Kael went back upstairs.
He opened the door.
"Kael? Are you in here?"
James's voice echoed through the place.
Kael made his way toward him. "I'm here," Kael replied.
"The smell in here is foul. What happened?"
James asked as he looked around.
"Who's this with you?"
Kael's gaze fell upon a child. The boy looked filthy—his feet were caked with dirt, his clothes torn in places. Kael noticed drops of blood covering his body and scratches on his neck.
"Oh... so he followed you."
"You've grown careless," James said, his tone accusatory.
"Well... I was preoccupied." Kael searched for an excuse.
"Fine, fine."
"Unaffected?"
"Yeah. I think he's like us. Immune."
"Oh, that's interesting," Kael replied.
"Isn't it? In this little village, of all places, we find something like this."
"I imagine this will make our work a bit more complicated." Kael said.
"It seems it's been a long night for you, boy." Kael crouched down and touched the child's neck.
"Let me ask you something."
"Were you the one who was down here earlier?"
The boy didn't answer. He simply looked away.
Karl was trembling after finding himself with people he didn't know.
He looked at the scarred man first—tall, well-built, with black hair and hazel eyes.
The other man, though... something about him felt off. Karl couldn't explain it, but his presence made the boy uneasy.
When the man touched him, the pain in Karl's chest returned—just for a fleeting moment. As if something inside him recognized Kael.
"I found Tom, Kael."
The scarred man spoke.
"Really? Why didn't he come with you?"
"I don't think he's going anywhere."
"What do you mean?" Kael said
"Someone killed him," James replied.
"...And stole his clothes."
Karl continued to listen.
His gaze moved between the two men as a familiar feeling settled over him—the feeling of being on the outside of a conversation that didn't need him in it.
"Tom's dead?" Kael said, fastening the last of his gear.
"You need to see what's upstairs. I think someone caused all this."
"What do you mean?"
Kael pulled the box from his pocket. "Look at this."
"It seems the dead man up there was looking into the stone."
"It's them."
"What?" Kael replied.
James pointed to the box. "A group that gathers people from the Academies. That's all I know."
"Sounds like an organization of scientists."
Kael nodded slowly, as if piecing something together. "Sometimes I forget you studied in the capital."
"Why do you say that?" James asked, sensing he was missing something.
"Exactly," Kael sighed.
Kael glanced at Karl. "Search him."
******
"Search him."
The word pierced Karl's ears, making his heart race.
He took a step back and raised his hands, trying to shield himself.
The scarred man grabbed him by the wrist.
He wasn't cruel—just strong. There was no chance of breaking free.
He reached out with his other hand and ran it over Karl's body.
Karl felt every touch. Some of them awakened old wounds; others didn't.
...Then James stopped. He took a step back. Looked at Kael and shook his head. Nothing.
Karl lowered his hands slowly. He was still trembling, but the search was over.
Only then did Karl let out a long breath, his shoulders relaxing.
Karl kept watching the boy.
The boy lowered his head under Karl's gaze.
"Alright, let's go see Tom now," Kael said.
Karl was led outside.
They headed west, away from the village, deep into the forest.
Along the way, the leaves sang under Karl's feet, answering the feeling of happiness inside him—happy that he'd thought to hide the journals before they caught him.
He stopped walking when he realized it. The symbol on the box Kael was carrying... it matched the symbol on the journals.
"Hey, kid. You alright?"
Keep walking.
The moon, which had been lighting everything beneath it, seemed as though it had never moved at all.
The thread of his thoughts was cut by James's voice.
"He's behind that tree." James's voice rang in his ear.
It was the second corpse Karl had seen in his life.
But it was nothing like the first.
Leonard's body had been a nightmare carved into flesh—tortured, torn, his empty eye sockets screaming even in silence. Someone had wanted him to suffer.
This body was different. From where Karl stood—frozen at the edge of the trees, too afraid to step closer—it looked almost peaceful. Just a man lying beneath the moon, as if he'd fallen asleep and simply forgotten to wake up.
He didn't see the details. He didn't want to.
---
"We're here." James's voice snapped Kael out of it.
He knew it was Tom from the first glance.
He leaned over the body.
The first thing he saw was a faint movement under the skin—as if something was trying to get out.
The ring Tom always wore had nearly cut through his finger. The remaining clothes were much too small for him now. His eyes were covered with a milky film. A greenish tint was spreading across his arms and legs, but it was pale—if you weren't looking closely, you might not even notice it.
Fluids had seeped from the openings of his body.
This created a contradiction from the last time Kael had seen Leonard.
A patch of blood had stained his undershirt on the left side of his chest.
"So. What do you think?" James asked.
Kael: "How long do you think it's been?"
"Should be less than five days. That's when he sent his report. Three days' journey."
"That matches the body of the man I found."
Kael turned to the boy and showed him the box.
"Hey, kid. Have you ever seen a strange stone before?"
---
The question made Karl's blood run cold.
The stone. It was the reason his sister changed. The reason the village changed. He knows about it.
Maybe Kael smiled.
"Yes. I've seen it. And I know where it is."
"Good." Kael sighed with relief.
But Karl saw something in his eyes. Was it... pity?