The red-cloaked girl stood surrounded on all sides.
From the front, Rumi lunged with her broadsword, its radiant edge gleaming with violet light.
From behind, Melissa gripped the chain that bound their foe and swung her sickle in a sharp, cutting arc.
To the left, Zoey charged forward, her twin Shin-kai slicing through the air in perfect unison.
To the right, Mira's Gok-do came sweeping toward the girl's neck, the strike tracing a glowing arc through the darkness.
Beneath them, the Honmoon shimmered like living water, a luminous blue expanse that rippled and flowed as if breathing.
Then, without warning, a voice spoke, not through sound, but as a soft, resonant pressure in their hearts.
Rumi froze. She didn't understand why, but dread crawled up her spine. Something was wrong. Terribly wrong.
"I understand it now."
The girl's calm words echoed in the silence as she stomped her left foot into the ground.
A piercing screech, like a piano dragged to a halt, tore through the air, and the Honmoon flared a bright red.
Her foot twisted. In one seamless motion, she spun backward, her right leg hooking the chain that bound her.
The sudden pull sent Melissa off balance, and before she could react, she was yanked forward.
Everything unfolded in a blur. Melissa slammed into Zoey, folding the shorter girl with a gasp as both were dragged along by the chain.
Rumi barely had time to raise her weapon before they crashed into her side, the impact stealing her breath.
Mira turned just as the tangle of bodies barreled toward her, only to be caught up in the collision herself.
The four hunters hit the ground in a chaotic heap, the crimson glow of the Honmoon washing over them like a pulse of living fire.
Rumi groaned as she pushed herself up from the heap, her sword clattering beside her. Her lungs burned, her pulse pounding in her ears. The glow of the Honmoon pressed against her like heat, suffocating and heavy.
Her burst of strength had already vanished, leaving only the weight of exhaustion pressing down on her limbs. The broadsword in Rumi's hand had reverted to its normal, slimmer form, its once-radiant glow now barely flickering.
Beside her, Mira dragged herself upright, using her Gok-do as a crutch to keep her balance. Sweat clung to her face, and her breathing came in ragged bursts. "This is so hard," she muttered, voice hoarse but defiant.
Melissa was the next to rise. Though her body trembled, she looked steadier than the others. Her sharp eyes scanned the area until they landed on Zoey. "Zoey… she's out cold."
Both Rumi and Mira turned sharply. Zoey lay sprawled across the cracked ground, her chest rising and falling faintly. The shimmering light from the Honmoon reflected weakly off her pale skin. She looked peaceful, too peaceful for the chaos surrounding them.
"Damn," Mira whispered as she knelt beside her, gently lifting the shorter girl's head and pressing it against her chest. "Any other bright ideas? Pun not intended." She gave a dry, humorless laugh. "The last one hurt."
Rumi groaned as she steadied herself, pain rippling through her body. Her gaze drifted forward, to the red-cloaked girl now standing at the heart of the Honmoon's glow.
The barrier that had once shimmered a serene blue was now alive with violent red light. The cloaked girl's entire body pulsed in sync with it, streaked by tiny motes of white that spiraled around her like drifting embers.
"What… has she done to the Honmoon?" Rumi whispered, her voice trembling as her eyes traced the corrupted threads beneath her feet.
The sight twisted something deep inside her. For over eight years, she had fought within that sacred light, its calm, blue radiance a symbol of hope and unity. But now… it felt cold, foreign, and cruel.
"It feels… so alien," she breathed, forcing herself to stand even as her arms trembled like jelly.
Melissa glanced between them, Rumi standing in stunned disbelief, Mira clutching Zoey's limp form, and then back at the red-cloaked girl ahead.
The girl hadn't moved an inch. She simply stood there in the shifting crimson glow... Menacingly.
Melissa rolled her chain back in with slow, deliberate movements until the weapon rested once more in its compact knife form. The metallic links rattled softly as she exhaled, stepping forward until she stood between the three wounded Hunters and the red-cloaked girl.
The air was thick, humming faintly with the lingering distortion of the crimson Honmoon. Still, Melissa didn't hesitate. She let the chain knife slip from her grip, spinning it until it blurred into a shimmering coil of steel and light.
Then, with a sharp flick of her wrist, she hurled it straight at the red-cloaked girl.
She braced herself, expecting an instant counterattack, a flash of red, a scythe, or worse. She was ready to take the hit if it meant buying Rumi and the others even a few seconds to escape.
Smack!
The knife struck the girl square in the face.
For a heartbeat, everyone froze. The red-cloaked girl staggered backward, one hand shooting up to her mask. The eerie red glow surrounding her flickered violently, dimmed, and then burst apart like a shattered bubble.
At once, the Honmoon trembled beneath their feet. Its oppressive red hue bled away, replaced by its familiar luminous blue radiance, calm, ethereal, and breathtakingly serene once again.
"What?" Rumi gasped, disbelief breaking through her fatigue. 'How did that work?'
The red-cloaked girl stumbled a few more steps before stopping. Cracks spread across her mask with a brittle clack, clack, until it finally split cleanly in two and fell to the ground.
She lifted a hand to her head, her voice low and hazy. "Not quite there yet."
Rumi's breath caught. For the first time, she saw the girl's face clearly. She looked… striking. Sharp features framed by dark hair streaked with crimson at the ends, and silver eyes that glimmered like moonlight.
There was something unsettling about her calm expression, but also something undeniably human.
When the girl straightened, steadying herself, Rumi realized she'd been staring too long.
"Rumi."
Melissa's voice pulled her back. Rumi blinked and saw her friend still standing firmly between them and the dark-haired girl, her posture tense but resolute.
Melissa tightened her grip on her weapons, the chain knife in one hand, the sickle in the other. "Please," she said, not taking her eyes off the enemy, "take Zoey and get out of here."
Behind Rumi, Mira opened her mouth to protest, but Melissa spoke over her. "And Mira…" she added, her tone gentler, though no less firm. "Do as I say this time, please? The three of you are the only ones who can stop this. I don't fully understand what's happening, though I think I'm starting to. But I believe in you."
She stepped forward, the faint blue glow of the restored Honmoon reflecting in her eyes.
"Now go," she said quietly. "I'll make sure she doesn't come after you for a while."
The red-cloaked girl didn't move. She simply stood there, mask shattered, content to watching them with unreadable eyes.
Rumi hesitated. Every instinct screamed at her to stay, to fight beside Melissa until the end, but something in Melissa's tone, that quiet conviction beneath the exhaustion, froze her in place.
"…Don't die," Rumi said at last, her voice barely above a whisper.
Melissa gave a faint, lopsided grin. "No promises."
Mira didn't argue this time. She shifted Zoey onto her back, tightening the straps of the unconscious girl's harness. "You owe me for this," she muttered, forcing a shaky smile. "All of you."
Rumi turned her gaze to the crimson-haired stranger. The girl's silver eyes met hers, calm, assessing, almost curious, and Rumi felt her stomach twist.
Rumi took a slow step back, then another, her sword lowering to her side. The Honmoon's cool blue glow pulsed softly beneath her boots, urging her onward. "Come on," she said to Mira, her voice hoarse.
Melissa didn't look back as they retreated. Her focus remained locked on the red-cloaked girl. The tension between them was unbearable, a wire drawn tight enough to hum.
For a long moment, neither moved. The Honmoon's light swayed gently between them, blue rippling against the scarlet traces still clinging to the girl's cloak.
"You're not gonna go after them, are you?" Melissa asked, though it didn't sound like a question. Her tone carried the quiet certainty of someone who already knew the answer.
The dark-haired girl smiled faintly, her silver eyes glimmering beneath the dying red glow. "It was always you."
Melissa's fingers curled into a trembling fist. Those words sank in slowly, heavy as stone. "Me, huh? So it's my fault… all those deaths."
She lifted her gaze toward the night sky. The moon was no longer at its zenith, it hung low now, pale and weary, its light barely touching the edges of the battlefield. Just how long had they been fighting?
"What you did," Melissa said after a pause, her voice low but steady. "To the Honmoon. It felt… wrong. Why?"
The girl tilted her head, her expression unreadable. "I doubt even your friends understand what the Honmoon has become," she said calmly. "I suppose I'm not one to talk, am I? It completely overwhelmed my Aura. Something that vast, in the hands of three simple souls."
"Those girls are more than you could ever be!" Melissa snapped, her voice cutting through the silence.
Her chain flew forward in the same instant, slicing through the air with a sharp crack.
But the girl moved effortlessly, a sidestep so smooth, so precise, it was almost mocking.
Then, with a small click, her scythe shifted. Plates of metal folded inward, rearranging in a blur of motion. Melissa's eyes narrowed, tracking every change, preparing herself for a counterstrike...
Bang!
The sound split the night like thunder.
Melissa staggered, her breath catching. For a heartbeat, she didn't understand what had happened, only the sudden pressure in her chest and the warmth spilling beneath her ribs.
Her gaze dropped. The red-haired girl's weapon was no longer a scythe, but a gun, its short barrel still smoking.
Melissa looked down at herself. A small, perfect hole marked where her heart should have been.
Her knees gave out, and she sank to the ground with a soft thud. Blood trickled from the corner of her lips, warm and metallic.
---
When Rumi heard the sound of thunder behind them, she knew, instinctively, it was over.
That single, deafening crack still echoed in her chest long after the sound faded. The air itself felt heavier. Cold and final.
They had lost.
Ahead of her, Mira was running, Zoey slung carefully over her back, the unconscious girl's arms dangling limply at her sides. "Rumi!" Mira shouted, her voice breaking through the ringing in Rumi's ears. "It's the helicarrier! Celine and Zerida, they're okay!"
Rumi blinked, snapping back to focus. Through the haze of smoke and the faint shimmer of the Honmoon's fading barrier, she spotted it, a familiar silhouette cutting across the sky.
The helicarrier descended in a staggered glide, one of its engines coughing smoke, metal panels scorched and bent from battle. It was a miracle the thing was still flying at all.
The hangar door hissed open before the craft even touched down, and a figure came sprinting out.
"Rumi!"
Celine ran toward them as soon as the helicarrier's ramp touched the ground, her boots hitting the dirt hard. "Rumi! Mira! Zoey!" she cried, relief flooding her face as she caught sight of them. "You're all..."
She stopped mid-sentence when she saw their state. Rumi's jacket was torn and smeared with soot. Mira's sleeve was torn, blood running down her forearm. Zoey hung limp over her back, barely conscious.
"Gods…" Celine breathed, rushing to steady Mira. "What happened? You look like you went through hell."
Rumi opened her mouth to answer, but the sound that came out was weak, almost hollow. "We… we made it out."
Celine nodded quickly, ushering them toward the ramp. "Alright, let's get you aboard first. We'll patch you up and..."
"Melissa."
The word slipped from Rumi's mouth before she realized she'd said it.
Celine froze. "What?"
Rumi's eyes drifted past her, unfocused. "She… she stayed behind."
For a heartbeat, Celine didn't react. Her hand, still gripping Mira's shoulder, tightened. "Stayed behind?" she repeated, as if trying to make sense of the words. "Why would she..."
"She told us to go," Mira said, voice hoarse. "She said she'd hold off the red-cloaked girl."
Zoey stirred slightly, murmuring something incoherent before slipping back into unconsciousness.
Celine glanced down at her, panic flashing across her features. "She needs a medic now," she said, motioning for Zerida, who had appeared at the ramp. "Help me get her aboard!"
They lifted Zoey carefully, and as they moved, Celine kept glancing at Rumi and Mira, at the way they stared at the ground instead of at her. Their silence scared her more than any wound.
Once Zoey was safely inside, Celine turned to the others. "Get in," she ordered softly. "We'll go back for her once we regroup."
Rumi didn't move. "You don't understand," she said quietly. "Melissa's gone."
The words hit Celine harder than she expected. Her throat closed up, but she forced herself to speak. "Don't say that. Not yet." She looked between them, Rumi, Mira. "You three made it out alive. That means she gave you a chance. Don't throw it away."
Her tone wavered, not angry, but pleading. "You think she'd want you standing here, crying over what-ifs? Get on that carrier."
The girls hesitated, then obeyed. Rumi helped Mira climb aboard, her steps unsteady, her mind still back on the battlefield.
Celine stood outside for a moment longer, scanning the horizon. The faint shimmer of red still lingered where the Honmoon had been, pulsing weakly like a dying heartbeat.
Then she turned and boarded the helicarrier, sealing the ramp behind her as the engines roared to life, leaving the battlefield silent, and the memory of their lost comrade burning in the fading red light.
---
"There's honor in failing," the dark-haired girl said softly as she walked toward Melissa, who now sat slumped against the shattered wall she'd dragged herself to. Dust drifted around her like falling ash.
Melissa's breathing was ragged, each inhale a wheeze, each exhale a struggle, but she managed a faint smile. "Is there?" she rasped, a weak laugh following. "*Cough* Or are you… trying to convince yourself?"
The girl tilted her head slightly, one eyebrow arching in quiet curiosity.
"You can't be free of your own pain, can you?" Melissa asked, her tone carrying more pity than accusation.
The girl's expression hardened. Faint crimson patterns began to spread from her neck, weaving up across her face like living scars. "I don't have any pain," she said flatly.
Melissa let out a shaky breath, stained red at the corners of her lips. "You know," she whispered, "before I ever became a mentor, or a Hunter, I was just a real estate agent." She gave a broken chuckle. "With all that experience, agent and Hunter alike, I learned how to read people."
Her eyes softened as she looked up at the girl. "What were their names?"
The girl froze. "What?"
"The ones you lost."
The words struck like a blade. The girl's silver eyes flickered. "What are you talking about? There's no..." She stopped abruptly, clutching her head. "Pyrrha… Penny… Oscar…" Her voice wavered, confusion and dread intertwining. "Who are…"
Melissa coughed violently, blood splattering on the cracked stone beside her. "They'd probably be ashamed… of what you've become," she forced out between ragged breaths.
The girl's hand trembled as she touched her cheek. When she pulled it away, it was wet, with tears she hadn't realized were there.
"I've lived in that shame," Melissa whispered. "Betrayed the only person who ever cared about me… No matter how many times I told myself it was for her." Her gaze lifted, meeting the girl's. "You don't want to walk this path. It destroys every piece of you."
For a long moment, the girl said nothing. The wind swept through the ruins, carrying the distant hum of machinery.
Then... WHIRRRR.
The low, rhythmic thrum of engines echoed above them. Melissa's fading eyes followed the sound skyward. Through the haze, the familiar silhouette of the helicarrier rose, its damaged hull glinting faintly in the moonlight as it climbed back toward the clouds.
A faint, bloody smile tugged at Melissa's lips. "Heh… they made it…"
With trembling hands, she reached into her coat and pulled out a small silver locket. The hinges creaked softly as she opened it. Inside were two photos, one of an older woman, gentle-eyed and smiling… and the other of a young woman with familiar features. Claire.
A quiet, bittersweet laugh escaped Melissa's throat. "Forgive me," she murmured.
A droplet of blood slipped from her chin, landing squarely on the photograph, staining the image of the two women she cherished most.
---
Rumi watched silently as the medics rushed Zoey onto a Medbay. She still clutched her sword in her right hand, the cool metal and faint pulse of the Honmoon's magic offered her the only comfort she could cling to.
"Rumi."
The voice that called her was familiar, though it had lost its usual sharp edge. When she turned, she saw Zerida approaching, her once-imposing demeanor dimmed by exhaustion.
"Zerida," Rumi replied, her tone quiet.
The older woman rested a gloved hand on her shoulder. "How are you feeling?"
Rumi looked away, her eyes tracing the metal walls, the medics' hurried movements, the faint trace of blood on the floor. "I… don't know," she admitted softly.
Zerida gave a small nod. "I understand. But now isn't the time to lose yourself, Rumi. We need information. What did you learn about this demon? Any weakness, any detail, nothing is unimportant."
Rumi's hand tightened around her sword hilt. She wanted to scream, to let her rage spill out, but before she could, Mira's voice cut through the room.
"Rumi, you need to see this."
Her tone carried an edge of disbelief that made Rumi's stomach twist. She exhaled sharply, forcing herself to move toward the console. "What is it?"
Mira stepped aside, her expression pale. Rumi's gaze landed on the screen... and her world froze.
"What… what is…" Her words stumbled as she took an unsteady step backward, her breath quickening. "That's not… possible."
The sword slipped from her trembling grip and clattered onto the floor.
Clang!
At that same moment, down below, the dark-haired girl turned from the rising at the sound of metal striking stone. Her gaze fell upon Melissa, the hunter's body now still, a faint smile frozen on her lips. The locket she'd dropped gleamed faintly beside her hand.
Rumi's voice cracked as her hands began to shake. "Why…? I saw it. We all did."
Her steps faltered, then found their rhythm again as she moved closer to the screen, pressing a hand against it as though she could feel the truth through the glass.
Down below, Melissa's bloodied hand twitched. Slowly, painfully, it closed around the silver locket. A faint yellow glow enveloped her fingers, tracing strange patterns across her skin.
Her eyes snapped open, now burning with golden light. A sharp breath tore through her lips.
Rumi's heart pounded as the monitor flickered, the image stabilizing into a single headline, beneath it, a photo of five familiar faces.
[The Saja Boys make their comeback debut]
Rumi's trembling fingers brushed the screen. Her voice broke into a whisper.
"…Jinu?"