"Hey, Summer. Heal him," Elizabeth ordered as she looked at Samael's condition. He was in tatters.
"O-Okay…" Summer replied, approaching cautiously. "Um… excuse me."
She extended her hand, and healing energy began to envelop Samael's body, closing wounds and easing the lingering pain.
"Thank you…" Samael said in a low voice.
"You're welcome," Summer replied, offering a gentle smile.
"Elizabeth, we need to talk in private," Henry called out, his expression serious.
"Alright," she answered, stepping away with him.
Summer remained behind, still somewhat tense.
The rumors wouldn't leave her mind.
"Hey… Samael," she called hesitantly.
"Hm?" he replied, lifting his gaze cautiously.
"Is it true that Mason kept provoking you the whole way?" Summer asked, carefully watching his reaction.
Samael paled slightly.
"Please… don't ask that," he said.
That march had been hell.
He had felt dizzy several times, and he couldn't tell whether it was from blood loss… or from the constant pressure of social phobia, worsened by Mason's relentless taunts.
Summer frowned.
"You seem really different from the rumors," she said honestly.
"Thanks…" Samael replied, almost in a whisper.
She tilted her head, thoughtful.
"But if you're so different from what people say… how did those rumors even start?" she asked, too curious to ignore it.
Samael hesitated for a moment.
"It was a… sad misunderstanding," he said in his usual quiet tone.
"How did it happen?" Summer pressed.
He took a deep breath.
"When I registered at the academy… I was in this form," he explained. "They sent me to the female dormitory. But during the day, I turn back into a man."
He paused briefly.
"The rest… you can imagine."
Summer's eyes widened slightly.
"That was… really unfortunate," she murmured.
Without thinking, she moved her hand, trying to pat Samael's head in a spontaneous gesture of sympathy.
Samael immediately recoiled.
"Please… don't touch me," he said, his expression serious, his voice firm despite its low tone.
The air grew heavy for a moment.
Summer pulled her hand back, startled.
And for the first time, she understood that Samael's discomfort wasn't an act—it was a real boundary.
"I don't think it's a good idea to keep him with us," Henry said quietly.
"We don't have the luxury of choosing right now," Elizabeth replied without hesitation.
"He's unstable," Henry insisted, recalling Samael's brutal fight with that arrogant heir.
"He's the best option we have at the moment. Endure it," Elizabeth cut him off.
After a few minutes, Summer ran out of essence. Samael would still need more healing sessions, especially for his arm.
"Thank you," he said, stepping away.
Night fell.
They lit a campfire, ate in silence, and prepared to sleep.
But there was a problem.
There was no space left in any of the temporary tents.
And besides… there was Samael's condition.
"I'm not sleepy," he said. "I slept all day. We'll deal with it tomorrow. I'll stand guard."
The group accepted it without argument. Everyone was exhausted—and, deep down, no one cared enough about someone they had just met.
Samael sat at the edge of the beach, letting his feet touch the cold water as he watched the violent sea.
Two hours later, he sensed a presence behind him.
When he turned around, it was Elizabeth.
"Aren't you supposed to be sleeping?" Samael asked.
"I'm not sleepy," she replied, sitting beside him to watch the sea.
Silence stretched between them.
"Why were you so desperate?" Elizabeth suddenly asked.
"Why do you want to know?" Samael replied, confused.
"I don't know…" she said. "Sudden curiosity, I guess."
Samael hesitated.
"I felt lost," he finally said. "Without purpose. Without meaning."
The words slipped out before he could stop them.
"Even if I return to Earth… nothing changes. I don't have a purpose. I don't have anyone. Everything I had is gone… and the world seems to hate me."
He frowned.
Why was he saying this?
Something was wrong, but he couldn't tell what.
"So that's why…" Elizabeth murmured. "Still, I can't really understand."
"You can't understand?" Samael asked, confused. He had been clear.
"That's right," she replied calmly. "I'm… different from normal people. Since I was born, there are emotions I simply can't feel or comprehend."
She kept her gaze fixed on the sea.
"Like longing. Or empathy. I don't think it's psychopathy… I still feel anger, sadness, frustration. But some emotions were never part of me."
She paused.
"But from what you've shown… it must be hard."
Something tightened in Samael's chest.
Something's wrong, he thought, alarmed.No matter how fragile I am… I would never open up like this to someone.
"W-Wait…" he thought in confusion. "What was I even thinking just now?"
He shook his head.
"It's probably nothing…"
Samael and Elizabeth continued watching the sea in silence.
Without realizing it, they had shared their deepest secrets with each other.
As he stared at the waves, Samael felt sudden drowsiness.
This wasn't normal fatigue.
It was heavy. Unnatural.
His eyes began to close against his will, as if something was dragging his consciousness downward.
His first impulse was dangerous.
Elizabeth.
She was the only one near him.
It must be her fault.
The thought surfaced cold and automatic.
Samael turned his head with difficulty.
Elizabeth was asleep.
Sitting. Her body slightly tilted to the side.
She was being affected too.
A bad sensation ran through his body—a delayed warning.
But it was already too late.
Samael tried to force himself to stay awake—and failed.
His last thought before darkness swallowed everything was clear:
Something… is affecting me…
Samael blacked out.