After the night’s attack, Bastien and Selena took no chances. Rather than staying in their room, they decided to join Le Blanc. The latter greeted them, still half-asleep, his hair in disarray.

  "What are you doing here?" he asked, blinking sleepily.

  Bastien and Selena exchanged a glance before Bastien replied in a sharp tone, "We had visitors."

  Le Blanc frowned. "What kind of visitors?"

  "Three assassins."

  Le Blanc froze, trying to process the information. "And I didn’t hear a thing?"

  Selena raised an eyebrow. "That’s precisely the problem."

  Bastien sat down on a chair and sighed. "They had a wind mage, Soren. He used a technique that blocks all sound from escaping."

  Le Blanc ran a hand through his hair, visibly troubled. "That means they were prepared. Someone sold you out."

  Selena nodded. "The innkeeper."

  Le Blanc didn’t ask any further questions and handed them a glass of water before sitting down. "Alright, we’ll stay here until dawn. At the slightest sign of trouble, we leave immediately."

  Bastien and Selena agreed, staying on high alert throughout the night.

  By morning, as the pale dawn light filtered through the tattered curtains, Bastien watched Selena. There was something about her that intrigued him. She was unlike any woman he had ever known—neither submissive, nor delicate, nor easily impressed. A walking enigma.

  He smirked.

  "Are you always this cold, or is it just with me?" he teased.

  Selena turned slightly, eyeing him from the corner of her gaze, surprised. Few men dared to tease her like that. Most were either captivated by her or kept their distance.

  "I don’t waste time on useless chatter," she retorted, crossing her arms.

  Bastien raised an eyebrow before leaning back against the wall, arms behind his head. "For someone who doesn’t talk much, you sure say a lot."

  She stared at him for a moment before a faint, almost imperceptible smile flickered on her lips.

  "You’re not like the others," she finally admitted.

  "Reassure me, is that a compliment?"

  She didn’t respond immediately, then simply shrugged. Bastien studied her, curious.

  "So, tell me… where do you come from?" he asked, watching her closely.

  Selena hesitated, then sighed. "My mother abandoned me. Out of shame."

  Bastien remained silent.

  "She was part of a noble family. She had an illegitimate daughter—me. Her name, her rank, her status… all of that was more important than I was."

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  He didn’t answer right away, letting the weight of her words hang in the air.

  "And your father?" he eventually asked.

  Selena gave a bitter smile. "I never knew him. Just a passing man, probably."

  Bastien slowly nodded. He knew the cruelty of the world, but he hadn’t imagined how much Selena had to fight to survive.

  "Is that why you joined the mafia?"

  She nodded. "When you don’t belong to the system, you have to find a way to survive. The mafia was the only place that took me in. Maurice Green was my mentor."

  Bastien looked at her more closely. "And now, do you fight for them?"

  "I fight for myself," she answered, her gaze sharp.

  He smirked. "That, I can understand."

  As the morning settled in, Selena began talking about her experiences in Concordia.

  "You grew up here, so you know how this world works."

  Bastien nodded. "Yeah, and that’s exactly why I have no intention of going back."

  She crossed her arms. "Women have little independence. Only soldiers and scientists are allowed to work. The rest are meant to be mothers."

  Bastien sighed. "I know. Everything is controlled, planned… They choose for you, tell you who to marry, what job to take, and if you refuse, they erase you from the system."

  Selena nodded. "That’s why I refused to be part of it. At least in the mafia, man or woman, everyone has a place."

  He met her gaze, sensing a depth in her that he hadn’t truly acknowledged before. "And now?"

  She flashed an enigmatic smile. "Now, I go wherever I want."

  A silence settled between them, more natural this time. After a few moments, Selena turned toward Bastien, her expression more serious.

  "And you? Where do you really come from? Why are they hunting you?"

  Bastien raised an eyebrow. "You already know, don’t you? You must have been briefed."

  "I want to hear it from you." she said simply.

  Bastien sighed, crossing his arms as he thought. "I thought I was a perfect product of the system. I had a career as a techno-mage all mapped out. And I was good at it. I had friends, my father, Elena… but suddenly, everything shattered."

  Selena studied him, searching for any cracks in his words. "That, I already knew. But what I don’t understand is why they want you dead so badly."

  Bastien hesitated for a moment. Then, in a calm voice, he declared, "Because I’m not just a child of Concordia. I’m also a son of Tempestas."

  Selena raised an eyebrow. "What?"

  "My father was from there. My mother was a noble of Concordia. Their union should never have existed."

  She remained silent, processing the information. "That makes you an anomaly in Concordia’s eyes."

  Bastien nodded. "Exactly. And they want to erase every trace of me."

  Selena crossed her arms, thoughtful. "Now I understand better."

  Bastien continued, his tone heavier. "Allen died because of me. My father, Jacques Chronos, is dead too."

  Selena looked at him, intrigued. "Jacques Chronos?"

  "Well… he’s not my real father, but I only learned that yesterday."

  She noticed a shadow crossing his expression, a pain he wasn’t letting fully surface. "Your story is truly tragic. But at least you survived."

  Bastien gave a bitter smile. "By miracle, or by curse, I’m not sure yet."

  Selena didn’t reply immediately, just watching him. She had never heard Bastien speak so openly about himself.

  They said nothing more, but by the end of the night, they felt like they knew each other better. Maybe it was because of everything they had been through, or maybe it was simply because they were two souls on the run in a world that didn’t want them.

  After gathering their belongings, Bastien and Selena left the inn under the wary gazes of the villagers. The innkeeper didn’t say a word to them and averted his eyes.

  Outside, a man with glasses awaited them near a special propulsion vehicle. He wore a long coat and had a relaxed yet somewhat cautious air.

  "Finally awake?" he called out, adjusting his glasses.

  Selena approached and nodded. "Bastien, this is our guide. He’ll take us to the Sacred Forest."

  The man extended a hand. "Julian Oldman. I hope you’re not afraid of ancient spirits."

  Bastien raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

  Julian smirked. "Because where we’re going, legends are alive."

  Bastien exchanged a look with Selena before stepping into the vehicle.

  The road ahead looked much darker than expected.