The child's branded wrist twitched beneath her blanket, pulling Hajin's attention back from the sentries outside.
The brand responded to the distant audit signal before the child woke, warning Hajin that the designation still worked.
Inside the quiet quarantine pavilion, two small lanterns burned with low, steady amber flames upon the folding supply crates.
Hajin sat beside the pallet where the young demon child lay fast asleep beneath a thick woolen traveling blanket.
Beside her, little Ash slept curled into a tight ball, his soft breathing matching the quiet rustle of the canvas awning.
Outside the pavilion, the night sentries made their rounds with quiet footsteps, their bronze lantern cages throwing amber circles along the gravel paths.
Without warning, the sleeping girl's right arm rose into the air, moving with rigid, unnatural mechanical precision.
