Fourth day
The sun cast long shadows over the blood-soaked clearing. Mangled hellhound corpses lay strewn about, the air thick with iron and decay. Kibo, Syl, and Lily stood among the carnage, breathless and worn.
Syl wiped her mouth, still recovering from another wave of nausea. Kibo glanced at her, concern evident on his face.
"You holding up?" he asked gently.
Syl took a shaky breath, wiping the sweat from her forehead. "Yeah... getting used to it, I guess," she replied, forcing a weak smile.
Hah. Not bad, brat. Ignis's voice slithered into his mind, smug as ever. Didn't think the princess would make it this far without cracking. I thought she'd still be sobbing from seeing a few dead corpses.
Kibo scoffed inwardly. Didn't you want her to figure out her abilities? Seems like you're putting her down when she's trying to get stronger.
I never said I didn't want her to improve, Ignis shot back, his tone calm yet dripping with disdain. But don't expect me to start singing praises just because she's barely holding herself together. I already acknowledged her progress. Doesn't change the fact that she's leagues away from what I expect.
Kibo couldn't help but sigh. That's what you call praise?
Ignis scoffed. You misunderstand, brat. I don't waste my breath on meaningless compliments. Praise is worthless if it's not earned through blood and sweat. I see potential in the girl, and I want the best out of her—nothing less.
Kibo couldn't deny the truth in those words, even if they were harsh. He knew Ignis didn't give credit lightly, and when he did, it always came wrapped in thorns. Despite that, Kibo had to admit—Ignis's brutal honesty had its own twisted wisdom.
Wise words... but you really have a way of being complicated for a dragon, Kibo thought, feeling both annoyed and strangely motivated.
Ignis gave a low growl. Agree or not, I don't care. All I want is for that girl to get stronger. Coddling her won't make it happen.
Kibo glanced back at Syl, who was trying to calm her breathing and maintain her composure. He softened his expression, giving her a reassuring smile.
"You don't have to force it," he said quietly. "You'll eventually come around."
Syl managed a small, grateful smile. "Better than the first time," she admitted, her voice steadier.
Kibo gave a small nod, relieved that she wasn't breaking down like before. His gaze shifted to Lily, who was wiping blood from her blade with a calm, almost serene expression. She didn't seem bothered in the slightest, as if the massacre was just another day.
Kibo couldn't help but feel a twinge of worry. It didn't make sense—how could Lily remain so unfazed by all this? But he shrugged it off for now. They didn't have the luxury of dwelling on it with danger still lurking.
But I must commend you, brat. Ignis's voice slithered into Kibo's mind, smug as ever. I didn't think y'all would last this long. I thought y'all would be dead by now, or one of you would.
Kibo's jaw tightened slightly. You sure know how to encourage someone, he muttered back, but something about Ignis's tone made him uneasy. Ignis didn't offer praise—not really. When he did, there was always something behind it. A deeper meaning.
Syl studied him. "Kibo… you just tensed up."
He exhaled, forcing his shoulders to relax. "It's nothing." A lie.
Syl didn't press further, but her eyes drifted toward Lily, watching how she moved through the aftermath with that same calm, unbothered ease. The ground was littered with corpses, yet Lily's face held no tension, no hesitation. Just quiet focus.
Syl swallowed, debating whether to say anything at all. She had noticed it before—how Lily never flinched at the sight of death. She had assumed, maybe, that Lily was just holding it in. That deep down, it had to be bothering her. That it should be.
But now, watching Lily casually wipe blood off her blade like it was nothing, the thought gnawed at Syl more than ever.
"Kibo," Syl murmured, keeping her voice low. "…Can I ask you something?"
Kibo glanced at her. "What is it?"
Syl hesitated before sighing. "It's about Lily."
That got his attention. His eyes flicked to Lily, who was crouched beside a fallen hellhound, tilting her head as if studying it.
Syl's voice was quiet, uncertain. "I've noticed it for a while now… but I didn't want to dwell on it too much. I thought maybe she was just… pushing it down, hiding it." Her fingers curled slightly against her knee. "But she isn't, is she?"
Kibo didn't respond immediately. His gaze lingered on Lily, watching as she absentmindedly hummed to herself while cleaning the last speck of blood from her sword.
Syl swallowed. "Doesn't it… bother you? The way she doesn't react to this?"
Kibo's smile faded. He didn't know how to answer.
Before he could think of something, Lily looked up, catching their stares. She blinked, tilting her head slightly in that innocent way of hers. "Something wrong?" she asked, her voice light and unbothered.
Syl's breath hitched. That same… purity. That same lack of understanding.
She didn't know what to say.
"…Lily," Syl started carefully. "Doesn't this… all of this… bother you?"
Lily looked genuinely confused. "Bother me? But… that's what happens when you fight monsters, right?"
The answer came so naturally, so effortlessly, that Syl could only stare.
She opened her mouth, but no words came out.
A strange, uncertain feeling settled in her chest. Instead of pressing further, she just forced a small, weak smile. "…Never mind."
Lily just nodded, satisfied, and returned to cleaning her blade without a second thought. Syl shot Kibo a glance, her eyes conflicted and a bit disturbed. Kibo didn't know what to say—how could he explain Lily's strange calmness when he didn't really understand it himself?
She's a walking enigma, Ignis sneered, his voice curling through Kibo's mind like smoke. But there was something else beneath his usual mockery—something almost resembling admiration. A sweet little killer wrapped in innocence. And you— he chuckled darkly, —you're a fool if you don't see how dangerous that is.
Kibo's jaw clenched. She's not dangerous, he shot back. But even as the words left him, doubt flickered in his chest, unshakable.
Oh? Ignis mused, amused. Then tell me, brat—if she's not dangerous, what do you call a child who slaughters without hesitation, without fear, without even knowing what fear is?
Kibo's fingers curled into a fist. She's just… different.
Hah! Ignis let out a cruel, knowing laugh. No, she's exactly what she was born to be. A killer. A born psycho. You think this is something she'll grow out of? Something she'll "learn" to fear? His voice dropped to a whisper, low and venomous. It's in her blood.
Kibo's chest tightened. Lily isn't—
Do I need to remind you, Ignis cut him off, his tone sharp as a blade, what she calls him again? He let the silence stretch before answering himself. Oh, right. "Big brother."
Kibo stiffened. He didn't like where this was going.
That mere beast kin who reeks of death. That walking disaster shackled by his own power, doomed to be nothing more than a harbinger of carnage. Ignis exhaled, his voice laced with twisted amusement. And you think his little sister is any different?
Kibo gritted his teeth. That doesn't define who Raphael is. And it damn sure doesn't define who Lily is.
Ignis laughed again, cruel and knowing. Hah! That's cute. Naïve, but cute. Then his tone shifted, deeper, heavier. Listen well, brat. Love? Ignis spat the word like it was a curse. Love is a chain. The blind leading the blind straight into ruin. You can dress it up however you want, but in the end, it's just another way for people to destroy each other.
Kibo exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair. Damn it, Ignis…
Heh. Ignis smirked in his mind. Don't hate me for telling the truth.
Kibo sighed. You really know how to twist things your way.
Before ignis could respond, the ground trembled—soft at first, a whisper beneath their feet. Then, it grew. The vibrations deepened, rolling through the earth like a slow, dragging breath. The trees shuddered, their leaves trembling as if something massive was exhaling through the forest itself.
A low groan echoed in the distance. Not from the wind. Not from the trees. Something was coming.
Kibo's grip tightened around his sheathed katana. His pulse quickened. This wasn't normal. He could feel the weight of whatever approached pressing into his chest.
Syl let out a frustrated groan, swaying slightly on her feet. "You've got to be kidding me... more?"
Lily, usually unfazed, shifted her stance. Her small hands clenched around her dagger, and her bright eyes darkened with focus.
Kibo forced himself to stay steady despite the dull ache in his muscles. He exhaled slowly, pushing past his exhaustion.
Then, Ignis laughed. Low. Amused. Eager.
Oh, finally, Ignis sneered, his voice slithering into Kibo's mind like a wicked whisper. Took her long enough. I was starting to think she'd let you brats off easy. But no... here she comes. The one and only sadistic aunt of yours.
Kibo's heart froze. A cold sweat crept down his back.
No. It couldn't be.
His senses stretched out desperately, searching—but he couldn't feel anything. No mana. No suffocating presence.
It's not her, he told himself, swallowing hard. It can't be.
The shaking didn't stop. If anything, it grew worse. The leaves overhead trembled, rustling in unease. Even the blood-soaked corpses beneath them seemed to shift, as if recoiling from whatever approached.
"Kibo," Lily's voice cut through the tension. Quiet. Careful. "What's wrong?"
He turned to her, his lips parting—but the words wouldn't come.
Because something was coming.