Ch 3: Do I know you? - Part 1

Selene had no time to prepare for the raid. It was held the very next day, causing her to hurry up and finish gathering her supplies and find a way to carry them.

Next morning, she headed to the dungeon location all alone. 

As much as she would have liked to ask for a ride, she did not feel strong enough to face her siblings or even her parents.

So she took a bus and got to the nearest stop to the dungeon before walking to the site.

Selene's eyes took the world around her with a haunted look. The once-lush green earth had changed a lot due to the apocalypse and the appearance of the great dungeon two years ago.

Even the forest, that was a mass of green, had spots of 'rot' in it. Those places were known as the dungeon area and signalled that a dungeon had formed here.

If it was not cleared, it would end up erupting and eating away at the place surrounding it.

"Don't think about it. We have two S-class hunters with me, so nothing would happen. I just need to survive and make it till the end."

Selene reminded herself as she kept walking until she finally reached the raid site. Once there, she quietly slotted herself into a corner so that she won't be seen by the othrs.

The morning air was crisp, carrying the scent of damp earth and steel. The raid team gathered in the open clearing outside the dungeon gates, their armor polished, their weapons gleaming under the pale light.

At the front, Noah and Nora Vale stood tall, heads held high, radiating confidence. Dressed in matching combat uniforms embroidered with the Vale family crest, the golden twins were a sight to behold—elegant, powerful, untouchable. S-Class hunters. The pride of the Vale family.

The dungeon before them shimmered with an ominous glow. A B-Class rift. Nothing to be worried about. For the twins, this was little more than a formality—a show of their strength, a way to solidify their reputations.

But for her, it was a fight for her survival and to show that she belonged with them.

Selene stood far behind them, where she belonged.

She kept her posture small, her presence unassuming, ensuring that no one would notice her, no one would associate her with them. 

It was how things had always been. Selene Vale, the first spare, the defect.

Still, it didn't stop the whispers.

"Why is she even here?"

"They're sending a useless one like her into a dungeon?"

"She's just dead weight. If she wasn't from the Vale family, no one would even bother."

Selene didn't react, her expression blank as she focused on adjusting the straps of her gloves. There was no point in arguing.

But Noah reacted.

His head snapped toward her, eyes sharp with barely contained fury. His strides were long and aggressive as he marched toward her, his presence demanding attention.

"Are you seriously just going to stand there and take that? Do you have no self-respect? How can we both be related?" 

He hissed, voice low but heated. 

Selene blinked at him, calm and composed. 

"What do you want me to say? They are not wrong about me."

"I want you to defend yourself. You're dragging our name through the mud just by standing here like some beaten dog. If you are going to get pointed at, at least make sure it is only you that is being affected." 

Noah snapped, not being able to stop himself from yelling at her.

Selene tilted her head slightly, studying him. 

So that's what this is about.

Not her. The family name. It always came back to that one point.

She wanted to believe, just for a moment, that maybe there was something more. She wanted to believe that her siblings cared for her.

But this constant tug of back and forth between her emotions made her feel exhausted. Selene felt tired of her own self and she wanted to close her eyes to rest them.

'I feel like I am at a constant war with myself. I want to hate everyone, but I want to make them like me as well. My emotions are such a mess. I wish I could just turn them all off and live my life.'

As much as Selene wanted to do this, her nature was different. 

So, instead of answering, she smiled. A small, soft, unreadable smile.

Noah's anger flared. His jaw tightened, and his fists clenched at his sides. 

"Why the hell are you smiling? What is so funny about this?"

Before he could lash out again, Nora appeared beside him, placing a delicate hand on his shoulder.

"Let it go, Noah. You know how she is. She won't change just because you advised her a few times." 

Nora said smoothly, her voice like silk, but was laced with power. Each word from her commanded attention and made people look at her in awe.

Selene's stomach twisted.

You know how she is.

Like she was a thing, not a person.

Noah exhaled harshly, sending one last glare in Selene's direction before turning away, allowing Nora to guide him back to the front.

Selene let out a slow breath.

At least it was over.

She adjusted the straps of her coat, her hands no longer as steady as before. The whispers had died down, attention shifting back to the raid.

Just as she began to relax, she felt it.

A presence.

Someone sat down beside her.

Her entire body tensed.

No one ever willingly sat near her. No one wanted to be associated with the 'First Spare.'

Slowly, cautiously, Selene turned her head—

And met a pair of piercing, unreadable eyes.

Whoever they were, they weren't part of her family's forces.

And they were watching her. She looked up and her eyes met a golden pair not too far away.

The owner of those eyes hid his face with the help of a mask, but there was no mistaking those golden eyes.

Those eyes were the one that haunted Selene's nightmares and also crushed her.

'Ethan Park? What is he doing here? Does he not have anything else to do?'