Luciana had adapted remarkably well to her new way of life. A full year had passed, and the loss of her sight hadn't stopped her from being independent. With her power fully restored after adjusting to her new body, her life was better than before.
Having lived under Eirene's roof for so long, she'd begun accepting certain "missions" whenever the witch couldn't go herself. That day was no different — she'd traveled to a mountain village because a band of mercenaries had recently set up camp along the only road leading down to the river, cutting off the town's access to fishing.
They'd even killed or beaten anyone who tried to pass through. Luciana arrived at the road. The bandits were settled in, drinking plunder they'd stolen from a nearby village. Then, all at once, their attention shifted to the beautiful redhead standing just a few meters from their camp. Her fitted dress left her figure on full display — one that any man would find tempting.
When the men approached, they noticed the blindfold over her eyes and exchanged glances, already savoring their new "prize."
"Well, gorgeous — you lost?" one of them asked.
"Don't worry, you're safe here," another laughed.
"Don't worry about me. Worry about yourselves." She smiled.
The men watched as the girl's nails lengthened and her hands began to emit a faint red glow.
"Don't panic — she's blind!" one of them shouted.
"Onix. Nox." The redhead raised her voice.
The black dogs burst from the treeline and launched themselves at two of the mercenaries, who thrashed desperately to shake them off. Their companions swung swords at the animals, but the blades passed clean through — the dogs' bodies dissolved into nothing but black smoke wherever the steel struck.
Nox finished savaging one man and shot forward like a shadow, slamming into the next. Onix did the same.
Those who'd approached Luciana directly caught the full force of a mana discharge and were thrown back. After that, she raised her hand. Both dogs collided midair, merging into a swirl of red smoke that streamed toward Luciana's palms and solidified into a dark scythe with a ruby set into the base of the blade.
The surviving mercenaries stumbled backward in terror. What they'd believed was a blind, defenseless woman had become their worst nightmare.
"Useless — she's just a whore!" barked a man who, unlike the others, was noticeably burlier.
"Boss... that woman's dangerous," one of the wounded men warned.
"She's just a whore who needs some attention," the boss insisted.
He carried his sword in hand — a custom-made weapon, its design covered in details that made it look sharper and heavier than any standard blade.
"You're not getting away from this one, little bitch," the boss warned her.
He raised his sword and flames erupted along the steel. The boss launched his attack at Luciana. The force of the impact kicked up a cloud of dust and smoke while the mercenaries cheered their leader's victory. But when it all cleared, Luciana was still standing, arms stretched forward, the scythe braced against the blow.
"I expected better from the boss," the redhead taunted.
Seeing the young woman still on her feet without a scratch, the man attacked again. He closed the distance fast, swinging his sword in relentless arcs. Steel clashed against the scythe's edge in a shower of sparks, and the fight began in earnest. His strikes carried the precision of an expert swordsman, yet the girl defended herself well — which stunned the boss once he realized Luciana couldn't see.
Recognizing that, and knowing he'd lose strength to fatigue within minutes, he began angling his attacks to force Luciana backward — steering her toward the edge of the cliff.
Luciana kept resisting, trying to hold her ground as she was pushed back. Then the boss pulled away and hurled a massive wave of fire at her. Luciana tried to block it, but the force of the attack blasted her backward until she reached the precipice's edge. Another strike detonated an explosion that knocked her off balance. The ground beneath her feet crumbled and she fell. The boss, wanting to make certain she was dead, sent another blazing torrent of fire after her.
Luciana crossed her arms in front of her body the instant the attack hit, triggering an explosion.
Below, a carriage flanked by soldiers was advancing along a road near the base of the slope. Every soldier heard the blast and looked up to see a ball of flame plummeting toward them.
They tried to move faster — carriage and all — but the fireball slammed into the carriage. Wood splintered, and the whole thing tipped and rolled down the hillside. The soldiers broke into a panic.
The carriage tumbled several times before coming to rest, smoke and small flames licking at the broken timber. The person inside, cloaked in a hood, crawled out through the hole the impact had torn open. He looked up — he'd fallen several meters from the road above.
He pulled back his hood, revealing an attractive man with white hair and red eyes. He scanned his surroundings. His carriage was destroyed, the coachman likely dead or injured, the horses the same. But then, from the tall grass, Luciana rose — her dress ruined, her hair wild, a scythe gripped in one hand. And even looking like that, the albino stood frozen at the sight of her.
She sensed the man's presence and spun, swinging the scythe to strike. The albino reacted fast and drew his sword just in time to deflect the blow.
He defended against her attacks while trying to seize control of the fight. Luciana kept pace with the duel until the unstable ground betrayed her — she slipped, and the albino pressed his advantage, bringing the edge of his blade to the redhead's throat. That was the instant he noticed the blindfold over Luciana's eyes.
"Your eyes..." he murmured.
Luciana seized the distraction. She released the scythe and grabbed the albino by the throat, driving her claws into his neck.
"Who are you? Your scent is different from those thieves," the redhead demanded.
The albino gripped her arm and wrenched it free, shoving her to the ground. He pinned her beneath him, pressing a dagger to Luciana's throat.
"Thieves?" He let out a mocking breath. "You wrecked my carriage... What exactly are you after?"
"Carriage? I suppose the fall did that..." Luciana replied.
"The fall? Right... You're going to tell me you didn't mean to attack me. Answer me." He pressed the dagger's edge harder.
A thin line of blood welled from the girl's skin, but she remained perfectly calm.
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