Aldric's smile faded—just a fraction—as his head turned toward the trees.
Footsteps.
Heavy.
Uneven.
The undergrowth parted, and **Thane** emerged from the forest.
His helmet was half-destroyed, one side crushed inward, the metal peeled back like torn flesh. Blood streamed freely down his face, streaking over his jaw and dripping from his chin. One eye was swollen shut; the other burned with stubborn, defiant light.
Sword in hand.
Shield still raised.
Still standing.
Aldric exhaled slowly, almost impressed.
"…You're not weak," he said evenly. "Surviving that punch."
Thane stopped a few paces away.
He drove his sword **into the earth**, the blade sinking deep with a dull *thud*. Then he raised a trembling hand, gripped what remained of his helmet, and **ripped it free**, tossing it aside. It struck the ground with a hollow clang.
He wrapped his fingers around the sword's hilt once more.
Pulled it free.
And began walking forward again.
His voice was hoarse—strained—but unbroken.
"As a knight," Thane said, "and as a paladin of the Light… I cannot fall while demons like you still exist."
Holy mana surged around him, uneven but fierce, light crawling over cracked armor and blood-soaked steel.
"I will keep forging forward," he continued, step by step. "No matter how many of you stand before me. No matter how many times I fall. Even if it breaks me. Even if it kills me."
His grip tightened.
"I will not stop."
Aldric listened without interrupting.
Then he laughed.
Not loud.
Not mocking.
Just sharp.
"Great speech," he said as crimson mana began to rise around him like heat haze. "Really inspiring."
He tilted his head, eyes gleaming.
"But you should've run while you still could."
Thane's remaining eye blazed.
"Run?" he snarled, holy light flaring brighter. "You dare tell *me* to run? You dare insult me as a knight?"
He took another step forward.
"I can't," he said. "And I never will. I only charge—straight toward my enemies."
Aldric's grin spread wide, feral and eager.
Blood lifted from the ground behind him, flowing upward—**shaping itself**. Liquid hardened, edges formed, mass condensed. In seconds, a brutal, jagged weapon took shape in his hand, humming with lethal intent.
"Then enough with the small talk," Aldric said, rolling his shoulders as his mana surged to meet Thane's light.
"Let's not waste any more time."
Blood and holy light **collided**—
—and the forest trembled as they charged, steel and conviction crashing together in a violent explosion that tore bark from trees and sent shockwaves rippling through the clearing.
Lyriana did not move.
Behind Aldric, she hovered just above the blood-soaked ground, wings steady. **Lucifer** slept soundly in her arms, chest rising and falling in slow, even breaths—untouched by chaos, untouched by fear.
**Elenya**, however, was wide awake.
Her eyes were stretched wide, pupils reflecting the violent clash of mana ahead. Tiny arms reached outward instinctively, fingers grasping at the air as if drawn toward the surging power—only to be gently but firmly restrained as Lyriana tightened her hold.
"Easy…" Lyriana murmured under her breath.
Ahead—
Mana **roared**.
Aldric and Thane **launched** toward each other at the same instant, the ground cracking beneath their feet. Blood surged. Holy light flared. Their weapons were already in motion—
Then—
A **blur** crossed between them.
Not light.
Not shadow.
Something else.
For a single, impossible instant, the space between Aldric and Thane simply… **shifted**.
And then—
Thane's head **left his shoulders**.
No resistance.
No struggle.
Blood sprayed outward in a violent fan as the severed head spun through the air, expression frozen in fierce defiance before striking the ground and rolling to a stop.
The body took one more step.
Then collapsed.
Silence slammed down.
Aldric froze—not in fear, but shock.
"…What the—"
He reacted instantly.
His wings snapped wide as he **leapt backward**, blood weapon raised defensively. He landed in front of Lyriana in a tight, protective stance, crimson mana flaring as his gaze locked onto the figure now standing where the clash had been interrupted.
A lone silhouette.
Calm.
Still.
On guard.
Aldric's jaw tightened.
"What the hell was that?" he demanded. "You just saved me—or stole my kill. I can't tell which."
The figure stepped forward just enough for the light to reveal her face.
A maid's uniform.
Immaculate.
Perfectly arranged.
No blood.
No mana flare.
No killing intent.
Just **control**.
Aldric's eyes widened slightly as recognition struck.
"…You," he said slowly.
The **maid** inclined her head in a precise, respectful bow—as if she hadn't ended a paladin's life in less than a heartbeat.
"Apologies," she said calmly. "That strike was necessary."
Her gaze shifted briefly to Lyriana and the children, assessing—confirming.
Then back to Aldric.
"Lady Elliana's orders," she continued evenly. "No further delays. No additional threats."
Aldric let out a short breath, somewhere between a laugh and a curse.
"Tch… figures," he muttered, lowering his weapon slightly. "Guess that answers that."
Behind him, Lyriana stared at the maid, unease flickering through her expression as Elenya continued reaching, eyes fixed on the aftermath—on the blood, the fallen body, the woman who had ended it all without effort.
The forest stood still.
And for the first time since the fighting began—
The danger had been cut off **cleanly**.
The maid **moved**.
No warning.
No step.
One moment she stood several paces away—
—the next, she was **directly in front of Lyriana**.
Aldric's eyes widened.
"—Hey!"
Instinct took over.
Blood surged.
His weapon snapped up in a vicious arc, stopping a breath from the maid's neck. The air went deathly silent, mana coiling tight enough to snap.
Lyriana stiffened, wings flaring half-open as she drew the children closer.
The maid did not flinch.
Did not blink.
Her expression remained unchanged as the blade hovered at her throat.
"Please do not become agitated," she said calmly.
Aldric's jaw clenched.
"Give me one reason not to—"
"I am only confirming the safety of the **young miss** and **young master**," the maid continued smoothly. Her gaze flicked—precise and brief—to Elenya and Lucifer, checking breath, aura, pulse.
Then she nodded once.
"They are unharmed."
She returned her gaze to Aldric, unfazed.
"Now that this has been confirmed, we must move immediately."
The tension lingered for a heartbeat.
Then Aldric exhaled.
"…Yeah," he muttered, lowering the weapon a fraction—though he didn't dismiss it. "I was thinking the same thing."
He glanced toward the dark forest, then back to Lyriana.
"They need to get out of here before something else decides to crawl out of the trees."
The maid stepped back—slowly, deliberately—never turning her back on him.
"Agreed," she said simply.
Lyriana tightened her grip on the children and nodded, wings spreading fully.
The forest—soaked in blood and silence—finally felt… finished.
And without another word, they prepared to move on, leaving behind the corpses, the shattered ground, and the night itself.