The brutal afternoon sun beats down mercilessly on this corner of the slave market. The silver-haired girl called Selene crouches in her cage, knees pulled tight to her chest, head bowed low, swathed in grimy rags.

"Another day with no buyers, huh..." The slave trader lets out an irritated sigh and kicks at the girl's cage to force her upright. "You're decent eye candy, but nobody wants to drop coin on damaged goods with a shit attitude!"

Selene lifts her gaze to meet the man's eyes with an icy stare, but keeps her mouth shut. She never could have imagined that she—who once commanded legions in the demon realm—would be reduced to this pathetic state.

"If you don't move soon, we'll have no choice but to cut our losses and dispose of you..." As the merchant's threat sends the other slaves scrambling in terror, Selene's lips barely twitch with the ghost of a smirk.

(Pathetic worms. This humiliation is only temporary.)