His senses, enhanced by the thin layer of mana reinforcing his body, mapped every movement around them. Every footstep. Every heartbeat within range.
The pain still pulsed through him.
Constant.
Burning.
But controlled.
He adjusted his grip and stepped forward into another shadow.
Above them—
Mana lights shone bright.
Below—
They moved unnoticed through the border town.
"Come with me."
Aldric didn't wait for agreement. He cut across the narrow alley and vaulted silently over a low stone divider into the backyard of a nearby house. The others followed without a word.
The yard was neat—trimmed hedges, a small wooden bench, a faintly glowing mana lantern hanging near the back door.
Aldric moved straight to the back door. He pressed his palm over the keyhole.
Mana flowed from his fingers—thin, precise.
Inside the lock—
A soft crack.
The internal pins snapped and reformed under the pressure.
Followed by a quiet click.
The door unlocked.
"Get in."
They slipped inside quickly, the maid closing the door behind them without a sound.
The house was warm. Clean.
They were in a kitchen.
Soft yellow light illuminated a modest, lived-in space. A small stove glowed faintly along the wall, a pot still steaming as if recently used.
And standing there—
A woman.
She turned. Her eyes widened. For half a heartbeat, she stared at them.
Then her mouth opened.
The maid appeared before her instantly. Too fast. A pale hand clamped over the woman's face, blood-red mana already coiling, ready to crush—
"Stop."
Draven's voice cut through the room, calm but absolute.
The maid froze.
Draven stepped forward slightly, his gaze sharp.
"Don't kill her," he said. "Just knock her out."
The maid turned her head, confused.
"If you kill her," Draven continued evenly, "it confirms that whatever crossed the border is still inside the town. Even after we leave. That brings investigations. Sweeps. Trouble."
His eyes flicked briefly to the door, then back to her.
"We're only staying for a while. Knock out whoever's inside. When we leave, they wake up thinking nothing more than a robbery—or a fainting spell."
A pause.
The maid inclined her head slightly.
"Yes, my lord."
Her mana shifted.
The woman went limp, unconscious before she even hit the floor. The maid caught her silently and laid her down gently.
At that exact moment—
A door from deeper inside the house opened. A man stepped into the kitchen from a side hallway, confusion on his face.
"What's—"
Lyriana was already there. She appeared in front of him like a ghost, her palm striking his neck with surgical precision.
He dropped instantly. No sound. No struggle.
From the living room, a faint blue glow flickered.
A young girl sat on a couch, watching some kind of moving picture device—a mana-powered television. She turned at the sound—
Aldric appeared behind her like a ghost. A precise tap at the base of her skull. She slumped forward without a sound.
Silence returned to the house.
The maid carefully lowered the unconscious woman to the floor instead of letting her drop.
Draven stood in the center of the kitchen, the siblings in his arms, the cat perched atop his head as if it owned the place.
Lucifer stared quietly at the fallen adults.
Elenya reached toward a nearby table curiously.
Draven scanned the house once.
"No blood," he said quietly. "Or damage."
Aldric dusted his hands lightly.
"Relax. They'll wake up with a headache."
Lyriana walked back into the kitchen.
"The house is secure."
Draven stepped further inside.
"For now," he muttered.
The mana lamps outside continued to glow. Soldiers continued patrolling the streets.
And inside a perfectly normal border-town home—
Aldric stepped back into the kitchen, brushing invisible dust from his sleeve.
"That's the last one," he said. He glanced around once more to confirm: woman on the floor, man in the hallway, girl in the sitting room. All breathing. All unconscious.
Then he turned toward Draven.
"So," he asked, walking closer, "how long are we staying here?"
Draven didn't answer immediately. The faint hum of mana-powered streetlights seeped through the walls. Outside, boots marched past in steady rhythm.
Aldric continued,
"A few hours? Or the entire night?"
His eyes flicked toward the darkened windows.
"If we leave in a few hours, we won't make it far. And if the sun rises while we're still out there, we'll have to hide again. We might not even reach the next settlement before dawn."
He crossed his arms.
"We've been moving for days. Non-stop."
His gaze dropped briefly to the twins in Draven's arms.
"That may not be a problem for us," he muttered, "but they're babies."
Lucifer stirred slightly, tiny fingers gripping Draven's cloak. Elenya shifted in her blanket, her breathing soft and steady.
"They haven't had a proper place to sleep in days," Aldric added more quietly. "No real rest. No warmth. No silence."
Lyriana glanced at Draven but said nothing. The maid stood near the door, still and attentive.
Draven remained where he was. Mana still folded endlessly inside him. Pain still constant. The cat adjusted itself lazily atop his head.
His eyes lowered to his siblings. For a moment, the tension in his expression eased—barely.
"…We stay," he said finally.
"Until tomorrow night."
Aldric let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.
Draven continued calmly,
"They rest properly. We move again after sunset."
His gaze sharpened again as he looked toward the ceiling, sensing the town beyond the walls.
"No unnecessary movement. No noise. Or killing."
He shifted slightly.