Mirana

As the prairie winds howled through the desert, the hottest season of the year arrived. It was against this fiery backdrop that destiny brought Mirana to gaze upon Crystal as the girl was pursuing a huge cluster of tumbleweeds. The merciless sun beat down upon her, drenching her in perspiration, and her futile attempts to keep pace with the wind left her in disarray. It was Mirana's helping hand that enabled them to stop the mischievous tumbleweeds.

Intrigued by the orcish maiden's actions, Mirana's mind swirled with curiosity. With an enigmatic wink, Crystal claimed that she had the power to glimpse into souls. She saw the soul of a poor gerbil being wrapped up by a tumbleweed and gave tireless chase just to save them.

On hearing this, Mirana showed great curiosity and admiration, which deepened further when she learned the purpose of Crystal's journey. Mirana immediately expressed her willingness to follow Crystal and work together to save the souls of the world. Initially, Crystal was reluctant to have a follower, but she couldn't resist and finally agreed.

But for Mirana, who couldn't see souls and was also quite limited in what she could do, her main role was to guide Crystal, who was new to the desert. During the journey, there were moments when Crystal would suddenly leap up, sensing the presence of a soul. At these times, Mirana would look around in bewilderment, curious about what Crystal had seen and heard.

Life continued like this until one fateful afternoon. Crystal, who had heard the desperate pleas for help from the souls trapped in the quicksand, remained unaware of the impending danger looming over her on a seemingly sunny day...

When Crystal's legs sank into the quicksand, causing her to lose her balance, she accidentally dropped the soul lamp. The souls stored within it scattered out, wailing in panic. Crystal implored Mirana to assist her in re-collecting the souls. Though Mirana couldn't see them, Crystal expressed that she would help guide her.

Mirana readily agreed, eager to help. But as Crystal prepared to reveal the location of each soul, she noticed Mirana walking directly toward the soul of a young purple-winged dragon before she could utter a word.

Mirana tightly gripped the neck of the purple-winged dragon's soul, her clear eyes now tainted with piercing greed. Crystal felt an eerie chill creep down her spine amidst the scorching heat of the desert.

“She lied to me! She can see souls!” Under Crystal's horrified gaze, a massive magic carpet materialized in the air, with a chilling demonic totem standing behind it. Mirana, seemingly familiar with this sight, flashed a smile at Crystal before leaping onto the carpet, clutching the soul of the dragon.

“Argh!” The soul of the purple-winged dragon seemed to have a strong sense of foreboding.

“Enjoy, Spectral Fiend, this fine feast that I prepared for you!” Mirana outstretched her arms wide, casting a condescending gaze upon the souls attempting to flee. As she did, the once-empty eyes of the Demon Totem behind her ignited with eerie, ghostly blue flames.

Mirana turned her gaze toward Crystal and spoke, “As for you, my dear sister, the Spectral Fiend has an appetite only for souls, not you. Once it finishes its feast, I shall spare you. I must express my gratitude for your efforts in collecting so many... It has saved me a great deal of time.”

Mirana, along with her magic carpet totem, soared high into the sky. The scattered souls ignited with ghostly blue flames, and as Mirana's laughter echoed, they dissipated like smoke into the surging quicksand.

Within the esteemed Mihia family, the youngest Demoness, Mirana, was hailed as a prodigious genius, unrivaled in talent for over a century. Their ancestral power derived from a sinister practice—hunting souls and feeding them to their demonic totems. Mirana, like her predecessors, thrived on this macabre sustenance. Yet, even though their dark magic possessed boundless growth and cataclysmic might, the family faced an insurmountable obstacle—they had no means of locating souls.

When Mirana realized Crystal had the ability to sense souls, a surge of excitement ignited within her. Concealing her elation, she swiftly devised a plan to exploit Crystal's gift for her own gains.

Deceiving Crystal with calculated precision, Mirana lured her into the quicksand and devoured the souls in one fell swoop. Through consuming these souls, Mirana's demonic power grew immensely, solidifying her position within the family and elevating her status to new heights.

Joining the Nightfall Legion seemed Mirana's inevitable path, facilitated by her family's esteemed recommendation. Swiftly ascending the ranks, she emerged as one of the Legion's commanders, forming a close bond with the enigmatic Soul Witch, Celina. Through their union, Mirana's powers grew increasingly formidable.

“Dear Crystal, are you still saving souls with your efforts?” Mirana sometimes thought of that simple orcish maiden. Though it would have been better to coerce the orc into helping herself, or even her family, in locating souls, why had she set her free at that time?

A faint intuition existed in Mirana's mind that they might meet again someday. However, the nature of that meeting remained shrouded in uncertainty. Would it be as friends or enemies...?