Alisa’s home.
The bare walls were now adorned with strings of colorful balloons, celebrating a birthday. Bright ribbons lay scattered in many places, creating an exceptionally festive atmosphere.
A massive birthday cake rested on the living room table, its surface dotted with over twenty unlit candles. The party had yet to begin, so the flames remained dormant.
Beside the cake, Anna sat on the sofa, propping her chin with one hand. A troubled expression shadowed her face.
“Why hasn’t Manager Lena arrived yet?”
Nearly all the guests for the birthday banquet had gathered. Only Manager Lena and the three young girls she knew were missing.
Everyone was waiting for them. Though Alisa’s friends didn’t voice their impatience, their dissatisfaction was evident on their faces.
Anna nudged Alisa’s arm beside her, whispering, “Did you send her a message? Ask her why she’s not here yet?”
“I did, but she hasn’t replied.”
Watching her message on the communicator vanish into the void, Alisa’s distress was no less than Anna’s.
Ordinarily, it was unthinkable for the manager not to respond to her.
“She couldn’t have run into danger, could she?”
Anna shivered, hugging her shoulders as if struck by a terrible thought. Alisa, however, scoffed softly in response. “What nonsense are you spouting? She’s protected by the Hero, so what danger could there possibly be?”
“If there’s no danger, then is she standing you up?”
“Manager Lena isn’t like that.”
Alisa refused to believe Lena would ever stand her up. Lena was so gentle, always considerate of them at the shop. How could someone like her possibly break her heart at a time like this?
Thus, she conjured a plausible explanation.
“She must be busy with something important; she’ll be here soon.”
Her voice was soft, yet it reached the ears of her other friends. Noticing their hesitant, unspoken disapproval, Mrs. Josephine approached Alisa and sat beside her.
“My dear Alisa, it truly warms my heart to see you have so many wonderful friends.”
She clasped Alisa’s hand, her calloused palm gently stroking the girl’s delicate skin.
For some unknown reason, Alisa’s spirits inexplicably plummeted.
“Since Manager Lena has important matters to attend to, let’s start a little earlier,” Mrs. Josephine coaxed. “We shouldn’t keep your other friends waiting.”
The moment she spoke, the friends who had grown restless quickly voiced their discontent.
“Exactly, if we don’t start soon, I’ll fall asleep.”
“And I have plans later tonight.”
Anna remained silent at this, merely watching Alisa. The birthday girl paused, then ultimately abandoned the hope of waiting for Lena.
Clasping her hands together, she silently whispered an apology in her heart. Then, forcing a smile, she addressed her friends: “Well then, let’s begin.”
Surrounded by her friends, she lit the candles and donned her birthday hat.
The faint candlelight became the sole illumination in the living room. Alisa’s fair face glowed golden in its warmth as she clasped her hands before her chest, adopting a posture of prayer.
Before making her wish, she cast a fleeting glance at her mother. Only then did she close her eyes and silently articulate her desire.
Having made her wish, she gave a soft puff. The candle flames flickered a few times, then all extinguished.
What followed was the heart of the celebration.
Cake, drinks, and fruit filled the air. Her friends were joyous, and her mother’s face was alight with smiles. Watching them, Alisa’s own lips curved upwards, almost unconsciously.
But as she turned and saw the half-eaten cake remaining on the table, her smile faded.
This was the grand cake her mother had specially bought after Alisa mentioned Lena and the others would be attending—larger than any cake she had ever purchased before.
Her mother had also put considerable effort into decorating the walls. Knowing many friends would come, she had even deliberately moved extra furniture from the living room, creating ample space.
Yet, now, all these preparations seemed somewhat superfluous.
Retrieving her communicator once more, she gazed at the lack of a reply, a wave of disappointment washing over her.
‘Manager Lena must be busy,’ she thought. ‘Surely, something unexpected came up, preventing her from attending my birthday party.’
‘Perhaps tomorrow, or even in the dead of night, I’ll see an apology message from Manager Lena?’
‘Haha, then I’ll definitely have to pretend to be sad, so she’ll pamper me with comfort.’
With these thoughts, Alisa forced a smile and put away her communicator.
Boom—!
The ground suddenly trembled. A blinding flash of light pierced the room, causing her to gaze outside in astonishment. In the sky, magical flames erupted like scattered starlight.
“What’s happening?”
Rushing to the window, she braced her hands against the sill and looked up at the sky. Her deep eyes, now adorned with magical light, resembled a starry expanse.
Through the pane, she saw a terrifying, crimson bird soaring through the heavy rain, its wings spread wide. Surrounding it was a group of Heroes, actively wielding magic.
“It’s a demonic beast!”
Anna instantly recognized the true nature of the great bird. Alisa, however, was utterly bewildered.
“How could a demonic beast appear within the city walls…?”
She recalled the previous appearance of the demonic scorpion. In just two short months, Vidona had been invaded by demonic beasts twice.
Such an event had never occurred before.
“With the Heroes present, we’re quite safe here.”
Seeing the great bird in a desperate situation, Anna leaned against the window, completely unconcerned for her own safety.
It seemed this demonic beast had been in the city for some time. Now, driven to this location by the Heroes, its capture or death must be imminent.
‘But when did demonic beasts start appearing within the city?’
As she pondered, a sudden realization struck her, and she turned to Alisa.
“Hey, Alisa, do you think it’s possible Lena and the others are fighting the demonic beast? After all, she knows a Hero…”
Her dimmed eyes instantly sparkled upon hearing this conjecture. Alisa excitedly hugged Anna, convinced that this had to be the truth.
“Yes, that must be it!”
She turned to her mother, hastily explaining on Lena’s behalf: “Mom, they’re fighting a demonic beast! They couldn’t get away, which is why they didn’t come to my birthday party.”
Mrs. Josephine also walked to the window. She gave Alisa a profound look, then chuckled softly. “So that’s it. Well, they must be careful then.”
Witnessing her mother’s demeanor, Alisa’s surge of excitement abruptly vanished. She silently turned her gaze back to the window, her hands gripping the sill tightly.
The demonic beast ultimately perished beneath a flurry of dazzling magic. The Heroes departed, and night returned to silence.
The rain outside continued to fall. The birthday party carried on for a while longer, finally concluding with a friend’s farewell.
Friends gradually departed, and even Anna unfurled her umbrella, vanishing into the misty rain.
Yet, even at that moment, Lena and the Hero she knew had not arrived.
Poor Alisa