"So in total… how many children have disappeared?"
Rio's voice remained calm, but the pressure around him had subtly changed.
Lily hugged herself nervously.
"F-Four…"
Her voice trembled slightly.
"Four children so far."
Rio's eyes narrowed.
"Was there a specific time they disappeared?"
"N-No…"
She hesitated briefly.
"But…"
Her face paled.
"Aron—the last child who vanished—started acting strange before he disappeared."
Rio immediately focused on her words.
"…Strange how?"
Lily swallowed hard.
"I-I don't know how to explain it properly…"
"He kept chewing his fingers."
Silver's expression shifted slightly.
"…Chewing?"
Lily nodded shakily.
"He bit his hands constantly."
"Sometimes until they bled."
Rio's thoughts darkened instantly.
Mind influence?
A corruption-type demon?
His gaze slowly wandered across the orphanage walls.
Old wood.
Dark corners.
Long hallways.
Too many blind spots.
"Besides you," Rio spoke quietly, "is there anyone else staying inside the orphanage?"
"Y-Yes."
Lily pointed upward nervously.
"A few elderly caretakers live upstairs."
Rio glanced toward the second floor silently.
"…I see."
Then he turned toward the others.
"We'll stay here tonight."
His tone left no room for argument.
"Gather every child into a single room."
Silver immediately nodded.
"Understood."
Fiora looked nervous but quickly followed.
Even Tristan stopped complaining after seeing the current atmosphere.
Meanwhile—
Astravax remained unusually silent atop Rio's shoulder.
Too silent.
Rio frowned slightly.
Why isn't he saying anything?
Silver stepped beside him quietly afterward.
"I've never encountered a demon before."
His silver eyes remained fixed ahead.
"Have you?"
Rio shook his head slowly.
"No."
A pause.
"But…"
His eyes darkened.
"…I think this demon can influence people mentally."
The moment those words left his mouth—
A scream echoed through the orphanage.
"A-Anaya?!"
Everyone froze.
Another voice followed immediately afterward.
"Did anyone see Anaya?!"
Rio's eyes widened.
"…What?"
Wasn't she just here?
How did nobody notice her leaving?
The moment panic spread through the orphanage—
Rio moved instantly.
BOOM.
Light mana erupted beneath his feet as he rushed outside into the cold night.
"Anaya!"
Wind roared past him while moonlight illuminated the orphanage grounds.
Then—
he saw her.
The little girl stood silently near one of the massive dead trees behind the orphanage.
Her small figure remained perfectly still beneath the moonlight.
"…Anaya?"
She slowly turned around.
And smiled.
Not like a child.
Something about that smile felt fundamentally wrong.
"It's already here."
Her voice sounded hollow.
"There is no stopping it now."
Rio's pupils shrank.
A knife rested in her tiny hand.
"N-No— STOP!"
Light mana exploded around Rio as he instantly rushed forward—
But—
SLASH.
The blade tore across her throat.
Blood scattered across the grass.
"FIORA!"
Rio caught her collapsing body instantly before it hit the ground.
"TRISTAN!"
The two immediately rushed over.
Tristan dropped beside the girl instantly, his hand glowing with healing mana as he pressed against her neck desperately.
For a brief moment—
hope appeared.
Then—
Tristan slowly froze.
The mana around his hand faded.
His expression darkened.
"…She's gone."
Silence.
Complete silence.
Then—
Lily collapsed onto the ground nearby.
"Oh heavens…"
Her voice shattered completely.
"A-Anaya…"
"N-No…"
She broke down sobbing violently.
Rio clenched his fists so tightly blood nearly dripped from his palms.
His breathing slowly grew heavier.
Too late.
Again.
And somewhere deep within the darkness surrounding the orphanage—
something laughed.
Astravax suddenly laughed.
Even in the form of a small black cat resting atop Rio's shoulder, the sound carried an ancient cruelty to it.
[Oh mortal…]
Its golden eyes slowly narrowed.
[It seems something quite interesting has crawled its way here.]
Rio's expression darkened immediately.
"Shut the fuck up."
Astravax only laughed harder.
[If you value your life…]
The cat's gaze slowly shifted toward the upper floors of the orphanage.
[I would advise leaving.]
Rio clenched his teeth.
That alone told him enough.
Whatever was here—
even Astravax acknowledged it.
Rio immediately turned toward Silver.
"Gather everyone."
His voice had completely hardened now.
"I want every single person inside this orphanage in one room."
Silver nodded instantly.
"Understood."
The atmosphere inside the orphanage quickly descended into chaos afterward.
Children cried.
Caretakers panicked.
The elderly residents from upstairs slowly descended while trembling nervously, confusion spreading across their faces after hearing about Anaya's death.
Eventually everyone gathered inside the orphanage dining hall.
Candles illuminated the room dimly while shadows stretched unnaturally across the walls.
Rio silently counted everyone present.
Children.
Caretakers.
Elders.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
Something felt wrong.
Then he suddenly looked up.
"…Wait."
The room quieted slightly.
Rio's gaze shifted toward the others.
"Where's Tristan?"
Fiora blinked.
"…Huh?"
Silver's expression sharpened instantly.
Reina stood quietly nearby wearing that same flawless smile.
Fiora hesitated before speaking nervously.
"S-She was with Reina last time I checked…"
Rio slowly turned toward Reina.
The pressure around him subtly shifted.
"Reina."
His crimson eyes locked onto hers.
"Where is Tristan?"
Reina tilted her head slightly before smiling softly.
"I'm not sure."
Her voice remained perfectly calm.
"He was following me earlier…"
A faint pause.
"…but then he suddenly disappeared."
Silence.
Rio stared at her for several seconds.
"You're telling me," he spoke slowly, "that your teammate vanished…"
"…and you didn't report it?"
For the first time—
Reina's smile twitched slightly.
"I thought he simply wandered off looking for the washroom."
Rio exhaled slowly.
Annoyance.
Suspicion.
And unease mixed together heavily inside him.
"…Haah."
He rubbed his forehead briefly before turning toward Silver and Fiora.
"You two search for Tristan."
Silver immediately nodded.
"Alright."
Fiora hesitated briefly before following after him nervously.
Soon the two left the room.
The moment the door closed—
the atmosphere somehow became even colder.
Rio slowly glanced around the room once more.
The children remained terrified.
The elderly whispered prayers beneath their breath.
Candles flickered strangely.
And Astravax—
continued staring toward the ceiling silently.
Then Rio finally spoke again.
"Reina."
His voice lowered slightly.
"You stay with me."
…
Soon the elderly residents began murmuring amongst themselves.
Their voices sounded uneasy.
Fearful.
Several of them tightly clutched small prayer charms while others whispered beneath their breath as if trying to calm themselves.
The atmosphere inside the dining hall grew heavier with every passing second.
Then—
an old woman suddenly spoke.
Her voice sounded dry.
Ancient.
The moment those incomprehensible words left her mouth—
Rio's eyes immediately shifted toward her.
"…Who is she?"
Lily looked toward the woman nervously.
"She's the eldest caretaker here."
Her voice remained shaky after Anaya's death.
"She's lived in this orphanage longer than anyone else."
Rio slowly narrowed his eyes.
The old woman sat silently near the corner of the room.
And only now did Rio notice it properly.
Her eyes—
were gone.
Both had been violently slashed apart long ago, leaving only ruined scars behind.
Yet somehow—
she still faced directly toward them.
Astravax suddenly leaped down from Rio's shoulder.
The black cat slowly walked toward the elderly woman before stopping directly in front of her.
For the first time since arriving—
the Dragon of Eternal Stars looked genuinely interested.
[I thought I recognized this language.]
Rio frowned slightly.
"…You understand what she's saying?"
Astravax's golden eyes narrowed.
[Yes.]
The old woman spoke once more.
"Rha vek tharos nai."
The room fell silent.
Then Astravax calmly translated.
[The evil has come for us.]
Several of the children immediately began crying harder.
The old woman continued speaking in that same eerie language.
"Rha'zel vorn akareth."
Astravax's expression slowly darkened.
[Darkness has descended upon us.]
A cold chill spread throughout the dining hall.
Candles flickered violently.
Then—
the old woman slowly tilted her ruined gaze upward.
Her voice became quieter this time.
Almost mournful.
"Vaelor eth nox."
Astravax remained silent briefly.
Then he finally spoke.
[There will be no tomorrow.]
The moment those words fell—
BANG.
Something massive struck the orphanage roof above them.
…
Rio's eyes widened.
"What was that?!"
The entire orphanage shook violently once more as dust fell from the ceiling above.
The children immediately began screaming.
But the old woman—
remained completely calm.
Unlike before—
when she spoke again—
it was in perfect English.
"That…"
Her ruined eyes slowly lifted upward.
"…is Kharzeth."
The room froze.
"The Beast of Kharzeth."