Rebirth: Awaken, Milady

3 - Shadow Mastery

It was nearing the night by the time the Schreiners boarded their black limousine to Papillon, their destination. 

Papillon's name came from the analogy that people who came here would be like butterflies drinking nectar- a sickly sweet experience. It had both an incomparable winery and eatery. 

Stepping out from the sleek black vehicle, Aria wanted to rush inside but held herself back. She wore a simple black dress that hugged her curves in all the right places and covered her shoulders with her favorite velvet shoulder wrap. Inside her purse was a neutralizer for alcohol intake. The pill worked wonders and would instantly clear up your mind, with the downside of having to puke.

After getting her Main back, she planned to take the pill immediately.

"Have you made a reservation?" The receptionist asked politely, even though her eyes were sparkling. The family before her was dazzlingly beautiful.

"We believe we had reserved a VIP room under the name Cain Schreiner," Cain replied.

"Mr. Cain Schreiner- My apologies, please follow our waiter to the selected room," The receptionist made a deep bow and made a waiter escort them.

Once they sat down, Aria immediately took over the menu and ordered her favorite things. This would be her first feast in years.

She was deprived of food and was malnourished, so she was very excited to taste the delicacies once again.

Papillon truly deserved its great reputation and name. The food was served less than 15 minutes after the order, even though some of the dishes usually took time to prepare.

Aria was dejected when her family told her to drink after finishing the meal, but quickly got back up when she laid her eyes on the appetizing, drool-worthy cuisines.

The meal was quickly gulped down. The plates were taken away and were replaced by DRCs, as Aria ordered.

The Schreiners didn't think much of the DRCs, even if they had an astronomical price, so they let her order as much as she wanted.

Bottles were opened, served, and drunk. Not long after, Aria's face was reddened and her speech started slurring. She felt her Main's awakening starting and was delighted. It seemed like 2 years of time difference was still eligible.

Although the Mains could be awakened prior to the invasion, the earliest awakened one was noted to be a year before the invasion started.

"My beloved.. family~ Aria's going! To the.. toilet!!" Aria stood up and swayed left to right before grabbing the walls and gaining a little bit of stability. She couldn't take the pill right now, as she would puke on the floor.

She got out of the VIP room and started blindly walking to the washroom.

"Fvcking hell. I feel even dizzier," Aria forced herself to throw up all the alcohol with the pill and rinsed her mouth and face with tap water. A minute or two passed and her mind was clear, but the afterfeel was terrible.

Wiping her face with a handkerchief, she got out of the washroom still grabbing the walls.

Her stomach was still feeling a bit iffy, churning every so often, but she was happy. She could feel her powers manifesting inside her. 

She made her way back to her family and sat down.

"How was it?" Cain asked, taking a few sips of the premium wine they ordered. Aria had drunk alcohol before, but not to the point of drunkenness.

"Terrible. 0.1/10," Aria downed a glass of water and leaned back against the chair.

"Why did you want to get drunk anyways?" Natalia was quite worried. Her daughter wasn't the most sociable person. She was very clear about her likes and dislikes, and didn't enjoy empty flatters. Natalia had concocted a scenario where her daughter engaged with the wrong group of people who suited her personality and influenced her in the worst ways.