Lazy Salvation

Esperra Continent, Vandalar.

A young woman was sneaking out of her house in the deep night.

Someone would probably misunderstand that she was being mistreated, hearing this, but from how neat her white hair was, how vibrant her pink eyes were, and how pristine her black dress was, it was unlikely.

Then, they'd venture that the mistreatment was mental. But the reluctant look she cast back also debunked that theory.

They would never guess that this young lady had decided to plunge into a ruthless supernatural world all for the sake of a brother whose life and death were unknown.

But her resolute walk was halted before she could walk past the first street.

"If you are so reluctant to leave, why not just go back?"

The young woman, Lapis, turned to the source of the voice. Another woman stood there under the dim light of the street lamp.

Looking at that vibrant pink hair and piercing Lazuli eyes, Lapis recognized her immediately. "Lucia. I thought we would be meeting at Ashen's apartment?"

"Well, I had a feeling you'd be sneaking out, so I came to make sure, guess, I was right."

Lapis huffed disdainfully, "Since when did you recruiters care about that? I'm here now, and that's all that matters."

"No can do." Lucia crossed her arms, "You are not just any recruit, and that family you are leaving is not any family. It is his."

"Oh yeah!" Lapis smiled, but the sarcasm in her tone was clear, "I almost forgot you were my brother's little mistress. For you to care so much for your in-laws… I'm really touched."

Lucia didn't deign to answer her provocations; instead, she spoke flatly, "Go back."

"What? Are you going back on your promise?"

"No. I will take you, but not like this. You should at least tell your parents, even if they are not convinced, let them at least see you one last time."

"Are you serious? They will never agree to me going to 'work' alongside my brother, you know that."

"Not my problem. That is my condition." Lucia shrugged.

Lapis glared at her for a few moments, but in the end, she could only sigh in frustration and go back, muttering under her breath, "bitch… I don't know what bro bro sees in her anyway."

Lucia stared at her retreating back and shook her head.

'With their second child about to disappear, how miserable would those soft-hearted parents feel…? I'm sorry… this is the most I can do.'

***

The next day, a puffy-eyed Lapis appeared at Ashen's apartment, first thing in the morning.

"Happy now?"

"Marginally better," she nodded with the same stoic expression, "I take it you ran away from home in the end?"

"Yes. Now they'll be looking for me if I don't go back by evening, thanks to you."

"It was bound to happen either way; at least now, they won't think you were kidnapped." Lucia was nonchalant about it. "Don't worry, I will take care of the aftermath. Now, follow me."

"Are we going right now?"

"Not yet."

"Then?"

She faintly smiled, "We are going to find you an ally."

***

Jenna Slate was a woman of few words.

She was an introvert by nature, so she had few acquaintances and even fewer friends. Growing up without a mother did not do any favors to her introverted nature.

Not to mention the scary men that she grew up seeing now and then due to her father's "work". Braun, in his paranoia, had also always taught her not easily.

So it was no surprise that she grew wary of strangers, and it was also no surprise that she took refuge in the digital world where anonymity was much easier to achieve.

Thankfully, she did not lean toward its dark side, but used it to make something out of herself instead. It started as mild curiosity about programming.

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Weaving code and watching it behave exactly according to her logic was quite satisfying to her. This virtual world lacked the unpredictability of humans, as well as the scary unknown she was taught to be cautious about.

If she did not know, she could always learn, and if she did not understand, there would always be an explanation.

It was predictable, just like she liked life to be.

And when she discovered that she was quite talented at what she was doing, it felt like the last component of the puzzle was found. From then on, she threw herself wholeheartedly into what she was doing, and before she realised it, she became one of the most renowned technologists in her country.

Not that many knew of this with her deep attachment to anonymity.

Alas, she soon discovered that hiding didn't necessarily mean you wouldn't be disturbed. It was no different for life as her reality left her no choice but to act when her last family member, her father, went missing.

The skills she had once been so proud of failed to lead her to him, and if not for a "colleague" of his arriving with a bag of money, she would have assumed the worst.

Her continued search led her to stumble upon a secret organization, one that seemed to be recruiting for informants and the like. Unlike other random groups, Jenna realized that this was the real deal with just a bit of probing.

Their security was airtight, their organization was professional, and above all… no matter how she looked, no one seemed to have any clue about them.

They were akin to ghosts.

She would have hidden like she always did normally, but when she remembered her missing father, she halted. Wouldn't such a competent organization be able to find her father? If not, it would surely increase the scope of her search.

This is my chance.

And so, for the first time in her life, Jenna made a different choice.

Months passed after she joined, and before she knew it, she became one of the few senior members solely due to her skills, but there was still no word or even a rumor of her father's location.

Just when she was losing hope, and despair threatened to consume her, the thought that she had lost her only remaining parent… she came.

The same colleague who handed her the money for some reason knew about her search, and, like everything aligned, offered to take her to him.

She latched onto the chance like a drowning girl, not caring about the so-called danger she was being warned of, nor the permanence of her choice.

For a young woman of her circumstances, her father was the last remaining warmth in this world. She shuddered at the thought of living the rest of her life surrounded by strangers, with not a single familiar person.

"Miss Slate, are you ready?"

"I am."

And so, here she was, shaking hands with this devil that used her most vulnerable side to have her right where she wanted.

"This is Lapis. She'll be accompanying you. I expect the two of you to work together and support each other during the coming trial."

"Hello," the pink-eyed woman waved her with a look of sympathy.

"Hi," Jenna instinctively returned the wave. She didn't know why, but that look did not irritate her as much as she would have thought.

Instead… she felt a sense of kinship.

'It's obvious that I'm the extra here, but my supposed teammate is not bad, so there's that, at least.'

"You girls can get to know each other on the way," Lucia started walking back to her car. "For now, let's get moving. We are behind schedule."

The two followed behind her like lost ducks, making her show an involuntary faint smile, one that soon disappeared when she thought about who she was bringing along.

'Ashen… I hope you can forgive me for this… but your sister is just that stubborn.'

***

Lapis and Jenna seemed to click seamlessly.

The quiet girl was infected by the other's cheerfulness and quick wit, but Lucia noticed that the deeper reason for them getting along was that they had sensed their similar circumstances.

Lucia heaved a sigh of relief at that. Her plan appeared to be working. Now, Lapis will have at least one ally during the tutorial phase.

As for using Jenna for that? While she felt bad, she was sure it wouldn't feel as bad as her sister-in-law's dying, so she did what she did, despite the consequences that awaited her for this choice.

It didn't take long for them to reach their destination. It was an antique shop.

The two young women's confusion about the choice of place didn't last long. It faded the moment they stepped into the backroom.

Inside, the floor was etched with strange symbols and runes, along with words circling the perimeter. The carved lines pulsed with a white light, making the whole thing look like…

'…a magic circle straight out of a fantasy film.'

That was Lapis's first thought. It was also then that she had lost the last trace of doubt that this was some kind of elaborate lie.

'It's real…'

Badum–Badum—Badum—

"Stand inside the circle, both of you," Lucia spoke evenly.

The two obeyed her words, but she didn't miss the slight trembling of their bodies.

"...you can go back, even now, you know."

Jenna looked sideways, seeing that Lucia was only extending the offer to the woman by her side.

"..."

Lapis held her silence for a moment before she looked back, "...it's been six months, Lucia."

"He was absent for more than that before, and he came back just the same, no? Besides… I've already told you that I can know if he is ever in mortal danger, and he is not. Otherwise, do you think I'd be this calm about it?"

"Oh yeah… You said you 'marked' him or something…" Lapis recalled the excuse she'd tried to use before, but it still made no sense to her.

What is this, some kind of werewolf story where you can just "mark" your prey?

"If he's fine, then where is he?"

"…"

"He promised to visit every month. I waited for six." The trembling in her voice receded, replaced by steely resolve. "And don't even bring up the time he disappeared for more than a year… Do you think waiting while knowing he might die is the same as waiting while thinking he's wasting away in some casino?"

"Send me."

A resigned sight echoed.

"Alright… I hope you don't regret it."

shhh…

The light surged, nearly swallowing them whole. Just before they were whisked away, Lapis caught Lucia's soft voice…

"Please stay alive… for both our sakes."

There was more desperation in it than Lapis had ever thought her capable of.

'…because otherwise, I won't ever be able to face him again.'

*

*

*

When they came to be, the two women found themselves in a forest.

Giant trees surrounded them, but what absorbed most of their attention was the slew of disoriented people.

"What happened?!"

"Where am I?!!"

"Hello… there's no signal here…"

Lapis looked beside her at the quiet Jenna, "Are you okay?"

All that was answered was a small nod.

"Good, let's move, grab anything that can act as a weapon."

As they approached the mob, a deep howl reverberated.

"AOWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO—"

It was the beginning of a terrifying ordeal, the start of Lapis Hart's saga…

…and the legend of the Hungry Darkness.