Opposites

Then there was Ivor. Born on the very same day as Reina, he was everything she was not—a radiant light to her ominous shadow. Where Reina was likened to a demon, Ivor was regarded as an angel, the embodiment of purity and kindness.

From the moment he could walk and talk, Ivor was a darling of the village. His golden hair seemed to shimmer in the sunlight, and his bright blue eyes held a perpetual sparkle of innocence. With his cherubic face and ever-present smile, he became the pride of the community.

Little girls would often clasp their hands together and whisper, "I'm going to marry Ivor when I grow up!" He never turned down the sweet, childish gestures of affection—letters filled with clumsy doodles or hearts drawn with shaky hands. Instead, Ivor always responded in kind, carefully crafting his own doodles and hearts as if the exchange were the most important task of the day.

Respectful to a fault, Ivor was adored by adults as much as children. He greeted every elder with a polite nod and kind words, and when asked for help—no matter how small the task—he would beam and say, "I want to help!" He ran errands tirelessly, delivering goods, picking berries, and even sorting grain when needed. Often, he didn't wait to be asked, seeking out opportunities to lend a hand wherever he could.

His parents loved him fiercely, though their adoration was hardly unique. The villagers often stopped them in the market or on the road just to praise their son. "You've raised a wonderful boy," they'd say. His parents would smile, full of pride but never surprise. To them, Ivor's goodness was as natural as the rising sun.

As the years passed, the differences between Ivor and Reina only deepened. Reina's mischievous streak grew darker, her deeds escalating into outright crimes that no one could prove but everyone suspected. Meanwhile, Ivor's selflessness and compassion continued to shine brighter.

While Reina roamed the shadows, Ivor seemed to carry light with him wherever he went. He became a figure people turned to for reassurance or advice. His words, though simple, were imbued with sincerity:

"Believe in yourself."

"You can fix this—it's not too late."

"Lying doesn't help; the truth always comes out."

His optimism and faith in others earned him the unwavering loyalty of the villagers. To them, Ivor wasn't just a kind soul; he was a guiding star, a reminder that good could thrive even in the face of darkness.

Reina left the village not long after her adoptive parents disowned her, retreating to the forbidden forest that bordered the settlement. The forest had long been shrouded in mystery and fear; no one who ventured into its depths had ever returned. Stories of its dangers were whispered over fires and shared to frighten disobedient children. Yet Reina moved in and out of the forest as if it were her own backyard.

Her frequent returns unsettled the villagers. Some, emboldened by her apparent ease, decided to try their luck, hoping to uncover the secrets of the forest or perhaps find riches within. None of them ever came back.

None, that is, except Ivor.

One day, the villagers watched in disbelief as Ivor emerged from the forest, unscathed and calm, holding a bundle of vibrant, otherworldly herbs. When pressed for an explanation, Ivor simply smiled and said, "There's no trick. I just went in and came out."

The herbs he carried were extraordinary, some thought to be extinct or mythical. Their rarity and power revitalized the village, bringing prosperity like never before. Crops grew more plentiful, illnesses vanished, and the villagers marveled at their good fortune.

Meanwhile, Reina remained in the forest, keeping to herself. She neither sought nor welcomed visitors. Occasionally, a chilling stench of blood would waft from the forest's edge, further solidifying the villagers' belief that Reina had embraced something dark and dangerous.

Word of the miraculous transformation in the village spread quickly, eventually reaching the ears of the palace. Intrigued and wary of both the herbs and the ominous rumors surrounding Reina, the royal court dispatched envoys to negotiate with the two figures they deemed responsible: Ivor and Reina.

The day of their arrival was unforgettable. Ivor stood at the village entrance, awaiting the envoys with an air of quiet confidence. The boyish innocence of his youth had been replaced by a more mature, heroic presence. His golden hair and sharp features made him look every bit the noble savior.

In stark contrast, Reina lurked in the shadows of a tree at the far end of the village square. The years had only made her more striking—and more unnerving. Her black hair and piercing eyes seemed to radiate darkness, as though the forest itself clung to her. Her expression was unreadable, but her aura was suffused with menace, leaving even the envoys uneasy.

Together, Ivor and Reina sat at one side of a table in the village square while the three envoys took the opposite side. The stark contrast between them was impossible to ignore. Ivor's presence was warm and inviting, his radiant energy like the sun. Reina's was cold and foreboding, as though the very air around her had thickened with malice. To the envoys, it felt like witnessing light and darkness locked in an eternal battle.

Negotiations began, and the differences between them became even clearer. Ivor was accommodating, quick to agree to terms and conditions, even when they heavily favored the palace. He seemed unbothered by the increasingly unfair demands, his ever-present smile tinged with a hint of naivety.

Reina, on the other hand, was relentless. She pointed out exactly what she wanted and refused to yield an inch. Her tone was sharp, her words leaving no room for argument. The envoys, clearly intimidated by her dark presence, hesitated to press her too hard, ultimately agreeing to nearly all of her conditions.

Ivor's leniency, however, did not escape Reina's notice. As the envoys finalized their negotiations with Ivor, she muttered under her breath, "Fool," and rose from her seat. Without another word, she turned and walked away, vanishing into the shadows of the forest as if she had never been there at all.

With the agreements sealed, the envoys departed, leaving the village abuzz with speculation. Ivor's gentle nature and Reina's uncompromising strength had both left their marks, but only time would tell how their choices would shape the village's future.

After that day Reina and Ivor started steadily amassed wealth, mostly Reina. Even if Ivor managed to amass some, he would simply spend it on the village and villagers. Reina had grown indifferent to the village and settled in the forest, sometimes taking up jobs as a mercenary and traveling outside the town on various jobs, while Ivor was still like an "angel". As time goes on, Reina begins to notice how the villagers manipulate Ivor's kindness. They ask him for more than they need and profit off his goodwill. Reina initially mocks him, but she also starts intervening from the shadows—stealing supplies or sabotaging villagers' plans when they try to exploit him too much.

On the other hand, Ivor starts realizing that his constant selflessness is draining him and not helping the village truly grow. He begins questioning if he's enabling their laziness and greed.