The forest was quiet now. A gentle breeze passed through, carrying the scent of earth and blood. The noise around me, the noise inside me, finally faded.

“I—I’m… Elric, I didn’t mean—” My voice came out hoarse, thick with regret.

Elric let out a deep sigh. Then, to my absolute disbelief, he grinned. “What are you talking about? I think that’s a normal reaction after a beauty like me pins you to the floor.”

Thea raised an eyebrow. “To stab you?”

I didn’t even react. Just stared at him.

He rolled off me with a chuckle. “Really, it’s alright, Peter. You were in a deadly situation, and then, out of nowhere, someone tackled you to the ground.” He shrugged before smirking. “I’d be way more concerned if you were dumb enough to just let that happen without fighting back.”

I groaned as I pushed myself up, every nerve in my body screaming. My back, my shoulder, it all felt like it was on fire.

“Let’s heal you up before you pass out,” Elric said, already preparing a spell.

Thea took a sharp breath as she caught sight of my shoulder.

I tensed. “Is it bad?”

She shook her head, but Elric, ever the blunt one, answered honestly. “It’s a damn good thing your body’s gotten tougher. This could’ve killed you otherwise.”

I exhaled. “Where are Sia and Lyra?” I asked, glancing around.

The ice mage was slumped unconscious against a tree, her staff lying forgotten beside her.

“They’re watching the others,” Elric said, his tone casual, but his gaze sharp.

I saw the blood seeping through Elric’s shirt and frowned. “Are you alright?”

He glanced down at his side, expression casual. “It didn’t go too far.” Then, he nodded toward Thea. “She acted quickly.”

His fingers pressed against the wound under his shirt. He grimaced slightly, then let out an exaggerated sigh. “Totally cured now.” His smirk widened. “Now, let’s get to you.” He cracked his knuckles. “Time for a little revenge. Thea, hold him down.”

I turned to Thea, eyes narrowing. “You wouldn’t—”

She shoved my uninjured shoulder lightly. “I would.” Her voice was steady, but I caught the faintest tremble in it.

Before I could protest, Elric placed his hands on me. A familiar burning heat flared across my body, hotter than before. I tensed, biting down on a groan as the pain intensified.

It didn’t last long, but every second felt stretched.

Finally, the pain dulled. I let out a slow breath and sat up.

Elric stretched, looking completely unbothered. “I’m going to check on Lyra and Sia.” Without waiting for a response, he strode toward the clearing.

I turned to Thea, guilt settling in my chest. “I’m sorry. I—I just lost it.”

She shook her head. “I should’ve stayed. We could’ve handled them.”

I grabbed her hand before she could pull away. “Maybe… maybe not. At least not without getting pretty injured.”

She didn’t respond. But she didn’t let go either.

We both stood.

“I’ll carry her,” I said, nodding toward the unconscious ice mage.

I slung the girl over my shoulder and followed Thea toward the others.

The clearing came into view.

Two more bodies lay on the ground, both unconscious. One of them looked… cooked.

Elric stood over the burned one, shaking his head as he spoke to Sia.

Sia’s face drained of color. She covered her mouth with a shaking hand, nearly stumbling before Elric caught her. Lyra moved in, steadying her from the other side.

The leader, still breathing but unconscious, lay nearby.

I scanned the area.

Where was the other girl?

Then, I saw her.

My breath caught in my throat.

I wished I hadn’t looked.

She was pale. Her eyes, still open, stared blankly at the night sky. No light existed in them anymore.

Blood had pooled beneath her. The dark liquid seeped into the uneven ground, staining the dirt around the raw, jagged stumps that had once been her arms.

The sound came back to me.

That tearing noise.

The scream.

My grip tightened on the girl slumped over my shoulder.

Thea wasn’t looking. She was very deliberately avoiding that side of the clearing.

I swallowed and shifted the unconscious ice mage in my arms, then gently placed her into Thea’s arms.

“Go over to Elric,” I said quietly.

“You—”

“It’s fine, Thea,” I cut her off, forcing a small smile. “I’ll be back in a moment.”

She hesitated, her grip tightening around the girl, but after a moment, she turned and walked toward the others.

I exhaled.

Then, I walked toward the corpse.

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The closer I got, the heavier my steps felt.

I crouched beside her.

My hands trembled as I reached down.

Her arms, severed, opened from the objects they once held.

I picked them up first, then I reached for her.

My fingers curled around what was left of her body.

My breath hitched.

The memory came back, clearer now.

The resistance against my grip.

The way her body twisted unnaturally in my hands.

The sound of flesh tearing, bones snapping.

My stomach twisted.

I had done this.

But the regret, the horror, any feeling at all, really only lingered for a moment. Then… nothing.

I was affected, sure. But not like before. Not like the first time.

The shock, the weight of what I had done. It should’ve hit harder. It should’ve clung to me.

Instead, all I felt was a strange, cold numbness.

Almost as if someone else had done it.

I exhaled slowly, adjusting my grip. The weight in my arms felt unnatural, too light, too still. The warmth had already begun to fade from her skin.

Then, without another thought, I carried her deeper into the woods, away from the others.

The forest around me felt heavier than before. The distant hum of insects and rustling leaves seemed muted, as if the world itself recoiled from what had happened.

I found a spot beneath a thick tree and placed her down. My hands lingered for a second too long before I pulled away.

More footsteps approached. I turned to see Elric, carrying another body wrapped in a blanket. The charred remains of the earth mage.

"Couldn't heal him?" I asked, my voice quieter than I expected.

Elric shook his head. "I could… but why would I? They tried to kill us, right?"

I nodded, understanding. "Sia?"

He sighed. "She'll be fine. She’s got all of us to support her."

"You?"

He let out a dry chuckle. "It’s gruesome, sure. But my family put me through worse. Though… I can never get used to seeing it."

He laid the body beside the girl. For a moment, neither of us moved.

"I'll search her," I said after a pause, uncomfortable but knowing it had to be done. It still felt wrong to rummage through the belongings of the dead, but Elric nodded and did the same with the other body.

We found a couple of orbs, nothing else.

I picked up the girl’s daggers from where they had fallen, one edge still slick with blood. Elric took the magic tool from the earth mage, turning it over in his hands before slipping it into his pouch.

“We’re getting a pretty good armory set up,” I muttered. “I guess we can at least provide our members with some resources.”

“Yeah… I got two hundred points here," Elric commented, checking the orb, holding it out to me.

I glanced at the one I took, ignoring the name and details except for the soldier’s battle rank, high in beginner. "Only a hundred."

I transferred the points into my own orb before tossing the empty ones deep into the forest.

Without another word, we turned back toward camp, walking in silence.

The three girls sat together, voices hushed as they chatted. The two unconscious attackers had been stripped of their belongings, their bodies eerily still in the dim light. I sighed, sinking down next to Thea. Exhaustion weighed on both of us, not just physically, but mentally. Without thinking, we leaned against each other.

"Here." I held the orb out to her. She took all but a hundred, and apparently, she had also collected another three hundred from the two still-breathing ambushers.

"Not a great start," Lyra murmured.

"We could just say we explored the entrance and go back?" I offered.

Sia shook her head. “I think we should go. We can finish the mission. The exploration might help… take our minds off things.”

She hugged herself slightly. A second later, Thea and Lyra each placed a hand on her shoulders, quiet reassurances in the heavy night air.

Thea stood. “Why don’t we head out now? I don’t really want to stay here. It won’t take much longer to reach the cave.”

One by one, we all got to our feet, a collective sigh running through the group.

"Why don’t you guys go ahead?" Elric suggested. "I’m going to see if I can wake them."

No one believed him.

I certainly didn’t.

Still, no one questioned it either.

As the others started moving, packing up the gear and heading off, I stayed behind, watching Elric.

He extended a hand toward me. "You have an extra dagger?"

I hesitated. "I do."

I wasn’t sure I liked where this was going.

Rather than let ourselves partake in what I suspected he was suggesting, I raised my palm toward the unconscious leader’s temple.

A moment later, a thin bolt of energy lanced through him.

No sound. No resistance. No hesitation.

Just a clean, instant kill.

I turned to the remaining mage.

“Peter, wait.”

Elric met my gaze. "You don’t have to do both."

I hesitated again.

Then, ever the genius, Elric simply copied me. He lifted his hand, his expression unreadable, and cast his own Air Lance.

It struck true.

He exhaled and turned away. "Let's go."

We caught up quickly with the girls.

Once we reached them, our pace picked up, and before long, we arrived at the cave.

Or more accurately…a hole.

A perfectly circular hole, carved into the side of the mountain.

I squinted. “This is it?”

Thea nodded. “At least, I think so. This is the cave that appeared.”

I studied the entrance. Something about it felt… off. Too smooth. Too precise.

I exhaled. “Should we wait until morning and—” I glanced at Sia. “Maybe grab some torches?”

The mood had been thick with tension the whole way here, and honestly, I was struggling to lighten it.

“Or…we could spend the rest of the night,” I paused dramatically. Held the pause. Held it even longer as everyone just… stared.

“Peter?” Thea asked slowly, concern creeping into her voice. “Are you—”

“Comforting each other,” I finished, cutting her off.

Thea rolled her eyes. “You’re an idiot.”

Elric, however, was fully on board, already rummaging through one of the packs, pulling out tents and sleeping gear.

“See?” I gestured toward him. “He’s up for it.”

I leaned closer to Thea and whispered, “I could really use a good rest.”

She met my gaze, those storm-colored eyes searching mine before she sighed. “Alright.”

And so, for the second time in one night, we set up camp. The stars gleamed above, the wind rustled through the trees, and insects chirped in the underbrush.

The other three offered to take watch, retreating into their own tent.

I stepped into ours with Thea, sliding into the sleeping bag together and pulling a few extra blankets over us. The warmth was immediate, comforting.

“Are you okay?” she asked softly, worry evident in her voice.

I nodded. “Yeah.”

Her eyes told me she didn’t quite believe me.

I smiled, shifting closer. “Really, I am. With you here. With them, too.”

A slow breath left me, tension unwinding, replaced by something calmer. Safer.

“I’ll help next time,” Thea murmured, her voice quiet. “With… you know.”

I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her closer. “I don’t know much about the war here, but… the future’s going to be hard, isn’t it?”

She shifted slightly, adjusting beneath me, then carefully pulled one of my arms out from under her, maybe having been uncomfortable. But she left the other where it was, her fingers lightly resting over it.

“Honestly… I don’t know much,” she admitted. “My parents never talked about it. They taught me how to fight properly, told me about this place, and that there was war, but…”

“No details?” I asked cautiously.

She shook her head. “If I ever asked, they’d just tell me not to think about it.”

Maybe they had wanted to spare her from the weight of it for as long as possible. Or maybe there was something else. Something they didn’t want her to know. I didn’t know them. I couldn’t say for sure.

But I did know that whatever came next… we’d face it together.

“Good night, Thea.”

“Good night.”