality where I was stuck with a soul I didn't choose, forced to be the weapon for a creature I despised?

I cried when I found this out. It was as if I was being punished for something I did not know of.

But I didn't want to die, and it looked like the only way to survive back then was to submit myself to my bearer as his bond for eternity.

As time went by, I got to know more about him through his memories, especially his past which made him different from all the humans in the empire.

To be honest, back then, I found him a bit pitiful.

His past was tragic to say the least. From what I could see, Cedric had suffered abuse from his alcoholic father ever since he was little. And at the young age of sixteen, during a particularly violent beating, Cedric in the heat of the moment snapped and killed his father with a kitchen knife.

He was arrested, but since he was just sixteen and it was self-defense, he was eventually released.

After his release, his life was a mess. The stigma followed him everywhere and poisoned every chance he had at a normal life.

In the end, Cedric couldn't keep up with all the judgment and isolation and had to move. He even changed his name.

That was also how he developed severe anxiety, and ended up using this thing called games to escape reality.

Luckily, he found someone then to rely on for a while.

…Sigh.

He may think that he died because he played a game for three days straight without food or water, but I feel like that's not the case. I feel like there's more to it.

But I can't prove it, so…

Anyway, the fact that he was tossed into this world without a choice, only to be doomed to death again moved me a bit.

So I decided to give him a chance. After all, we are both victims of cruel fates.

Even though I didn't like him at first, I figured that I could at least tolerate him.

Over time, my hate for dominants has not faded, but… I have grown to like my bearer.

We have actually begun to bond, and the good thing about him is that he does not treat me as just a weapon as many others do their bonds. Instead, he treats me as a person of equal standing.

I know it's been just a few months since my birth, but I wonder why I feel like I've always needed that feeling, long before I was even born.

That feeling of being treated like a person.

That feeling of being protected.

That feeling of being cherished by someone.

Sigh…

To be honest, it feels great to know that I can trust and depend on him.

So… now, I have decided to go past just giving him a chance.

I have accepted to be his raven of decay.

I have accepted to be his blade… and I have finally accepted to truly be his bond.

***

…

..

.

It was long past midnight.

The camp was quiet with everyone deep asleep, and Julius was now keeping watch after taking over from Leon.

On top of the boulder, Aika exhaled the last of the smoke and then finally leapt down.

She turned to see Cedric sleeping peacefully. Slowly, she approached him, then curled up and lay on his chest.

At that moment, she felt Cedric's hands rest on her before pulling her into a cuddle. Aika wasn't sure if Cedric had woken up or not, but she didn't move and let herself sink into his warmth.

For some reason, she liked it when he touched her.

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