POV: Vernisha

  Of course, things weren’t over yet. Far off, other massive green mutants wandered aimlessly. But they were deteriorating. Chunks of their flesh sloughed off like melting fat.

  It wasn’t happening fast enough. Ferzan’s eyes fixed on the rampaging clones of my father… and probably my brother. I couldn’t tell.

  Then it struck me: I had to kill Ulah. My heart dropped like a stone. I… No, I didn’t have the time to dwell on it. I couldn’t afford to hate myself right now. No time to consciously wish I was dead.

  I pushed myself to my feet. Ferzan noticed the tight grip I had on the knife in my hand. He spoke softly, offering advice, “You should rest. The knights can handle it… they’re suited for this.”

  The armored knights, perched on their warbirds, had initially been struggling. The mutants’ flesh was expanding and producing new clones with every blow. But now, it seemed to be working.

  Still, there were so many of them.

  Ferzan pulled out a small bottle filled with clear liquid and a roll of bandage. “Your head’s bleeding badly,” he noted.

  He unscrewed the bottle and filled the cap with the liquid. “I can’t give you more healing elixir. This is gonna burn.”

  He covered my eyes and poured the alcohol onto my forehead. The pain was excruciating, and I did my best to suppress a groan. I wanted to swat his hand away and heal myself.

  He finished applying the liquid and started wrapping my head. I stood still as he dressed the wound, my eyes locked on the knights. Their speed was impressive. Their fancy swords, spears, and bows—they were like weapons of magic.

  I turned to Ferzan. “These knights… Why don’t you have cool weapons like them?”

  “Huh?” He looked up, following my gaze as one of the knights let loose an arrow from a gleaming golden bow. The arrow struck a fallen mutant clone that was struggling to rise. The neck of the mutant pulsed before it exploded.

  Ferzan glanced at me. “I do have ‘fancy weapons.’”

  “You didn’t use them. I just think of your monsters as the real wonders,” I replied, my voice flat, lifeless.

  I was doing my best not to think about what I had just done.

  He answered, “The knights compensate with their weapons, since they don’t use monsters. Anyway, I’m done.”

  He finished wrapping my head. “Thank you…”

  I turned toward the ruined doctor’s office, a sudden thought flashing through my mind. Natasha.

  My body moved before I could stop it. Fear tingled down my spine as I wondered why, why the hell had I only remembered her now?

  Maybe because it was Natasha. Even back at the village attacked by the monsters, I hadn’t been genuinely worried about her. I had believed in her ability to survive.

  Back then, I wondered why. It felt like it was simply because she was Natasha. But what did that even mean?

  It meant because Natasha was Natasha.

  Ferzan ran alongside me, his voice cutting through my thoughts. “What’s going on? What did you see?”

  “My… mother.” The word “mother” came out before I even realized it. It wasn’t just a random response—it wasn’t just something I said to blend in.

  Ferzan’s face shifted instantly, his expression darkening. He said nothing, but his grim face spoke volumes. She was gone.

  We reached the collapsed doctor’s office, and began removing the rubble. “Mom!” I screamed, my voice raw with desperation.

  I was stronger than before, thanks to killing Caren. Much stronger. I flipped chunks of concrete that must’ve weighed over 200 pounds with relative ease.

  Ferzan tossed aside pieces of debris that dwarfed mine. But it was still taking far too long.

  I stared at my left hand, trying desperately to summon a monster. The damn snake—surely it had powerful senses. Damn the consequences if anyone found out.

  But all that emerged were faint sparks of black from my seal.

  Why…?

  “Why, why, why?!” I screamed in frustration. I knew the reason. I should’ve known. But my emotions were clouding my mind, and I couldn’t think straight…

  Who could blame me? I had never wanted to admit it. I had never wanted to accept that the parents in this world _were_ my parents. But my “real” parents—well, I wasn’t exactly close to them.

  I had been closer to my father on Earth, but over time, as his work became busier, the less we communicated. As for my mother, her constant comparisons of me to other kids made me resent her, feelings I was rarely willing to admit.

  But Natasha—she was different. She was odd, yes, but I felt appreciated. I felt love from her. And I hated that. I wasn’t a child anymore—I didn’t need love from my parents. They were just… biological ‘parents.’

  But no amount of convincing can fool your actual feelings.

  Even after an hour had passed, and I was so exhausted that all I could do was gasp for air, I kept searching for her. I kept shouting—kept pleading for her to answer.

  Ferzan didn’t stop either, but it was clear he was only doing it to support me. He didn’t believe she could be found.

  I gripped the edge of a rock and just... stayed there. Ferzan wiped sweat from his forehead and glanced at me. "You... think she probably escaped?"

  "She wouldn't leave me behind." I replied without turning to look at him.

  My gaze dropped to my hands, and a deep hatred began to well up from the very core of my being.

  What were these hands good for? What were these so-called 'healing' powers worth? They only hurt people! They only made everything worse.

  I exhaled sharply, straightening my back. I took in the destruction around me—the blood everywhere, the children crying in the streets, likely searching for their parents. The buildings, now nothing more than rubble...

  And then I saw it. The last mutant’s head exploded, a sniper's shot cleanly taking it off. Green fumes spiraled from the barrel.

  I killed my family. No. It wasn’t just that. I turned half of my family into monsters, and then got them killed. And...

  Ah...

  I collapsed to my knees. Even the jagged rocks couldn’t pierce my skin.

  A thought struck me.

  Cursed.

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  I was cursed. Cursed with powers that healed the enemies of intelligent life, yet killed intelligent life—except for me.

  The realization twisted in my gut, leaving me cold. Even when Ferzan approached and simply stood there, it didn’t matter.

  The world felt empty. Dark. Cold. And I was alone. I didn’t deserve to live.

  There was a sudden rumble, and when I looked to my side, an explosion rocked the ground.

  "Damn it!" Ferzan muttered as rocks flew everywhere. I was thrown back, tumbling to the ground.

  Then something slammed into my leg—fast, hard. It didn’t break, but it hurt. A lot.

  I gritted my teeth and grabbed my leg, preparing to heal it. I didn’t care. My hands glowed red, but the healing aura flickered.

  It flickered. On, then off.

  I couldn’t believe it. Not again. I hated it. I hated these powers more than anything.

  The intensity was the same, but it refused to obey me.

  After all the progress I had made, this happened. I exhaled, loosening my grip.

  Why did I care? I was cursed. This power was useless trash. If I’d never had them, I could have been happy. This... none of this would have happened.

  Ferzan came over. "You okay?"

  "No."

  I didn’t want to think.

  He helped me to my feet. I tried my best to stand on both legs, but the pain was too much, forcing me to limp.

  "You have family back home?" he asked.

  "No. I don’t. I don’t even see the point of going back. It’s empty."

  He grimaced, standing beside me in silence.

  Time passed. Eventually, a tall woman with curly blonde hair approached us. A young girl walked beside her, scanning the surroundings as she followed the woman, who I assumed was her mother.

  It was definitely Ferzan’s sister. The red and blonde strands of her hair made that clear. The wind tossed her hair, the red half sometimes crossing over the blonde.

  The woman spoke. "Ferzan."

  "Mom."

  She glanced at me before continuing. "I see... Are your injuries only external?"

  "Yes."

  Then she asked me, her tone softening. "Where are your parents, young child?"

  It took a moment for me to respond. "Dead."

  Ferzan walked over to her to have a conversation.

  After a minute, she spoke again, her voice a little louder. "Okay."

  ---

  The ride on Ferzan’s back was anything but steady. With so many chunks of concrete scattered across the ground, he had to leap over debris and keep moving.

  I didn’t complain. I kept my hands tight around his neck, not wanting to fall off, though I doubted it would hurt if I did.

  The little girl was carried by her mother, her leaps far more graceful and confident than Ferzan’s.

  I tried to [inspect] her, but, as expected, I couldn’t see her level. It was the same for Ferzan.

  I often spotted green mutant giants, or the smaller ones lying motionless on the ground, lifeless. Knights and adventurers were methodically double-tapping their corpses, perhaps haunted by the creatures' ability to duplicate.

  Time seemed to slip away quickly. I wasn’t sure how long it took for us to reach the city gates—perhaps just a couple of hours.

  I stared at the massive pile of decaying green mutants. All headless.

  As we approached the gate, we encountered a lone knight stationed there, his armor stained with green blood.

  Abella spoke first, her voice tinged with impatience. "I wish to leave."

  The knight stood straight as a rod, offering an apologetic response. "We’ve been ordered not to allow anyone to leave due to this incident until a proper investigation—"

  Abella cut him off. "Who am I?"

  The man hesitated before asking, "I don’t understand... what do you mean, Miss Abella?"

  "Abella what?" she pressed.

  The knight paused, his demeanor faltering, before muttering, "Starlight."

  Abella Starlight? I blinked in surprise, my gaze lifting to take a better look at her. I had heard so many stories about her, but never imagined I would meet her in person.

  She was famous for being fearless—and something else I couldn’t quite remember at that moment.

  If I knew the reason behind her fearless reputation at the time, I would have fled right then.

  The knight said, his voice softer now. "We know you’re a... [hero], but it’s an order we received. The command came from the Senate."

  Abella’s tone hardened. "Do yourself a favor and open the gate. My mother is outside, and I wish to get to her as soon as possible."

  The knight sighed in resignation, muttering under his breath before knocking sharply on the gate several times.

  The gate creaked open. Outside, knights stationed nearby seemed confused at first, but when they saw Abella and Ferzan, they straightened immediately, their postures rigid.

  We stepped outside, and my eyes landed on a woman sitting on a stone. As soon as she spotted Abella and Ferzan, she leapt to her feet.

  Like Abella, she wore a dress that blended yellow and white, her blonde hair and yellow eyes strikingly similar to her daughter’s.

  She flashed a wide, toothy grin, her perfect white teeth gleaming. "It’s been so long since I’ve seen my grandchild!"

  She rushed forward and embraced Ferzan, squeezing him tightly. Up close, I could see her slender nose and deep red lips—features that made her look almost too young to be his grandmother. She could easily pass for just a few years older than Abella.

  When she pulled back from the hug, she held Ferzan by the shoulders, smiling down at him. His head barely reached her nose, but what caught my attention was the monster seal emblazoned on her forehead. Abella’s lack of a seal there surprised me—it was part of Starlight tradition, after all. I assumed Ferzan didn’t bear one either, as his identity seemed more aligned with the Starworth.

  Ferzan managed a faint smile, but his exhaustion was evident.

  The woman turned to Abella, her smile shifting into something more calculating. "Who’s this child?" she asked, her gaze narrowing as she studied me. "Have you gone and adopted another one without consulting me?"

  "No, mother. This is Ferzan’s friend. She’s injured, so we’ll be administering some care."

  "Ah... I see." She turned her focus back to me, her gaze lingering. "At least she’s a Vlandos. A high-level one for her age."

  I didn’t understand why my Vlandos status was relevant in this context.

  "Hello..." I murmured, my energy draining so low that speaking took effort.

  "Don’t bother, child." The woman’s attention shifted to Ferzan’s sister, who was staring at her with unreadable eyes.

  The grandmother’s smile faded a little, no longer as bright as the one she’d shown Ferzan.

  "Katie..." Her hand passed through her red hair in an absent motion.

  Before she could ask another question, Katie spoke up. "I haven’t gotten a monster seal. Granny."

  The woman’s hand twitched, a brief moment of surprise passing over her features. She nodded slowly, and the air between them grew tense.

  Abella locked eyes with her mother, silent but clearly warning her with a single, piercing gaze.

  The two maintained the hard stare for a long moment before the grandmother finally turned away, slipping her hands into her dress pockets. "We’ll be heading to your home now."

  After a brief pause, she added, "I brought a guest to test Ferzan, by the way."

  "Who?" Abella asked, raising an eyebrow.

  "Just a slave," the woman replied nonchalantly.

  Suddenly, the air around me shifted, and a strange, glitching aura enveloped us. A flash of light, and then, we found ourselves standing on concrete tracks surrounded by neatly trimmed green grass. Flowers and trees dotted the landscape, creating an almost serene atmosphere.

  I would later come to realize that it was a life buff—[Teleportation].

  Ahead of us stood a grand mansion, its walls painted in red, white, and gold. Large balconies stretched from the upper floors, and there were many tall arched windows.

  A wide stone path led to towering double doors. To the side, a shimmering pool reflected the sky, surrounded by neatly trimmed hedges and flower beds. Smaller houses were scattered across the grounds, and a row of garages stood nearby.

  Then, I heard the sound of metal shifting behind me. Turning, I saw a well-dressed, armored Julioes man, his pink skin and white hair unmistakable. He wore an iron rectangular triangle hanging from his left ear, long as my finger. A slave.

  "Bring the child to the nursing room," Abella instructed Ferzan.

  He nodded and strode toward the large double doors. Outside, Punchios stood at attention, dressed in white tunics that draped far past their knees. The fabric swayed with every movement, high collars framing their necks, while long slits on either side revealed loose, silken trousers beneath. And of course... the outfit was adorned with small emeralds from the left shoulder to the right knee.

  Punchios and gems... You just couldn't separate them—like a politician and false promises.

  The men didn't wear head coverings. It was common sense—they had a different culture.

  Anyway, they bowed and opened the doors for us. I was taken to one of the many rooms on the third floor, the sharp scent of cleaning alcohol hanging in the air. It looked like a medical ward.

  I didn't think much about it. I was exhausted.

  Eventually, a gray-haired, wrinkled woman entered. She and Ferzan exchanged a few words.

  Then, from her earlobe, with a flash of white light, emerged her monster—a strange spider made entirely of silk, its legs tipped with small, curved claws.

  The doctor smiled and asked me some questions. I barely remembered what I said. I was running on autopilot.

  At some point, I was told to lie on the bed. So I did, and stared at the ceiling.

  The spider crawled over me, skittering toward my wounds, sewing open cuts closed with its silk.

  Then, it reached my head. I couldn't suppress a shudder. The way its claws poked at my scalp—it wasn’t something I could get used to.

  But then, something jolted me fully awake.

  While her spider was still out, she summoned another monster. A massive, human-sized sphere of blue fire. But the flames were translucent, almost ghostly.

  I stared. "How?"

  The doctor raised an eyebrow.

  I clarified, "You have two monsters out at the same time."

  "Oh… Well I always wanted to be a Vlandos doctor. So I focused a lot on building my mind."

  "It doesn’t hurt?"

  "Not one bit." Her gaze drifted toward her fire ghost. It floated down to my injured leg, its ghostly flames licking up to my knee.

  The pain and discomfort began to fade.

  Then, the doctor's eyes landed on my clenched left hand.

  She reached for it, perhaps thinking I was hiding an injury.

  I immediately pulled away, pressing it tightly to my chest. "No."

  "If it's—"

  "It's the earring of my now-dead mother."

  "Oh." A pause. "Was it during the creature attack earlier today?"

  I slowly nodded. "Yes."

  "I see. I'm very sorry." She backed away.

  It hurt to lie like this. To lie about Natasha. But if I didn’t give a proper reason, she might force my hand open or mention it to the others.