Carlos's attention locked onto those two words like a laser.
This was way too out of left field.
In his memory, the Shadow Realm was crazy mysterious, with barely any official info floating around—just a few scattered scraps.
Word was that players figured
The boss Shadow Twins were probably originally born in the Shadow Realm, but got corrupted by dark mist vibes and went off the rails from their destiny.
When he got back to Ember City later, he could have the twins Riley and Anna meet the new retainer to see what kind of fireworks would go off.
After checking out the new retainer's stats, Carlos said:
The new retainer instinctively snapped to attention. She instinctively followed Carlos's orders.
"To celebrate your birth,
I'm giving you a new title—
To match with Purple Vortex and Red Spirit, Carlos thought for a second and decided to call the new retainer 'Ginya.'
Nice ring to it, easy to remember, and fit the new retainer's vibe.
The new retainer was floored.
Sounded pretty sweet.
Symbolizing her fresh start.
This way, wouldn't she be straight-up ditching the name Diliya, handing it over to her other half?
Though torn up inside, she immediately nodded like her life depended on it.
This was retainer instinct—she could sense Carlos dug this name.
"From this day forward,
I've got a brand new name—
Ginya said with total seriousness, like she was saying goodbye to the past.
Watching her other half, split from her own flesh, get a new name,
Happy that the name Diliya now belonged only to her, without worrying about someone else trying to claim it.
But also this weird sense of loss, like her heart was missing a piece of something important.
'Maybe this is the best way to deal with this mess.'
Diliya pulled herself together,
Grabbed her tea for a sip. The sweet taste hit her taste buds, pushing down the crazy thoughts swirling in her head.
'She caved that easy?'
Carlos had been ready for the new retainer to put up a fight.
Unlike Purple Vortex and Red Spirit, the new retainer had memories tied to the name Diliya.
Lucky for him, she went with it.
Looked like he'd nailed another good name.
Carlos was pretty stoked about the name Ginya.
Simple, but it had a nice sound to it.
He couldn't help but grab his tea, bringing it toward his mouth...
His movement stopped dead...
Carlos realized that while checking out Ginya's stats, he'd totally forgotten to take off his mask.
So he slowly peeled off the mask...
Pointed ears, gem-like emerald eyes, deep as eternity.
A face carved by the gods themselves, so perfect, coldly noble yet radiating comforting warmth.
The second Carlos removed his mask,
Diliya and Ginya's eyes went wide as dinner plates as they yelped.
They never would've guessed
Their lord's face under the mask would be so perfect, so absolutely mesmerizing.
Wait, what was with that hint of baby face?
A member of the Valois family."
Carlos took a light sip of tea, sweetness dancing on his tongue, his mood getting even better.
"You... you're the champion of Ember City's first Ember Competition!
'Perfect Incarnation,' the young master of the Valois family,
The 15-year-old prodigy, Carlos Valois!"
Diliya was absolutely blown away.
This was an even more terrifying wunderkind than the rumors let on.
Awakened for just one year, yet packing this kind of insane power—this was straight-up unbelievable.
Carlos was used to people losing their minds.
Compared to human Diliya's shocked reaction,
New retainer Ginya felt pure joy.
This incredible happiness surged through her heart.
Not only a terrifying genius,
But also drop-dead gorgeous.
She'd be living with him from now on.
"This is absolutely perfect!"
Thinking about spending their lives together, Ginya fell head over heels in infatuation.
If the crazy power boost excited Ginya enough to ignore her changed looks,
Then her master's true identity and face made her absolutely over the moon.
This was the star of those portraits going viral all over the city lately—Carlos Valois!
Only through getting this close could she really feel that mesmerizing, rule-breaking charm!
As she talked, Ginya unconsciously leaned forward, getting a bit closer.
She instinctively took a breath—
The scent of sunshine!
Her eyes showed pure bliss!
Diliya's eyes bulged out.
What was her other half calling him?
Steam suddenly shot up from her head.
So... so embarrassing!
What a mortifying title!
It was like watching herself say it,
She couldn't help but feel it too.
Her face turned red as a tomato as she pointed at Ginya like she'd committed a crime:
Ginya, totally lost in her crush, got pissed hearing her other half say this:
"I'm master's retainer—
What else am I supposed to call him?"
Her tone was matter-of-fact, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
The steam above Diliya's head went nuclear, her face got even redder, voice going shrill:
As Diliya, have some human dignity.
Openly calling a 15-year-old boy master—
Is this something a grown woman should be doing?
Who knew this would suddenly remind Ginya of something:
You need to give me back my stuff!"
Diliya looked totally lost. This sudden topic switch nearly made her choke on her tea.
And most importantly, the 'special collection'!"
Ginya counted on her fingers, rattling them off one by one.
Diliya was ticked off.
How did this stuff become yours? It's all clearly mine!
Ginya was even more pissed:
"What do you mean yours?
This stuff is all mine!
When you were zonked out,
I busted my ass doing missions to earn these treasures!"
Ginya's previous form was the hidden pathway's body—Diliya often used that form to secretly pull off missions.
So this argument actually held water.