𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐓𝐨 𝐁𝐞 𝐀 𝐂𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟎𝟔

✧˖°. ࣪𖤐 𝐒𝐞𝐡𝐲𝐚𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚 𝐑𝐞𝐧

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─────── Eve felt like he'd been struck by lightning, the kind that doesn't just jolt the body but leaves an unsettling hum in the air. He desperately hoped his face wasn't betraying him, but the icy sensation crawling up his neck told him otherwise. His blood seemed to drain with every passing second as he contemplated the weight of Lance's words. For a moment, he stared blankly, his thoughts grinding to a halt as if trapped in quicksand.

It wasn't just shock that gripped him──he was utterly blindsided.

After all, in his mind, Renze had always been one of the most composed, decent individuals in the game. A reclusive genius, content to live among books and ancient runes, far removed from petty drama.

"H—I....said something like that?"

Eve's throat tightened. How could someone like Renze──stoic and scholarly──say something so cutting? It didn't align with his carefully constructed image of the character. Unless... unless Lance wasn't referring to Renze in the way Eve thought. Could this have something to do with Lance's soul not being an Exylia?

No. That wasn't possible. According to the game's lore, Lance only learned the truth about his origins at eighteen.

He couldn't possibly know now.

Could he?

But what if he did?

Lance's gaze pierced him, dark and cold, as if he were no more significant than an insect trapped underfoot. The kind of insect Lance was definitely thirstu to deliberately crush.

"You... don't remember?"

The words slithered out like venom, low and deliberate, and Eve instantly realized he'd made a mistake. The wrong question. His heart sank as he watched the flicker of hurt, masked quickly by the rising flames of offense in Lance's expression. His fists trembled, not with fear, but with the restraint of unspoken rage.

Eve swallowed thickly, his mind scrambling for answers he didn't have. What could he say? He barely knew what was going on! The game had been a whirlwind of lore, side quests, and not-safe-for-children content he'd skipped, through sheer impatience. These details couldn't possibly appear while the heroine and the capture targets were at it, right?

None of his information prepared him for this moment.

And now, his silence sealed his fate.

Lance's laugh shattered the tension, a bitter sound that echoed with disbelief and raw anger.

"You..." Lance's voice cracked as he started, his throat tightening around words that wouldn't come. His lips curled into a snarl, every fiber of his being bristling with unrestrained fury. For years, he had endured Renze's voice echoing in his head, sharp words that clung to his soul like a parasite. And yet, this older brother──this absent, apathetic figure──stood before him, unable to recall a single thing.