"I thought you'd awaken some power… but instead, you just died like that."
Lucy shook her head in disappointment, her gaze lingering on Asher's corpse.
To her, he was just another mortal who had failed to live up to his potential.
She knelt down, examining his pale face. Even in death, his expression remained neutral, as though refusing to show any emotion.
"What a stubborn human," she murmured, raising a hand to touch his cheek.
Her fingers brushed against his cold skin, and she leaned in, catching the faint scent of his blood.
No fear, no anger—just a bit of sadness. It was rare to see someone face death with so little emotion.
"Please save him," another voice echoed.
Lucy didn't turn around; she already knew who it was.
The specter appeared, faint and translucent, her body barely holding together this far from her apartment.
This was her limitation—bound to her territory, unable to wander too far.
"Save him? He's dead." Lucy stood up and turned around.
When she did, she saw the beautiful specter, tearing up blood staining her white dress.
"Are you really that in love with him?" Lucy tilted her head, giving the specter a questioning look.
"Save him," it insisted.
Lucy's face broke into a playful smirk; she couldn't help but find the specter's reaction adorable. The temptation to break her was too strong to resist.
"Alright, I'll save him. But here's the catch." She stepped closer.
"To bring him back, he'll have to become my servant. And if luck isn't on his side, he'll end up as nothing more than a walking corpse that will do all my bidding."
"So tell me," she leaned in, her tone turning dangerously sweet, "are you really willing to let your precious someone fall into my hands?"
The specter's expression twisted into anger, her eyes widening with frustration. "You think his life is a game?"
"That's right, that's the face I wanted to see," Lucy giggled, letting out a mocking smile. "Stop trying to act innocent; we both know you did a lot of terrible things to become like this,"
The tension between them grew.
At the end of the day, both were creatures of the dark, their minds operating on a wavelength far removed from that of normal humans.
In fact, Lucy found the specter's obsession with Asher a joke.
A fragile human who would die with time was not meant to be with someone like her—an entity that could live forever.
"Time's running out. If you hesitate any longer, he'll have even less chance to come back."
The specter's eyes widened as she looked at Asher's lifeless body, her non existent heart aching at the sight.
Tears of blood welled in her eyes, tracing down her ethereal cheeks.
'Why does it hurt so much to see him like this?' she whispered, her voice trembling.
She had witnessed countless deaths, but none had affected her like this.
Then her memory resurfaced—her life before she died.
She was eighteen then, a time when most girls were savoring the joys of youth, but she felt trapped in her own hell.
From her window, she would catch glimpses of a young boy with cold eyes and a distant look as he walked past her family's apartment.
In those stolen moments, she felt the urge to talk to him, longing for someone to share her troubles with.
Her father's anger was a storm that filled their home with violence. She carried the bruises, not just on her skin but in her heart, as he hit her again and again.
Each blow reminded her that she was to blame for her mother's death, a cruel reality that echoed in her mind like a nightmare she couldn't escape.
Despite her circumstances, she often found herself watching that young boy from her window. She found his existence refreshing .
And one day, she finally had the courage .
"H-H-Hi," she stuttered, feeling embarrassed to be talking to someone half her height.
Most would have run away, scared off by her gloomy face, but he didn't even flinch.
Instead, he looked her in the eye without a hint of judgment; he was just observing her.
Self-conscious, she rubbed her hands together. 'Does he find me weird? Maybe he's afraid of me? Do I look okay? Maybe I should have put some make up?'
Those thoughts raced through her mind.
"You're that lady who's been watching me," the boy broke the silence.
"No," she tried to explain. "I wasn't watching you because I have ulterior motive or anything. I just… noticed you." She shifted her weight, avoiding his gaze.
"I live here, and you always walked by. It reminded me of when I was your age. I guess I was just curious."
The boy's gaze lingered on her, and she was really ashamed of herself. She was painfully aware how creepy she was acting.
"Lady, did someone hurt you? I see some bruises on your hands, even if you try to hide them. I think you should call the police."
She was taken aback, was she really talking to a young boy?
How could he say something so mature.
"I—It's nothing, I just got some rashes," she tried to change the topic, forcing a light laugh that sounded hollow.
"I see, well I don't really have a right to say anything, " he turned around and walk away.
"Wait!" She reached out instinctively, grabbing his shoulder.
"What's your name?" she asked, her cheeks heating up.
Talking to him made her heart pound in a way that thrilled and terrified her.
"Asher...And you?"
"Yuki. My name is Yuki!" she exclaimed, unable to hide her happiness at finally knowing his name.