Erylin had a Contract Spirit when she was a child.
She vaguely remembered that afternoon; it was the first time she received her Tier 1 Mage rating.
It was a full five years earlier than most people.
The Lorenz family, a prominent clan, hailed her as their youngest and most outstanding Mage.
But only Erylin knew that this sudden power—the way her mind could suddenly decipher all Tier 1 magic circuits—did not stem from her own talent.
Looking at the small white rabbit in her hands, its fur matted with blood as it died a miserable death by her own hand, Erylin's hands trembled uncontrollably.
She was only seven years old at the time.
Even at such a young age, she understood everything.
Her power came from this very sorrow.
Back then, Erylin had no choice but to accept one fact.
To lose, and then to receive a reward.
That was her ability.
As for why she had to obey that inexplicable thought in her heart, she didn't know.
But she didn't want it to be this way.
From that moment on, Erylin studied magic desperately.
She even tried to ask her father about knowledge regarding potionology.
Even though she couldn't understand the fundamental elements of it at all.
But if she had to recall the taste of that power, she only found it disgusting.
To kill her own Contract Spirit and gain such power in return...
Erylin didn't even dare to think about it.
Excitement? Happiness?
She was afraid that because of this inexplicable ability, she would fall into that abyss.
To outsiders, Erylin was a hardworking, perfect, and kind-hearted girl.
Whenever she heard the students' praise, even though she tried her best to believe in the fact that she had worked hard, she still couldn't forget the power she had obtained by killing her Contract Spirit.
Erylin often thought this way.
Perhaps the title of the strongest third-year Mage, or possessing talent that ordinary people could never reach—titles like those didn't truly belong to her.
It was her own depravity. She used this method of killing living beings, knowing they were her most precious treasures, yet still following the urges of her heart.
Erylin was afraid that she would truly accept this power because of her own desires.
“So, Ain, I’m not at all what you think I am!”
Erylin stood before Ain, tearfully confessing everything.
“I’m so scared...”
“Even if I don't think about it, it still appears in my mind...”
Ain knew she was talking about the Ice of Aret.
“I don't want it to be like this...”
All along, Erylin had tried hard to believe that she wouldn't become the version of herself she hated. She tried to believe that as long as she resisted this power, nothing would go wrong.
But she was still terrified.
Especially when she was about to lose Lillian.
She knew clearly that she would be heartbroken, and she knew clearly that she would gain new power because of Lillian’s death.
Even though she tried her best to change Lillian’s fate and tried to keep things from becoming so dire, she still couldn't help but wonder if she would eventually accept that power. She wondered if the desires in her heart would stir because of Lillian’s death.
And then, Ain appeared.
He stopped her actions, forcibly suppressed all her thoughts, and then spoke the words she would remember for the rest of her life.
“I will not abandon you.”
Just like right now.
Erylin stared blankly at Ain. His silhouette from that night perfectly overlapped with his figure now.
Ain smiled confidently, reaching out his right hand just as he had then, waiting for Erylin’s answer.
On the night Lillian was on the verge of death, it was Ain who held up her collapsing body and told her: “I’ll help you make the choice.”
There was no reason, and no 'why.'
When Erylin saw Lillian walk out of the forest again, she had only one thought.
It’s so good to have Ain here.
It’s so good to have someone who can help me make a choice.
In Erylin’s eyes, this wasn't just a single instance of help.
It was more like he had pulled her out of the quagmire she had been struggling in for decades.
Only now did Erylin dare to face her own heart.
From that moment on, she had wanted to rely on Ain.
Even without this power, as long as Ain was there, it would be enough.
Ain’s appearance had caused a change in Erylin, who had been desperately trying to hide her true heart.
No one had ever told her whether she should follow her heart, whether she should accept that power, or whether she should accept such an ending.
In the dark space of her heart, Erylin didn't dare tell anyone, and she couldn't see any choices.
But those words made Erylin realize one thing.
Ain was her choice.
“Ain, actually... I like you...”
Erylin wept as she gently clutched her chest.
“I don't know, I don't know how to say it...”
“How much I like you, when I started liking you... do I really like you just because I like you?”
“I don't know, I really don't know...”
“Could you... like me a little bit more?”
Erylin’s tears fell one by one, just like that night.
She liked saying sorry; she liked saying she didn't know.
“It’s okay. You don't know, but I do.”
Ain smiled as he took the hand Erylin offered.
“I’ve said it before...”
“I want you to be happy. I want that damn, torturous fate of yours to disappear entirely.”
“I don't want you to walk that path riddled with holes; I don't want you to become a hollow shell of yourself.”
Ain took Erylin’s slender hand, pulled her toward him, and gently embraced her.
“Thank you for liking me, Erylin.”
“Eh?”
Ain gently kissed her forehead and continued, “The process might not be perfect, but at least...”
“I won't let you fall into that kind of ending again.”
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