The mist devoured everything ahead—silhouettes flickered, buildings turned to shadows. Luís, Kevin, and Ruby halted in the middle of the street, coughing in the thick air.
"I can't see a thing," Luís muttered, sniffing the air. "With fog this dense, it's best we fall back."
"Wait," Kevin cut in sharply. Before anyone could react, a green owl emerged from his shoulder and took flight, vanishing into the haze.
The three of them watched the tiny shape disappear into the sky. Kevin kept his expression hard for a few seconds, then spoke:
"The owl sees something. There's a lab ahead—full of monsters and corpses. To the left, a crowd is being chased by creatures."
"It shows you everything?" Ruby asked, wide-eyed.
"Yes," Kevin replied, voice sharp.
"Go help those people," Luís ordered. "Ruby and I will check out that lab."
In an unexpected move, Luís grabbed Ruby by the waist; a soft blue glow surrounded them, and with calm composure, they began to float.
"See you soon, bro!" Luís shouted as they drifted away.
Ruby panicked, begging to be put down, but Luís had already vanished into the clouds of smoke. Kevin stood in silence until their silhouettes disappeared. The green owl returned, landing on his shoulder before turning to dust and scattering in the cold wind.
Kevin sprinted across rooftops, leaping over debris, until he reached a large house where refugees were hiding. Two guards stood watch at the entrance. Upon seeing Kevin, they stepped aside.
Inside, chaos reigned—children crying, the wounded groaning, faces hollowed by fear.
"This is the end," some murmured.
Kevin climbed to the center of the hall and raised his voice, firm:
"Stop! I'll get you all out of here. First, I'll treat the injured."
Murmurs of disbelief spread.
"You're insane, kid!" someone yelled. "How do you plan to save us now?"
Kevin made his way to a man barely conscious, knelt beside him, and placed a hand on his chest. A green light bloomed—warm and serene. The wounds sealed, his breathing steadied. The whispers turned to awe.
"Help us!" the other wounded began to cry.
"Quiet!" Kevin commanded, cutting through the noise. "We can't draw the monsters' attention."
From Kevin's back, four green chains unfurled, slithering like serpents. They slid among the people, touching wounds and erasing pain; every contact brought relief, invisible mending that sealed gashes and restored strength.
The guards, tense, called out:
"The monsters are coming. We need fighters!"
Fear froze most of them. Kevin took a deep breath.
"Stay here," he said. "I'll handle this alone."
Outside, Kevin faced small, spiked creatures creeping from the fog. From inside, the survivors peeked through windows, terrified.
"This is child's play," Kevin murmured, almost smiling.
The four green chains shot from his back again. In a flash, they weaved between the beasts, piercing and tearing through their thorny bodies—within seconds, the creatures were shredded to pieces.
The green owl appeared once more, perching on Kevin's shoulder, then soared high into the mist before returning to rest atop his head. Kevin opened his eyes, looked toward the house, and declared:
"You can come out. Now."
The people, still trembling, stepped out cautiously. One of the guards approached.
"What now, young healer?" he asked.
"How many are there?" Kevin questioned, assessing. "Are these all the survivors here?"
"Thirty in total: twenty-five adults, five children. The rest… were massacred by Ray after that fight with Thomas Reveler," the guard answered, voice breaking.
Kevin nodded and, with a gesture, summoned a large carriage and two pale horses—glowing with the same soft green hue as his essence. The refugees stared in disbelief.
"You two," Kevin pointed at the guards, "can you ride? Take this carriage to Hestia and tell them Luís Dinark sent you."
"Won't you come with us?" an elderly woman asked, worry in her tone.
Kevin lifted his gaze to the thinning mist, the moon faintly visible above.
"I need to find where these monsters are coming from," he replied firmly. "They're not natural."
At his side, a green-spotted dalmatian lifted its head and wagged its tail. Kevin smiled faintly.
"Follow the carriage, buddy," he ordered. The dog dashed ahead, barking as it ran.
The wagons rolled away. Kevin watched until the column of smoke and dust disappeared. Then, with a final wave, he leapt onto the rooftops once more, vanishing into the mist.
As he bounded from roof to roof, a mouth opened on Kevin's left cheek, and Melissa's voice whispered:
"Go. If this helps you remember, it's okay."
He smiled, feeling memories surge—training, wounds, promises—and plunged into the darkness, hunting for answers among the ruins.
High above, Luís and Ruby hovered over the devastated landscape—houses ablaze, rubble everywhere, mutilated bodies of people and monsters strewn across the streets. Blood trickled slowly from the wreckage, painting the ground red.
They landed before the laboratory, where a horde of smaller monsters guarded the entrance.
Ruby stepped forward, eyes gleaming with excitement.
"Feel free to clear the path," Luís said calmly.
Ruby grinned with pride. In a swift motion, she drew the scythe from her back and charged.
Her strikes were precise, brutal—so fast the monsters couldn't even react.
"Their blood… it's splattering on my face…" she murmured, smiling wider. "It makes me so happy."
She rushed inside, slicing everything in sight. Luís, outside, watched the bodies fall one after another, the sounds of destruction echoing through the corridors.
When he finally entered, he sensed something was off.
"Something's not right…" he muttered, walking through the dark passages. "These monsters are dumber than usual. And where are the Sentinels? Where's this kingdom's king?"
The floor was littered with corpses. The blood, still fresh, told him they'd been slain only minutes ago.
"Impressive… Ruby's clearing a path for me," he thought.
Suddenly, a massive crash shook the building, followed by a monstrous roar.
"What was that…?" Luís whispered, sprinting down the hall until he reached a vast chamber.
What he saw made him stop cold.
"Who could have… created this…?" he asked himself, stunned.
---
Among the ruins, Kevin leapt over the burning remains of a collapsed building. Ahead, he spotted three figures—men with scales and tails—cornering a helpless girl.
"Leave me alone! I didn't do anything!" she cried, backing away until her shoulders hit the wall.
The lizard-man wearing a hat grinned cruelly.
"We don't care, girl. You failed your mission."
The girl squeezed her eyes shut, sobbing.
"Please… God… help me… I don't want to die…"
The monsters lunged. But before they could reach her, two screams cut the air—and in an instant, two bodies dropped lifeless at her feet.
Terrified, she opened her eyes. Before her stood a young man, unmoving, eyes resolute—four green chains coiling from his back.
"Who is he…?" she thought, trembling. "How did he kill them so fast…?"
The lizard-man in the hat lunged at Kevin, delivering a fierce kick.
Kevin dodged effortlessly, and in a near-invisible movement, one of his chains pierced through the creature's chest, bursting out his back.
The body hit the ground with a thud, blood seeping between the stones.
The chains vanished, and Kevin approached the girl.
"I know you're scared," he said gently, lowering his tone. "But trust me. I'll get you out of here."
"How can I trust you…?" she whimpered. "You killed them like it was nothing…"
Before he could answer, a voice echoed behind them.
"Impressive, kid. You managed to take down some of Thomas's best experiments."
The figure stood atop a half-collapsed building, two horns jutting from his forehead.
"But I doubt you'll be able to defeat me."
Kevin raised his eyes, a faint smirk forming.
"So… what should I call my new opponent?"
---
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the lab, Luís watched in silence.
Ruby was pinned to a wall by a blue slime covering part of her body. Her scythe lay fallen on the floor.
Before her stood a massive, slimy creature, exuding a nauseating stench.
Around them, dozens of warriors' corpses littered the ground.
Luís clenched his fists and grinned.
"Not only slimy… but reeking too," he taunted. "What a disgusting beast."
His confidence once again filled the air.