Lysander stood up. He towered over the fire, his shadow stretching across the entire hut. He didn't tell her about the System. He didn't tell her about the Rank A Elixirs or the XP.
He looked down at her, and for a moment, the menacing aura around him softened.
"Because I need you to survive," he said enigmatically.
He reached out a gloved hand, not to give a fruit this time, but to offer an alliance.
"But I need to know one thing before I step out that door."
He paused, letting the silence build.
"You trust me, don't you?"
The question was simple, but the weight behind it was immense. He was asking for more than just permission. He was asking for her faith. He was asking her to place the lives of her entire "family" into the hands of a stranger who wore the face of a demon.
Elara looked at the gloved hand.
She looked at Miko, who was sleeping peacefully for the first time in months.
She felt the strength in her own body—strength he had given her for free.
She didn't hesitate.
Elara reached out and grasped his armored hand with her own. Her grip was firm.
"I trust you," she said, her voice fierce and steady. "I don't know who you are, or where you came from... but you are the only god who ever answered our prayers"
"Good"
Lysander pulled her up to her feet.
"Then wake them up, Elara. Gather everyone in the center of the village."
He turned toward the leather flap of the door, his cloak swirling around him like a storm cloud.
"Tonight, the dying stops
Lysander stood up from the fire, the wooden floorboards creaking under his weight. He looked down at the bundle of furs where Miko was curled up.
The child was sleeping, but it wasn't a peaceful sleep. She was shivering violently, her small brow furrowed in pain. Every few seconds, a wheezing cough would shake her tiny frame, sounding like rattling chains in her chest. Her white fur was dull, brittle, and shedding in patches, revealing the grey, sickly skin underneath where the black veins of the plague were pulsing.
"She gave the first fruit to you, Elara,"
Lysander said softly, his mask fixed on the child. "She was starving and dying, but she chose to save her mother first"
Elara wiped a tear from her eye, looking down at Miko with heartbreaking tenderness. "She is a good girl. Too good for this world"
"Then let's make sure she stays in it."
Lysander opened his System Interface.
"System. Open Shop"
Whirrr...
The blue window expanded. His point balance was currently 10,500 SP He needed to buy 28 more cures for the village mission, but right now, only one mattered.
[ITEM SELECTED]
[Item: Sun-Kissed Nectarine]
[Quantity: 1]
[Cost: 500 SP]
"Purchase"
Ding!
[-500 SP]
ZAP.
A swirl of golden particles gathered in Lysander's gloved hand, solidifying into the radiant, glowing fruit. The light from the Nectarine was so bright it overpowered the dim mana-stone lamp, bathing the entire hut in a warm, sunrise-like glow.
The sudden warmth stirred Miko. Her large ears twitched, and her eyelids fluttered open.
"Mom...?" she whispered weakly, her voice barely a scratch.
Lysander knelt down. The movement was slow and deliberate, minimizing the terrifying presence of his armor.
"Miko," his robotic voice rumbled gently.
The girl flinched, her eyes widening as she saw the metal mask inches from her face. But then she smelled it. That sweet, heavenly scent she had smelled earlier.
She looked at Lysander's hand. There it was again. The sun in the palm of his hand.
"It is your turn," Lysander said.
He held the fruit out to her.
Miko looked at Elara for confirmation. Elara nodded, smiling through her tears. "It's okay, baby. Eat it. It will make the pain go away."
With trembling hands, Miko reached out. Her tiny claws scraped against Lysander's black gauntlet as she took the heavy fruit. She didn't hesitate this time. She brought it to her mouth and took a bite.
Crunch.
Juice, glowing like liquid gold, ran down her chin.
The effect was instantaneous.
As Miko swallowed, a visible pulse of light exploded from her chest. It wasn't violent; it was gentle, like a warm blanket wrapping around her soul.
Ommmmm...
Lysander and Elara watched in awe as the magic went to work.
First, the black veins on her neck and arms began to recede, sizzling away into nothingness like shadows touching sunlight. The wheezing sound in her chest stopped abruptly, replaced by a deep, clear intake of breath.
Then, the physical changes began.
The dull, gray patches on her skin regained a healthy, pink flush. The brittle, matted fur that looked like old straw began to shine. It thickened, turning a brilliant, snowy white that seemed to sparkle in the light. Her tail, which had been limp and lifeless, fluffed up, becoming full and soft.
Miko blinked, her eyes changing. The cloudy, sickly film over her irises dissolved, revealing vibrant, crystal-clear amber eyes that glowed with new life.
She looked at her hands. She flexed her fingers. There was no pain. No ache in her bones. No burning in her lungs.
"I..." Miko whispered, her voice clear and bell-like.
She sat up. Then she stood up. She bounced on the balls of her feet, feeling a surge of energy she had never felt before.
"I don't hurt!" Miko gasped, turning to Elara with a massive smile. "Mom! I don't hurt anymore!"
She laughed—a pure, happy sound that had likely never been heard in this hut before. She jumped into Elara's arms, her bushy tail wagging furiously behind her.
Lysander stood up, watching the reunion. Behind his mask, a rare smile touched his lips.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
[Name: Miko](Fox-Kin)
[Status: CURED]
[Vitality: Restored to 100%]
"One down," Lysander whispered to himself. "Twenty-nine to go"
The wooden door of Elara's hut creaked open, spilling golden light into the oppressive darkness of the camp.
Lysander stepped out first. His tall, armored figure, wrapped in the shifting smoke of the Void-Weave Hoodie, looked like a phantom against the backdrop of the violet night sky. Elara followed him, holding a lantern high. Miko stayed close to Lysander's leg, her new white fur glowing like a beacon of hope in the gloom.
"Wake them," Lysander commanded, his voice low.
Elara nodded. She moved to the center of the muddy clearing, where a rusted iron bell hung from a rotting post. She grabbed the rope.
CLANG. CLANG. CLANG.
The sound was harsh and lonely, echoing through the silent silver trees. Usually, this bell signaled a death. Tonight, it signaled something else.
Slowly, painfully, the camp began to stir.
Tents flapped open. Figures emerged—ghosts in rags. They were all female. Some crawled on their hands and knees, too weak to stand. Others leaned on makeshift crutches made of branches. They were Cat-Kin, Dog-Kin, Bear-Kin, and Rabbit-Kin, but the specific traits of their clans were barely visible under the gray pallor of the Wither-Blood Plague.
They gathered in a loose circle, coughing and shivering, their eyes filled with fear as they looked at the towering, faceless stranger standing in the mud.
"Who... is that?" a Bear-Kin woman wheezed, clutching her chest. "Is he... the executioner?"
"Look at Miko," another whispered, pointing a trembling finger. "Look at her fur. It's shining"
Lysander stood motionless, his Iron-Wraith Mask scanning the crowd. The System interface overlaid red health bars over every single villager.
[Subject 1: Critical] (12 Hours left)
[Subject 2: Critical](4 Hours left)
[Subject 3: Stable but declining]
He counted them. Twenty-eight souls.
"System," Lysander whispered. "Open Shop. Calculate total cost"
Whirrr...
[CALCULATION]
[Objective: Cure 28 Subjects]
[Item: Sun-Kissed Nectarine](500 SP).
[Total Cost: 14,000 SP]
Lysander's eyes shifted to the top right corner of his HUD.
[Current balance: 10,000 SP]
His heart sank.
"I'm short," Lysander realized, his fist clenching at his side. "I have enough for twenty people. But eight of them... eight of them will have to wait"
He looked at the crowd. They were looking at him with a mix of terror and desperate hope. If he chose twenty now, the other eight would watch their friends get healed while they remained sick. It would cause chaos. It would cause despair.
"No," Lysander decided. "I won't play god like that. I won't choose who lives and who dies tonight"
He stepped forward. The mud squelched under his heavy boots. The crowd flinched, shrinking back.
"Do not be afraid!"
His voice, amplified by the mask, rolled over the clearing like thunder. It wasn't the voice of a monster; it was the voice of a Commander.
"My name is Zero. I have come here to make a trade"
He gestured to Elara and Miko.
"Look at them. An hour ago, they were rotting just like you. Now, they are strong. The sickness is gone"
The villagers gasped. A murmur ran through the crowd as they saw Elara standing tall, her orange fur vibrant and healthy. They saw Miko jumping with energy. It was a miracle they couldn't deny.