He had done it!

Three minutes and fifty-five seconds. It was all it took for Asra's monstrous dinner to be reduced into a heap of bones. The Lycan Squad clapped and howled at the impressive feat of their Human colleague.

Asra triumphally raised his fists in the air. "Justice's teeth can tear through the flesh and bones of evil!"

Stella facepalmed in disappointment. What a wasted opportunity for some dirty joke about all that meat in his mouth...

She sighed. "I miss Lien already... She would've loved this..."

It was a losing battle. With each interaction, Lien kept touching her or tackling her to the ground. She was so clingy, and Stella absolutely loved this about her.

However, she knew the pup had no second intentions towards her. Or that was what the Human girl assumed. If only that old coot would teach her how to read minds...

...

A yawn involuntarily escaped her lips. That was her cue to leave. Organizing the party was exhausting, even with the extra paws involved.

"Have fun, you guys." She stood up, stepping towards the door. "I'm gonna enjoy the end of my vacation snoring like a baby."

Her hand was inches from the doorknob before Asra's voice made it slightly recoil. "Stella! What about your cake slice?!"

"Keep it for tomorrow!" She turned to him, flashing a thumbs-up before turning the knob. "See ya tomorrow, coach!" Then she stepped out before hearing anyone else.

Huh. Pantsti was awfully empty this hour, except for the night shift guards and a few owl-looking Monoke. How late was it now? Looking at the watch, it was past the 24th hour. 12 pm, in more familiar terms.

Walking past the empty sand streets was an unsettling experience. Stella was so used to the daily chaos and overcrowding that now it was as if reality had been fully turned on its head. A narrow lane, which had about ten Monoke going about their business at least, was quiet and barren.

The worst part was that when she focused on it for too long, her mind stepped into the possibility that maybe, just maybe, she wasn't truly alone, that something or someone was looking right at her, but her eyes failed to glimpse them.

A chill coursed through her very being. Her heartbeat's pace started to match her steps, paranoically yearning to reach her cozy residence at once.

She slowed down every time a guard passed by, not because she felt safe but because she felt the need to maintain her pride and not let herself show fear over such a mundane thing.

Once the guards were far away, the fear crept back to the back of her mind like a vicious parasite. The longer she looked at it, the narrow streets of Pantsi reminded her of her old home. At night, no soul dared to put a foot out of home except the ones who used the time to carry on their "legally questionable" business. This begged the question: How would this leave someone who didn't have a roof above their head?

Those wannabe kingpins were awfully paranoid about someone accidentally eavesdropping on their dealings and deciding to snitch. The little orphans were no exceptions, as they would do anything for shelter and food in their bellies.

Stella was one of the lucky ones, smart enough to stay clear of the usual meeting places of those degenerates. However, it didn't surprise her when people started to talk about a little kid's brains plastered all over an alley wall.

They always expressed pity for the waste of life for someone so young. Hypocrites. None of those fools ever did anything for those so-called "tragic victims." No clothes, no food, no money to spare. And it was even worse in the wealthier neighborhoods. There, they treated her kin like cockroaches, no better than a mangy dog that made them uncomfortable by seeing someone beneath them.

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

Walking through such oppressive emptiness... It was like she was back in her previous life. It was merely a week since she fled the city, so the memories were still fresh. The overwhelming sense of danger, knowing your life could be over by an unlucky day...

No! She was safe here! There were no drug lords around here to fuel her every step with uneasiness and distrust!

...But that wasn't the whole truth. Stella knew that. She still suffered with a sharp tingle in her gut every time the memory flashed before her eyes. The girl had to face the facts. She was no safer here than in Namadi.

In fact, she could argue she was at more risk of danger in Sayama. Any day, she could-

...

Something touched her shoulder.

"Ste-"

Her eyes bulged with desperation, turning into the unknown with fists blazing with the primal desire to survive. As she mindlessly struck whatever dared to take her life, her despair was expressed through her ear-piercing shrieks.

"LEAVE ME ALONE! YOU WON'T KILL ME! I WON'T LET YOU!!!"

Suddenly, her knuckles were bound by an iron grip. She wailed and growled like a wild animal. Whatever shred of rationality she had was long gone.

"STELLA!" When her ears processed their voice again, her muscles relaxed. "It's me! The Knight!"

Each second, the mental fog cleared. The girl saw her mentor, fully clad with his signature helmet. The only difference was that the visor was turned off, reduced to a black screen that reflected her crazed, bestial expression back at her.

Her fear, confusion, and shame came crashing down at her at once. She fell to her knees, unable to contain the stream falling down her face. The tears splashed on the white sand, forming darker spots around her shaking hands.

"I-I'm sorry..." She sobbed, gasping for air every two seconds. "I thought it was someone else and-"

Her body froze as the Knight bent one knee and wrapped his arms around her. "Shhh... It's okay. I'm not hurt at all, see?" He whispered. "Even if you did, I'd deserve it for sneaking up on you like that."

Even with those words, her guilt and tears persisted. Her arms coiled around the hero's back, desperate for... comfort? Safety? Repentance? All of the above? She wasn't sure anymore, only that this embrace felt good.

"If you're scared or want a shoulder to cry on, know you can always count on me. I don't know what is passing in your head, and I don't need to if you don't want to share." He slightly tightened his hold. The warmth of his embrace was overwhelming, yet she couldn't bring herself to pull away from him. "Your burdens are mine to carry if you wish to share the weight."

Stella didn't say anything, nor did she want to. For as much as she liked to project herself as the toughest kid around, she was nothing more than a frightened baby at the moment.

After a few more minutes of silence, he asked. "Do you want me to carry you, or should we wait a little more?"

Finally, the girl weakly uttered a few words. "Promise to not tell anyone?"

He chuckled. "My lips are sealed." Carefully standing up, the Knight wrapped one arm over her back and the other right under her bottom. She really was being treated like a baby.

"We're close to the hut, so your embarrassment will be short. We can talk until then if you want."

Stella didn't respond.

Asra started taking steps. "I've never thanked you for arranging a whole party for me. But why would you do that? You should've taken all that free time to relax and make new friends."

Stella smiled. "I don't know. I just felt like doing that. Didn't seem fair doing nothing while you go out of your way tutoring me the whole day."

He chuckled. "Ah. I now know how you felt when we discussed our nightly tutorage." He sighed. "But thank you, Stella. I'll never forget what you've done."

She blushed. "You're welcome, dude."

Arriving at their hut, Stella finally broke out of the Knight's embrace, quietly retreating to her sleeping bag.

Asra took off his helmet. "Want a goodnight kiss?" He mockingly blew a kiss at her.

"Screw you." The girl frowned, then turned around to face the wall.

The man chuckled. "Sorry! I was waiting for the chance to get back at you for teasing me so often!" He cleared his throat. "Not the time, I get it. I apologize."

Stella heard her roommate following her lead and curling in his bag. By now, she should have closed her eyes and given herself up to the sweet embrace of sleep. However, she was so restless that her eyelids couldn't unite for longer than a blink. Her mind became a boiling pot of shame, fear, and anxiety.

"Knight?"

"Hm?"

"If you tell anyone what happened tonight, I'll kill you."

"Fair enough."

...

......

"Do you want to hear the story of a Lamia oil salesman I arrested?"

Stella scoffed. "Lame."

"The oil comes out from their ding-dong..."

She immediately turned back to lock eyes on him. "You're fucking with me."

He shook his head. "And it gets so much worse..."

Her eyes brightened with curiosity. "Tell. Me. Everything."