"I guess I already knew that," dora said, tapping her chin. "I just didn’t want to admit it. Or maybe... I just didn’t have a reason to dwell on it."
Daylan gave her a confused look, his voice laced with concern. "How do you do it? When your father died, you still held yourself together. Even when you cried on my shoulder sotis, you never showed any anger. Not once."
dora wore a wide smile as she stared into Daylan’s confused eyes. "I’m not good at those kinds of feelings. That’s why I have you—to feel my anger for . And I’ll feel yours too, whenever it’s too much to carry or too ssy to make sense of."
Daylan shook his head, clearly disapproving. "You’ve said that a million tis. It’s practically the only answer I ever get when I ask about this."
He let out a breath. "Be honest with —are you bottling everything up because you think I won’t understand?"
dora walked up to Daylan, her expression soft and reassuring. She placed her hands on his shoulders. "The last person I’d ever worry about not understanding ... is you."
She let out a quiet sigh. "The truth is, I don’t really understand it myself. I’ve never felt the urge for vengeance. Maybe I know it would only break even more. Or maybe... I just didn’t love my father enough."
The two kept talking, their conversation drifting between lighthearted banter and quiet intensity as Daylan moved around the kitchen, preparing dinner.
It had been nearly a day since Daylan got dora back from her mother. He filled her in on everything—how he used the bandits as collateral for their escape as the Fools, how he managed to control their minds, and how he had done the sa with Lyra.
But he made sure to explain that Lyra’s words were her own; all he did was break down the barriers she’d built to keep her emotions locked away.
However, dora pointed out sothing Daylan had overlooked—the Guard and the Chivalry Association were bound to suspect a greater force was backing the Fools.
That ant their original plan had to move forward: framing Giselle to take the fall for everything the Fools had done.
The plan was simple: kill Giselle—and after that, the phantom would take the fall.
They had less than two weeks to make it happen—and the next day would mark the beginning of their second coming. A coming that would be relentless, unforgiving... and ant to end the sin once and for all.
They spent the night in pointless chats, drifting off mid-conversation—and before they knew it, morning had co.
They were both fast asleep when Rhea quietly slipped into the house and started training. Nearly an hour later, her heavy panting finally stirred them awake.
Daylan woke first. Rubbing his eyes, he gently nudged dora awake. There was no ti to spare. Ahead of them lay a path soaked in bloodshed—long before they’d even reach Giselle.
The forest itself was a trial. And just like him, the demons—especially those A ranked and above—grew far stronger at night. They had to move out early, before darkness turned the forest against them.
The mont Rhea realized they were awake, she was on them in an instant—pushing them to get ready before it was too late, giving them no room to breathe.
They needed Astara’s help—neither of them could deny that. But that didn’t an they would sit back and wait. They would fight.
They would win. It was that thought that drove them as they gathered their things and climbed into the carriage.
"Whatever Giselle is planning, it’ll be a threat to the people. Honor City is the most peaceful of all the cities—and I won’t let that be taken away." Rhea shot a glance at dora and Daylan.
"I filed a request for a two-week vacation," she said with a wide smile. "Told them I was heading to the Royal Capital... but really, I’m walking straight into death." Her smile faded, her expression darkening.
"We have to do this."
Daylan and dora sat in silence as the carriage rolled forward. After Rhea’s words, there was nothing more to say. There was only silence.
Daylan stared out the window, watching children run through the streets. His mind spiraled. What was his mother using all those kills for?
There was no denying it was sothing far more sinister... yet he couldn’t help but wonder.
Before long, they reached the city’s gate. They had no intention of venturing into the wilderness with anyone else. Stepping out of the carriage, they began their ascent up the hill, heading straight into the forest.
"The last ti we were here, we went up against soone as powerful as Gold," he said with a smirk. "Ti really does fly."
"Wait... is that the mist?" dora asked, her brow furrowing in confusion.
They were still far from the forest, yet the dark, cloudy mist—ant to shield the demonic monsters within—had sohow spread close to the city, stopping just about three miles from the gates.
"Yes. It started creeping closer soon after adventurers and warriors began disappearing at night..." Rhea sighed. "I filed complaints more than once, asking for permission to investigate its source—but for so reason, I never got a response."
"You don’t think my mother’s controlling the city now... do you?"
"Oh, I definitely do."
They pressed on through the mist, but the deeper they went, the thicker it grew. Daylan had activated his Dark Spiral for better visibility—but even that did little to cut through the haze.
However, Rhea moved with a little ease, her Worth Artifact summoned and guided her steps.
"I might lead us the wrong way," she said with a hesitant smile, though her face was barely visible through the mist. "But I think it’s worth a shot. If I listen to the sounds the insects are making... maybe they’ll point us in the right direction. Right?"
Both Daylan and dora let out quiet sighs, but they had no choice—they followed Rhea’s lead. Still, Daylan’s curiosity got the better of him. He wanted to understand more about her sound aspect, especially if it could give them an edge.
"What’s the difference between your sound aspect and Astara’s Luck ability hearing?" he asked.
"Uhm..." she hesitated for a mont. "My sound and Asta’s hearing, huh?"
"Luck abilities are designed to complent a person’s Worth Artifact and its aspect," Rhea explained. "So Astara’s enhanced hearing is probably tied to her Star Aspect in so way. Just like how I see sounds when invisible."
"So... is that all?"
They kept moving through the thick mist. Though they had no clear sense of where they were, they believed they were getting close to the forest.
"Asta’s ability is just hearing—like, really sensitive hearing. So sharp she could probably hear people talking in her sleep. Mine’s different—I create and control sound and its waves."
She took a deep breath, then smirked. "That’s all you’re getting, buddy. I’m not giving away all my secrets."
Her words were enough for Daylan, and he was glad to know even that much.
Replacing star with sound might not be such a bad thing after all.
"Can you guys feel that aura?" Rhea blurted.
"No..."
"I think there’s sothing powerful nearby, and it’s trying to suppress its aura... but the fluctuation is giving it away."
A powerful presence?
Just as he drifted deeper into thought, a sudden growl snapped him back to reality. Low, guttural, and close. Then ca more—multiple sets of flaming eyes piercing through the mist. There was no doubt about it—they were hellhounds.
They held their ground—and in an instant, the hellhounds charged. Rhea vanished into thin air, while Daylan and dora launched themselves at the beasts rushing toward them.
The demonic monsters were stronger—far stronger than they used to be. Hellhounds should’ve been child’s play for even one of them, but these were faster, more aggressive.
And now they could launch fire from their mouths—sothing completely unheard of.
Still, even with their sudden evolution, they were no match. In less than two minutes, every hellhound lay dead.
"We’re in for a long ride," dora said, shaking her head. "I think this is exactly why Silver wanted us to stop Giselle before she reached headquarters."
Their rest was cut short as ghouls ca charging at them—swinging their long front limbs like monkeys, using the shorter ones below to mimic human postures.
Normally, ghouls resembled distorted humans when upright, but these were different—taller, more nacing. Their bodies pulsed with thick, bulging veins, as if sothing inside them was barely contained.
Still, Daylan and the others tore through them like they were nothing. With Rhea invisible and controlling sound, most of the ghouls dropped before they even realized she was there.
None got close to dora—any that tried were burned to a crisp before they could take a step.
As for Daylan, he slit three throats before they knew it... then stepped back, silently watching the others finish the fight.
Just as the last ghoul fell, the ground began to tremble beneath their feet. dora and Daylan braced themselves, searching for sothing to steady their stance—while Rhea, to their surprise, let out a cheer.
Her eyes sparkled as she spotted the towering figure of a giant ghoul erging through the mist—clearly their master.
It was unheard of, unnatural... but after everything they were expecting, they weren’t surprised.
"I’ve always wanted to fight a giant." She wore a big smile, unfazed by the threat.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
New Task Available.
Objective: [100 Kills]
Reward: [?]
Penalty: [?]
Is this like a reconciliation task?... why talk now?
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