Edmund was still collecting goblin ears when G6's attention returned to the deeper forest. The silence bothered her more now that the fighting had stopped.
Nearly a hundred goblins had screamed, charged, died, and bled into the soil, yet beneath that temporary violence remained the same impossible absence she had noticed upon entering.
There was no natural mana.
The trees and plants were alive, and insects crawled through the undergrowth.
Nothing looked dead, yet the sensation her body had grown accustomed to feeling around living greenery was completely absent.
Fuck this. Fuck that.
Ever since I woke up here, it has been one mystery after another.
A problem to solve, a secret to unfold.
I have got enough on my plate already.
She wanted to leave it alone.
This was not her kingdom to protect, and whatever strange problem existed in a forest outside the Capital should have belonged to the people whose actual work involved maintaining the place.
Unfortunately, missing information irritated her almost as much as incompetence.
G6 looked toward Edmund. He had barely made a dent in the corpses, and finishing would take a while.
"I am going to scout ahead. I will be back before you finish."
Edmund stopped cutting and immediately looked up.
"Alright… but please, do not engage with anything you find. Wait for me, Lady Reise."
G6 held his gaze for a moment before turning away. He watched her disappear between the trees, his expression tightening.
"That was not an agreement."
By then, she was already gone.
The farther G6 moved from the clearing, the more oppressive the absence became. She removed her sunglasses and hooked them securely against her collar, giving her grey eyes an unobstructed view of the forest.
Rich soil lay beneath layers of fallen leaves. Moss climbed the exposed roots of enormous trees, while ferns and small flowering plants competed for space beneath the canopy. Everything appeared healthy.
G6 crouched and pressed her fingers into a patch of exposed earth. It was damp, without any unusual odor, obvious rot, or contamination she could identify.
It looks like a typical forest.
Lush, green.
No one would ever guess it is empty.
She straightened and looked farther ahead. Whatever had caused this was not going to reveal itself while she remained beside the goblin clearing.
Wind gathered beneath her feet, and Reaper's Ascent lifted her smoothly into the lower canopy. She caught a broad branch with one foot, redirected herself, and continued through the trees.
<
Her vision sharpened. Details that had blurred together at ordinary distance separated cleanly: the grain of bark, broken twigs across the forest floor, disturbed leaves, and tiny movements between branches.
G6 moved deeper, examining everything ahead.
Pressure gradually developed behind her eyes, mild enough to ignore but sufficient to remind her that maintaining Perception continuously was unnecessary.
An unfamiliar shape interrupted the repeating pattern of trees, making her slow.
A hillside rose ahead, with a dark opening embedded in its face. The entrance lacked the smooth contours of a cave shaped by water and age.
Exposed rock and torn earth formed jagged edges around what looked like a rupture, as though something had forced the hillside apart from within.
Is that a cave?
G6 changed direction and descended, landing roughly a dozen paces from the opening.
Darkness filled the interior so completely that even Perception revealed only a short distance before everything vanished into black.
She pushed her sight farther. Pain sharpened behind her temples, and she immediately stopped.
<
The glow faded from her eyes as she glanced over her shoulder, reconstructing her route.
"I must be deep in the woods now. Maybe I wandered too far."
Despite the observation, her attention returned to the opening.
G6 approached and carefully ran her fingers along an exposed section of rock. Its sharp, fresh surface showed none of the weathering she would have expected.
"This makes no sense."
She had seen natural caverns, sea caves, underground passages, collapsed tunnels, and artificial bunkers carved through stone. None had looked quite like this.
G6 stepped back until she stood almost directly before the opening, studying its shape from several paces away.
A sudden change in air pressure struck her senses before she heard anything or saw movement within the darkness.
Her body reacted before the thought fully formed.
Wind exploded beneath her feet, and Reaper's Ascent hurled her upward just as a broad, compressed arc tore from the entrance. It crossed the space where she had been standing, its force disturbing her clothing even as it passed beneath her.
—CRACK!
G6 twisted in midair. The massive tree behind her shuddered, appearing intact for a fraction of a second before the upper half of its trunk shifted sideways. The cut was far too clean.
The severed section crashed through neighboring branches and struck the forest floor, throwing leaves and dirt outward.
G6 landed on a thick branch several meters above the ground. Her gaze moved from the fallen tree to the dark entrance.
Wind Blade?
The attack resembled one. More importantly, the force that had passed beneath her felt disturbingly familiar. Yet she had witnessed it only once, without hearing a chant or seeing a caster, and suspicion was not proof.
Could be.
Or this thing has an ability that works the same way.
Before she could examine the possibility further, two red eyes opened slowly within the darkness and fixed on her.
Something enormous shifted inside the cave, then released a roar powerful enough to shake the surrounding leaves.
G6 remained on the branch as the creature stepped into the light.
It looked related to the goblins she and Edmund had slaughtered, but was considerably larger.
Its shoulders nearly filled the entrance, thick muscle crowded its arms and torso, and one enormous hand carried a crude axe whose blade could have served an executioner.
The creature looked up, locking its red eyes onto hers.
A smirk touched G6's mouth.
Let's see what you have got.
It moved first, accelerating with frightening speed for something so large. Two heavy strides brought it closer as the axe swung upward.
G6 dropped from the branch. The creature adjusted immediately, raising the weapon overhead and directing its descending strike toward her landing point.
She saw the change. Reaper's Ascent caught her before her boots reached the ground and drove her upward again, letting the axe pass beneath her and bury itself in the soil. Earth and broken stone burst outward.
Before the creature could wrench its weapon free, G6 landed on the broad flat of the axe head. Her knee bent to absorb the contact, then she launched toward its face with both black daggers angled for its eyes.
The creature reacted faster than she expected. Its free hand swept across its face, and although G6 saw the palm coming, she had already committed her momentum.
The blow caught her across the torso.
SHIT.
She flew sideways, her back smashing through a low branch before she struck the ground several paces away. The impact drove the air from her lungs, and pain flared across her ribs.
Fuck. That's going to bruise.
G6 rolled onto one knee and forced air back into her chest. Her smirk had disappeared, but her focus remained intact.
Okay. Not just big. Fast and smart too. This is a problem.
The creature tore its axe from the earth and charged without wasting another moment on a roar.
G6 pushed herself upright as the blade swept toward her waist. She moved backward first, forcing it to commit, then drove Reaper's Ascent sideways to carry herself beyond the arc.
Displaced air tugged at her hair as the weapon passed.
Its recovery was unnervingly fast for a creature of that mass.
G6 studied its feet, hips, and the way it compensated for the axe's weight. The technique was crude, but its attacks carried enough intent to make it dangerous.
She spotted an opening inside its thigh and moved, angling a dagger toward the artery.
The creature noticed her change in level.
Instead of reaching down to protect its leg, it shortened its grip and drove the wooden haft across her approach.
G6 twisted her shoulder. The shaft missed her head by inches, but her dagger never reached its target.
She disengaged at once, using the planted haft and the creature's broad stance to anticipate its next movement.
A knee rose toward her chest, and she pushed backward as Reaper's Ascent carried her out of reach.
She landed several paces away, breathing heavily enough to be annoyed rather than concerned.
The giant goblin turned toward her. It was strong, fast, and capable of adapting, yet whatever that first attack had been, it had not used it again.
G6 could not tell whether it was unable, unwilling, or simply more interested in using the axe at close range.
Not enough data.
She would work with what she had. Her attention dropped toward its legs.
Mobility first.
The creature charged again, bringing the axe around in a wide horizontal sweep intended to cut through her middle.
G6 dropped instead of jumping. Her back came close to the forest floor while the blade screamed overhead, and the creature's torso continued rotating with its follow-through.
Its weight shifted onto the front foot, briefly opening its stance.
She planted a hand against the ground. Wind burst behind her, and Reaper's Ascent propelled her forward low enough to pass between its legs.
Her right dagger cut deeply across the tendon behind one ankle. The left followed across the other before she cleared its reach.
The creature roared. One knee buckled, recovered, and struggled to support the weight above it.
G6 rolled across the soil and rose several paces behind it, dark blood coating both blades.
Her grin returned as the monster turned with obvious difficulty, slower and angrier than before.
Much easier.
It forced its feet farther apart to stabilize itself and raised the axe overhead with both hands.
This fucking monster is really a monster, huh? Time to stop playing.
<
Her posture changed subtly. She lowered her shoulders, adjusted her grip, and settled her weight beneath her.
The creature brought the axe down at the same moment she launched.
Reaper's Ascent accelerated her straight across the distance.
Her first step carried her beneath the outer path of the descending blade, and the second brought her inside the creature's reach, where the enormous weapon could no longer change direction effectively without striking its own body.
G6 rotated around its weapon side. One dagger entered beneath the raised arm, cutting through the softer tissue of the armpit, while the other crossed the shoulder joint from the opposite angle.
She kept moving. Her hips turned, her shoulders followed, and both blades cut through the vulnerable line as she passed behind the creature. Its own momentum completed what the daggers had begun.
G6 cleared its back as the axe struck the ground. The severed arm followed, its hand still gripping the weapon, and blood erupted from the exposed shoulder.
The giant goblin staggered.
A wet, stunned groan escaped instead of a roar as its wounded legs finally failed. One knee struck the earth, then the other, shaking the soil beneath G6's boots.
She turned toward it. The creature knelt with its back to her, its remaining hand digging desperately into the ground and its broad neck exposed.
G6 approached without hurrying. It tried to turn its head.
"It's really frustrating to lose," she said, her soft, conversational monotone more chilling than a shout. "But that's just how life is."
She shifted her lead foot, then took three fast steps along its blind side. The creature had barely begun turning before she passed behind its shoulders, bringing one dagger from the left and the other from the right.
The blades met through the line of its neck. G6 continued past as the head separated, struck one shoulder, and rolled into the moss several feet away.
For a strange heartbeat, the headless body remained upright on its knees. Then blood surged from the severed neck, and it tipped forward onto the forest floor.
Warm droplets struck G6's face, hands, and clothes. She did not step away.
The clearing settled into the same unnatural silence that had preceded the fight. G6 looked from the severed head to the body with the familiar calm of completed work, untouched by disgust or horror.
What lay before her required no translation. Death remained death, and she understood that language perfectly.
❈.❈.❈
Several hundred paces away, Edmund had finished removing the last goblin ear. He placed it in the heavy bag and surveyed the bodies surrounding him.
"I wonder what is taking Lady Reise so long to return."
He sighed and began dragging another corpse toward the area he intended to use for disposal.
"How could she do this as if she had done it a thousand times before?"
His gaze fell upon one of the vacant goblin faces. The dead creature remained unhelpful.
"Very useful," Edmund muttered with a frown.
Then the roar rolled through the trees, shaking loose leaves from the canopy. He froze, and the ears in his hand fell.
Lady Reise! Edmund thought.
He abandoned the cleanup immediately.
"Speed."
Mana surged through his legs as the Physical Enhancement spell took hold. Edmund drove himself through the forest, avoiding roots and low branches while following the direction of the roar.
He knew where G6 had disappeared, but not how far she had gone. Another heavy impact sounded ahead, making him alter course.
He used a low branch to propel himself upward and gain a better view through the trees.
The clearing came into sight, revealing an enormous green figure, a massive axe, and a flash of rose-gold hair.
His stomach tightened.
A Hobgoblin, Edmund thought.
The evolved creature was far larger than anything that should have been waiting outside Oak Village, and it was already fighting G6.
He pushed forward, still too far away to intervene when its axe rose for another overhead strike.
G6 moved inside its reach so quickly he barely followed the motion. A moment later, the weapon and the arm holding it crashed separately onto the ground as blood erupted from the creature's shoulder.
Edmund stopped on a branch, his fingers tightening against the bark.
The Hobgoblin fell to its knees. G6 approached, saying something he could not hear from his position. He saw only the calmness of her posture before she moved again and the head fell.
Edmund remained still.
He had known soldiers, knights, adventurers, and men who had spent decades killing. Her capacity to do the same was less disturbing than the natural way she dismantled an opponent.
The damaged legs had taken its mobility, the severed arm had removed its weapon, and the exposed neck had ended the fight.
Panic had played no visible part in her decisions. She had identified each problem, removed it, and proceeded to the execution.
Edmund exhaled slowly. He would have been a fool not to feel some fear, but it did not overcome the loyalty already beneath it.
He pushed off the branch and descended.
"Lady Reise."
G6 turned toward him, blood streaking one side of her face and darkening her clothes.
"I accidentally stumbled into their territory."
Edmund stared at her, as though people routinely stumbled into Hobgoblins and emerged covered in their blood. His gaze moved toward the jagged opening in the hillside.
"What is—"
A groan from the ground interrupted him. Both turned as loose rock slid from the entrance and the hillside shuddered. Cracks spread through the exposed earth before sections collapsed inward, pouring soil and stone into the darkness.
A dense dust cloud rose. Within moments, fresh debris had buried the opening.
What just happened?
G6 stared while Edmund approached cautiously.
"It was a dungeon."
"It was not a cave?"
"No."
He crouched beside the disturbed earth.
"A dungeon is formed through concentrated mana from monsters taking physical structure. Most known dungeons are old and considerably more stable."
His brows drew together.
"This one clearly was not."
Edmund stood and looked toward the giant corpse.
"Newly formed, if I had to guess. And now it has collapsed."
G6 remained silent. Neither possessed enough information to say more.
Something dark among the fallen stones caught Edmund's attention.
He moved closer to a flat object exposed by the collapse: a sheet of paper so black it looked wrong against the soil, its surface covered in dried red markings.
He stopped before touching it.
"What is it?" G6 asked, approaching behind him.
"It… reminds me of incantations from the oldest texts."
Edmund leaned closer, his expression changing.
"This is not a human language."
He examined the markings again and lowered his voice.
"No. This resembles the language attributed to demons."
G6 looked from the paper to him.
"Grab it."
"Are you losing your mind, Lady Reise?"
His head snapped toward her.
"This could be connected to what happened to the natural mana. And only ranking demons are said to write and read this language. To even touch it could—"
"Then how do you propose we deal with it?"
Edmund opened his mouth, hesitated, and returned his gaze to the paper.
"I… I have lived a long life, but I have never encountered a true ranking demon. Only lesser monsters that have evolved into new, bestial types. They cannot speak, much less write something like this."
G6 clicked her tongue and reached for it herself.
"Lady Reise! Do not be so hasty!"
Edmund lunged too late. Her fingers brushed the edge of the black paper as a bead of blood gathered along a shallow cut on one finger.
The droplet fell onto the dried red script.
Light erupted, making G6 jerk backward while Edmund stumbled beside her. Electric blue and deep violet raced over the surface, following the strange lines.
The red markings flared beneath the light, their color shifting before the glow finally died.
Both stared without speaking.
Then G6's shoulders shifted as a familiar sensation returned so abruptly that she could not mistake it. The faint tingling she associated with the palace gardens spread across her skin.
The forest was no longer empty.
"It's back."
"What is, my lady?"
"The mana. It's back."
A slow smile touched her mouth as the presence of natural mana surrounded her again, easing some of the unpleasant tension beneath her skin.
"As if a barrier was gone. My body is throwing a party right now."
Edmund looked around, then back at the paper. His gaze dropped to the small cut on her finger, and G6 followed it.
Her blood had touched the writing, the paper had reacted, and natural mana had returned. The sequence was clear, but neither understood the reason.
G6 crouched and carefully picked up the paper. Nothing happened this time. She turned it over and back again, frowning at the strange script that still covered its surface.
"Lady Reise…"
"I know."
There was nothing more either could say with certainty. G6 folded the paper and stored it away.
"For now, we finish the task."
Edmund glanced at the giant corpse. Remembering the nearly hundred smaller bodies waiting elsewhere, he let his shoulders drop.
"Of course we do."
❈.❈.❈
Disposing of the remains took considerably longer than killing them. Edmund collected the Hobgoblin's ear separately before they returned to the original clearing.
They gathered the smaller corpses on exposed ground away from the thickest roots and undergrowth. Edmund poured lamp oil over the pile and set it alight, and both remained long enough to ensure the flames would not spread through the forest.
Neither mentioned the black paper while they worked.
Smoke still drifted behind them when they emerged from the trees. The villagers were waiting, and Chief Johan hurried forward the moment he saw them.
"Thank goodness you are both alright!"
His eyes moved quickly over them.
"You were gone for nearly two hours. We saw smoke rising from the forest."
"And that terrible roar!" a woman added, stepping closer. "We felt it from here!"
"We were moments from sending someone toward the Capital for help," another villager said. "Thank the gods you are safe, Ms. G6, Sir Eddie!"
Edmund slipped easily into his adventurer's manner.
"There is no need for concern. Everything has been taken care of."
He gave them a reassuring smile.
"Oak is safe once more."
Relief spread through the crowd before their attention settled on the blood. Edmund's clothes were stained from the fight and cleanup, but G6 looked considerably worse.
Dried blood covered her face, hands, and combat clothing, and a dark bruise had begun forming near the corner of her mouth.
A small boy pushed between the adults.
"Big sister! Here."
He held a towel toward her. G6 looked down at a child who could not have been older than six, apparently unconcerned that the woman before him looked as though she had walked out of a massacre.
Something about his fearlessness reminded her of Lilia.
"Thank you," she said, accepting the towel. "Though, it's useless now."
"There is a well right there!" another child announced, pointing. "Come on, let us wipe it!"
Before anyone could object, the boy caught G6's hand and pulled. Edmund moved instinctively, then stopped when he realized she was allowing it.
Chief Johan intercepted him anyway.
"Sir Eddie, the completion record. We should sign it now."
Edmund looked toward G6, who was already being led away by several children.
"Very well."
At the well, G6 drew a bucket and dampened the towel. The children crowded around while she wiped the dried blood from her face with the same efficiency she would have used to clean a weapon.
One boy remained directly in front of her.
"What is your name, big sister? My name is Yohan!"
Tsk. Why is he talking to me? Children have a death wish with their trust.
"G6."
"G6? Sister G6!"
He seemed enormously pleased with this information.
"You know, big sister! My father is also an Adventurer. He is a C-Rank!"
Yohan puffed out his chest, though his pride faltered slightly as he continued.
"But he is rarely home. His party always goes on long trips. My little sister and I are staying with our grandfather."
G6 finished cleaning her face and leaned against the stone rim.
"Is your grandfather the Chief?"
"Yes! How did you know?"
"Tsk, it's in your name."
She folded the towel.
"So, you hate your father?"
"No!"
The answer came immediately.
"He is doing it for us. And my father is strong! He is a frontliner, you know."
His chest puffed out again. G6 studied him, finding pride rather than resentment.
For a moment, she remembered her own father: the respect, fear, and training, along with the impossible standards attached to the Gemstone name.
Different world.
Different family.
Not my problem.
"G6!"
Edmund's voice carried across the village.
"We are leaving."
She pushed away from the well, returned the towel, and walked several steps before stopping to glance over her shoulder.
"Keep safe, kid."
Yohan beamed. G6 turned before his expression could become her problem and joined Edmund beside the horses.
"We must hurry," he said quietly. "It is almost closing time."
She glanced toward the lowering sun.
They mounted and retrieved their cloaks from the Dimensional Vaults, covering most of the bloodstained clothing beneath the heavy fabric.
"Thank you again, Ms. G6, Sir Eddie!" Chief Johan called. "You have our village's eternal gratitude!"
"It was our duty, Chief!"
Edmund raised a hand.
"Goodbye, big sister G6!"
Yohan waved enthusiastically. G6 looked toward him once without returning the gesture, then took up the reins. Her horse surged forward, and Edmund followed as Oak Village receded behind them.
They exchanged few words during the return journey. The black paper remained stored away, accompanied by questions neither could answer.
When the Capital's outer walls appeared, they slowed and returned to the broad oak they used as a staging point.
After dismounting and securing the horses in the shade, they entered the city on foot.
Their cloaks remained on, with the deep hoods concealing their faces. Most of the blood disappeared beneath the fabric, though not all of it.
「CAPITAL CITY — ADVENTURERS' GUILD」
The Guild hall remained busy, but conversations weakened as two dark-cloaked figures crossed directly toward the reception counter without lowering their hoods.
Edmund revealed his face first.
"So it was just the two of you," Liam said, releasing a breath.
He frowned.
"You give off a seriously dangerous aura when you are all covered up like that! What is with the—"
Edmund's cloak shifted, exposing the dried blood across his white shirt. Liam stopped speaking and stared.
"Here."
Edmund placed the signed task request on the counter, followed by the bags of ears.
"And here."
"What is this?"
Liam opened one of the bags, and his expression changed.
"It seems there was a significant irregularity," Edmund explained. "We located a horde of nearly a hundred goblins in Oak, which should be impossible for a village so close to the Capital."
"Nearly a hundred?"
"We also found what appeared to be a newly formed dungeon. It collapsed before we left. The immediate threat has been dealt with."
"Well… I figured something was wrong with the request, but not to this extent."
Liam looked toward G6.
"But I still find it hard to believe you finished this many without serious injury."
"Say that after seeing this."
Edmund unfolded the separately wrapped evidence, revealing the massive ear inside.
Liam's face went blank before recognition struck.
"This…"
He leaned closer.
"This is from an evolved goblin. A new-type demon."
His rising voice attracted several nearby adventurers. Liam looked between the pair.
"Who defeated this?"
"I did," G6 answered.
"You… did?"
She remained motionless beneath his stare.
"How? Most of the time, only a member of a party of nobles or one of the veteran knights can take down a new-type demon alone…"
"Stop pressing. You are irritating me. Process it now. We're in a hurry."
Liam closed his mouth. Edmund gave him an apologetic look.
"Please, Liam."
"Fine. I'll process everything."
The receptionist sighed, gathered the evidence, and disappeared toward the back.
G6 watched him leave.
"Are we getting money?"
"Yes, my—G6," Edmund corrected himself.
"Good. We can fund ourselves without dipping into our official allowance."
Secret operational fund. A burn account.
That alone improved her opinion of adventuring.
"Look who it is!"
Her expression flattened again as Sebastian approached with Xena, Dante, and Nick behind him.
"G6!"
He smiled.
"Where did you complete your task?"
"Fuck off."
Sebastian stopped. Nick glanced toward Xena, who looked at their captain before Nick broke into a grin.
"Captain, how did you even know it was G6? She is completely covered."
"Ohhh, could it be an instinct of someone in love?" Xena asked, her eyes brightening.
Sebastian nearly choked.
"D-do not say crazy stuff! You are embarrassing me!"
Dante laughed. Sebastian glared at his companions before turning back toward G6.
"Forgive them, G6. They are just—"
"I said fuck off."
This time, she turned her head. Her hood and tinted lenses concealed most of her expression, but Sebastian understood enough for his smile to weaken.
"It seems you are exhausted from your task."
His delivery grew less playful.
"Do not push yourself too hard. I heard you just got back."
G6 stared at him before addressing her companion.
"Eddie."
Edmund stepped smoothly between them.
"You are quite right, Sebastian. Could you be so kind as to give her some space? She is rather tired."
"Of course."
Sebastian stepped back.
"G6, I will talk to you again when you are feeling better."
She gave no answer. His companions drew him toward a nearby table before he could attempt another conversation.
"That went wonderfully," Xena remarked once they were several paces away.
"Quiet."
"She told you to fuck off twice," Nick added with a laugh.
"I heard her."
"So did everyone else."
Sebastian rubbed the back of his neck.
"Can all three of you stop?"
"No," Dante answered, grinning.
Several minutes later, Liam returned to the counter with a small pouch.
"Completed and verified. Ten gold and two silver pieces. Guild processing has already been deducted."
Edmund reached for it, but G6's hand arrived first. She took the pouch, feeling the coins shift heavily inside.
Ten gold? For a few minutes of work?
She loosened the drawstring and looked at money earned independently of House Worthon and the palace. The physical weight of it belonged to her, and a slow, calculating smirk appeared.
Adventuring had become considerably more attractive.
G6 closed the pouch and stored it beneath her cloak before turning toward the exit. Edmund followed.
"Take care, you two!" Sebastian called as they passed his table. "See you around, G6!"
She continued without turning or acknowledging him.
Xena watched the doors close before looking at her captain.
"Wow, Captain. She really, really does not like you."
"Shut up."
"She is just focused, right?" Nick asked, leaning back in his chair.
Sebastian looked at him, and Nick grinned.
"All of you are unbearable," Sebastian said with a sigh.
Outside, G6 and Edmund retraced their route through the Capital toward the horses waiting beyond the walls. Sebastian disappeared from her thoughts almost immediately.
The gold was useful and the mission complete, but neither occupied her as persistently as the forest's missing mana, the strange opening in the hillside, and the attack that had nearly struck before she saw what launched it.
She remembered the tree splitting cleanly behind her.
Wind Blade? Maybe.
It had looked like one and felt like Wind, but the creature never used anything similar again. A single observation was insufficient.
Then there was the black paper. Her blood had fallen onto its red writing, and natural mana had returned immediately afterward.
G6 knew what she had witnessed without understanding what it meant. One drop of her blood had touched the strange script and something had changed.
Neither she nor Edmund knew why.
—To Be Continued…—