The city was alive with the soft hum of evening activity as the hover bus glided smoothly down the streets, its interior illuminated by warm golden lights. Roy leaned back against his seat, arms lazily stretched across the headrest, occasionally stealing glances at the streets passing by.
Despite his usual confidence, there was something distant about his expression. His mind drifted, tangled in thoughts of Denwen, of the investigation, of everything that had happened in just a short amount of time. But he shook it off with a sigh, turning his attention to Kara beside him.
She was sitting comfortably, her arms folded as she gazed out the window, the city lights reflecting in her deep brown eyes. Roy could tell she had something on her mind, but instead of asking directly, he opted for a more casual approach.
"You know," he started, smirking as he gestured toward the street outside. "That food stall right there? Has the best skewers I've ever had. Not even joking."
Kara followed his gaze, then rolled her eyes. "Oh please, you'd say that about any place that sells meat on a stick."
Roy placed a hand over his chest in mock offense. "I'll have you know, I have exquisite taste. Only the finest skewers deserve my praise."
Kara shook her head with a chuckle before the mood shifted ever so slightly. "I'll be heading back to the academy tomorrow," she said, her tone more serious now.
Roy blinked in surprise. "Wait, already? We still have a whole week left of break. What's the rush?"
She shrugged, adjusting the bags of groceries on her lap. "I need extra training sessions. My instructor said if I don't put in the work, she might drop me."
Roy whistled. "Yikes. Sounds intense."
Kara nodded. "Healing magic isn't just about waving your hands and making wounds disappear. There's precision, control… and a lot of responsibility. I need to exceed her expectations if I want to make it."
She held up one of the bags.
"I even bought fish to practice on at home."
Roy frowned, staring at the bag. "Wait… I thought that was for dinner or something."
Kara smirked. "Who says it isn't?"
His eyes widened in mock horror. "Hold up. So you're telling me… you're gonna heal them, then eat them? That's just messed up. No respect for life at all."
Kara quirked a brow. "Oh, now you care about fish? Aren't you the same guy who downs fish sticks and grilled salmon like it's nothing?"
Roy leaned back with a dramatic sigh. "It's different. What's dead is dead. What's alive is alive. I respect the natural order."
Kara just stared at him before shaking her head. "I swear, you say the dumbest things sometimes."
"Hey, that's uncalled for."
She ignored him. "Have you heard? The end-of-semester evaluation is going to be a dungeon test."
Roy shrugged. "Yeah, that's pretty standard. Why? You scared?"
Kara shot him a sharp glare. "Of course not. It's just… our first real dungeon, you know? Anything could happen."
She didn't say it out loud, but she was clearly thinking of a certain someone who had the worst luck when it came to dungeons.
Roy chuckled. "Relax, not everyone has Den's death wish. This dungeon is academy-owned, explored every year. It's literally a Rank 1 Bunny Dungeon. What could possibly go wrong?"
Kara's eyes widened. "Oh no—"
"Huh?"
"You idiot! You just jinxed it!"
Roy blinked. "What?"
She groaned. "Haven't you ever seen a movie? Whenever someone says 'what could possibly go wrong,' everything goes wrong!"
Roy gave her a deadpan look. "Kara. This is real life. That only happens in dumb stories in movies or novels, not in the real world."
The hover bus began slowing as they approached the next stop.
"Well, this is my stop." Kara stood, gathering her bags. "Help me carry these."
Roy rolled his eyes but complied, grabbing one of the heavier bags. "So, where exactly are you headed?"
She adjusted her grip. "Home. Gotta prep for training. How about you, where are you headed"
"Oh I am going home as well but I would stop by my mom's favorite florist store to pick up something for her"
As she stepped off, she turned back, smirking. "You know, you might actually be good with the ladies. Who would've thought?"
Roy chuckled. "Of course. I'm amazing."
Kara just shook her head. "Take care, Roy. See you back at the academy."
They exchanged waves before the doors shut behind her, and the hover bus took off again, leaving Roy with a small smile on his face.
________________________________________
Back in Doitand,
The air was thick with the stench of death.
Blood pooled across the floors, mixing with the scent of burning flesh and the lingering essence of dissipating mana. Corpses—both human and monstrous—were strewn across the ground in gruesome displays of violence. Some had been torn apart, others burned beyond recognition. But what stood out the most were the bodies that shouldn't have belonged here—small, misshapen figures that resembled children, yet were anything but human.
April walked carefully, stepping over a severed limb as she made her way toward the cell area. The flickering red emergency lights cast eerie shadows against the walls, making the already grotesque scene feel even more nightmarish.
Her eyes narrowed as she reached the cells.
Inside, children huddled together, their eyes sunken, their bodies frail from starvation and neglect.
They shrank back as she approached, their instincts screaming at them to stay away from the woman stepping into their prison.
April raised her hands slowly, softening her tone. "Hey… it's okay. I'm here to help you."
They didn't move.
She forced a small smile. "See? Aunty is here to save you."
The lock on the cell clicked open, but none of the children moved, their bodies trembling too violently to process the idea of freedom.
Her hands curled into fists. These bastards…
What kind of monsters did this to kids?
She reached for her earpiece, her voice low but firm. "Boss, I've got them."
Elsewhere in the facility, Garrick stood over a man barely clinging to life.
Corbin adjusted his glasses, glancing at the scene with a passive expression. "I'll rendezvous with the others."
Garrick gave a slight nod but kept his focus on the trembling man before him.
"Please," the man whimpered, dragging his broken body backward, leaving a trail of blood in his wake. "You don't know what you're getting involved in. Emberfall forced us—"
Garrick took a slow, deliberate step forward.
"Six locations." His voice was low, dangerous. "Six fucking locations."
The man's breath hitched. "I-I swear, we didn't have a choice! They—they own this place!"
Garrick's aura began to leak out, suffocating the room with raw pressure. "Everyone has a choice."
The man choked on his words.
"You say Emberfall is too strong," Garrick continued, stepping closer, "that they have too many people, too much power."
The man's eyes widened in sheer terror. "I heard that t-they have an Ashborne in charge…! A Rank 4…! You can't fight that!"
Garrick didn't stop.
His spear materialized in his hand, its dark steel glinting under the flickering lights.
"You hear rumors," he said. "But I don't care. No matter their numbers, their strength—even if there is an Ashborne—" his eyes burned with unrelenting fury, "—I will bring them to their knees."
The man whimpered.
A single motion.
The sound of steel cutting flesh.
A clean, vertical slice.
The man never even screamed.
Garrick stood over the two halves of the corpse, his grip tightening on his spear.
This wasn't over.
Not even close.