Who are you

It didn't take long for them to reach their destination.

"President, from here on we will need to walk on foot," the guard said.

"Okay. You two stay here and guard Zaephiel. If anything happens, contact me immediately," Sylveraine instructed, preparing to exit the car.

But before she could move, she felt a tug on her left hand. She looked down and saw Zaephiel holding her hand, his puppy eyes looking up at her pleadingly.

Before he could say anything, Sylveraine spoke, already guessing his intent. "No, you can't come with me. You're staying in the car."

"Huh?" Zaephiel's mouth hung open in shock. He hadn't even spoken yet and she had already rejected him. But he didn't give up.

"Please, Big Sis. I just want to see the crack in the air. I'll stay very far back, I promise," he said, his voice hopeful. "And those two ladies will be with me too, so please let me come with you," he added, his tone soft and begging.

"No means no, Zaephiel," Sylveraine repeated firmly, showing no signs of budging.

"Oh..." Zaephiel slowly let go of her hand, his head dropping low, shoulders slumped in sadness at her refusal.

Sylveraine looked at his dejected posture and grunted in frustration. "Argh, okay! You can come with me. But remember, you'll stay far away from the crack. No going near it, okay?" she said, finally relenting.

"Thank you, Big Sis!" Zaephiel's head popped up, his face glowing with a wide smile. Internally, he was thrilled.

'Wow, it really worked,' he thought, remembering the doctor's advice before leaving the hospital:

"If you want something and the President isn't willing to give it to you, just make your eyes a little watery and open them wide. Hold her hand, look up at her while doing it, and say 'please.' Then boom—she'll give in."

That advice was proving to be working right now and very well at that.

As Zaephiel eagerly stepped out of the car, Sylveraine stayed seated for a moment, lost in thought, watching him.

'Has he really gone through abuse?' she wondered, studying him closely. 'He acts like a completely normal child. No signs of depression or trauma. But he does behave strangely sometimes—like talking to himself or refusing to answer any questions about his parents, how they looked, or anything else,' she thought, but was quickly interrupted by his voice.

"What are you waiting for, Big Sis?" Zaephiel asked, standing outside the door on her side of the car.

"Oh, nothing," she said, then stepped out.

Together, they walked hand-in-hand, the two guards trailing behind them closely.

The road was eerily empty—no citizens in sight, shops closed, streets deserted. It looked like a ghost town, as if some kind of apocalypse had arrived.

"Hmm, they did a good job evacuating the citizens," Sylveraine noted.

After a minute of walking, a group of people came into view.

"Who are they?" Zaephiel asked curiously.

"Probably the three major clans and their servants," Sylveraine replied calmly.

"I see," Zaephiel said, and they continued toward the group. Upon hearing footsteps, the group turned around.

"Finally, President Sylveraine is here. We've been waiting quite a while, you know," said a man stepping forward. He had golden hair, golden eyes, and a remarkably handsome face—though it paled next to those around him.

Sylveraine ignored him completely, not sparing even a glance. She turned to the others and asked, "What's the situation so far?"

The man clearly didn't take being ignored well. Stepping forward again, he shouted, his voice filled with anger, "YOU bit—"

Before he could finish, a punch landed squarely on his face from the side, sending him flying and skidding across the ground like a stone skipping on water.

BOOM.

"Shut up, weakling," came a calm but fierce female voice.

The woman who delivered the punch stood there, arm extended. She, too, had golden hair and golden eyes. Her beauty matched Sylveraine's, but it was a different kind—wild and unrestrained. Her long, loose hair danced in the wind, her entire presence radiating power and untamed energy.

Sylveraine chuckled and said, "Oh my my, Seralyne. How can you be so harsh? He's your brother."

"Hmph. I don't have a brother who's so weak that he can't even withstand my normal punch," Seralyne replied, turning away and looking toward the crack.

"Haha, as expected of you, Seralyne. Always so wild and careless, never thinking about the consequences," Sylveraine said, amused, but Seralyne ignored her completely.

"Anyway, can anyone here tell me what has happened so far?" Sylveraine asked, looking around.

A woman stepped out of the crowd. Her hair was crimson red, eyes golden like shining gems. She wore a simple red dress and had a calm demeanor.

"Okay, let me fill you in on what happened," she said. "As you already know, a crack in the air appeared out of nowhere, right in the middle of the street. It's been there for about four to five hours now, and it's emitting ominous energy. A few people tried to touch it, but the moment they did, their bodies began to rot. Their skin turned black and within seconds, they died. So, we sealed the area around it. Other than that, nothing else has happened so far and as you can see We've have been standing here waiting for you."

"I see. Thanks for explaining, Aerisyl," Sylveraine said.

"It's no problem," Aerisyl replied.

...

While Sylveraine and the others continued to talk, Zaephiel stood silently at her side, watching everything unfold without saying a word.

'I wonder who they all are,' he thought to himself, glancing at the redhead and the golden-haired woman. 'I'll ask her when we're back in the car. She's busy right now—interrupting wouldn't be good,' he reasoned and stayed quiet.

But suddenly, he felt someone poking at his cheek.

Turning his head, he saw a stunning woman squatting beside him. She had blood-red eyes and long white hair that swayed lightly in the wind, her skin so pale that it seemed like there was no blood in her body. She wore a red shirt and red trousers, her expression blank.

She was extremely close—so close that Zaephiel stepped back in surprise, letting out a slight yelp.

"Ahh!"

"Who are you?" the woman asked, still squatting, pointing a finger at him.