Chapter 18: Chapter 17 : Shadow in the Mirror

In this dangerous world, living beings without sufficient mana to shield themselves are devoured by the world itself—twisted, broken, and reborn as monsters.

Master… How I regret my weakness. If only I had been stronger. Perhaps then, you would not have become one of them.

Maybe it was fate—twisted and cruel—that showed me the answer to the question I had asked myself so many times:

How are monsters truly born?

Now, every time I look at the remnants of your mutated body, warped beyond recognition, I curse my

own curiosity.

There isn’t much left of you… but even in that ruin, I can still see your pain.

—From the final writings of the great sage Aciz.

I A V A I

My hair had suddenly changed color—from gold to pure white, with a faint hue of red at the tips.

For most people, that would be surprising. Maybe even terrifying. But for me…

It was something else entirely.

-At this point… I’m becoming more and more like my past life.

I feared I was really turning into the same person again—without even realizing it.

Mom rushed over to me after seeing the mess I’d become.

“It’s okay, dear. Everything’s fine. This is normal,” she said gently, wrapping her arms around me.

“It is?”

“Yes. Sometimes people experience a change in physical appearance when their magical or spiritual powers awaken… or shift in nature.”

“But… I didn’t have magical powers. I thought you said it was normal to have them?”

“Having mana is common,” she explained, brushing my hair from my face. “It protects us from the dangers of nature. But having mana doesn’t mean you can use magic. For that, you need compatibility with an element.”

“What kind of element am I compatible with?”

“That… I don’t know.” She gave me a sheepish smile. “But I’m sure you’ll be amazing. Maybe super strong.”

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She was trying to cheer me up.

It didn’t work.

“…Uh… sorry. I forgot you didn’t like violence. But you know, magic and spiritual powers aren’t just for fighting. They can heal, build… sometimes even predict the future.”

Before I could reply, a knock on the door ended our conversation.

“A moment, please!” Mom called out, then turned back to me and gently held my face in her hands.

“Listen, dear. You don’t have to do this. But there’s a maid outside waiting for you. You’re meant to start working… just for a while, as a maid-in-training. If you want to say no, that’s okay. But I think doing this would be good for you.”

“…If I do it, will I be helping you too?”

She smiled softly, sighing in that way moms do when they’re both proud and tired.

“Yes, dear. You’ll be helping a ton.”

I beamed at her. “Then you have nothing to worry about.”

She patted my head.

“You’ve grown so much. But you’ll always be my baby girl.”

That made me feel warm inside—like maybe, just maybe, things between us would stay okay.

“Now go. And good luck.”

I stepped out of the room feeling pretty confident—until I met the maid’s expression.

“About damn time,” she said flatly.

I instantly bowed my head. “I-I’m very sorry…”

“Whatever. Just don’t make a habit of it.”

She led the way, explaining the basics: I’d work from eight to seven, with two breaks. Maid-in-training hours.

“If you take combat training,” she added, “you’ll have to get up by six and report again after dinner.”

I paused. Combat training…?

She stopped too, watching me closely.

I didn’t like the idea. But I had no idea how things worked in the Demon Realm. If I didn’t want to be a burden to Mom—I had to learn to defend myself.

“I’d like to take combat training as well.”

“Fine. I’ll take you there.”

“Eh? Isn’t it a little late for that?” I mumbled.

“It’s the first day. You won’t get real training yet. Just a few words about how you’re all going to suffer.”

Oh. That sounded… not reassuring.

Can I cry? Is that allowed? What about running away?

I shook the thoughts off. I made a decision. Even by my standards, backing out now would be pathetic.

I A V A I

P O V : Vahr ( The WereWolf )

I stood silently behind the Demon King.

He was taking his sweet time savoring the taste of blood in his glass. Vampires… They drink blood, but what they’re really after is the mana inside.

“What do you think?” he asked suddenly.

“About?”

“That little girl.”

“She seems emotionally too weak.”

“Yes. But what did she smell like?”

“…She had a smell I hated.”

I wasn’t fully used to this new body’s enhanced senses. But I was sure of that.

“So,” he said, “she’s either a monster… a liar… a hypocrite… or something in between?”

“Possibly.”

My instincts—the bestial, monstrous part of me—loathed her.

“Have you taken a liking to her, Your Majesty?”

“You could say that. She’s in the same boat as you, after all.”

That startled me.

“You mean…”

He turned, eyes like blood and an amused grin on his face.

“She has no mana.”

Even though I was expecting it, the words still rattled me.

“But she’s still alive. And she hasn’t shown signs of mutation yet.”

“That means either, like you, she’s surviving by feeding on others… or she’s only recently lost the ability.”

“…And you want me to look after her?”

“That’s entirely up to you.”

He turned his back again and resumed drinking.