---
At The Bridge
"Ugh…"
Joshua groaned as he got up from the ground, pain coursing through every part of his body.
"Welcome to the land of the living. How was your trip?"
Rose was sitting on the ground, holding someone — a girl.
Joshua looked at them and immediately realized something.
"It worked?!"
"Good news — it did work. Bad news…" Rose trailed off.
"What bad news?" Joshua asked quickly.
"The bad news is… it worked too well."
Rose looked around grimly.
Gasp!
Joshua's eyes widened at the sight before him.
It wasn't just Adaolisa who had been resurrected — everyone who died that day had returned.
They all lay unconscious.
"This… isn't supposed to happen," Joshua muttered.
"Well, this is a big problem," Rose said. "What spell did you use? A Restoration Spell?"
She glanced at the bridge — even it had been restored to its original form.
Joshua surveyed the unconscious bodies and the now-repaired bridge.
He had greatly underestimated the power of the Heart of Flames.
His gaze fell on Adaolisa, curled up in Rose's arms, still unconscious.
Rose noticed and smiled mischievously.
"She's quite pretty. What's her name, anyway?"
"Adaolisa Williams," Joshua replied.
"…"
"Is something wrong?" Joshua asked, uneasy at Rose's silence.
"Williams… Oh, now I see. No wonder."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"You really don't know who she is, yet you did all this for her?"
Joshua was clearly confused.
"I don't understand what you're saying."
"You really don't know, do you?"
"Make me understand."
Rose's grin widened, then she laughed.
"Hahahaha!"
"Don't worry yourself. It'll be better to hear it from your girlfriend herself."
Now Joshua was really worried.
---
[We need to leave this place now. That energy surge won't be interpreted the same way humans perceive it. Many supernaturals in the area will definitely be alerted.]
Arunma's voice rang out with clear distress.
"Arunma's right — we need to leave now," Rose admitted.
"What about the people here?" Joshua asked, visibly concerned.
[Do you have enough energy for a mass teleportation spell?]
Arunma materialized, her form glowing with anger — clearly directed at Joshua.
They had all suffered because of him.
[You went against the natural order of things. I hope you're ready to face the consequences.]
"What about you? I mean — all of us took the risk."
[About that… You lied. Rose can take care of herself. It's you I'm worried about.]
Joshua grimaced. Deep down, he felt it was still worth it.
[The spell might've been successful, but you cast it. There's always a price for cheating death.]
Arunma's words stung like salt on fresh wounds.
---
Later…
A man arrived.
Dressed in a black suit and trench coat, his crimson eyes glowed while the whites had turned pitch black.
"This is the place."
Another man was with him — likely an informant or escort.
"This place is riddled with all sorts of magic," the red-eyed man said, scanning the area. "But I can distinguish between them. I'll have to find it one at a time."
He turned to the other man.
"I did my part," the informant said. "When do I get to join the Organization?"
"Ah… but you failed."
The red-eyed man narrowed his eyes.
"You promised me the relic would be in my hands by yesterday. I even hired assassins from the Shadow Hunters. So why isn't it here?"
He clenched his fist — the informant began choking.
Cough… Cough…
"Wait…"
"You disappoint me, Division Leader. I don't know whether to choke you, dissect you, or behead you. You came to me to join my Organization because you thought the Defense Agency didn't reward you enough."
"P… ple… ase… anoth… er chance!"
"I'm very angry right now. But let me teach you something about my Organization."
He leaned in slightly.
"We. Don't. Give. Second. Chances."
Splash!
He crushed the man's head effortlessly — without even using his hands.
"You earn it."