"She must be killed!"
Eli's words struck me like a hammer. My body trembled as the sound echoed in my ears.
'She didn't mean that. She just said it wrong…'
I tried to convince myself I had misheard. The thought of Eli wanting to kill the girl filled me with dread.
My voice shook as I called out after her.
"Y-you didn't mean that, right? You just misspoke…"
But Eli didn't even glance at me.
Her gaze never left the girl as she stood in her battle stance, her voice steady and cold.
"This isn't a mistake. She has to die."
Shock rippled across my face. I turned slowly toward the girl. Tears welled in her eyes as she stretched a skeletal hand out toward me.
In a trembling, fear-filled voice, she whispered my name.
"Ra-yan…"
Seeing her like that tore something inside me apart. I knew she wasn't human, but something in me couldn't look away. My heart ached for her. Almost without realizing it, I took a step toward her.
But Eli moved instantly, holding an arm out to block me without breaking her stance.
"Don't go near her!"
Frustration flared inside me.
"She needs help! There has to be a way to save her, right? Magic can do anything, can't it?"
I clung to that desperate thought, searching for any chance to protect the girl.
Eli's answer came sharp and cold.
"I'll end this quickly. Do yourself a favor—don't watch." She lunged toward the girl.
"Wait!" I cried, reaching out.
But I was too slow.
The last thing I heard was the small, broken voice of the girl calling my name.
"Ray-an!"
The black of night gave way to pale blue as dawn crept over the horizon. Stars vanished one by one, swallowed by the morning light.
A new day had begun.
Eli and I sat in silence by the dying fire. She hugged her knees tightly to her chest, forehead pressed against them, unmoving since she had finished the grim task of stilling the girl's body and burying her remains.
From where I sat, I could see the tremors running through her muscles from sitting so long in that position. I could feel it—there had to be a reason she acted as she did. And yet, no matter how much I tried to reason it out, my heart still ached for the girl.
I tilted my head back, watching the sky brighten, then pushed myself up and walked over to Eli. She didn't move when I sat beside her. Clearing my throat awkwardly, I said,
"Th-the sun will rise soon. We… we should get going."
It was the only thing I could think to say.
'What am I even saying…?' I rubbed my forehead in frustration.
Still resting her head on her knees, Eli spoke in a voice trembling with exhaustion and sorrow.
"They call ones like her the walking dead. When a person dies and their body is raised by cursed necromancy, this is what they become. No longer human, not truly dead… trapped in between. They wander endlessly until the energy in their cores burns out. Aimless. Hopeless. Alone."
Her words sank into me like lead. I finally understood the weight behind her choice. She hadn't wanted to kill—the burden had been forced upon her. My heart ached for her, but at the same time… my respect deepened.
For a long moment, Eli was silent. Then she lifted her head. Streaks of dried tears traced down her face, evidence of how many had fallen. She looked at me with eyes heavy with grief.
"I knew that girl. Her name was Elza. She was the daughter of Yolsbut's governor."
'So that's why she wanted to free her quickly—from the pain, from that cursed half-existence.'
"When I was sent on a covert mission, I stayed at their home for a time. That's when we became friends. She… told me she wanted to become a warrior, like me. But…" Eli lowered her head again. "She never got the chance."
I sat there, listening, unable to find the right words. It was as though every phrase I could think of had been stolen from me. But I knew I had to say something.
Then, from my memories, a thought came back. When my parents argued, my younger brother and sister would come running to me, tears in their eyes, trembling, begging for comfort. I would always hug them tightly and whisper:
"Everything will be alright. Don't be afraid. I'll protect you."
That memory lit something inside me. I looked at Eli.
'I can't hug her… We hardly know each other. But I can at least tell her something.' I cleared my throat.
"Eli."
She lifted her head, her expression faintly surprised.
"To be honest," I began, "I can't even imagine how hard this is for you. I can only guess at what you're feeling. But I do know one thing—you're not to blame. You didn't wish Elza harm. You freed her from her suffering. Only the strong could make such a choice. And now… there's one more good thing you can still do for her."
Her eyes locked on mine.
"You can deliver the news to her family. That would be the last, best thing you could do for Elza."
For a moment she just stared at me. Then she wiped the tears from her cheeks and asked softly,
"You really think so?"
I nodded.
"Yes. Right now, it's the only thing you can do."
Those words seemed to anchor her. Eli drew a deep breath, her tears subsiding. Her posture straightened, her eyes clear with renewed purpose. She stood tall and turned to me, her voice firm.
"Thank you… for giving me strength. It's time we move."
With that, we gathered what little we had and set out toward Yolsbut. It felt almost like a journey of discovery—traveling through untamed wilderness.
What shocked us most was that in an entire week of walking, we didn't encounter a single creature. Not one. The absence was eerie, filling our hearts with a strange kind of fear. Still, we pressed on.
During the journey, I learned much from Eli—about the system, about how the world was structured. But one revelation shook me most of all: Eli was born into nobility.
We were deep in the forest when she said it.
"What did you just say?!" I blurted out, unable to hold back.
She answered calmly, as if it were nothing.
"The Goldwyn family is one of the empire's great duchies."
Cold sweat prickled my skin.
'I was about to comfort her, to hold her. Thank the gods I didn't. If I had, I wouldn't be alive right now…'
Eli stopped, glancing at the horizon. The sun hovered just above the earth.
"It'll be dark soon. We'll stay here for the night. By morning, we'll be at the city gates."
We rested there until dawn, and as she'd said, we arrived at Yolsbut's gates the next morning.
'So this is Yolsbut…' I stood in awe before the towering fortress.
The city was surrounded by massive walls, soldiers patrolling the battlements. At the main gate, a colossal iron door barred the way.
I turned to Eli.
"What now?"
She stared at the gate for a moment before answering.
"They'll open it soon."
Just as she said, the gate rumbled upward, followed by the lifting of the inner portcullis. But then—something unexpected.
A squad of soldiers surged out, spears leveled at me. In an instant, I was surrounded.
"What's happening? Why are you—" A sudden blow slammed into the back of my head, cutting off my words. Darkness swallowed me whole.