Vorgath remained where he had fallen—lying at the center of the crater, surrounded by the pool of his own blackened blood.
Yet he did not look like a man awaiting death.
His crimson eyes were calm.
Too calm.
They stared into the empty sky above, unmoving, as if he were simply… waiting.
Waiting for the perfect moment to unleash his final card—
An Ultimate Skill.
Only those who stood at the peak of the hierarchy—Generals and above—could manifest such power. It was not merely an attack meant to destroy the body, but something far more absolute… something capable of bending fate itself in a single instant.
The blood-born monster walked past Eira's motionless body without so much as a glance.
To her, the world no longer existed.
There was only one purpose left—
Vorgath's death.
But behind that silence—
Something moved.
A trembling hand pressed weakly against the cold ground.
Eira.
With what little life remained in her fading body, she forced her nerves to respond. It was not strength that lifted her.
It was will.
A resolve that refused to die.
'Kaera' suddenly stopped.
From the cracks beneath her feet, faint translucent roots emerged—soft, glowing with gentle mana. They wrapped around her ankle, not forcefully, but tenderly.
Like a mother's hand stopping her child from stepping into an abyss.
The predator reacted instantly.
Her killing intent surged.
In a swift, lethal motion, the massive scythe—Crescent Blood—was swung backward without hesitation.
SHIIINGG—
The blade stopped.
Just an inch away from Eira's neck.
The sharp wind from the strike sliced a few strands of her hair, yet Eira did not flinch.
Her face was pale, drained of color. Dried blood stained the corner of her lips. And yet—
Her eyes.
They were still warm.
Still gentle.
Still… full of life.
When those eyes met the hollow red gaze of the monster—
Something inside Kaera cracked.
---
Deep within the darkness of her subconscious, Kaera froze.
She saw it.
Eira's broken body, still standing—for her.
Her hand trembled violently.
The scythe shook.
Inside that monstrous form, two forces clashed—feral bloodlust against human emotion. Rage against love.
The conflict tore through her being, causing the creature's body to convulse, as if it were being ripped apart from within.
---
Slowly—
Eira lifted her trembling hand.
She reached out… and touched the cold edge of the scythe.
Then—
She pushed it aside.
Gently.
As if it were nothing more than a fallen leaf.
A faint, warm smile formed on her lips.
A smile carrying both sorrow… and promise.
"It's okay… I'm here…"
Her voice was barely a whisper, carried away by the night.
The scythe began to dissolve.
The hardened blood melted into crimson droplets, falling softly onto the ground.
The monstrous figure stood still.
Frozen.
Eira took a step forward.
Each movement was agony.
Every breath strained her already broken body.
And yet, she moved.
Until she leaned her weight gently against that terrifying form.
"Kaera… I know you're still there. Come back."
Her arms wrapped around the body covered in jagged blood spikes, pulling it into an embrace.
"You're more than this anger… you're my friend."
DUSHH—
The entire mass of blood shattered.
It collapsed like heavy rain, pouring down and dissolving into the earth.
In a single moment—
The monster was gone.
Kaera fell to her knees.
Her body trembling.
Her face broken—not by wounds, but by tears.
No scream came.
Only soft, fragile sobs escaped her trembling lips.
She caught Eira as her body gave out.
The world, once painted in red and darkness, returned to its original color—
Grey.
Cold. Empty.
---
"Eira… you're… still alive…"
Kaera's voice cracked as she pulled her closer, holding her as if she might disappear.
"Thank God…"
Eira coughed weakly, fresh blood escaping her lips.
"You… came back…"
After those words—
The light in her eyes faded.
Her body went limp.
Unconscious.
Panic surged through Kaera instantly.
She didn't even look back.
To her—
Vorgath no longer existed.
She lifted Eira into her arms and ran.
---
The journey away from the battlefield felt endless.
Her footsteps echoed through empty streets, each impact against the cold ground ringing through abandoned alleys and shattered buildings.
Behind her, the faint red glow of battle faded into nothingness, replaced by the biting chill of night.
She ran past broken shops.
Through narrow alleys drowned in shadow.
Every time Eira's breathing weakened, Kaera forced herself faster—ignoring the screams of her exhausted body.
Tears streamed down her face, falling onto Eira's pale skin.
After minutes felt like hours—
A faint light appeared ahead.
Dim lanterns.
Houses.
Hope.
"Help!"
Her voice broke through the silence.
"Someone—please! Help! My friend—!"
Her cries echoed through the stillness of Oakhaven's night, desperation tearing through every word.
She shouted toward dark windows, toward a city that felt as if it had already died.
---
Far behind her—
Inside the silent crater—
Vorgath slowly raised his hand toward the sky.
Through the gaps between his fingers, the fractured moon seemed almost within his grasp.
He exhaled slowly.
"…That girl… I didn't expect her to let me go just like that."
His tone was unreadable.
Amusement?
Respect?
Or something else entirely.
He stood.
Bones cracked as they realigned.
The wound across his chest—once prevented from healing—began to close slowly now that the lingering blood effect had faded.
Still—
It left a scar.
Wide.
Ugly.
Permanent.
A mark no opponent had ever given him before.
"Hmph… Kaera. Astaroth's child…"
His fingers brushed over the scar.
A faint smile formed.
Shadows began to rise beneath his feet, thick and suffocating like a rising tide of darkness.
"It seems my task ends here… for now."
Without another glance, his body sank into the shadows—
And vanished.
Leaving the northern plaza of Oakhaven in a deathly silence once more.
---
Elsewhere—
Kaera's breathing grew ragged.
Her legs trembled with every step.
The aftermath of her Berserk state tore through her body, pain spreading through her nerves like fire.
Then—
She stumbled.
THUD!
She fell to her knees.
Her body refused to move any further.
With what little strength remained, she gently lowered Eira onto her lap, pulling her close as if holding onto the last piece of her world.
Her forehead rested against Eira's shoulder.
Tears fell silently.
"Why… why does this always happen to me…"
Her voice broke into quiet sobs.
"Why does everyone I care about have to suffer like this…?"
"Why is this world never fair to me…?
Her cries echoed between the silent walls.
She felt small.
Powerless.
Alone.
Then—
Warmth.
A gentle touch rested on her shoulder.
Kaera froze.
Slowly, she looked up.
A woman stood before her.
Cloaked in a dark hood, her face hidden beneath its shadow.
She said nothing.
Only raised her hand—calmly—gesturing for Kaera to lay Eira down.
Despite the caution in her heart, the peaceful aura surrounding the woman softened Kaera's instincts.
She obeyed.
Gently placing Eira on the ground.
The woman knelt.
Her hands rose, palms facing the wound at Eira's abdomen.
Her lips moved softly, chanting in an ancient language—each word vibrating with sacred energy.
"...Vitae Restitutio… Lux Aeterna… Heal."
A golden magic circle formed beneath her hands.
Intricate.Radiant.
Particles of light began to gather, dancing through the air like fireflies
The light descended.
Flowing into Eira's wound.
Kaera watched in stunned silence.
Flesh reconnected.
Nerves reformed.
The lingering shadow energy poisoning Eira's body shattered completely under the holy magic.
Within moments—
The wound closed completely.
Color returned to Eira's skin.
Warmth followed.
Her breathing stabilized.
Peaceful.
Alive.
She did not wake.
But she lived.
Kaera remained frozen.
In the depths of despair she had just fallen into—
A light had appeared.
A fragile…
Yet undeniable hope.
***