Auren stood with caution, jaw tightening as his fist clenched. His gaze locked onto the hall entrance.
Barely a heartbeat later, the doors burst open with a thunderous crack. Asenya emerged from behind them, her eyes wide and wild.
Her face differed slightly from Auren's memory—not aged, but changed. Her unsettling beauty still radiated brilliantly, though with a malevolent edge.
If devilish beauty had a name, it was hers.
Yet she looked disheveled—her jet-black hair tangled like thorny vines, her expression troubled. Despite her wide-open eyes, dark crescents beneath them begged for sleep.
"Oh no! How are you here?"
Auren tilted his head, his face darkening into a scowl.
"Hey buddy?! You're back! I'm so sorry I pushed you into the well?! What can I do to make it up to you?!"
Asenya shot him a blank look before a chuckle bubbled from her throat.
"Boy please. Just go back in there. I am not going to apologize for no darn thing. You wanted to earn your keep."
