Dylan stood frozen, chilled by the oppressive silence thickening around him.
The corpse of the giant lizard lay on one side, Maggie’s battered body on the other, and him—just standing there in the middle—nothing more than an intruder.
He watched, without fully grasping it, as the young elf rushed to Maggie, trying to lift her up. But he still couldn’t move.
It was like ti had stopped. Or maybe shattered. He had just witnessed sothing he’d thought impossible.
And yet, sothing inside him was boiling. He couldn’t quite put a na on it—a mix of frustration, a low-burning rage, and... admiration. Yes, a deep admiration for Maggie’s fierce determination.
Dylan was among the few who took pride in their species. A kind of visceral attachnt to humanity, despite its flaws. He knew human cruelty far too well—had faced it on the battlefield, ti and ti again.
But it had never dulled his pride in being what he was.
And now, what he’d just seen reminded him exactly why humans were... different.
He finally managed to move, though his mind was still elsewhere. His legs carried him forward almost on autopilot, until he stopped in front of the creature’s massive corpse.
Now that it lay lifeless, Dylan could take a proper look. And in that mont, he truly understood just how much his commander deserved his respect.
His gaze drifted toward Maggie. Élisa was helping her stand, arm wrapped around her for support. Maggie’s body still trembled, adrenaline lingering. Their eyes t, and Maggie gave him a faint smile.
That small gesture sent a shiver down Dylan’s spine.
"She’s a monster..." he thought, half amused, as a cold chill slid down his back.
His focus returned to the lizard’s carcass. Despite the stabbing pain in his chest, he stepped over the beast and examined the gaping wound: a deep slash from its throat down to its belly. Guts had spilled out onto the ground, a brutal yet strangely srizing sight.
"That’s grueso..." he muttered.
Then, without hesitation, he plunged his hand into the open wound to retrieve the anima gem.
Ignoring the slimy, slippery sensation, he forced his hand to search deeper, feeling around for sothing solid. This creature wasn’t like the others—it was a reptile, not a bipedal beast with a visible chest cavity.
As he expected, he found it further down, around where its stomach would be. He pulled slowly, a wet, sucking noise following the motion. The sensation made him shiver in discomfort.
The gem was now in his hand. As beautiful as a jewel—but infinitely more valuable.
Because what it contained glead with an irresistible light.
Spiritual essence.
And not just any kind: essence from a third-tier beast.
Dylan stared at the gem, hypnotized. A strange greed welled up inside him. A raw, pure desire—almost animalistic. He’d never felt anything like it before, as if sothing buried deep within had suddenly awakened.
A need. Absolute. Almost vital.
"It’s yours."
The familiar voice made him flinch.
Dylan turned sharply toward the source. Maggie was approaching, supported by Élisa. They stopped just behind him.
He frowned, a little skeptical.
"Wait... weren’t you the one who took it down solo?"
Maggie nodded, but her eyes hardened.
"That was the deal, right? I take the first one, since I’m more compatible with the spiritual essence. But the second one... it’s yours."
She locked eyes with him and added in a sharp tone:
"And I’d rather not be the only one giving it my all and ending up like this every damn ti."
Dylan grumbled out of habit, but deep down... he wanted that gem. More than anything.
He just preferred playing the disinterested card, so he wouldn’t seem too greedy.
"Well, guess there’s nothing we can do, huh..." he muttered, pretending to be resigned, as he took the anima gem.
He slipped it into his pocket with a sigh—not from exhaustion, but a contained frustration, like a feverish impatience bubbling just beneath the surface.
He felt the gem pulse gently against his thigh. A silent promise.
He would drain it dry the mont they got back.
His eyes returned to the gaping wound. Amidst the blood and entrails, he spotted Maggie’s axe, still lodged in the torn flesh. Even the weapon’s shaft had been crushed under the force of her blows.
"That weapon won’t survive another battle like this," he thought, gaze dark.
He pulled the weapon free with effort. A squelching noise followed, then a faint crack as it finally ca loose. The tal was chipped, the blade notched as if it had clashed against steel instead of flesh.
Dylan spun the weapon in his hands, inspecting it from every angle.
"No wonder it’s ssed up... That lizard’s skin was harder than stone."
He turned back toward Maggie and held the axe out to her without a word. She looked at him, nodded, and took it silently. Her hand trembled slightly, but her gaze was steady.
Élisa, still at her side, gave Dylan a quick glance.
"We should head back. Maggie needs treatnt, and you... you look like you’re about to boil over."
Dylan raised an eyebrow, mock offended.
"? I’m perfectly fine."
But his chest still ached with every breath, and all he wanted was to sit down.
They started walking in silence, leaving the remains of the fight behind. The forest wind whispered around them, as if reminding them they were far from safe.
Dylan slid a hand into his pocket, feeling the warmth of the gem once again.
He was going to need it. Very soon.
The path ahead was uneven, littered with shattered branches and dark puddles of blood now thickened by the cold.
Each step felt heavier than the last, but none of them said a word. Not yet.
Dylan’s gaze remained fixed ahead, but his thoughts spun in a loop, always circling back to the sa feeling — that raw, primal hunger ignited by the anima gem. It clawed at his insides, whispering promises of strength, of clarity, of sothing more.
And yet, behind that craving lurked a sliver of fear. Not of the gem, but of what it ant to want it this much.
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