“Lisa… How are you alive?”

  The words slipped from Valerius’s lips before he could stop them. His body felt frozen, his grip tightening around the torch as he stared at the girl inside the cage. The feeble light flickered over her fragile frame, revealing bruises and filth clinging to her skin. Her frail shoulders trembled as she looked up at him with wide, fearful eyes.

  “…I… am… not… Lisa,” she whispered, her voice barely above a breath.

  Reality crashed down on him.

  Lisa had died eight years ago. He had buried her with his own hands. She had been nine at the time, which meant even if she had somehow survived, there was no way she would still be a child.

  Then why… Why did this girl look exactly like her?

  His mind reeled, questions colliding with one another in a relentless storm. His breathing was steady, but beneath the surface, his thoughts churned with chaos.

  The girl shifted slightly. “Mister…?”

  Her voice was soft, uncertain, as she peered at him through the metal bars. He blinked, forcibly pulling himself out of his thoughts.

  “Oh… Uh, are you alright? You can come out. Elena is dead. She won’t hurt you anymore.”

  She hesitated. “Really? You’re not lying?”

  Valerius softened his tone. “Yes. I promise.” He extended his hand.

  Even then, she didn’t take it immediately. Her fingers hovered near his for a moment, as if afraid he would suddenly snatch his hand away.

  “I’m safe, right?” Her voice wavered. “You won’t… abandon me?”

  His brows furrowed. There was something about her words, something that made his chest tighten slightly. But he didn’t dwell on it. Not now.

  “No. I won’t.”

  Finally, her small, dirt-streaked hand grasped his. Valerius gently pulled her out of the cage, but as soon as she took a few steps, her body gave out.

  He caught her just before she hit the ground. Her weight in his arms was almost nonexistent. She was so light, too light, as if she hadn’t eaten properly in weeks.

  Meanwhile, in the third tent, Draven entered to find four girls huddled together. The moment he stepped inside, three of them instinctively shrank back, fear written across their expressions.

  Serephina, however, remained composed, her gaze cool as she looked at him. “What took you so long?”

  Draven frowned. “We were dealing with the boss, Elena. The woman was stronger than we expected. Valerius made sure to handle things carefully, so you wouldn’t get hurt.”

  One of the girls beside Serephina hesitated before speaking. “Is… Is this the person you said would save us?”

  Serephina tilted her head slightly. “Not him, exactly. But I knew someone would come.” She flexed her fingers, wiggling them free from the rope binding her wrists.

  Draven sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “You could at least pretend to be relieved.”

  She smirked. “Why? You were always going to show up.”

  Draven turned his attention to the other girls. “What about them?”

  Serephina’s gaze softened. “I promised I’d free them.”

  One of the girls slowly stepped forward, bowing slightly. “Thank you. We don’t have much to offer, but we are grateful.”

  Draven cleared his throat, flustered. “Uh—No, no, don’t worry about it. We didn’t save you for a reward. If you can return home safely, that’s enough.”

  When they stepped outside, they were met with the sight of Valerius holding the unconscious girl in his arms. But something was off. His usual presence—confident, sharp—felt subdued. His gaze was distant, his expression unreadable.

  Draven’s brows drew together. “Who’s that?”

  “I… don’t know,” Valerius murmured. His tone lacked its usual bite. “But she needs help.”

  Draven and Serephina exchanged glances.

  “What happened?” Serephina asked, her voice quieter than before.

  “It’s nothing,” Valerius said, though there was an edge of hesitation. He looked down at the girl in his arms, and his grip around her tightened ever so slightly.

  Draven sighed, running a hand through his hair. “What do we do about the bodies? We can’t leave them like this.”

  Valerius finally looked up, his expression cold once more. “They don’t deserve a burial. Pile them up.”

  Draven didn’t question him, nodding before moving to gather the corpses. The rescued girls, surprisingly, stepped in to help.

  Once the bodies were stacked together, Valerius took a step forward, raising his hand. Lightning crackled, illuminating his sharp features in a brief flash of blue and white.

  The air was thick with the scent of burning flesh as the bodies disintegrated, leaving nothing but ash. The freed women recoiled, instinctively taking a step back.

  Draven clapped his hands together, breaking the silence. “Alright, let’s check the tents for supplies and then get out of here.”

  One of the girls quickly shook her head. “We don’t need anything. Our lives are enough. Thank you.”

  Valerius barely acknowledged them. His gaze was locked onto the girl in his arms, his thoughts heavy with something none of them could grasp.

  Was it really just a resemblance? Or was there something more?

  He didn’t want to think about it.

  “We’re done,” Draven called. “Let’s go.”

  Valerius said nothing. Without waiting for anyone else, he moved toward his horse, placing the girl gently on the saddle before mounting.

  The ride back was silent. No one spoke.

  The only sounds were the rhythmic clopping of hooves against dirt and the distant hum of insects in the night.

  Serephina and Draven stole occasional glances at Valerius, exchanging silent questions. They both knew something was wrong.

  When they arrived at camp, the atmosphere was anything but calm.

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  Grimwald and Coleen were mid-argument, Grimwald insisting on searching for them while Coleen argued that running off without knowing their whereabouts would be reckless. Hakon stood between them, trying to mediate.

  The moment they heard approaching hooves, the entire camp turned.

  “I think they’re back,” Coleen said, releasing a relieved breath.

  Grimwald exhaled sharply. “Thank god…”

  Then, as they got a closer look, Hakon’s eyes narrowed. “Who’s that? What the hell happened to you?”

  “Oh… this,” Valerius muttered, still sounding distant. “She was in one of the slavers’ tents.”

  Draven straightened, glancing at Grimwald and Coleen, who looked like they were about to ask more questions. He subtly shook his head.

  Now wasn’t the time.

  Valerius continued forward without another word, heading straight to his tent. He carefully laid the girl down on his mattress before turning to Serephina.

  “…Can you take care of her?” His voice was quiet. “Clean her up. Dress her.”

  Serephina hesitated. She had never heard him sound like this before.

  “…Got it.”

  She watched as Valerius slowly turned away, his expression unreadable, his thoughts still lost somewhere in the past.

  “Thanks… I’ll go out for a while…” Valerius said, standing up from where he had been sitting. His voice was low, almost distracted.

  His fingers briefly curled, as if he wanted to say something more, but instead, he exhaled and started walking in the direction of the river they had found earlier.

  “Don’t worry about me… I’ll be fine.”

  The group watched him leave.

  No one spoke for a few moments, but the silence carried a weight heavier than words.

  Serephina, who had been tending to the unconscious girl, glanced at the others before quietly returning to her task. She worked carefully, using a damp cloth to wipe the dirt from the girl’s face, revealing her delicate features beneath the grime.

  Coleen watched for a moment before stepping forward. “Is she alright?”

  Serephina wrung out the cloth, her expression unreadable. “She’s alive. But she’s extremely weak.”

  Grimwald stirred the fire, the faint embers crackling in the night. “We should heat up some food. She’ll need something in her stomach when she wakes up.”

  The group slowly nodded, and though they busied themselves with simple tasks, it was clear that everyone’s thoughts were still on Valerius.

  Hakon, after a long pause, turned to Draven and Serephina. “Alright… Would you mind telling us what exactly happened?”

  Draven sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “From the start?”

  “Yes.”

  Serephina and Draven took their time, explaining everything they had seen from their perspectives. The fight with Elena, Valerius’s overwhelming strength, and the way he had been after finding the girl in the tent. The more they explained, the heavier the mood became.

  By the time they finished, Coleen shook her head in quiet disbelief. “That’s awful.”

  Grimwald clenched his fists. “I’m glad they got what they deserved. I would’ve done the same.”

  Draven raised an eyebrow. “Come on now, there’s no way you could’ve beaten them. Not to mention their boss. She was a unit. Huge—almost as big as Valerius. The way they moved… it wasn’t normal. People like us wouldn’t even be able to see what was happening. It was like they teleported right in front of you.”

  Hakon hummed. “Teleportation isn’t possible. It’s more likely that they were moving so fast that your eyes couldn’t track them.”

  Draven scoffed. “I doubt I’d ever be able to see movements like that, no matter how much I trained.”

  Hakon shook his head. “You’d be surprised what training can do.”

  The fire crackled between them, filling the space between words.

  After a while, Grimwald glanced toward the girl. “So… what’s the deal with her?”

  Draven crossed his arms. “We’re not sure. Valerius has been acting like this since he found her. It’s obvious she’s connected to his past somehow.”

  Serephina nodded. “We thought about asking, but… maybe it’s better to let him be for now. We’ll ask when the time is right.”

  Hakon only sighed, folding his arms. “I see.”

  The group fell into a quiet stillness, the night air carrying the occasional rustle of leaves and the distant chirping of insects.

  Minutes passed.

  Valerius still hadn’t returned.

  Then, the girl stirred.

  Serephina immediately leaned forward. “Oh… you’re awake.”

  The girl’s eyes fluttered open, her pupils darting around in confusion. It took only a few seconds for her expression to shift.

  Fear.

  Her small frame tensed, her breathing quickening as she scrambled backward, away from the unfamiliar faces surrounding her.

  “Please… don’t hurt me… I promise… I won’t tell anyone,” she sobbed, her hands trembling as she tried to shield herself.

  Serephina’s heart dropped.

  “No, no, you’re safe. We don’t want to hurt you,” she said gently, keeping her movements slow. “We saved you. We just want to help.”

  The girl shook her head, tears spilling over her dirt-streaked cheeks. “I don’t know you! You didn’t save me! It was Mister… he saved me!”

  Serephina turned toward Draven. “Go get Valerius.”

  Draven, already moving, nodded. “Got it.”

  “I’ll come too,” Grimwald said, standing up. “It’ll be faster if we split up.”

  Draven didn’t argue. “Alright. Let’s go.”

  Both of them took off toward the river, their boots crunching against the damp earth as they ran.

  Once they reached the banks, they quickly scanned the area before separating in different directions.

  Draven found him first.

  Valerius stood near the edge of the river, his posture loose but his shoulders slightly tense. He was holding a handful of smooth stones, tossing them into the water one by one. Each rock skipped effortlessly across the surface before disappearing beneath the current.

  Draven slowed his pace, observing him for a moment.

  Valerius didn’t even look up.

  “…Please leave me alone for tonight,” he murmured.

  Draven hesitated before stepping closer. “I would love to. But the girl woke up. And she’s crying. She’s asking for you.”

  The moment the words left Draven’s mouth, Valerius stilled.

  He dropped the remaining stones from his hands.

  Then—

  He ran.

  Draven barely had time to react before Valerius blurred past him, outpacing him instantly as he sprinted back toward the camp.

  By the time Draven made it back, Valerius was already there.

  The girl was still curled up, her small body shaking as she refused to let anyone get close.

  But the moment she saw him, her entire demeanor changed.

  She ran to him.

  And hugged him tightly.

  “You said you wouldn’t abandon me… why did you leave me alone?” she asked, her voice breaking as she held onto him.

  Valerius let out a breath, resting a hand on her head, brushing her hair back gently.

  “…I’m sorry.”

  The girl didn’t respond.

  Her breathing slowed.

  Her small frame, already fragile, slumped against him.

  She had exhausted herself.

  All the crying, the panic—it had taken a toll on her already weak body.

  She fell unconscious again, but this time, she was in Valerius’s arms.

  And this time—

  He didn’t let go.

  Without a word, he moved toward his tent, lying beside her with her small hand still in his.

  He didn’t eat.

  He didn’t speak.

  The others watched in silence, sensing the weight in his presence, the way he seemed to withdraw deeper into himself.

  So, none of them ate either, the food they heated for the girl to eat. They packed it back again for tomorrow.

  One by one, they turned in for the night, their thoughts heavy with the same unspoken question.

  Who was that girl?

  And what was she to Valerius?