After a few moments, Remy stood up.
His whole body felt tense.
He began walking back, each step slow and unsteady.The sun was beginning to rise in the east, but it was not truly morning yet.A cold bit his skin, forcing him to rub his hands together for warmth.
"Ahhh, my head." He thought to himself.
As he approached, he heard something—soft, desperate. It made him rush forward.
As he walked closer, the sobs got louder, and they became cries.
There he saw Caroline, lying on her grandmother's chest.
"Nana! Nana! Wake up, wake up!" The little girl cried, shaking the old woman who lay on the ground, her eyes wide open.
Remy opened his Mystic Eye and tried to inspect her. The woman had indeed died.Those who lived always carried an aura—a shifting, colourful light.But this woman was just cold and grey.
There was no spark.
No warmth.
No soul.
"I'm so sorry," Remy thought as he moved towards them, gently pulling the girl away from the corpse.She struggled, fighting to stay close to the person she loved.
"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry. You have to let go now—she's gone."
The whole night had been too much for the old woman.Her heart had been pushed past its limits… and finally stopped.
Remy wrapped the young girl in his arms, holding her tight as she sobbed against his shoulder.
"Nana!" she cried, her small body shaking.She could speak no other words except that one.
"Nana! Nana! Nana! "
"It's going to be okay…" Remy whispered, patting her gently on the back of her head.
"You win, old lady," he murmured. "I guess I have to take her with me. Sleep in peace, knowing your treasure is safe."
Remy closed the woman's eyes.
He then placed a blanket over her.
Remy stood after comforting the girl and carried the old woman's body outside.He dug a grave behind the house, his hands stiff and cold from the morning wind.
Dust covered his clothes as he kept digging. Standing above was Caroline; she just stared ahead, silent.
She carried a worn-out Sparrow stuffed toy.
After digging, Remy placed her inside softly; he then filled the hole up again.
"Ashes to ashes, dust to dust," he whispered, placing a flat stone as a tomb marker.
Caroline chipped, seeing her grandmother covered up.
Here lies Murian.The words were carved unevenly, but with care.
Without wasting another second, Remy gathered wood and rope scattered around the yard. He fashioned a makeshift sledge and lifted Chad onto it.
"Damn it… I think I wasted too much time," he thought, taking Chad down the bed.
Chad's complexion had turned a worrying shade of grey.
"Stay with me, man," Remy muttered, pulling him away from the ruins of the house.
Behind them, Caroline turned back for the last time.She stared at the place she once called home.A soft wind brushed through her hair as she whispered her own silent farewell.
Remy rushed now. He could feel Chad's weight dragging against the earth. They passed through the empty outskirts of town—most of the people had moved closer to the Saint factories and poppy plantations.
As they moved deeper, the slums revealed themselves bit by bit.People slept on the streets, bodies curled against the cold.And that familiar scent drifted toward Remy again—the same stench from his childhood.
Poppy.
"Hmm. Funny how a beautiful thing becomes monstrous when misused," he muttered under his breath.
The sledge carved twin lines through the dirt behind him.To the unknowing eye, it might have looked like two snakes slithering through the road.
They passed through the slums and soon found themselves back in the forest.Remy dragged the makeshift sledge carefully, trying not to jolt Chad more than necessary. The road was uneven, with roots and stones catching at every pull, but he never slowed.
"Oho! Oho!" Chad coughed as the sledge dragged over an exposed root.
They crossed the small pond.
"Almost there," he thought when he saw it.
He walked faster.And then, from between the trees, the old mansion came into view.
Caroline stumbled behind him, struggling to keep up.Sure, she was raised to be strong, but this was different—humans and practitioners of the mystic truly were two separate species.
Remy had been adjusting his speed just enough that she wouldn't be left behind.
He reached the towering front door; he placed Chad down and moved towards the stone wall and knocked three times.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
He pressed against a certain brick.A hollow echo answered.
He opened the rock
He pulled a lever hidden inside.
The door opened silently, and inside was complete darkness.
"Take my hand," Remy ordered, voice shaky from exhaustion. "And don't let go. If you do, you will die." He said in a stern voice.
Caroline reached out. Her hand trembled violently, her eyes wide and lost. Remy grabbed her and pulled her inside. The door slammed shut behind them, sealing them in darkness.
He led her through the narrow passageways. Unlike the night he arrived here, he knew the path now.
From behind the walls came growls—deep, wet, hungry.
"Ha—!" Caroline whimpered. Her grip tightened so hard it hurt.
"We're almost there," Remy said softly. "Don't be afraid."
"I-I'm not."But her voice cracked. She was terribly frightened but just didn't want to be a burden.
A few more steps. A few more turns.
The door to the main room appeared.
Remy pushed it open and stumbled through, collapsing inside.
"Remy!!!" Kat screamed.
"What happened!?" Kat screamed. She rushed to Remy's side, kneeling as her technique activated.
"No," Remy muttered weakly, pushing her hand away. His voice shook. "No, not me… He's dying."
He pointed to Chad.
Kat's eyes widened the moment she saw him. Chad's was in a deteriorated state.
Just then, Tear burst into the room. His face drained of colour.
"Kat! Put him on the sofa!" Tear ordered, leaping through the room.
Kat lifted Remy aside and helped Tear carry Chad. Tear leaned down and placed two fingers under Chad's nose—his breath was faint but there.
"Still alive…" Tear whispered.
A golden pulse of energy lit up Tear's hand. He pressed it against Chad's chest.
"Oho! Oho!!"Chad coughed violently, air rushing back into his lungs.
"Damn it, what the hell caused such, severe Mystic overdose? " He thought to himself.
He dragged Chad onto the sofa and placed him down beside Remy.
Remy's vision blurred and faded. He could hear voices—Kat and Tear moving, fabric tearing—but it all sounded distant.
"Thank goodness…" the thought slipped from his mind as he fell into forced sleep.
"What happened to them?" Tear asked sharply.
Caroline just stood there.
Wide-eyed.
Frozen.
Too afraid to speak.
To be Continued........