I nearly screamed when someone suddenly pulled me into an alley. Lestro was dragged along with me, leaving us both startled.
"Mmm!"
"Shh! It's me." That voice.
I calmed down, so she let go. I looked at her, and she smiled. Then her attention shifted to Lestro.
"You didn’t kidnap him, did you?"
"Captain Xu, we don’t have time for jokes. Since you’re here, I want to ask you a few things," I said, and she nodded.
"Captain Kiro and the others are handling the situation, so we can talk here. What do you want to know?" she asked, her expression serious.
I pulled Lestro closer and sighed.
"First, what’s really happening? I know Captain-Commander wouldn’t send you all here unless it was urgent. What really happened with Eisha?"
She didn’t answer immediately, glancing upward. A monster passed by but didn’t notice us. She looked back at me and shook her head.
"I can’t answer all of that. But I’ll tell you about Kaito’s brother." She stepped closer and placed a hand on my shoulder.
"Janzen, twenty-three… part of Eisha’s squad." Her expression darkened, but she continued, locking eyes with me. "He was the one who killed six of Eisha’s squad members back then."
I blinked, unsure how to respond.
If that’s the case…
"Does that mean—" My words were cut off when someone called Captain Xu. She answered the communication stone.
"Captain Kiro… What? Alright, I’m on my way."
She put the stone away and nodded at me.
"Let’s head to the plaza. That’s where the survivors are. While you’re here, I need your help."
"No problem, Captain Xu," I replied.
We made our way to the plaza, noticing that the monsters had disappeared from the area.
I held Lestro’s hand tightly so he wouldn’t get lost.
When we arrived, the plaza was crowded with people. Healers were treating the wounded, while Captain Kiro stood talking to Zeid.
We approached them, staying behind Captain Xu.
Captain Xu and Captain Kiro exchanged greetings, but Zeid remained silent. Captain Kiro peeked at me and raised a hand in greeting.
"Yo, Mira."
I bowed slightly in return.
"Captain Kiro…"
"Looks like you’ve made a new friend," he said, turning to Lestro. He crouched to meet the boy’s height and smiled.
H-He smiled. Captain Kiro has a soft spot for kids?
"What’s your name?" he asked Lestro.
Lestro nervously glanced at me, tugging my hand. I smiled reassuringly and nodded.
"L-Lestro," he answered.
"Lestro? Hmm, that’s a nice name." Captain Kiro stood and looked at me. "What happened to him?"
"His mother died. He has no one else left. Before she passed… she entrusted him to me."
Captain Kiro sighed, then glanced at Zeid, who was staring at my and Lestro’s clasped hands.
"That kid…" Zeid suddenly stepped forward and pulled my hand away from Lestro’s. "He’s not normal." He dragged me away from the boy.
"Wait, what are you talking about?" I tried to move toward Lestro, but he yanked me back.
"He’s draining your spiritual energy. Didn’t you notice?" He glared at Lestro, who looked terrified, on the verge of tears.
So that’s why… my attacks felt weaker than usual. I hadn’t realized he was absorbing my energy?
But…
"I don’t think he realizes it. He’s just a kid—sometimes powers are hard to control. I don’t think he even knows he has that ability," I defended.
"Tsk. Do what you want." His voice was laced with irritation, but I ignored it—I was used to it. I went back to Lestro and apologized for Zeid’s behavior.
Since Lestro was a kind boy, he just nodded and hugged me. I smiled.
Captain Xu and the others were deep in discussion, so we stepped away. I sat Lestro down where I could keep an eye on him and helped the healers administer first aid to the wounded.
As time passed, I started feeling weaker—probably from exhaustion and overusing my spiritual energy. But I ignored it and kept going. I tried contacting Kaito again, but there was still no response. I was worried, but with Lestro here, I couldn’t wander off.
After a while, we finished treating everyone. I walked back toward Lestro, but before I could reach him, the ground shook. Panic spread through the crowd, especially on Lestro’s face. I ran to him and grabbed his hand.
I saw Captain Xu leap into the air just as a massive monster emerged—she swiftly killed it. But more monsters kept appearing.
Something felt…
Wrong.
I looked around—Captain Kiro and Zeid were fighting, but no matter how skilled they were, the monsters kept multiplying.
People were screaming, running in all directions. Some were being slaughtered one by one. I closed my eyes.
"Big sister…" Lestro trembled.
I could feel my energy draining further, but I smiled calmly at him.
"I need to help the others. So…" I handed him a talisman.
"As long as you hold this, no monster can touch you. Stay here and hide. Understand?"
He nodded, but tears welled in his eyes.
"How old are you?" I asked.
"T-Three…" He sniffled. I ruffled his hair and smiled.
I left him and summoned a fire bow, quickly taking down some monsters—though others seemed unaffected. Amid the chaos, I heard Lestro scream.
I turned and saw a man holding him. My eyes widened—I tried to run toward them, but someone grabbed me from behind.
"Sorry…" a familiar voice murmured.
"K-Kaito… What does this mean?"
"You wouldn’t understand. So, if you don’t want the kid hurt, come with us."
I looked at the man holding Lestro—the same one from the photo. That was his brother.
"Mira!" Captain Xu shouted.
But with the swarm of monsters, they couldn’t break away, only glancing at us helplessly.
Was this what that man from the carriage meant? Who was he? And why was Kaito doing this?
"I want to know your reason, Kaito," I said calmly.
He laughed—a laugh I’d never heard from the Kaito I knew. It was full of pain.
"The weak aren’t acknowledged by the world. The strong stand at the top—they can do anything. And you know where we are, Mira? At the very bottom, beneath their feet."
"What do you want?"
"What do I want? I want to do as I please. I want to change the system. So we don’t have to stay at the bottom."
"We don’t need to rise in society, Kaito. Just living peacefully is enough, isn’t it?"
"I want more than that. Not just that, Mira. I want the greedy at the top gone. The ones who trampled on our lives. The ones who killed my brother."
"Y-Your brother—?"
"Kay Cera."
Before I could react, he raised a knife to my throat.
"Why me?"
"You won’t understand yet. So choose. The kid’s life… or yours?"
I took a deep breath.
"If that’s the case… I’ll go with you—"
"Ahhh!" My eyes snapped toward Lestro.
My heart pounded violently.
Lestro’s body collapsed, a knife buried in his stomach.
"L-Lestro…" My voice broke.
"Sorry… You two were taking too long. I got impatient, so I killed him to make your choice easier," his brother said, grinning.
"LESTRO!" I screamed, lunging forward—but Kaito’s blade stopped me.
I couldn’t describe what I felt. Rage burned inside me, but all that escaped were tears.
"We’re still taking you. Sorry, Mira."
But his words barely registered. My eyes stayed fixed on Lestro’s lifeless body.
"Link…" I whispered.
"What?"
"I won’t let your plans succeed, Kaito."
I gathered every last drop of my spiritual energy.
I glanced at Zeid, who turned sharply toward me after slaying another monster.
"I'm sorry..." I said before releasing my energy—giving my life to Lestro.
A blinding light erupted across the plaza, incinerating the monsters. The air hummed with the eerie glow of Mira’s fading spiritual energy.
The Captains stared in shock.
"That’s…" Captain Kiro muttered.
"Life transfer through spiritual energy," Captain Xu answered.
Mira felt her strength slipping. Kaito tried to stop her, but even he lost energy the closer he got.
"MIRA!"
A voice echoed in my fading consciousness…
"MIRA!"
A familiar figure rushed toward me.
I smiled weakly.
"Even at the end… it’s still you I see… Zeid." My whisper dissolved into the wind.
Before I collapsed, I felt arms catch me.
"You're so stupid... Mira."
"I know, Zeid." My eyes fluttered shut.
Zeid… I…