“What about Cara? Miry, where is she?!”

Miry’s expression tells me she only has bad news. I can only hold my breath and wait for her answer.

“I couldn’t see more…”

“Where was the last place you saw her?!”

“I unlocked all your memories except how monsters are born. But now you can remember everything by yourself. I don’t know where that place is, and you won’t know where it is if you don’t remember it. Relax and try to remember. If you can’t after two days, then I’ll help you.”

Oh. Thank Goddess, it was just that. For a moment, I feared Cara was dead.

When I look around, the Overseer is nowhere to be seen. I guess he’s too excited to know how monsters are born.

What did he say? That animals become monsters when they’re in a place with suffering? Like the orphanage? If that’s the case, no wonder there was a lot when we tried to escape that place.

Miry went to talk with Oliver while the guards took me out of the cage. They are putting on the chains when we hear a thundering sound. We stare at each other for a moment. Then we hear a roar.

Oliver is the first to react and leaves the room with some guards that just arrived. I walk away from the guards to stand next to Miry and protect her.

I don’t need to be a genius to know that monsters are attacking. Is it ‘cause we discovered how they’re born?

The guards try to chain me, but Miry tells them it’s unnecessary. We stare towards the door and prepare to fight for our lives.

“Open the door!”

One guard goes to open the door for the Overseer. He enters the room carrying a metal bar with a circle with magic symbols at the end.

“What is she doing there? Put her in the cage!”

I don’t want to, but I have no choice. I walk towards them, but the moment I separate from Miry, the Overseer presses the circle against her.

“Ahhh!!!”

“What are you doing to her?!”

I evade the guards and rush towards him, but the guards tackle me. I see Miry writhing in pain, with foam coming out of her mouth. I fight back until I can stand, but Miry falls towards the ground, lifeless.

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“What did you do?!!!”

“I sent all her visions to my superiors at the royal palace. The monsters won’t stop us this time.”

The Overseer takes out his sword and points it at me.

“I don’t know what value you hold for the monsters, but I won’t let them rescue you. Kill her.”

I quickly step away from the guards and the Overseer. I have nothing to defend myself with. But I won’t die here. I focus my everything on the fight.

The two guards come with their spears pointed at me at an angle. If I try to evade between them, they can easily change the spear’s trajectory and kill me. I wait for them and step back when they thrust. I use my arm to deflect one spear and run towards the guard while holding the spear.

The Overseer comes at me with the sword ready to strike. I release the spear and prepare to punch the guard, but he drops the spear and takes out a knife. I crouch to the ground and have the other guard’s spear graze my hair. The Overseer does a downward slash at me. I roll to the side, but before I can stand, the guard with the knife throws himself at me.

I use all my strength to block the knife and move it to the side. I headbutt the guard and use him as a shield to protect from the Overseer’s attack.

I flip backward and stand up, but the other guard stabs me with the spear. It’s a painful attack under my right armpit, but I can still fight!

“What’s wrong with you?! Why do you insist on killing?! If you can kill without remorse, then you are a monster too!”

“You should accept your death! It is to protect everyone. Why can’t you sacrifice yourself?”

I turn around with a high kick to grab the spear with my leg. I endure the pain from ripping the muscles in my back and armpit and grab the head of the spear between my arm and torso. With my strength and speed, and with the help of the guard holding it tight, I break it.

The other guard takes the other spear from the ground, while the one I just faced takes out a knife. The Overseer takes out a bottle and drops it to the ground.

What’s that? What?!

The liquid from the bottle evaporates and ignites. Many small flames fly everywhere in the room and grow once they touch the floor.

“We only need to hold long enough for you to die.”

I knew he was crazy, but I didn’t think he would sacrifice himself.

The other guards become afraid and gaze at the Overseer with resentment. I boost my confidence to convince them to stop attacking me.

“You don’t need to die here. I’m not a threat. Please stop and help me get out!”

The Overseer stares at them. His distraction helps me rush to the other side of the room. Although against logic, I needed to be as far from the wall with the door as possible. The Overseer also rushes towards me.

The hesitation from the guards gives time to the flames to rise between them and us.

“This isn’t personal, Uzziye. Give up so you won’t suffer.”

“Now I have a reason to live. I won’t die no matter what.”

I use the spear to the best of my abilities to keep him at bay. It’s only thanks to my footwork that I can handle him. If I had my saber, this would be much easier.

I do one last thrust, intending to stab him but avoiding the organs. He just smiles and takes it head-on. He grabs the spear to approach me, but I let go of it and step back. He cuts part of my chest.

He’s giving it his all!

I’m worried about my life. The fire makes me lose focus. I barely keep fighting. But the Overseer has already given up his life and is ready to die.