“I get why Aria is here, but why the hell are you here?!” Espoir looked genuinely shocked as Roxy stepped off the dock.

  Roxy, unfazed by Espoir, shrugged lazily. She was dressed for the outdoors. Wearing a pleated skirt and a red short sleeve blouse. Overtop her auburn hair was a sun hat that shielded her from the sun, and a small pair of red sunglasses perched on it.

  “I am allowed to leave my bookstore, you know,” she said, completely nonchalant. “Besides, it’s not like I haven’t helped you before.” She paused, smirking. “Also, you’re afraid of large bodies of water.”

  “That’s true,” Aria nodded, remembering how Espoir constantly complained about boats and water.

  Espoir scoffed. “Okay, one: I am NOT ‘afraid’ of water. I am apprehensive about what lurks in it… Which is completely reasonable! Two: I’m pretty sure you just wanted a vacation…”

  Roxy shot Espoir a glare but didn’t deny it. “Hey, I’m allowed to help my favorite people too! Besides, I brought my gun in case any big, bad sea monsters attack.” She gestured to her suitcase with a smug grin.

  “You’ve helped him with grimoires and Eldritch before?” Aria asked, curiosity piqued.

  Roxy blinked, momentarily confused, before turning to Espoir. “Wait, you never told her I used to help you like she does?”

  “Being really generous with the word help...” Espoir muttered under his breath,

  Before he could react, Roxy punched him in the gut, making him reel.

  “Yes, I’ve gone with Espoir a few times,” she said with an innocent smile.

  Espoir groaned, turning his gaze toward the vast lake. He was all too aware that either an Eldritch or something similar lurked beneath the surface. His mind raced through the possibilities. It wasn’t in a rift so the Eldritch probably didn’t come from the Abyss. It hadn’t shown any signs of hostility. Yet.

  “It’s probably hiding in the deepest part, waiting for some unsuspecting soul to wander into its territory,” Espoir hummed in thought, weighing his options. If he had to guess it might be an entity corrupted by an Eldritch given its more animal-like nature.

  “So, how do you plan to find it?” Aria asked curiously. Roxy also turned to Espoir, expecting some kind of magic-related answer.

  Espoir blinked, momentarily confused. “Hmm? I was just going to summon the Silver Grimoire and use myself as bait.”

  “Absolutely not.”

  “Were you dropped on your head as a child?!”

  Espoir raised his hands in defense as both women stared at him like he was either joking or completely insane. “Hey, I’m serious! My grimoire makes Eldritch react, so it’s a good way to lure it out… Do you really think I can just fish to catch an Eldritch?”

  “This is absurd,” Espoir grumbled, now stuck sitting at the edge of the boat with a fishing rod in hand. At Roxy and Aria’s insistence, he was not allowed to use himself as bait for the Eldritch. Instead, he sat there pouting, while the two women manned the helm.

  Roxy watched him sulk with an amused smile. “This is oddly nostalgic,” she mused. “You know, the first time I met him, it ended with me encountering an Eldritch.”

  Aria looked at her, surprised. “No, neither of you mentioned being his previous partner.”

  Roxy chuckled. “Oh! I’ve only gone with him a handful of times. You’re far better suited for this stuff.” She let out a soft laugh, but there was a hint of introspection in her expression as she steered the boat toward the middle of the lake. “To be honest, it was sorta my fault we ended up encountering an Eldritch the day I met Espoir.”

  One Year Ago…

  Rain poured relentlessly over the city of Arkham as Roxy sighed, placing crates of books carefully into their storage space. Among the books and trinkets, however, were more illicit items, guns, chroma, and other contraband. As a broker for underground information and smuggling, Roxy played the role of middleman for many of Albion's factions. Whether it was rival gang locations, shipment schedules, or even military projects, nothing escaped Roxy’s well-established channels. As she carried the new inventory downstairs, a sudden noise reverberated through the bookstore.

  CRASH

  “What the hell?!”

  Grabbing a nearby flintlock pistol, Roxy swiftly ascended from the basement, her mind racing. She loaded a lightning-laced chroma bullet, watching the shell glow faintly with an etched lightning bolt. Her movements were precise and deliberate, every sense heightened.

  Turning the corner, she burst into the room, gun drawn, ready to confront whatever threat had dared to invade her domain. The lights were out, leaving only an eerie glow from the flickering shadows. A pair of crimson eyes pierced the darkness, locking onto Roxy as though it had sensed her presence the moment she stepped into the room.

  “A demon?” Roxy murmured under her breath, but something felt off. The presence was strange, unnatural, and almost Eldritch.

  She flicked the light switch, flooding the room with harsh illumination. To her surprise, the figure standing before her wasn’t some monster but a teenager.

  “You’re the owner, right?” the teenager asked. He had a look of confusion in his eyes. His tattered black shirt and dress pants were stained with specks of blood, and his unkempt black hair had red streaks along his bangs.

  Roxy didn’t lower her gun, keeping her grip firm as she stayed behind the counter. The tension in the room thickened as she sized him up.

  “Who sent you?” she demanded, her eyes narrowing. “Was it the Silver Circle, or some private hit from the underworld?”

  The teenager blinked, his face contorting in confusion. “Silver Circle? Underworld? What the hell are you talking about, lady?”

  Roxy’s patience snapped. “You know who I am!” she snapped, her fingers tightening on the trigger as she cocked the gun back. “I don’t care if they’re using a kid to target me, I won't hesitate to shoot you.”

  His eyes, a haunting shade of red almost like a blood moon, locked onto hers. There was a stillness in the air as he silently regarded her.

  “You want to kill me?” he asked, his voice dark but oddly calm.

  Roxy’s grip on the flintlock tightened, but there was a slight tremor in her hand that betrayed her nerves. “If you don’t leave, I will,” she warned, her voice wavering just a bit despite her best attempt at sounding confident.

  The boy stretched his arms casually, as if he had all the time in the world. "Do you always treat customers like this?" he asked.

  Roxy stared at him in disbelief, her gun still trained on him. This was either some kind of trick or the weirdest situation she’d ever found herself in. She stepped forward, eyeing him more closely. He didn’t look much older than fifteen or sixteen, but there was something off about him. His presence was unsettling, like an anomaly in the fabric of reality itself.

  With a sigh, the teen wrapped a black cloak around his shoulders, its inner fabric a deep indigo that resembled the night sky, speckled with faint stars.

  “I thought this was a bookstore…” he murmured as he looked around the space, clearly unfazed by Roxy’s suspicion.

  Roxy lowered her gun slightly, her curiosity piqued despite herself. "Can’t you read the sign? It says 'closed."

  She glanced around the bookstore, still trying to process what had happened. The loud crash earlier had rattled her, but there was no sign of anything amiss. Just as she was about to ask again, Espoir broke the silence, pointing toward the door.

  “I came in through there,” he said, as though it was the most natural thing in the world.

  Roxy blinked, her shock turning to disbelief. "Like you broke in?"

  The boy’s expression turned confused. “The door was unlocked for some reason. Well, more like it exploded. I fixed it for you,” he added nonchalantly, as though it was part of his daily routine.

  Roxy stared at him, a mix of confusion and exasperation crossing her features. Was this kid for real? What kind of person casually fixed a door after blowing it open?! "Exploded?" Roxy repeated in disbelief. her voice was a little strained as she lowered her gun fully. She was still trying to make sense of everything that was happening.

  Espoir simply shrugged, as though nothing unusual had occurred. “Yeah? Why would I leave your door broken? That seems kinda rude…”

  Roxy took a second to recompose herself as the strange boy looked confused by her surprise. “Look, kid, I’m closed. Can you please leave? Preferably without breaking my store.”

  “I’m not a kid!” he snapped, making her flinch. He thought about it for a moment, his features softening as he considered something. “I’m seventeen or so. That should be how old I am, I think…”

  Her eyes narrowed at the strange outburst. “What’s your name, anyway?” Roxy asked, wondering just what this person was. He acted and looked strange. It wasn’t uncommon for orphans to wander into her store from time to time, though she’d never met one so bizarre.

  “Oh, I’m Espoir. At least that’s the name I was given.” he said matter-of-factly. “I needed a book, actually.”

  Roxy lowered her gun, eyeing him like he was an alien. “W-what are you needing...?”

  Espoir reached into his pocket and pulled out a sheet of paper. Roxy’s eyes narrowed as she tried to decipher the unreadable handwriting. I can’t read this!

  “It should be easy to find, as you can see!” He beamed, looking over even more unreadable notes. “I’m mostly looking for anything related to grimoires and recent Eldritch sightings. See, Albion has a majority of the grimoire rumors, despite the continent having a rather equal spread of Eldritch attacks. It’s pretty odd, all things considered. Although, personally, I think it could be connected. You could say I specialize in these sorts of things.” He spoke very fast and was almost giddy with excitement.

  “Did you need to break in just for… that?” Roxy eyed the strange boy, confused, before sighing. Why would he even want that sort of information? The military handles Eldritch and it’s pretty dangerous…

  Espoir cocked his head, looking puzzled. “I didn’t break your door down. It was like that when I got here…” Roxy’s eyes widened as it dawned on her that, if he was telling the truth, then someone else did.

  “Hello, ghost.” Hopping off the overhead floor, a rough-looking man wearing a sleeveless shirt and a silver chain loomed over the bookkeeper. Two other members flanked him.

  Roxy flinched as she raised her gun but was easily overpowered, lifted by her arm by the stronger man. Espoir eyed them curiously. “You’ve been busy, ain’t ya?” Her eyes were wide in shock. She was trapped, at their mercy.

  “Why are you here?” She calmly. Her voice did not mirror her internal thoughts. This is bad! Why would the Silver Circle break in? Did they use that boy as bait to distract me?! Roxy was outnumbered and disarmed.

  “Hey, miss, are they friends of yours?” Espoir asked, walking over and eyeing the gang curiously.

  “Run!” Roxy shouted, not wanting him to get involved in her gang issues.

  The group's leader smirked. “Oh, you got yourself a friend?” The two gang members flanked Espoir. “Good, we can bring him along too.”

  “So, when I said run, did that just mean stand there and let yourself get captured?” Roxy mumbled as she and Espoir were tied up in a warehouse.

  “I could have run away, but then I wouldn’t have gotten the book you were going to get me…” Espoir answered flatly, thinking about it for a moment. Roxy looked at Espoir in genuine disbelief. Is he genuinely stupid or insane?!

  Stepping out was a massive man, his body covered in scars, a patchy beard, and combed-back silver hair. He towered over the two captives.

  “Good work, Jackson. So the Phantom of the Underworld is finally in my midst,” the man smiled. “You put us through hell, little lady. As the top information broker on the Black Market, I’d think you’d have come up with a better plan.”

  Roxy cringed at hearing the moniker they gave her, finding it embarrassing. “I sold information. It’s my job.”

  “You got some of my best men killed!” He slammed his fist shattering a the nearby table into a rain of wood. “The ‘information’ you sold ended up in another gang’s hands. We lost good territory because of you.”

  “I don’t know what happens to the information I sell. If you lost men playing your stupid war games, that isn’t my fault,” Roxy rolled her eyes. The leader of the Silver Circle growled in anger before letting out a soft laugh. “It doesn’t matter. We’ll regain our territory. You two will more than make up for it.”

  “You kidnapped us just to complain that your guys died?” Espoir watched the faceoff with an almost bored expression. “Is he stupid or something?”

  The leader smirked at his words. “Nah, we actually brought you kids to a very special venue. See, we lost our territory near the docks to those bastard Midnight Runners. You sold them information on our movements, and they got the jump on us. But it doesn’t matter. All of our losses will be fixed since a buddy of mine in the military gave me this.” The gang leader held up a drawing of a spell circle. Roxy’s eyes narrowed, not recognizing it. Espoir, however, looked angry.

  “You’re going to sacrifice us to one of them?!” His eyes wide in anger as he recognized the diagram.

  The leader grinned. “It’s an equivalent exchange, isn’t it? That girl cost me the lives of my men and territory, so she should repay it.” Roxy was completely lost by the two’s face-off. Sacrifice? Just what could the Silver Circle have that would kill us like that? While she was lost in thought, Espoir’s bangs covered his face as he seemed to consider the situation.

  “Start with the bitch.” The leader took a drag from his cigar, gesturing to one of his men. Surrounding the duo was a large circle drawn in chalk, matching the same drawing the Silver Circle's leader had.

  Roxy’s eyes widened in horror as one of the gang members pressed a gun to her forehead. “I’m not going to beg for my life. But don’t kill him…” Roxy knew Espoir had nothing to do with her actions. She didn’t want an innocent person caught in the crossfire.

  This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

  Espoir cocked an eyebrow at Roxy’s plea for them to spare his life. “I won’t apologize for doing my job or selling your information… but that isn’t his fault.”

  “Nah. We needed two sacrifices anyway. Once this Eldritch is summoned, we’ll use it to destroy all their territory.” The gang leader shrugged indifferently, his cruel grin spreading. “A lot of good investments to be made from rebuilding an entire district, don’t ya think? When you’re dragged to the afterlife, let his death haunt you.” Cocking the pistol, Roxy began clutching her eyes as she prepared for the inevitable. I’m sorry. Roxy would regret having an innocent person killed because of her.

  BANG

  After a few seconds, Roxy reopened her eyes. To her shock, she saw Espoir standing in front of her. The strange man looked at her for a moment before sighing. Glancing to the side, Roxy saw the gang member clutching his hand. A bloody mess that reached to the bone was all that was left. The gun had somehow exploded, sending parts of himself around the room. The man screamed in agony as he desperately clutched his hand.

  “Chroma is highly reactive to magic, fire magic tends to explode red chroma bullets.” Espoir said he looked annoyed at the gang before glancing over at Roxy. “You alright, miss?”

  “Y-yeah…” Roxy was stunned by the fact that she was alive. Espoir made a small flame appear on his hand and singed her binds off.

  “How did you break free so easily?”

  Espoir cocked his head curiously. “You couldn’t?”

  “Of course not! Why would I want to stay here!?” .

  “Hmm, that makes sense actually. I could’ve broken free at any point, but it would’ve been rude to leave when someone else is talking…”

  Is this guy serious?! Roxy was almost slack-jawed at how he could be a hostage willingly!

  The gang leader clenched his fist tightly as he saw the hostages had broken free. “Clever trick,” he mumbled. Lunging forward, the leader tried to stab Roxy. Pushing her to the side, Espoir got between them. Blood dripped to the floor as Espoir blocked the attack with his hand. Clutching his hand, Espoir punched the leader in the chest, sending him flying back.

  “What a stupid reason to endanger people,” Espoir sighed, his wounds healing as he flicked the blood off his hand. “Hey, old man. Were you really planning to summon an Eldritch just for money?” He ran his hand through his hair lazily as he looked at the spell circle.

  “Seems that little phantom has a talented friend…” The Silver Circle’s leader winced as he clutched his chest, a trail of blood running down his lips as the realization hit him. Espoir had enhanced his blow with aura.

  “Money? Nah, I want to be king. Fortunately, this Eldritch will be the one to lead me there.” Without skipping a beat, the gang leader stabbed his subordinate through the neck. As gurgled rasps filled the air, Espoir lunged at the leader. He stopped when he realized he was too late.

  The subordinate’s blood seeped into the spell circle, and a series of lines connected the various parts of the circle in an ethereal pattern. A chilling air filled the room as the gang leader laughed. “Let the show begin!”

  “Shit! Run now!” Espoir shouted.

  Roxy was paralyzed in fear as a seemingly endless hole filled the circle. What came next was disturbing to the core. A shadow oozed into the room like a faucet. As the liquid shadow converged, a shape soon emerged, spiraling across the room and branching out like vines on a tree. Roxy’s eyes were fixated on the grotesque, indescribable sight. Each vein pulsed as if it were alive.

  In the center of the spell circle, the shadows formed into a single mass momentarily. Its texture was gel-like, similar to connective tissue. Wet and dripping, the sound was grotesque, unfamiliar yet it sounded alive. Somehow, the being was able to move as it dripped from the ceiling. Soon, the mass cracked open across the sides, revealing a set of white teeth that smiled. What followed was a deafening cry unlike anything a human could imagine

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??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????O???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????D?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

  As the fully formed Eldritch towered inside the warehouse, nobody could move an inch. Its liquid-like appendages were aimed at Roxy, ready to either kill her or do far worse if they connected. In an instant, a flash of white collided with the appendages, sending them recoiling. Dashing forward, Espoir let out a frustrated sigh.

  “What a mess…” He looked at Roxy, still wide-eyed and paralyzed with fear. Realizing what was happening, Espoir slapped the back of her hands together in a loud clap.

  Roxy’s hands stung. "Oww!" She winced, massaging the back of one hand.

  “Sorry. Only way I could think of to get you to calm down…” Espoir smiled reassuringly as he glanced at the Eldritch, currently held back by his protective barrier around them. The leader of the gang was crying out in fear as he was forcibly dragged toward the monstrosity. His fingers bled as he was pulled toward oblivion.

  “T-that thing is an Eldritch?” Roxy asked quietly, her voice barely audible over the chaos spreading through the room. Espoir’s barrier protected them, holding back the madness for the moment.

  “Yeah. Non-magic users can’t really handle seeing them. They have a tendency to drive people insane just by being perceived. Honestly, the fact that you’re still able to move is a sign that…”

  “W-what can I do to help?” Roxy cut him off, her voice steady despite the fear churning inside her. She watched, repulsed, as the Eldritch consumed the remaining members of the Silver Circle. It tore through the warehouse, soon shattering the roof and looming over the rest of the shipyard.

  “That won’t be necessary,” Espoir shrugged, undoing his barrier. With a swift motion, he leapt over a collapsing wall. “I can take care of it on my own. Plus, I’d hate for you to get injured.”

  Roxy stared at him, incredulous. “You’re going to fight that?” Her shock quickly turned into confusion as she remembered what he had said earlier; he was looking for books on grimoires and Eldritch. How could he seek something like that out… and want to fight something like this?

  Espoir looked at her, confused for a moment, before stretching out an arm. “You could say this is my specialty. While only a very small number of magic users can even hope to defeat an Eldritch, I happen to have something that even they fear...”

  He walked toward the looming creature, extending his hand. “Appear! My Grimoire between Light and Darkness!”

  Roxy would never forget that day. As a calming, ethereal light erupted from Espoir, the Eldritch was consumed by a blindingly fierce brilliance that engulfed the city. Once the light faded, a single ray of sunlight pierced through the otherwise cloud-covered sky, like an eye opening in the middle of a storm.

  Espoir glanced down at his book. In his grip was a leather-bound tome with indigo pages, as dark as the night. The grimoire constantly shifted, its pages alive with an aurora of colors and constellations. It was a book anyone would immediately recognize. The Silver Grimoire...

  “I’m Espoir. I’m a traveling mage who specializes in grimoires and Eldritch.” The Silver Grimoire glowed in his hand as Espoir smiled.

  “From that day forward, Espoir just sorta stuck around. I gave him any information regrading grimoires and Eldritch. Well you know the rest.” Roxy watched with an amused smile as she saw Espoir sealing the Entity in front of them. It resembled a mix of a leviathan and a squid, its face bristling with multi-hued tentacles. Aria sat silently, her eyes fixed on the Silver Grimoire, lost in her thoughts. After a moment, she finally spoke, a question weighing on her mind. “Why did you continue to help him? Why follow someone like him?”

  Roxy looked surprised by the question. She hadn’t really thought about it in a long time. After a brief pause, she smiled kindly. “Because it’s interesting!” she beamed. Aria blinked, taken aback by Roxy’s simple yet sincere answer. “I suppose it’s not every day someone gets to say the Silver Grimoire waltzed into their life... I guess, since the day we met, I’ve just been curious. I wanted to know why someone like him does what he does; why he spends his life searching for grimoires and Eldritch. I guess you can say I want to see how the story of the Silver Grimoire will end.” Roxy smiled warmly as she glanced at her unlikely ally.

  “I see…” Aria said simply. The way Espoir and Roxy met was similar to how she and Espoir met, yet different in its own way. A realization suddenly struck Aria.

  Roxy had come face-to-face with an Eldritch before. Usually, only magic users can handle perceiving them… “Wait… you can use magic?”

  Roxy blinked, confused. “Huh? Of course I can,” she said matter-of-factly. “D-didn’t Espoir ever mention it?”

  Espoir dusted himself off as he rejoined them. “I thought it was obvious…”

  Aria glared at both of them. “Of course it isn’t obvious!” Espoir raised his hands up innocently, looking to Roxy for some help.

  “My Spell Art is simply mending things together,” she explained. “Sorta like transmutation, but it works on both people and objects.” Roxy took a small scissor and sliced her palm. A red aura coated the wound as it sealed shut seamlessly. She shot a glare at Espoir. “You really suck at talking to people.”

  “Hey! I don’t invade people's privacy,” Espoir shot back. “You live with Aria, so you could’ve told her at any point too.”

  “You travel with her! What the hell do you do all day when you’re together? I bet she doesn’t even know your birthday” Roxy teased, much to Espoir’s annoyance.

  “You blackmailed me into telling you, plus it isn’t important…” Espoir muttered.

  Aria sat quietly, her gaze shifting between Espoir and Roxy as their playful banter continued. It was almost amusing to her, how easily they interacted, how comfortable they were with each other. Yet, as her mind wandered, a different thought began to form. The more she thought about it, the more she realized there was so much about Espoir that she didn’t know.

  Despite traveling together for the past few months, Espoir had never once shared any details about himself or his past. Aria knew next to nothing about the person wielding the Silver Grimoire. A legendary book that defied reason. It struck her as odd.

  Despite wielding the Silver Grimoire, he’s never talked about himself… Aria thought, her eyes narrowing slightly in contemplation. What kind of life has he lived? What led him to become a grimoire user in the first place? Is he the same Silver Grimoire from the legend, or is he something entirely different? Her gaze flicked back to Espoir as Roxy was pulling his face. Watching the enigmatic boy for a moment longer.

  Just who is Espoir really?

  Albion South East Field Office

  Kieran stepped into Raza Desir’s office, the door creaking softly behind him. Inside, his commanding officer was sitting at his desk, focused intently on a small mirror.

  “I understand, please keep me updated.” Raza said. With a flick of his fingers, he tapped the mirror’s surface, causing it to ripple like water before it settled back into its original reflection. “I take it the council finally decided on what to do about the Silver Grimoire?” Raza asked, setting the folders onto the desk.

  Kieran nodded, his tone shifting into businesslike precision. “Based on the evidence gathered, along with multiple reports of an individual matching his description. This person is directly linked to various Eldritch and Grimoire-related incidents with the Council having officially confirmed that the Silver Grimoire is real and acting exclusively in Albion..” Kieran set a sketch of a teenager with black hair and red eyes on the desk in front of Raza.

  "He looks rather... young." Raza commented, clasping his hands together.

  “There are eyewitness accounts that the Silver Grimoire was indeed active in Ashmore before Damien Blackwell died.” Kieran sighed, setting the files down on Raza’s desk. His fingers drummed lightly on the surface as he sat back, watching his commanding officer.

  “It’s interesting… very interesting,” Raza murmured, his gaze neutral, but a slight smirk tugged at his lips as he leaned back in his chair. “I never expected those old bastards to move so quickly.”

  Kieran Sharp, a young adult with neatly combed brown hair parted to the side, sat across from his commanding officer. Like Raza, he was dressed in a military longcoat overtop his uniform. His posture was rigid, his expression serious. “I spoke with them too. They’ve given the go-ahead for the Silver Grimoire, and any allies it may have to, be immediately executed. Of course, this information is confidential. Only us officers and the council are permitted to know that the Silver Grimoire is active again.”

  Raza closed his eyes in thought. Thinking on this delicate situation. With a small laugh, he leaned back in his chair. “Notify the council. Tell them that I’ll handle this execution myself.”

  Kieran raised an eyebrow, disbelief flickering across his features. “You believe you can defeat something as legendary as the Silver Grimoire?” Raza was Albion’s number one mage, but even Kieran knew that facing something like the Silver Grimoire was impossible for any Mage Corp member. It was The Silver Grimoire after all. Such a legendary grimoire was beyond their comprehension.

  “It’s been three years since I last had a proper hunt.” Raza explained, a sharp confident smile lining his face. “I don’t plan to defeat the Silver Grimoire. No. I’ll end the legend of the Silver Grimoire myself…”

  Chapter 20 Preview:

  The sudden news of a grimoire user active in her home town sends Espoir and Aria into the heart of her homeland; Easenna. While traveling, Aria recalls the life she had lost...

  Next Time:

  Chapter 20: Easenna