CLICK!
The sound of a lock finally opening echoed after several minutes of waiting. The two of them hurried inside.
Ravka immediately wrapped her arms around Arthur, who was sitting on the simple bed in Dr. Thrain's clinic. Meanwhile, Dr. Thrain turned his gaze toward Zaraea.
"You? Aren't you one of the Seven Siblings?" Dr. Thrain asked.
"Yes. I'm Zaraea."
Dr. Thrain asked her to step outside so they could talk privately, wanting to know how Arthur had ended up in such a terrible condition. Zaraea explained everything, all the way to the end, and finally showed him Aethonia's staff.
Upon seeing the staff, Dr. Thrain was clearly impressed. Only a chosen few were capable of defeating the three demon siblings—Vespera, Aethonia, and Lilith.
"You're saying he gave this staff to you willingly?" Dr. Thrain asked as he examined it from every angle.
"Yes. He said this staff could defeat Lilith. I don't understand why he said it like he was supporting me, when I'm the one who caused his death."
Not long after, Arthur and Ravka stepped outside to join them.
"We have to catch up to them," Arthur said.
"What? No. Look at you—you're in this condition and you're still thinking about them?" Ravka protested, seeing how unfit Arthur was to continue the journey.
"But they're my responsibility too."
"No, he's right," Zaraea added. "You stay here. I'll go after Nimora to Mythren on my own. She was your responsibility, but now I'm here—and she's not anymore. Thank you for protecting her this far, Arthur Valtor."
Arthur desperately wanted to continue the journey to Mythren, just as Dr. Thrain had assigned him earlier. But with his severe injuries, forcing himself would be impossible. In the end, he decided to stay in Tenebrous, with Ravka taking care of him until he recovered.
Not wanting to waste any more time as evening drew near, Zaraea quickly left after seeing Arthur's condition improve thanks to Dr. Thrain's treatment.
She had been warned not to act recklessly once she entered Shadowfell territory—because facing Lilith was never something anyone truly wished for.
•••
NEO-LAB
Zaraea stretched her body for a moment before finally deciding to jump.
She leapt hundreds of meters downward. When she saw the floor below, she planted her staff into the ground to slow herself down. Thankfully, the trick worked, and she landed safely.
She walked through the lab and saw three orc corpses scattered across the area. This only strengthened her belief that Nimora had passed through here, accompanied by people strong enough to protect her.
Outside the lab, she found a forest in complete disarray. Fallen leaves everywhere, messy footprints, and broken branches made it clear that a major battle had taken place.
She found a leaf-shaped necklace—it could only belong to Nimora. Her worry for her sister grew.
She followed Nimora's trail until a magnificent kingdom appeared not far ahead.
"That has to be the Shadowfell Kingdom… where that demon lives," she murmured.
She stopped near a large tree and hid her staff first. She didn't want Lilith to sense that she had killed her sibling.
She continued forward—and just like what had happened to Nimora, two guards soon approached her and immediately escorted her to the palace.
•••
TENEBROUS VILLAGE
That night, Arthur sat at the bar with a glass of beer in front of him. He downed it in one go and asked for another.
"Arthur, stop. Don't push yourself like this," Ravka said.
Ignoring her, Arthur ordered another beer and drank it just as quickly—then asked for more.
"Tris…" Ravka shook her head at Tris, the bartender.
"Come on!" Arthur snapped.
"Arthur, get a grip!" Ravka grabbed his arm.
Arthur shoved her away hard and lashed out at her, even saying that he had never loved her at all.
Hearing those words from the man she loved felt like thousands of arrows piercing Ravka's heart. Her sincere love had been repaid with a bitter truth—Arthur had never loved her, not even once.
Tears streamed down her cheeks as she left the bar, her heart completely shattered. Arthur remained seated, drinking alone.
In the quiet night, Ravka ran through the trees, crying, while the forest bore silent witness to how completely broken she was.
When she reached a river, her sobbing grew uncontrollable. Light began to pour out of her body as she screamed, releasing her power in all directions to vent her anger.
After several minutes, the rage slowly faded, and she was finally able to stop crying. She turned back toward the village, determined to forget Arthur.
"Help…"
Not far away, she heard the voice of a young girl asking for help. Ravka stopped and listened carefully.
"Help…"
She heard it again. The girl wasn't screaming—just calling out softly. In the dark, silent forest, Ravka used her light to illuminate the area and began searching for the source of the voice.
She ran back and forth, stopping whenever the voice sounded closer. Then she saw a little girl lying weak on the ground, with scattered firewood around her. Ravka rushed to her side.
Half of the girl's body was blistered as if burned, her entire right side badly injured. Seeing how fresh the wounds were, panic surged through Ravka. There was no fire nearby—and the only thing capable of causing burns like this was light.
The uncontrolled release of Ravka's power earlier—her attacks flying wildly in every direction—had struck the girl, who had been gathering firewood alone in the forest.
Meanwhile, Arthur sat lost in thought for a moment, a glass of beer still in his hand. Then he set it down on the table and got up, making sure to take his sword with him.