The past nine years had been an unrelenting trial for Reva Rain.
Such was the case even within the confines of the kingdom of Layos, far from the grasp of Edinburgh's influence.
It was a period that pushed her to her limits, testing not only her physical endurance but also her mental fortitude. As time wore on, she found it increasingly challenging to maintain her composure and face the relentless obstacles that plagued her existence.
Assassination attempts had become an all too familiar occurrence during these arduous years. Solo mercenaries and rogue Rankers, often operating in organized groups, relentlessly pursued her with the intent to end her life. Even obscure cultist organizations seemed to harbor an inexplicable vendetta against her, launching intermittent attacks that turned her life into a perpetual nightmare within the borders of Layos.
It didn't take long for Reva Rain to realize the orchestrator behind these relentless assaults was none other than Eren. Through painstaking investigation and interrogation of her would-be assassins, she uncovered the web of financial connections that traced back to him. Eren's vast wealth provided him with the means to orchestrate these deadly assaults, even from a distance, ensuring that Reva lived in a state of constant fear and frustration.
The hired assailants Eren dispatched were carefully chosen, calculated to provoke her and fuel her frustration rather than deliver a fatal blow. It was evident that he derived twisted pleasure from tormenting her, promising to pay the mercenaries handsomely should they inadvertently succeed in ending her life. Meaning he was fine even if his little game came to an abrupt end as well.
Reva Rain, a skilled healer by her Ranking Class, possessed formidable powers such as Reverse Rain that made it near impossible for her to fall victim to Eren's hired hands. However, the unrelenting stress of facing unknown forces at unknown times and places took its toll on her consciousness. Each new attack added to the weight that burdened her mind, driving her perilously close to the edge of sanity.
The fear of the unknown haunted her every waking moment, denying her the solace of peaceful slumber.
Sleep became an elusive luxury for Reva, her nights plagued by restlessness and perpetual vigilance. Every creak, every rustle, heightened her senses, as she awaited the next ambush with trepidation. The accumulated toll of this ceaseless torment threatened to shatter her resolve, a constant battle against unseen adversaries that pushed her to the brink.
In the shadows of her sleepless nights, Reva Rain yearned for respite, a moment of tranquility amidst the storm. She knew that to confront her tormentor, Eren, and break free from this cycle of fear, she would need to summon every ounce of her strength, resilience, and resourcefulness. The trials she faced had tested her resolve, but she refused to succumb to despair. There was a flicker of hope left within her and that was the reason for her restlessness.
Reva's frustration stemmed from more than just the relentless attacks she endured. There was a deep-seated dissatisfaction within her, rooted in her regression from the solid core stage of the Expert Rank to the vapor core stage. When she had crossed paths with Eren during his graduation ceremony, she had stood at the precipice of breaking into the revered Master rank.
At that time, Reva was hailed as a prodigious Ranker, garnering admiration for her swift ascent to the Expert Rank. Her exceptional powers and rapid progress were fueled by the utilization of demonic rituals, propelling her to unimaginable heights and granting her dominance over her peers.
She held a position of influence within the esteemed Escalon Guild, and her name reverberated through the masses of Edinburgh, bathed in glory and fame. Even the kingdom itself turned a blind eye to her dealings with mortals, acknowledging her value and indispensability.
However, the tides turned when Reva betrayed Edinburgh, forsaking her previous home to join forces with Demonmir in the kingdom of Layos. It was meant to be a fresh start, a chance at redemption, but little did she foresee the interference that would plague her Faustian Contract.
Almost immediately upon her arrival in Layos, Reva experienced a gradual regression in her ranking status. Confusion engulfed her as she struggled to comprehend the cause of her sudden decline. Initially, she suspected the slumbering demon within her, intertwining its influence with her consciousness.
However, she soon discovered that her assumptions were misplaced. Someone among her victims had managed to exploit a flaw within the Faustian Contract, reversing the flow of her progress. It was a loophole she had failed to foresee at the time of signing the contract, a miscalculation that now haunted her.
Reva's frustration deepened as she grappled with the repercussions of her choices. The loss of her esteemed status and the erosion of her powers weighed heavily on her spirit. She yearned for answers, seeking to unravel the complexities of her predicament and reclaim the ground she had lost.
Reva was left in a state of shock as she realized that there was an individual in Anfang beside Demonmir who possessed an intricate understanding of demonology. It was a revelation that struck her with a profound sense of unease and dread. What further shook her was the realization that this unknown party had executed their plans with such precision and thoroughness that she found herself utterly powerless to counter their actions.
Helplessness gnawed at Reva's core, leaving her teetering on the edge of desperation. She resorted to conducting numerous demonic rituals in a desperate attempt to mitigate the consequences of the Faustian Contract's reversal.
Yet, to her dismay, these efforts merely served to maintain her current rank at the expense of empowering her unknown adversaries. The kingdom of Layos soon became aware of her dark practices, displaying none of the diplomatic leniency Edinburgh had extended.
The forces of Layos swiftly put an end to her activities and pressed her into active service in their war against her former homeland, Edinburgh, the kingdom she had betrayed.
