Azrean slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was Krineka leaning over him, her face close, worry written plainly across it. Her breathing came fast, chest rising and falling beneath the lace of her dress.
"Are you okay, young boy?" she asked.
He pushed himself upright too quickly. The world tilted for a second, then steadied—and his gaze fell forward.
Monisa's body lay sprawled across the dirt not far away. Her limbs rested at unnatural angles, dust clinging to blood-darkened skin. The small hole between her eyes looked almost insignificant compared to the stillness surrounding her. Blood had spread beneath her head in a slow, dark pool, soaking into the ground. Her eyes remained open, empty now, staring at nothing.
Azrean's stomach twisted violently. He staggered to his feet, took two unsteady steps away from the car, then dropped to his knees. His hands hit the ground just before his body folded forward. Vomit burned up his throat as he retched hard, again and again, shoulders shaking.
Vane saw him and immediately rushed over.
"Azrean!"
He stayed on his hands and knees, staring at the dirt beneath him with wide, unfocused eyes. Even if he hadn't fired the killing shot, the truth clawed at him—his action had led to her death. The thought pressed against his chest until breathing hurt.
'Dead… she's dead… Ms. Vane!'
He turned his head quickly, searching. When he spotted Vane running toward him, relief softened his expression. A faint, shaky smile appeared.
"You're fine…"
Vane stopped in front of him, crouching down immediately.
"Are you fine? Are you injured?" she asked, panic still in her voice.
Azrean slowly shook his head.
"No. Lady Krineka saved me."
Vane exhaled deeply, tension leaving her shoulders. She glanced back over her shoulder.
Behind them, Hermit was dragging Monisa's body across the dirt, pulling it toward the other fallen corpses. One by one, he gathered them together with quiet efficiency.
Hermit approached after a moment, stopping near Azrean.
"Thank you, young man, for your assistance," he said calmly.
"Even though it was your first time shooting a gun, you did not miss."
Azrean lowered his gaze.
"No… I couldn't stop her with that shot…"
Hermit slowly removed his bloodstained gloves, peeling them off finger by finger.
"It is because you did not shoot with the intention to kill."
Azrean's eyes widened as he looked up.
"Yes," Hermit continued evenly. "Your shot could have been far more fatal. But your intention was not to kill her. You only wished to stop her."
Azrean said nothing. Holding a gun alone had frightened him; pulling the trigger at another person had shaken something deep inside him. The idea of firing with the purpose of killing felt far heavier than he could bear.
From inside the car, Krineka spoke.
"Hermit, throw those bodies down the bridge. When we reach the city, contact our people to retrieve them."
Hermit bowed slightly.
"Yes, my lady."
He pulled on a fresh pair of gloves, adjusting them carefully before returning to the bodies he had gathered.
Vane sat down beside Azrean, letting out a long breath.
"That was close… I didn't think asking for a ride could turn this deadly."
Krineka gave a small, apologetic smile from the car.
"My apologies. We were too confident in our planning and brought no security. If you two had not been with us, we would have died here."
Vane glanced toward her.
"Yes… that was truly careless, my lady."
Azrean's attention drifted back to Hermit. The old man lifted the bodies one at a time, carrying them to the edge of the bridge and casting them over. Each fell silently into the darkness below, swallowed by the ravine.
Hermit bent to pick up Monisa's body next. Azrean's mind replayed the words he had heard earlier.
"People don't kill lower-ranked folk because they are poor. They do it to free them from the suffering that follows infection."
Another memory surfaced—voices overlapping, distant yet painfully clear.
"It's better for you, boy."
"Die peacefully. It's better for you."
"You are not strong enough to survive the blood."
His eyes fixed on Hermit as the old man lifted Monisa's body, preparing to throw it over as well.
Inside his mind, the words formed quietly.
'Well… I disagree.'
Later, they climbed back into the car. The engine rumbled to life, low and steady, and the vehicle rolled forward, wheels crunching across the bridge as they finally left the ravine behind.
For a while, no one spoke. Krineka leaned toward the back seat, searching through the storage compartment. Cloth shifted, small boxes clicked against one another, but after a moment she straightened with a faint sigh.
"It seems there are no cell recovery pousun left. I apologize for that."
Vane, seated beside her, wiped dried blood from her hands and cheek with a cloth torn from her sleeve.
"Oh, no, it's fine," she replied. "We'll get one when we reach the city."
Krineka adjusted herself properly in her seat, then reached into a small pouch resting near her side. A soft metallic clinking came from inside as she opened it. She pulled out a small tied bag and held it toward Vane.
"Here. Please take this three silver leaves. It is not much, but it is all I have with me right now."
Vane blinked, eyes widening.
"Huh?!"
Krineka smiled gently.
"It is for saving our lives and for your staff."
Vane hesitated, fingers hovering before she slowly accepted the bag. Its weight surprised her.
"It's a lot… but I guess it's fine."
Krineka then looked between Vane and Azrean, her expression turning thoughtful.
"I know you two must be confused about the Swallow Crows… and everything that happened tonight."
She paused briefly.
"But do not worry. You do not need to know about it. If the time comes, you may learn on your own."
Vane nodded.
"Yes. And it's better for people like us to stay away from things like that."
Krineka suddenly turned toward her again, curiosity lighting her eyes.
"And Ms. Vane… you use blood-type combat!"
Vane gave a small, awkward smile, rubbing the back of her neck.
Meanwhile, Azrean sat in the front beside Hermit. Exhaustion weighed heavily on him. His shoulders sagged, breathing still uneven, like his body had forgotten how to rest.
'I feel so tired… I think… it's starting…'
The car left the jungle behind. Trees thinned, shadows breaking apart as open land stretched ahead. In the distance, scattered lights shimmered—golden and warm, growing brighter with every passing second.
The sky above had cleared completely. Two moons hung side by side overhead.
One glowed deep violet, its surface split by faint blue cracks that shimmered softly, casting strange shifting shadows across the land. The other was pale white, its light faint and flickering, weaker yet stubbornly present against the night.
Krineka looked up through the window, smiling softly.
"Yinzhi and Yurei look beautiful as always."
Vane watched the city lights draw closer, their reflections dancing in her eyes.
"Welcome to Korveth City."