The waters of the vision pool rippled gently, casting ghostly reflections of the moonlit valley where Reika stood, her towering form illuminated by silver light.

  Jin sat in her palm, looking impossibly small against her colossal presence, and yet… Reika held him with a softness uncharacteristic of the Demon Queen.

  She was smiling.

  A real smile.

  Not one of amusement. Not one of cruelty.

  Something subtler.

  Something dangerous.

  And far away, in the heart of the Enchantress’ Domain, a woman with piercing violet eyes and a knowing smirk watched the scene unfold.

  The Pace of Dreams and Nightmares

  The pace of Asakura Mayume was not built from stone or wood, like the castles of the human world.

  It was woven from illusions, desires, and whispered nightmares.

  A vast structure seemingly suspended between reality and dream, its corridors stretched endlessly, their lengths shifting with the will of their mistress. The walls were bck as onyx, yet shimmered like liquid silk, reflecting flickers of color that were never the same twice.

  Golden nterns floated midair, casting a soft glow that never quite reached the corners of the room, leaving shadows long and deep, shifting unnaturally with every step.

  A sea of violet and crimson silk curtains hung from the ceiling, their edges trailing across polished obsidian floors, diffusing the warm candlelight into something almost intoxicating.

  It was a pce where reality was never fixed, where time dripped like honey, stretching moments into eternity, then snapping them back in the blink of an eye.

  And at its center, lounging atop a circur dais of shimmering dark gss, was Mayume herself.

  The Queen of Enchantment

  Mayume did not wear the heavy robes of the human nobility, nor did she dress like the warriors of the Demon Realm.

  She was adorned in decadence, her long, violet gown slit high up one thigh, the delicate yers of silk shifting like mist around her form. The fabric was sheer in pces, revealing just enough to intrigue, yet never enough to satisfy the eye.

  Her dark hair cascaded in loose waves, framing a face of fwless beauty, her lips painted a deep shade of wine-red, her violet eyes lined with gold and kohl, making them seem endless and consuming.

  She was not simply beautiful.

  She was lethal.

  A presence that drew you in, one breath at a time—until you realized you had been drowning in her gaze and never even noticed.

  And right now, those piercing violet eyes were fixed on the vision pool before her, where Jin and Reika’s pyful exchange pyed out like a scene from a forgotten myth.

  A smile curled at the corner of her lips.

  "How interesting," she murmured, her voice smooth as honey, dripping with intrigue.

  She lifted a delicate hand, her nails painted deep purple, and traced a slow circle over the surface of the vision pool. The image rippled, swirling, then focused once more on Jin.

  The way Reika held him.

  The way her usually bored expression softened—even if just slightly.

  Mayume’s smile deepened.

  "I see now."

  She let her hand drift away, reclining back against the sea of violet cushions that lined her throne-like dais.

  "So even the great Demon Queen has a weakness."

  Her gold-painted nails tapped idly against the curve of a delicate gss goblet, filled with something dark and shimmering—a drink not meant for mortals.

  Then, she let out a soft ugh, exhaling through her nose.

  "Jin…" she whispered his name like a secret, savoring the weight of it.

  A human.

  An ordinary man, by all accounts.

  And yet, he had done what no being in this world had ever managed.

  He had made Reika care.

  Or, at the very least, he had become important to her.

  Mayume’s eyes flickered with thought, her smile never fading.

  "You will be my key," she whispered.

  The golden nterns shivered in response, the very air around her pulsing with unseen energy.

  She stretched one elegant leg over the other, leaning forward just slightly, her wine-colored lips curling into a smirk.

  "And soon, my dear Reika…"

  Her fingers twirled around the rim of her goblet, the sound of crystal ringing softly through the chamber.

  "You will know what it feels like to lose something."

  And with that, she tilted her head back, taking a slow sip of the dark, swirling liquid.

  The vision pool faded to bck.

  And the game had begun.