The air hangs heavy in the streets of Market Town, once murmuring with late-night vendors and sleepy-eyed merchants.
A few moments ago, the sky had been torn open by crimson magic, and the most feared being in the known world, the Demon Queen herself, had stepped out of myth and into reality.
Now, people scramble. Knights try to regroup. Priests mutter stunned prayers.
And in the center of it all, Pip diligently consoles Vuvi as she kneels, weeping in the mud.
He wipes at her cheek gently with a soft, glowing finger. Her eyes wide, cheeks blotched with tear tracks and dirt.
"She's gone," she mutters weakly. "Mother…"
He just chirps gently in response, a musical, soothing note as he cleans her face with reverent care.
She looks at him, her lips trembling, eyes welling with new tears.
Penelo sits crouched beside a silent Veena, brushing hair from her wet cheeks.
"Are you okay?" the bunny-kin asks, her voice soft and earnest.
