It wasn't long before Damien arrived with a cake.

I raised my eyes upon seeing the confectionary on the Deathwalker's hands, "What is that for?"

The brown-eyed young man shrugged, "Don't look at me. It was Felix's idea."

I turned to Felix who wore a sheepish smile.

"Well, surviving seven battles and becoming a full-fledged Deathwalker seemed like a good reason for a celebration," he admitted.

Damien scoffed, "You just wanted an excuse to eat cake, Felix."

Felix looked offended, "Now why would I do that?"

I chuckled, "Sounds definitely like you."

"Not you too, Mordred!"

*******

The three of us had a good time.

As conversation flowed, the cake and fruits disappeared, mostly devoured by me.

After all, I was famished!

Time passed as we talked, joked, and even played cards that Felix had brought.

After a long time, Felix stood up from his chair, "My! That was so fun!."

He gave an awkward smile, "I believe it's time for me to leave."

I noticed his troubled expression cleverly hidden beneath his smile and frowned, "You have a battle scheduled?"

He was slightly surprised by my question but shook his head, "Nah. I'm going hunting with a few buddies of mine."

I felt a sense of unease when he mentioned a hunt. Surely it can't be...

"What are you hunting?", I inquired.

"A Glacial Hornbear," Felix replied without a pause, "They are quite common in Les Anciennes and are powerful ardimals, with the strongest one being master B rank."

"They are apex predators that are quite aggressive and are known to attack on sight."

"So we hunt them down to keep the population in check. You don't want to tango with a Pookie Bear,", he explained.

"A what?", I blinked, wondering if I heard wrong.

"A Pookie Bear," Damien chimed in with a straight face as he got up as well, "That's the nickname we use to call them. Despite their aggressive nature, they look very cute and huggable."

He shrugged, "Hug one of those, and it's likely your last embrace on Asteris. One moment, you're thinking cuddly, next thing you know, you're a fine meal for a very hungry Pookie Bear."

"I see that Deathwalkers are rather creative with their names," I remarked.

"Yes, we are!", Felix exclaimed proudly. His troubled expression from earlier seemed to have faded, replaced by a proud smile.

I couldn't help but chuckle. This guy is such a mood!

But I sensed there was more beneath the surface.

There was no way Felix was genuinely troubled by an aggressive bear with a cute nickname.

Damien seemed to know something too, the way he swiftly redirected the conversation to Pookie Bears.

"Very well. All the best in your hunt. Just be safe," I told Felix.

I believe in him. No matter what happens, he will find a way.

He grinned, "I'll be fine, Mordred. Besides, the meat of a Pookie Bear is a delicacy. You'll love it!"

"I'll look forward to it," I replied as he turned around and opened the door to leave.

"Oh yeah! Congrats Mordred. I knew you could do it!", He glanced back with a smile before closing the door.

I smiled back, "See you soon, Felix."

Felix waved at me as he walked away. I saw Damien looking at the retreating Deathwalker with concern.

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"Why do you look so worried?", I asked.

Damien shrugged, "I've never seen him look that troubled before. It's strange. He is a master at hunting Pookie Bears."

"Please, Damien. Don't say Pookie Bears with that expression. I can't help but laugh," I said, stifling a laugh.

Damien grinned, "Heh. It is a funny name."

"Anyway. I'll be off. You need to take more rest," he packed the rest of the cake in a box, waved goodbye, and stepped outside my room.

I waved back and he closed the door, leaving me alone with an empty fruit basket and an uneasy feeling that refused to go away.

I sighed and crashed back into my bed, thinking about everything that happened so far.

I couldn't help but smile. I survived seven consecutive battles against the daemons. It was a grueling and painful journey but I did it.

Speaking of seven battles, Felix promised me that he would tell me his past if I survived seven battles.

I forgot to ask him!

I gritted my teeth and smacked my forehead.

Oh Incarni! I forgot! And I was curious as hell!

I lay there pouting for a few minutes before letting out a sigh.

"I guess I'll ask him when he returns," I murmured and drifted off to sleep.

But the feeling of unease didn't fade away.

*******

I had a good sleep.

No nightmares for the first time since stepping foot into the Shield.

It felt odd.

I gently opened my eyes and sat up.

I rubbed the sleep off my eyes and looked out the window.

It was nighttime outside and the perpetual snowfall gently touched the glass.

I stretched on my bed and glanced at my bracelet to know the time.

"Whoa. Now that was long slumber," I remarked. I slept for two days straight and that too without any nightmares.

What kind of weird fortune is that?

But I'm thankful for the extra snooze time. I feel well rested and my body is now fully healed.

"Felix must be done with his hunt by now," I said and proceeded to get dressed.

I donned my mended and good-as-new uniform and admired myself in the mirror for five minutes.

Damn. This body is such a fine specimen of beauty.

As I did some fashionable poses in front of the mirror, I heard the door open behind me.

"Hey, Felix! I was out for two days. How did the hunt go?", I asked before turning around and froze.

Felix wasn't the one who opened the door.

The uneasiness from two days ago rushed back as Damien loomed in the doorway, his usual casual demeanor replaced by a grim and somber expression that erased any hint of his usual aloofness.

"Damien," I greeted him.

"Where's Felix? Don't tell me he got caught by the cuteness of a Pookie Bear and is now in a general ward," I chuckled nervously

Damien didn't respond with his usual humor and looked at me with a heavy gaze

"Are you able to walk?", he asked without his usual wit.

I didn't know what to say and just nodded.

"Very well then," he said and turned around, "Follow me."

*******

Cold.

That was my first thought mind when I entered the room.

It was bare, white walls with bright light panels embedded in the pristine white ceiling.

A sterile smell wafted into my nose and made my skin crawl. The walk from my room to this place was...

Dreadful.

I could only remember seeing Damien's back as we walked the corridors of Althea, everything just faded into the background as my uneasiness grew with each step.

The only feature in this white room was a long table.

And on the table was...

"No. It can't be," I staggered over to the table and lifted the sheet.

His cyan hair was perfectly combed and he wore a brand new Deathwalker uniform.

His eyes were closed and there was a perpetual calm on his face, as if he was asleep with a pleasant dream.

"What happened?", the question quivered on my lips as I gazed at the face of Felix Valion, frozen in the absolute stillness of death.

I turned my gaze to Damien who looked back at me with eyes devoid of any light.

"Felix wasn't hunting a Glacial Hornbear. He was hunting Asphodel."

His words pierced me like an ice-cold dagger to the heart.

"Asphodel?", my mind reeled from the memories of my harrowing encounter

"You mean he was part of the Commander's hunting party?"

Damien gave a grim nod, "Felix was one of the best trackers in the Shield. With his stigma, he was able to have a different and better vantage point. So the Commander chose him for the hunting party."

"It took an entire day of searching but he finally found the Abnormal."

"And Asphodel got him," I interrupted. My hands shook and tears welled up in my eyes.

What was Kay even thinking? Felix was a B-ranker. Why choose him to hunt down an S-ranked abomination of a monster?

"Felix wasn't supposed to be hit," Damien's voice interrupted my thoughts.

"What?", I stared at him.

"One of the Spikers lost his footing, faltering at the worst possible moment while facing Asphodel. The Abnormal took its chance and went for the kill."

Damien looked away, his entire body trembled and his voice cracked when he spoke the next words.

"Felix pushed him out of harm's way, taking the fatal blow."

"But due to his sacrifice, the Commander was able to drive Asphodel back into the Tear."

"The commander himself rushed Felix to a healer and they did everything they could. But it was too late."

The icy dagger twisted deeper into my heart with every word that came out of his mouth.

My breath turned shallow and rapid.

With my body trembling all over, I turned around and clenched my fists.

"Why?" My voice cracked as I clutched Felix's lifeless form. "Why did you risk it?"

Silence echoed, and the void within me grew more profound.

"WHY?", I grabbed the body by the collar and screamed, grief turned into rage and tears spilled out of my eyes.

"WHY DID YOU DO THAT? YOU IDIOT!", Felix's head lolled side to side as I shook the cold corpse of the first friend I ever had in this world.

"ANSWER ME FELIX! WHY? YOU SAID YOU'LL BE SAFE! WHY DID YOU LIE?"

"YOU PROMISED TO TELL ME YOUR PAST! WE HAD A DEAL, YOU BASTARD!"

"HOW COULD YOU DIE! YOU'RE ONE OF THE STRONGEST GUYS HERE! HOW COULD YOU LEAVE ME?!"

"WHAT ABOUT JASPER? WHAT ABOUT YOUR LIFE?!"

"ANSWER ME, FELIX!"

My screams echoed all over the room and into the corridor as raw grief and anger cascaded out of me like a raging flood of sorrow.

Damien intervened, wrestling to pull me away.

"Stop, Mordred! Let him go!"

But my grip was like iron.

I turned to his anguished face and saw the reflection of my crazed and grief-stricken self in his hollow eyes.

"Damien! How could he?!", my voice cracked when I spoke to him.

The Deathwalker gritted his teeth and held my arm in an iron grip.

"Let him GO!", Damien yanked my hands off the collar and the force threw me into the wall with a resounding thud.

I sank to the floor into a broken heap, my tears falling like the heavy snowfall that fell on the cold peak of the Tomb.