Chapter 1

From the moment I was old enough to understand the world, I knew my parents didn't love me.

My father, the Duke of the Umbra-Kin, snatched the Soul-Core the High King had gifted me and handed it to my younger sister, Eva.

"You owe her this. Be a good girl and don't fight it," he commanded.

My mother took a vial of my heart-blood every single day to nourish Eva's frail body.

"Sera, do you really want to watch your sister die? It's just a bit of blood. Why are you being so selfish?"

In the depths of my despair, Xander appeared.

"Sera, through every lifetime, whether as a creature of the night or a mortal, I will love only you."

But it only took a hundred years for Xander to show his true face.

"Sera, Eva's soul is fractured because of you. I'm only looking after her to help you pay for your sins."

Even my own flesh and blood, my son Leo, looked at me with nothing but disgust.

"I want Aunt Eva to be my real mommy!"

Finally, they tried to force me to perform a Soul-Swap to save Eva's life.

I stopped hoping. I stopped caring.

I drank the water from the River of Lethe, choosing to erase every single memory of them from my soul...

The banks of the River of Lethe.

I bowed deeply toward the towering, shadowy figure whose back was turned to the world.

"High King, I wish to take the mantle of the Guardian of the Void. I will watch over the lost souls of the Underworld for eternity."

Since the last Saint ascended, the River of Lethe had been unguarded for a thousand years.

The Underworld was overflowing with vengeful spirits, and it desperately needed a new master.

But the River was a place of absolute solitude.

No one wanted this miserable burden, so the position had remained vacant for centuries.

Hearing my voice, the High King slowly turned his head.

He stayed silent for a long time before letting out a weary sigh.

"To become the Guardian, you must drink the Lethe water for seven days. You will sever all ties, kill all emotions, and live in loneliness until the last soul is at peace."

"Even the ancient Saints couldn't endure it. Do you... truly understand what this means?"

I didn't hesitate for a single second. "I understand."

"Very well."

The High King pulled out a golden quill and began drawing symbols in the air.

"From this day forth, Sera, daughter of the Umbra-Kin, is the Guardian of the Void. You shall command the spirits and take your post in seven days. Do not fail me."

The royal seal descended, and a streak of golden light sank into the space between my eyebrows.

When I returned to the palace, I looked at the cold, empty halls and let out a bitter laugh.

My parents, my husband, and my child were likely all gathered around that woman right now.

I wondered if they even remembered that today was my birthday.

Half an hour later, they finally returned.

My husband, Xander, rushed toward me the moment he saw me standing there.

"Sera! Where the hell have you been?"

Looking at the panic in his eyes, I felt a brief moment of daze.

Was he actually worried about me?

Before I could speak, Xander's face twisted with impatience.

"It's good that you're back. Eva's condition is critical. You're both from the same bloodline. Your blood and your Heart-Core are the only things that can save her."

"Besides, the Umbra-Kin are immortal anyway. You won't actually die."

Immortal.

I felt a chill run down my spine.

I looked at my father and mother standing nearby.

Neither of them said a word. Their silence was the final nail in the coffin of my heart.

The Umbra-Kin were indeed hard to kill, but the Soul-Swap was a nightmare.

It required draining every drop of blood, extracting the bone marrow, and finally ripping out the heart while the victim was still conscious.

The pain was beyond anything a mind could imagine.

I curled my lips into a mocking smile. "And why should I?"

"What?" Xander's eyebrows shot up. "What did you just say?"

"I said, why the hell should I?"

"Because you're the one who left Eva alone in the Forbidden Forest! The dark energy poisoned her soul, and that's why she's dying!"

Xander spoke with such righteous fury.

But his words only made the rot in my heart grow deeper.

"I paid that debt a long time ago."

"Since we were kids, she got every relic, every herb, and all of our parents' attention. She even has my husband's devotion and my son's love. Isn't that enough?"

"And now, that bitch wants my life too?"

SLAP―

A sudden, violent blow landed on my face.

My mother stared at me with a face full of venom.

"If it weren't for a wicked girl like you, Eva wouldn't be suffering like this!"

"If anything happens to her, I will personally skin you alive!"

They hurried away toward Eva's room.

Even Xander only spared me one cold glance before following them.

In that moment, a wave of absolute exhaustion washed over me.

I was done.

I would rather forget everything than give my life for a family like this.

I poured a bowl of the Lethe water.