Pushing her again and again wasn't right either — if she truly didn't want to go, there was nothing any of them could do about it. Jhed watched Nain, her face still hidden behind the cloth.
I don't know how she must be feeling right now. But she must want to go, deep down, Jhed thought to himself.
"So it's me, Jhed, and Daichi going then," Shine said, laying out his plan to take Jhed and Daichi along with him.
"And what about me?" Silia said, pointing at herself. "I want to come too." I need to get away from this woman. "Besides, I'm the card's owner, aren't I? You'll need to bring me along if you want to actually use it," Silia said. She wanted nothing more than to escape from Preka.
This felt strange, almost unnatural — a demon who drank people's blood, running away from one ordinary woman. Watching this just felt odd to me. She could easily have scared Preka off with ease. All of this felt strange. She has the power — why isn't she using it? If she were some kind of hero, that would make sense. But she's a demon, and a demon's purpose is to kill people. That's what the universe made them for, Jhed thought to himself, watching Silia. From her expressions, he could tell she genuinely just wanted to get away from Preka.
Jhed's own inner thoughts kept nagging at him, forcing him to think it over. Silia really was a demon — her purpose was to kill people, not to live alongside them.
I want to go, but... with this face, how do I face my father? I'm scared to even go near him. It's better if I stay here. I'm not giving up hope, though — if Shine says I can be cured, then I believe I will be, Nain thought to herself.
Well, that was just her own way of thinking. The father she trusted so deeply — he was everything to her. Why would he ever hate her? Why would he ever fear her?
"Listen, Daichi, I don't know where you're all off to, but take care of yourself and come home soon," Preka said.
Jhed and Shine both widened their eyes, staring at her.
"What?... Why are you two looking at me like that?" Preka said, noticing their stares.
Neither of them could quite believe it — this short-tempered woman actually knew how to say something kind.
Daichi smiled. "Alright then, let's go," he said.
"Silia, press that red spot on the card," Shine said.
Silia pressed the red spot. Light began to glow from it. And the four of them stepped into that light. Within moments, the light vanished from the spot entirely.
Now only the two of them remained. Preka, who had called her a monster. Nain, who was heading back toward her room.
"Wait... do you like apples?"
Nain turned around to look. Preka was holding an apple in her hand.
She walked over to Nain.
"Here, take this." She placed the apple in Nain's hand.
And then she walked off. Nain stood there, staring at the apple. She stayed quiet. Her growl was a frightening thing — it kept slipping out again and again, without her meaning it to.
She carried the apple back to her room with her.
Meanwhile, elsewhere, a fierce rivalry had broken out between Maruls and the short-tempered boy over who would capture the Fire Bird first. They had both reached the Fire Bird's territory.
"Maruls, something doesn't feel right here," Metye said.
"Look, there — the Fire Bird's nest," one of the other boy's teammates said.
"Come on, quick, before Maruls gets there first!" They rushed toward the nest.