Rin and Ren walked calmly through the abandoned building, faint traces of mana still clinging to the air like smoke after a fire. Suspiciously, there were no other signs of life.
Ren stopped over a jagged crack in the floor, its shape curving into the outline of a peculiar footprint. He crouched low, studying the impression with narrowed eyes.
Rin crossed her arms, brow arched. "You think that's really going to tell you anything? A couple cracks in the ground."
Ren pressed his palm against the ruined floor, letting out a slow breath. "I've been doing this a lot, Rin. Believe me, I know what I'm doing." He lifted his hand and pointed into the shadows, not just anywhere, but with certainty. "They went that way. Multiple."
Rin blinked. "Huh?" Her gaze darted around, searching for what he'd seen. "A-alright, whatever. Let's follow your crazy intuition."
And so they did. Rin trailed behind, tilting her head back until her eyes rested on the ceiling. Silence stretched, and she filled it with a loud, careless hum.
Bang.
She winced, rubbing her shin against the cold edge of a metal cabinet she'd walked into. Ren's stare felt like needles drilling into the side of her head. Rin let out an awkward laugh.
"Can you focus?" Ren sighed. "If you need noise to keep your brain awake, then talk instead." He turned and kept walking.
Rin hurried back to his side, pouting. "You make it sound like I don't know how to pay attention."
Ren's brow ticked upward. "Yes. Our short time in school gave me that impression. Sosuke was always dragging you along, wasn't he?"
Rin smiled wryly, lips twitching. "No…" The word came weak, her attempt at denial half-hearted. "Sorry I'm not a nerd," she added, leaning into the joke.
Their footsteps echoed hollow across the floor as Ren pushed open the double doors leading into the west wing. A receptionist's desk waited a few paces ahead, a gas lamp flickering atop it with a dying pulse of light. His eyes snapped to the corner, blood smeared thick across the wall.
"Huh…" Rin tilted her head. "You gonna pull out the detective act again? Don't you need a magnifying glass?" She smirked, giving him a playful nudge.
Ren rushed to the stain and let out a breath of relief. "It's not human." He gestured at the streaks. "Shade's different."
Rin leaned closer, squinting hard. "Looks the same to me…" She straightened and nodded solemnly. "Guess I have an untrained eye."
"Yes, much to learn." Ren folded his arms, sharp gaze fixed on the wall. "But the blood carries a high concentration of mana. Whatever left it won't be weak."
Rin extended an arm toward the darkened hallway, lips curled into a grin. "Lead the way, sir."
Down the hall lay a room choked with overturned desks, trash, and papers scattered like snow across the floor. The only light came from a jagged gap in the ceiling, where a blade of orange sunlight cut through the dust.
Rin lifted a finger, a small flame sparking to life at its tip. "It's getting a little spooky now. I'm not sure I like this…"
Ren's breath caught as his eyes fixed on a puddle of blood seeping across the cracked tiles. The smear stretched forward, leading to a darkened shape. "Rin!"
She whirled around. The source came into view. A body lay mangled on the ground, torn open, limbs missing. Rin's eyes went wide. Her hand clamped over her mouth. "Oh, gods."
A floorboard creaked behind them. Then a low growl. Claws slashed out of the dark, swiping for Rin's back.
Ren shoved her aside and the blight slammed him to the ground. With Rin's flame gone, its form was swallowed by shadow. He grit his teeth, shoving his palm against the monster's twisted face. "Binding Ice."
Frost spread in a violent bloom, locking its head in jagged ice. The blight staggered, screeching as its claws tore at the frozen shell. Rin darted forward, her fist blazing as she struck its back with a burst of flame. The creature rolled, tumbling into the shaft of light.
Its body was a grotesque mockery of life. The shape of a wolf lingered, but the proportions were mangled. Its spine jutted through torn flesh, ribs cracked open like broken bars of a cage. One foreleg ended in a swollen, half-human hand, its nails bent and bloody. Dozens of old wounds riddled its hide, as if others had tried and failed to bring it down.
"You sick animal…" Rin's voice dropped low, heat rising from her clenched fists.
Ren was already there. He drove his sword down with a grunt, steel splitting the skull. The body spasmed once, then fell still beneath him.
His breath came out cold and steady. "There's more out there. Who knows how many bodies it's consumed." He slammed his fist against the wall, stone cracking in a spiderweb around his knuckles. "I shouldn't have waited. I could have come here myself."
Rin turned away from the ruined corpse, her expression tight. "You had every right to be cautious. This place is huge. And we're lucky this was the last building."
The snow-white blade shimmered and broke into mana particles, dissolving into the air. Ren brushed the dust from his uniform and tugged his collar straight. "We keep going. There could still be survivors. We cannot waste a second."
Rin stomped forward, her eyes narrowing. "Ren!" Her voice cut sharp in the empty hall. "Calm down, soldier. Anger won't save anyone." She winked, forcing a lighter edge into her words.
Ren started to speak but fell silent, jaw clenching before he gave a single nod. His gaze swept the room, then locked on a door washed in the slant of light. He raised his finger toward it. "There's blood."
———
Blood dripped in lazy trails down the blight's crooked jaw. It chewed with wet, deliberate clicks, feeding on something unrecognizable. Its head lifted when footsteps echoed from behind.
Black flames tore through the blight's skull, bursting it apart in a spray of blood that painted the walls. The body collapsed in a heap, twitching once before falling still.
"Ugh…" Rin gagged, squeezing her eyes shut. She stumbled back to Ren's side, shaking her head. "These ones are especially ugly. And the human bodies… I can't stand seeing them like that."
"You get used to it," Ren said quietly. He exhaled, a cold breath slipping from his lips. "We killed them all. No survivors either."
Rin shook her head and stepped in front of him with a faint grin. "But think about it. Lives were saved because we put them down. That's worth something, isn't it?"
"Sure." Ren sidestepped her and started walking. "Time to go."
Rin pouted, furrowing her brow. "I could get a better conversation out of Arthur. At least he'd try to teach me something, even if it bored me to death." She jogged forward, catching up to his side. "Have you ever tried having a little fun?"
Ren's brow arched. "I… don't know, honestly. And what does it matter right now?"
Rin crossed her arms and let out a long, dramatic sigh. "So we'll be walking in silence, then."
And in silence they walked.
By the time they stepped outside, the sun had set. Stars stretched across the sky, scattered in endless black. One shone brighter than the rest, catching Rin's eye.
Ren followed her gaze. "What are you doing?"
"Can't I admire the view?" Rin smiled, shoulders relaxing as she tilted her head back. "Ignoring the blights, this has been a good day."
For a moment neither spoke.
"Do you love Sosuke?" Ren asked. His words came slowly, as if weighed down. He stopped and looked straight at her.
Rin flinched. "What? Why? Who told you?" She scratched the back of her head, wincing. "That's kind of… out of the blue."
Ren pointed upward at the stars. "Is it?"
Rin hesitated, then nodded. "Right. But… can we keep walking?"
"Sure."
"I'll answer," Rin said, "if you tell me why you asked after." When he nodded, she let out a breath. "I do. I love him. He's the reason I ever pushed myself. Without him, I wouldn't have made it this far. Now I'm just… grateful I changed." She smirked faintly, pointing a finger at him. "Your turn."
Ren walked to a stone bench near an empty fountain and sat down. "How does it feel," he asked, "to love someone?"
Rin blinked. "What do you mean? Didn't you have… parents?" The words slipped out cautiously.
Ren nodded once. "I had my mother. But lately I've wondered if it was really love. She used me as a tool, to push our family into greatness. I failed before she died of sickness." His gaze lowered. "I know this will bore you."
Rin shook her head hard and sat beside him. "No, go on. What makes you think she didn't care?"
"She wasn't normal. She had an illness. Bipolar disorder. The few times she showed affection, it was to bend me toward her goal. I was meant to be something special. After she died, that goal lived on in me, and I chased it until I realized… following someone else's ideals leads nowhere. To succeed, you have to walk your own path."
Rin stared at him for a beat, then patted his shoulder. "Wow. That's… kind of poetic. I didn't know you went through that. But how do I even explain love…?" She trailed off, muttering more to herself than him.
She tapped her chin, eyes lifting to the stars. "I'd say it's a warm feeling, right here." She traced a circle above her stomach with her hands. "Or butterflies, as they say. But I think if you're unsure you've felt it, then you really haven't. When it happens, you know."
Ren leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees. "Is that so. I'll take note of that, Sakurai."
Rin groaned. "Ugh, I used to hate when you called me that."
"What? It's your name, isn't it?"
She raised a fist and narrowed her eyes. "I despise that family with all my soul. The only thing I truly hate."
Ren tilted his head, meeting her fierce gaze. "Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why do you hate them so much?"
Rin chuckled bitterly. "Why wouldn't I? They belittled me, tore my family apart, and took my mom from me. She chose to stay, but it wasn't her fault. All they care about is keeping their perfect little reputation. I want no ties to them." She crossed her arms and leaned back with a sharp "hmph."
Ren's lips curved into the faintest grin. "I see."