"Manah..."
Adri's voice trembled.
For a few moments, she simply stood there, staring at the battlefield.
The smoke from the attack was slowly clearing, revealing the destruction left behind. The barrier had been damaged badly, the ground was covered with debris, and the air was thick with the smell of blood and corrupted energy.
But Adri wasn't looking at any of that.
Her eyes were fixed on the small black creature lying beside Limbo.
Manah.
The Guardian was barely moving.
Adri's expression changed.
"No..."
She immediately understood what had happened.
Only moments earlier, the attack had been aimed at Mora. Limbo had moved to protect her, but the attack had been far beyond what he could withstand.
And then Manah had intervened.
The Guardian had used what remained of its strength to protect Limbo.
That was why the boy was still alive.
Adri slowly approached them.
"Manah..."
Her voice broke.
The small Guardian's body was severely damaged. Its presence, once so powerful, had become incredibly faint.
Yet Limbo was still breathing.
His wounds were already beginning to close.
A faint blue glow moved across his body.
"Emergency Recovery Protocol Activated"
"Healing in Progress"
Adri stared at them.
Then she looked back at Manah.
"So... you saved him."
Her eyes softened.
For a moment, she couldn't say anything more.
Manah's tiny body began to tremble.
Its form was becoming increasingly transparent.
"Wait..."
Adri's expression changed.
"Manah..."
The Guardian had already used everything it had.
Its body slowly began to break apart into tiny particles of energy.
Adri clenched her fists.
"You idiot..."
But Manah didn't respond.
The tiny creature simply remained beside Limbo until the very end.
Then its body completely disintegrated.
The remaining particles drifted away into the air.
Adri lowered her gaze.
A heavy silence settled over her.
But before she could process what had happened, something caught her attention.
She felt another presence.
Adri slowly raised her head.
Her eyes moved toward the other side of the battlefield.
And then...
She froze.
Someone was standing there.
The person who had launched the attack.
The person who had appeared before Traka.
The person whose existence should have been impossible.
Adri's pupils contracted.
"No..."
She couldn't believe what she was seeing.
That face.
That presence.
Even after all this time, she could recognize her.
"The Child of the Forest..."
The person who had once sworn to protect the forest.
The one who had disappeared.
The one everyone believed was most likely dead.
Yet she was standing there.
Alive.
But something was terribly wrong.
A collar was wrapped around her neck.
Adri's eyes immediately noticed it.
Then she looked at her face.
Those eyes...
They were empty.
There was no warmth in them.
No recognition.
No emotion.
It was as if the life inside them had been extinguished.
Adri's lips trembled.
"Mruga..."
The name escaped her almost as a whisper.
"Is that you?"
She took a step forward.
"My child..."
Her voice became broken.
"You are alive?"
Adri stared at her in disbelief.
"Is... is it really you?"
Mruga didn't answer.
She simply stood there.
Silent.
Motionless.
Like a puppet waiting for its next command.
Then—
"Mother!"
Mora's voice came from behind the damaged barrier.
Adri immediately turned.
Mora was crying.
Her little body was trembling as she stared at the woman standing across the battlefield.
"Mother..."
Mora's voice broke.
"Why did you try to hurt me?"
Adri froze.
Her eyes moved from Mora back to Mruga.
Everything suddenly became clear.
Mruga...
She's Mora's mother.
The woman standing before her wasn't some stranger.
She was the mother Mora had been crying for.
And yet...
She had just tried to kill her own daughter.
Adri's heart tightened.
"What happened to you...?"
Mruga remained silent.
Her empty eyes didn't even move toward Mora.
Then—
"Hahahahahaha!"
A loud laugh echoed through the battlefield.
Traka stepped forward from the shadows.
He looked delighted.
He had been watching the entire scene.
The pain.
The confusion.
Adri's reaction.
Mora's tears.
Everything.
He was enjoying it.
"How's my gift..."
He paused deliberately.
"...Adri?"
Adri's eyes immediately turned toward him.
"You..."
Traka smiled.
"Don't you miss them?"
He gestured toward Mruga.
"Go greet them, Mruga."
His voice became more commanding.
"The Dark Knight."
Adri's expression hardened.
"What?"
Traka laughed.
"Don't look so surprised."
He looked at Mruga with satisfaction.
"She is still alive."
Adri stepped forward.
"Don't listen to him!"
Her voice was firm.
"Mruga, look at me!"
Nothing.
"Please..."
Adri's voice softened.
"Come back."
Still nothing.
Traka smiled.
"Go on."
Mruga suddenly moved.
Adri immediately raised her guard.
The two collided.
BOOM!
The impact shook the ground beneath them.
Adri was forced backward.
She immediately regained her balance.
"Mruga!"
There was still no response.
Mruga attacked again.
Adri blocked.
Another impact sent a shockwave through the surrounding trees.
Adri gritted her teeth.
She could feel the strength behind Mruga's attacks.
But more than that...
She could feel something missing.
Mruga wasn't fighting like herself.
There was no anger.
No hatred.
No fear.
No hesitation.
She simply attacked.
Again.
And again.
Like a puppet obeying a command.
Adri deliberately held back.
She couldn't bring herself to unleash her full strength.
Not against Mruga.
Not against the child of the forest.
Not against someone she had once known and cared for.
But that hesitation was putting everyone else in danger.
Behind them, several corrupted beasts suddenly began moving toward the damaged barrier.
Traka noticed them.
He raised his hand.
"Capture the child."
The beasts changed direction immediately.
Their eyes locked onto Mora.
Adri noticed.
Her expression changed.
"No!"
She tried to move toward Mora.
But Mruga immediately intercepted her.
Another attack came.
Adri blocked it.
The impact forced her back.
"Damn it!"
She glanced toward Mora.
The barrier was already close to collapse.
Mora was crying.
The creatures were getting closer.
And Mruga was standing directly in front of her.
Adri couldn't move freely.
If she went to protect Mora, Mruga would attack her from behind.
If she focused on Mruga, the corrupted creatures would reach Mora.
And if she stopped holding back...
She might seriously injure Mruga.
Adri's expression became increasingly conflicted.
What am I supposed to do?
She looked at Mruga again.
The empty eyes.
The collar.
The lifeless expression.
You're still in there... aren't you?
She couldn't accept that Mruga was truly gone.
She couldn't believe that the woman who had once sworn to protect the forest had simply become an enemy.
Someone had done something to her.
And Traka knew exactly what it was.
He was enjoying watching Adri struggle.
Another group of corrupted creatures began advancing toward Mora.
Adri's eyes widened.
She couldn't let them reach her.
But Mruga attacked again.
Adri raised her arm.
BOOM!
Their attacks collided.
Adri was pushed backward.
Her feet dragged across the ground.
She looked toward Mora.
Then toward Mruga.
Her fists tightened.
She had to choose.
Protect Mora...
Or save Mruga.
And perhaps there was no way to do both.
Behind her, Limbo remained unconscious.
The recovery protocol continued working through his damaged body.
"Healing in Progress"
His breathing slowly became steadier.
But he remained unaware of everything happening around him.
Manah was gone.
Mruga had returned.
Traka was smiling.
Mora was crying.
And Adri stood between all of them.
For the first time in a long time...
Adri didn't know what to do.
Mruga raised her weapon again.
Adri slowly raised her own.
Their eyes met.
Only one of them still carried emotion.
"Mruga..."
Adri whispered.
"Please..."
"Come back."
Mruga gave no response.
She lunged forward.
Adri's expression hardened.
There was no more time.
Whatever choice she made now...
Someone was going to pay the price.