Unspoken Wounds, Unseen Chains

“So… I lost, huh…”

Nicholas lay sprawled on the grass, staring up at the sky.

Surprisingly, there was no bitterness in his heart.

He had given it everything he had, and his opponent had responded in kind.

He was used to this feeling anyway.

His life, from the very beginning, had been little more than a string of failures.

And yet—

He felt… strangely at peace.

At the very least, that duel had been genuinely fun.

“How long are you planning to lie there?”

Liora’s voice entered his view along with her face, gazing down at him.

Her expression, usually unreadable, looked a little softer than usual.

Still, her eyes remained the same—distant and hollow.

“Let me enjoy my defeat for a moment,” Nicholas replied, a faint smile on his lips.

“I thought I’d feel angry, you know—losing my chance to change my life for the better…”

He reached up toward the moon, fingers outstretched as if he could grasp it.

“…But instead, I feel calm. I’m just going back to my boring life, I guess.”

Without a word, Liora stepped forward and took his outstretched hand.

Nicholas blinked, surprised.

With a firm tug, she pulled him to his feet.

“You do realize you’re still young, right?” she said plainly.

“Your life is only just beginning.”

“I’m already twenty…” Nicholas muttered, brushing grass off his clothes.

“And?”

Liora folded her arms across her chest, her tone unchanged.

“I mean… for a twenty-year-old, my life’s already kind of a failure.”

“Wrong,” she cut in sharply.

“Everyone feels that way at some point.”

“Only a handful of people actually ‘make it’ at your age.”

“You’re just not one of them.”

Nicholas winced.

“Ouch. That’s brutally honest…”

Still, there was a strange warmth in her words—a truth that didn’t seek to hurt, only to ground him.

He chuckled softly, shaking his head.

“But I get what you’re trying to say.”

“Basically… keep moving forward, right?”

Liora said nothing.

But her silence was answer enough.

Nicholas dusted off the last of the dirt from his sleeves.

He turned to her with a relaxed, genuine smile.

“Well then, I’ll be heading home.”

“I hope someday you break free from the chains of your past, Miss Seeker of Truth.”

With that, he turned and walked away into the night, his figure gradually swallowed by the darkness.

Liora stood still, watching him go.

She let out a long, slow breath.

"Congratulations, Liora Vernhart," said Ursa, floating gently down before Liora. "You’ve won the first round and earned the right to remain in Desir—"

Before she could finish, Liora lunged forward, grabbing the polar bear plush and slamming her hard against the ground. She held Ursa there, pinning her in place.

“Violence is meaningless, Liora Vernhart,” Ursa protested, squirming in Liora’s grip. The plush body trembled slightly.

“Quiet…” Liora whispered coldly.

“What are you doing?” Ursa asked, her tone tinged with confusion, as if she genuinely didn’t understand.

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“Don’t play dumb with me.” Liora’s grip tightened. “Humans aren’t so fragile that they’d fall into that much emotional chaos… not unless they’re pushed to the edge.”

“It only happens when there’s no light left to grasp in the dark… only then do they show their true nature. Disgusting creatures, driven by desire.”

She leaned in closer, her voice razor-sharp. “So tell me—what did you do to us?”

There was no anger in her eyes—just chilling clarity. If what she held wasn’t a doll, but a real throat, she looked capable of snapping it without hesitation.

“Even if you damage this vessel, it won’t matter to me,” Ursa replied calmly. “This is just a proxy.”

Liora clicked her tongue in irritation and let go, stepping back with a stare that still demanded answers.

“First of all, your assumption is wrong,” Ursa said as she floated up again, facing Liora directly. If she had eyes, they would’ve been locked with Liora’s. “I didn’t do anything to any of you.”

“It’s just a side effect. A resonance that happens when your Frontier Guide manifests in this era.”

“The bond between a Desire Battle participant and their Frontier Guide surpasses the laws of this world. That connection is so strong, your thoughts and emotions get subconsciously influenced by your Guide’s personality.”

“You’re not making this up?” Liora asked, suspicion narrowing her eyes.

“What would I gain by lying to you?” Ursa replied, her tone firm.

The tension between them settled slightly. If Ursa had a real body, they’d be locked in a dead stare right now.

“One thing I want to make very clear,” Ursa said at last, her voice softening. “I have no ill intentions toward any of the Desire Battle participants.”

“That’s bold, coming from someone who set up this nasty realistic pain system on a card game.”

“Have you ever been burned alive, Ursa?”

Liora sighed heavily, brushing past Ursa.

“Whatever. I’m going home. I’m exhausted.”

Ursa said nothing as Liora’s figure slowly vanished into the forest shadows, leaving only silence behind.

"Hooh… So that’s the Enlightenment Holder," Lisa muttered to herself as she stood atop a hill, not far from the old observatory. Her eyes stayed fixed on the screen of her phone, which displayed a live feed from a drone circling above the battlefield between Nicholas and Liora.

The drone lacked an audio feed, but visuals were more than enough. Lisa could deduce the abilities of the cards just by observing how the duel played out—an ability born from years of analytical experience.

"At least Mirror Holder is out. Reflection damage would’ve been a nightmare for me," she said, sighing with genuine relief. She was glad her natural counter had been eliminated before she had to deal with them.

"But Enlightenment’s still tricky..." Her expression shifted to serious thought. "They have too many strategy variations. The longer the battle, the more cornered I’ll be."

"You seem awfully pleased," said a calm, dispassionate voice.

Lisa turned with a smirk. Seated at a small table that was absurdly out of place in the wilderness, a girl in an elegant blue-and-white gothic dress leisurely sipped tea. Her dark hair framed a pale face, and her emerald eyes exuded an unnerving tranquility. It was Bellioris Altair—commonly known as Belle—the CEO of Altair Manufacture.

"Yeah, I guess I got a little fired up watching the match," Lisa replied, walking over casually. "But I wasn’t expecting the mighty CEO of Altair Manufacture to be in the Desire Battle too."

"And you?" Belle took another sip of tea, unbothered. "What exactly is Solaris Corporation’s sole heiress scheming?"

"Me? Oh please, no schemes. I’m just here to have fun," Lisa said with an exaggerated grin.

"Is that so? Someone seems to have a lot of free time," Belle replied, lacing her sarcasm delicately between each word.

"Of course. I always have time," Lisa said, plopping into the chair across from Belle and grabbing one of the neatly arranged pastries. She took a joyful bite.

"How about you? Shouldn’t you be… I don’t know, busy? Especially after what your father did nine years ago..." Lisa watched closely, noting the slight twitch in Belle’s expression.

"Ah, so that’s your wish," she added, a spark of amusement dancing in her eyes.

"You—" Belle began, but Lisa cut her off.

"Gotcha."

"SHUT UP!" Belle snapped. From beneath her skirt, she drew a firearm and pointed it directly at Lisa, eyes burning with fury.

"Whoa! Okay, okay, I’m sorry for prying!" Lisa raised her hands in surrender, though sweat now trickled down her face.

Belle exhaled slowly, lowering the gun and sliding it back beneath her skirt.

"You’re pretty well-armed, huh?" Lisa commented, having glimpsed several more weapons hidden beneath Belle’s layers.

"It’s just for self-defense," Belle said curtly.

Lisa eyed her with mild disbelief, silently questioning what kind of person considered hand grenades a standard part of personal defense.

Just then, Lisa’s phone buzzed. She glanced at it quickly. Belle remained unfazed, continuing to enjoy her tea.

"What is it?" Belle asked when she noticed the satisfied smile creeping onto Lisa’s face.

Lisa flipped the phone screen toward her.

Displayed clearly was the next match in the Desire Battle:

Chalice VS Lantern.

"Looks like it’s my turn," Lisa said cheerfully, already standing.