Chapter 6 Arc 1.5 Sophie/ 1,12,5,24,9,1

Chapter 6

Arc 1.5

Sophie / 1,12,5,24,9,1

“Ahhhh… what time is it?” Sophie mutters, sitting up in bed. “Approaching dawn… so probably 5 a.m.”

She stands, pulls out an outfit, and lays it across the bed before heading to the bathroom. After a quick shower and washing her hair, she slips in magic contact lenses—her eyes shift from amber to bright blue. Next, she re-dyes her hair from its natural brown to blonde. She grabs her shiny golden bow, paints it dark green, and dulls its gleam.

Her pointed elf ears twitch as she steps out the door.

In the Legend Cry guildhall, she scans for Koro. Spotting Alice, she energetically pats her on the back. “Hey, Al! Have you seen Koro around anywhere?”

Alice jumps, startled and shy. “Ahhh! S-Sophie… y-you scared me. N-no, I don’t know who Koro is.”

Sophie smiles. “Oh, you must’ve just gotten back from a quest. Yeah, we got a new A-rank adventurer—his name’s Koro.”

Alice’s eyes widen. “Whattt?! Why didn’t you tell me sooner? I’m so nervous—I’m not even prepared. I hope I don’t make a bad first impression.”

Sophie chuckles. “Aww, Alice, you’re always a nervous wreck. Maybe your brother Aaron knows where he is.”

She heads over to Aaron, who’s glued to the bulletin board. “Hey, air-head. Any idea where that color-eyed boy is?”

Aaron spins around, full of energy. “NOPE! I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO CLUE!!” He grins wildly. “And the next time you call me air-head, we’ll duke it out to the end!!”

Sophie covers her ears. “Ahh, dude—why are you screaming? How is it possible you look just like your sister Alice, yet you’re her complete opposite?”

Aaron beams. “Her strength comes from her internal mind. Mine? It’s different—my strength is in my expressive nature. Oh, by the way, I want your thoughts on what quest I should take.”

She glances at the board. “Um… why are you asking me? I don’t know.”

Aaron smirks. “Alright then, I’ll just choose.” He points. “The missing princess Alexia of the Elven Kingdom.”

Sophie’s gaze lands on the picture: brown hair, amber eyes. With her own blonde hair and blue eyes, she shakes her head. “Nah, don’t even waste your time. No leads in seven years. She was last seen at seventeen—she’s probably twenty-four now. It’d take eons to find her. Face it, she’s a cold case.”

Aaron sighs. “Yeah… maybe you’re right.”

Sophie glances toward the exit. “Anyway, I’m gonna go find Koro and recruit him to my party—one way or another.”

She heads out into the village, searching everywhere. “Damn, where could he be?”

Sophie releases a controlled burst of mana, trying to sense a connection. Her eyes widen. “Huh… I feel his mana. Wow, it’s huge—way over the human limit. Even exceeds the elven limit. Strange… human mana is usually much lower than elven. But his is beyond both. Why’s he in the forest? Is he training? Oh, I’ve got to get there.”

In the woods, Koro grips his gio sword, charging it with lightning magic. He thrusts it skyward. A massive lightning dragon—building-sized—roars into existence.

Sophie claps from behind him. Koro cancels the spell and turns. “Ohhh, hey, it’s sharp ears. What’s up? Why’d you come?”

He reaches to play with her ears. She swats his hand away, annoyed. “Stop calling me that! Don’t touch my ears, and stop being so irritating. I’ve been looking all over for you. At least give a warning before you just disappear like that.”

Koro rolls his eyes. “What are you, my mom now?”

Sophie crosses her arms. “No. I’m your party captain.”

Koro raises an eyebrow. “Huh? Captain? Since when?”

“Since now.”

Koro glares. “Hell nah.”

Sophie counters, “Hell yeah.”

They stare each other down. Then Sophie softens. “Okay, okay. How about this: I won’t be your captain, and you won’t be mine. We work together as equals in one party.”

Koro tilts his head. “As equals?”

She nods, extending her hand—cheeks faintly pink. Koro blushes slightly too, then shakes it.

From that day on, for a full week, the two tackled quests together—completing at least four A-rank missions.

Now at the Legend Cry guildhall bar, they’re laughing over drinks.

Sophie grins. “So you’re really afraid of water like a scared cat? How pathetic.”

Koro shoots her a look. “Yeah, yeah—shut up, Sophie. You were the one running from that dragon.”

“Hey, I still defeated it!”

Koro smirks. “Yeah, but you had to run away and snipe it with a light arrow from a mile out. Close quarters? You’d have been toast. That’s why you need me.”

He laughs. Maya slides him a glass of milk instead of water—he barely touches the stuff.

Sophie shakes her head. “I can’t believe how dehydrated you must be. How are you even alive, dodging water like that? Man, you’re so weird.”

Later that night, Sophie returns to her apartment, locks the door, and closes the blinds. She washes out the blonde dye, returning her hair to its natural brown. She removes the contact lenses—amber eyes stare back in the mirror. Stretching, she falls into bed. Her dark green bow shifts back to gleaming gold.