****** followed behind Light and Captain Sangiff.
It was difficult.
The forest floor was uneven, filled with roots and loose stones hidden beneath the darkness. Her small legs forced her to take more steps than either of them, and every time the captain increased his pace, she found herself nearly falling behind.
Sometimes she had to spend extra energy just to keep up.
Still, she endured it.
There wasn't much else she could do.
The cold night air brushed against her face as she moved through the darkness.
She didn't understand everything that was happening.
The Fallen.
The blood-covered stone.
The captain's sudden urgency.
Most of it was unfamiliar.
But she understood enough to know something was wrong.
The memories she had inherited from Light had taught her many things.
Fear was one of them.
And seeing Light afraid had frightened her more than anything else.
The boy from the memories had always seemed strong.
No matter how difficult things became, he continued moving forward.
Even when he was hurt.
Even when he was exhausted.
Even when he was scared.
But after the captain found the bloodied stone, she had seen his hands tremble.
She had seen him glance into the darkness more times than she could count.
That image refused to leave her thoughts.
The forest remained silent.
Only the faint lantern light illuminated the path ahead.
Occasionally Captain Sangiff would mutter something.
"This way."
A few moments later—
"No... not this way."
The uncertainty in his voice made her uneasy.
Not because she understood why.
Simply because the captain never sounded like that.
She glanced toward Light.
Even through the darkness she could make out the tension on his face.
He was worried.
Very worried.
So she continued walking.
One step after another.
Until suddenly—
The captain stopped.
The abrupt halt nearly caused her to walk into Light.
"Let's stop here."
The words surprised her.
The captain had spent the entire night pushing them forward.
Why stop now?
Light immediately dropped onto the ground.
She followed a moment later, welcoming the brief rest.
Captain Sangiff remained standing.
Watching.
Listening.
Looking between the trees.
Only after several moments did he finally sit down atop a thick root.
Even then he didn't relax.
His eyes never stopped moving.
The silence stretched.
Eventually Light spoke.
"What's wrong, Captain?"
The captain didn't answer immediately.
His expression changed several times.
As if he were deciding something.
Finally he exhaled.
"We're being followed."
Her body immediately stiffened.
Beside her, Light stood up.
She did the same.
Both of them looked into the darkness behind them.
Nothing stared back.
Only trees.
Only shadows.
Only darkness.
"Sit."
Captain Sangiff's voice was firm.
She obeyed instantly.
So did Light.
Neither of them relaxed.
"Captain, shouldn't we be moving if we're being followed?" Light asked.
The captain lowered his head slightly.
For the first time since she had met him, he looked tired.
"No."
The answer came immediately.
"There isn't any point anymore."
Something about those words felt wrong.
"My sense of direction has been off for a while now."
The captain rubbed his forehead.
"Whatever is following us placed a curse on us."
A bitter smile appeared on his face.
"A nasty one."
She didn't fully understand.
But she understood enough.
The captain sounded defeated.
Fear began creeping into her chest.
Then it disappeared.
Her restriction crushed it before it could grow.
The panic vanished.
Leaving only calm.
Only clarity.
Only thought.
"So what do we do?"
The question left her mouth naturally.
Captain Sangiff looked at her.
Then away.
Then back again.
His expression shifted.
Seconds passed.
Then nearly a minute.
Finally he spoke.
"We split up."
Her eyes widened.
Beside her, Light reacted immediately.
"What?!"
"We split up."
The captain repeated himself.
"We use everything we've got."
His gaze moved between both of them.
"And maybe some of us survive."
The forest became silent again.
"Or maybe it won't matter."
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
And somehow that frightened her more than if he had shouted.
Because it sounded like the captain had already accepted death.
"Captain."
She turned toward Light.
The boy's voice trembled slightly.
Yet his eyes remained steady.
"Thank you."
He extended his hand.
"For everything."
The captain stared at it.
Then laughed quietly.
A tired laugh.
Standing up, he grabbed Light's hand firmly.
"I hope I see you in the next life, kid."
The girl blinked.
She didn't understand why they were doing that.
Then—
SCREEEEEEEECH!!
A horrible sound exploded through the forest.
The noise pierced her ears.
It didn't sound human.
It didn't sound like an animal either.
It sounded wrong.
Captain Sangiff reacted instantly.
Mana erupted from his body.
A pale glow surrounded him.
"It's time!"
His voice thundered through the forest.
"RUN!"
But before anyone could move—
Something descended upon them.
The girl froze.
The world tilted.
For a moment she thought she had stumbled.
Then she realized the ground wasn't moving.
She was.
Or perhaps her thoughts were.
The trees looked unfamiliar.
The path looked wrong.
The shadows between the trunks seemed deeper than before.
A strange sensation crawled toward her mind.
A fog.
A pressure.
Something trying to wrap itself around her thoughts.
Trying to make her forget.
Trying to make her doubt.
Then—
Nothing.
The sensation shattered.
Her restriction crushed it before it could become an emotion.
The fog dispersed instantly.
Blinking, she looked around.
Captain Sangiff staggered.
The sight alone made her pause.
The veteran warrior looked lost.
Completely lost.
His eyes darted around the forest.
Tree.
Sky.
Ground.
Tree again.
His hand moved toward his sword.
Stopped.
Moved again.
Stopped once more.
"What..."
The captain frowned.
"What were we..."
Beside her, Light grabbed his head.
His face twisted.
His eyes lost focus.
"What..."
Neither of them looked right.
Neither of them seemed to understand what was happening.
"Light."
Both men looked toward her.
Confusion filled their eyes.
"What were we doing?" Captain Sangiff asked.
"I can't remember," Light admitted.
The girl looked between them.
The screech had been close.
Very close.
Whatever was hunting them was nearby.
And the two strongest people she knew no longer understood what was happening.
What should she do?
For a moment she didn't know.
Then she remembered.
'Go all out.'
The captain's final order.
Immediately she activated Mana Sense.
Warmth flowed through her eyes.
The world sharpened.
Her vision expanded.
And instantly she saw it.
Purple mist.
It surrounded Light's head.
It surrounded Captain Sangiff's head.
A strange corruption.
Like smoke wrapping itself around their minds.
'That's what's affecting them.'
The realization came immediately.
Unfortunately she didn't know how to remove it.
She stared.
Thinking.
Searching.
Trying to find an answer.
Then a memory surfaced.
Pain.
Whenever she and Light stopped using their blessings, they shared pain.
Shared burdens.
Shared consequences.
Could this work the same way?
It was only a guess.
But it was all she had.
Immediately she canceled her blessings.
The warmth vanished.
A foreign sensation instantly tried to invade her mind.
Confusion.
Disorientation.
Forgetfulness.
Before it could spread—
Her restriction destroyed it.
The feeling disappeared.
The moment it did, she reactivated everything.
Beside her, Light suddenly blinked.
His gaze sharpened.
His eyes regained focus.
'It worked'
The boy looked at Captain Sangiff, a glow in his eyes.
"He's afflicted with confusion."
Before she could ask what that meant—
SLAP!
The sound echoed through the forest.
The captain's head snapped sideways.
For a brief moment silence followed.
Then—
"What do you think you're—"
The captain stopped.
His eyes widened.
Focus returned.
Understanding returned.
Without hesitation mana surged around him once more.
"No time."
His voice had become firm again.
"This is goodbye."
But before they had a chance to run.
The ground shook.
BOOOOOOM.
The girl lost her footing instantly.
The earth trembled beneath her.
Trees swayed violently.
A deafening cracking noise echoed through the forest.
Like mountains grinding together.
She landed hard on the ground.
Looking up, she followed the source of the noise.
Behind them.
Far behind them.
Red light.
Countless crimson particles stretched between the trees.
Similar to mana, but different in color.
Unlike anything she had ever seen.
Light immediately activated his blessings.
"We split that way!"
He pointed toward the opposite direction.
Captain Sangiff nodded.
Ready to move.
Then the girl saw it.
Purple.
The same purple mist from before.
It filled the forest ahead.
It covered the direction they intended to run.
Her instincts screamed at her.
Wrong.
'That way was wrong.'
She didn't know why.
She couldn't explain it.
But she knew.
If they ran there—
They would die.
Both Light and the captain crouched.
Preparing to sprint.
There wasn't enough time to explain.
Not that she would know how.
So she gambled.
"CAPTAIN!"
Her voice echoed through the forest.
Both men turned toward her.
She pointed toward the fading red particles.
Toward the direction they had come from.
Toward the unknown.
Then she ran.
Mana surged through her body.
Her legs pushed forward with everything she had.
She didn't stop.
She didn't look back.
A second later—
CRACK.
The sound of chains echoed behind her.
Light's blessing had activated.
He was following.
Whether he wanted to or not.
The captain would have to decide for himself.
The girl continued running.
Toward the crimson light.
Toward the unknown.
Toward what she desperately hoped wasn't something even worse.