I spilled everything I knew about Valdes Daker. Stuff I’d heard straight from him, plus all the background info I already had tucked away.
Actually, his appearance had been oddly well-tid. Gave the perfect excuse to bring up Aria.
After listening to the whole story, Yoan let out a thoughtful hum.
“So the Holy Maiden from the Temple of Loa in the capital was supposed to fix all this, but she vanished. Now the temple’s grasping at straws with anyone they can find, and that’s how you got nabbed for experints?”
“Mhm. Probably because… I’m special. My detox ability. And…” I hesitated. “That Holy Maiden? That zombie.”
“You think the missing Holy Maiden is that zombie from before? Did she tell you that?”
“Nope. Think I… heard na.”
“Aria Lucern, was it?”
“Right.”
Thank goodness Yoan already knew her na.
I went on to explain how Aria’s and Valdes’s stories didn’t match up.
I couldn’t say for sure who was lying—or if either of them was—but if we wanted to get to the bottom of this, we had to sort out the truth.
“Well…”
I’d expected him to be all gung-ho about it, but Yoan’s response was weirdly lukewarm.
“I’m just a regional lord, Sasha. Not exactly qualified to solve world-ending crises.”
“No way!”
“Sasha?”
“You can do it!”
“Why?”
It wasn’t like I could just say, ‘Cause you’re the male lead!
I flailed internally, then just blurted it out.
“The only one… I trust!”
“…”
“So it’s possible!”
“Haha. What does that even an?”
Yoan chuckled into his hand, soft and quiet. For the first ti in ages, he looked like soone with zero stress in the world.
His good mood was contagious—I couldn’t help but grin stupidly back—until my gaze drifted to his neck.
The bite mark. He’d been hiding it with his collar.
“Um… You okay?”
“Want to see for yourself?”
He tugged the collar down, revealing the neat arc of teeth marks and the reddish swelling still around them.
“Gonna scar.”
“So? I lived, didn’t I?”
Fair point. Yoan had been bitten by a zombie and survived.
Whether that was because I got to him in ti or because he had antibodies of his own… well, that was still an open question.
One more thing to figure out.
Please let this not be a coincidence.
***
“Getting out of there felt like such a long shot, but we actually pulled it off. And all of us made it out together.”
Bliss looked half-amazed, half-exhausted as we officially cleared the first quarantine zone.
“Honestly, the plan worked mostly because of Sasha,” Rob remarked. “I still don’t know how you managed to find exactly the right people we needed. You should just join our crew full-ti.”
“I already am… dummy.”
“This girl, seriously…”
“Don’t bully big sis.”
“Gaah. Why am I always surrounded by such exhausting people?”
Yoan had to respond to that. “Are you saying that for ?”
“Eh! My lord, I didn’t know you were listening!”
“Unfortunately, I have ears.”
“Heheh…”
“Funny, is it?”
“No, sir.”
Rob snapped his mouth shut under Yoan’s frosty stare. He was absolutely the type to poke a bear with a stick and then act surprised when it bit.
Anyway, we’d made it to our second safe house—a stone-built general store with living quarters attached and so leftover supplies to boot. Not too shabby.
Rob dropped his modest little pack on the floor and scowled. “Seriously? Why are there always so few rooms?”
“What’s a young fella like you gripin’ about, huh?” Grandpa Jeremy huffed. “You think we’re in any shape to be choosin’ fancy lodgin’? This here’s plenty fine, all things considered. Or am I talkin’ nonsense?”
“…You’re right. I wasn’t thinking.”
He could’ve argued back, but he just nodded like a scolded schoolboy.
There were three rooms. Naturally, one went to Yoan. Bliss took the glorified closet with a bed in it. That left one room… and five people.
“Living room… for ,” I offered before anyone could make it awkward.
Everyone looked mildly guilty, but I didn’t care. I didn’t sleep anyway, and there was a comfy-looking sofa in the store proper.
“Let’s go with that for now,” Yoan said. “Sasha, you can use my room if you need to.”
“What? Why would she share a room with you?”
“I said if she needs to. You picking up Rob’s bad habits after rooming with him?”
“How could you say such a thing?!”
“Oi, kid. What’s that supposed to an?”
Derek just pouted and glared at the two of them.
Yoan told them all to stop bickering and rest up. We’d be scouting the area soon, and no one wanted to be running on fus.
We’d been on the move since dawn. Despite the fatigue, it made sense to get our bearings before fully settling in.
About an hour later, we regrouped and split into two scouting parties. The rest stayed behind to tidy up and secure the base.
“Gramps, Derek—you two sweep the periter. Sasha and I will check farther out.”
“Will do. And keep them eyes peeled for my boy, y’hear? Rember that old portrait I showed?”
“Don’t worry. I haven’t forgotten.”
“Good. I reckon I can trust you, milord.”
The reason Jeremy hadn’t wanted to join us initially was his son.
Tough as nails, the old guy. Way more reliable than he let on… but clearly still haunted by the possibility that his son might be gone.
We’d kept our eyes open on the way here. No luck so far.
I worried he might’ve been one of the zombies we’d already fought… but Jeremy hadn’t given up.
I really hoped he was still alive, sowhere.
“What are you thinking so hard about?”
“I hope his… son’s okay.”
“You’re sweet.”
Well, yeah. Basic human decency and all.
Yoan and I moved further into the village, quietly surveying the area.
This place was bigger than our last base. Probably used to be a tourist spot.
It had a bunch of different facilities, which ant residents and visitors… which ant way more zombies.
Even in broad daylight, the streets weren’t safe. We avoided fights when we could, but we’d still had to take out a double-digit number just to get this far.
“We’ll need to stay sharp.”
Enough ti had passed that mutant zombies would start showing up in larger numbers.
Which ant trouble. And variety. A truly unpleasant combination.
“At least our base isn’t in a heavy cluster. That gives us so breathing room.”
Right. Actually, they’re more concentrated around the outskirts than the center. We’ll have a hell of a ti clearing a path out later.
“Grrrk. Gurrr-outskirts morrrk krauh. Gehh path latehhk.”
“By the way, I haven’t given up.”
“On?”
“Finding a way to help you talk properly.”
Why are you like this?
If you’re going to obsess over sothing, how about obsessing over turning back into a human?
I surged ahead in grumpy silence, but Yoan caught up and cheerfully suggested, “Want to take a break?”
He pointed to a small roadside temple. I wasn’t particularly tired, but he might’ve been, so I nodded.
Up close, the temple was in pretty good shape.
I opened the door cautiously—no sense getting ambushed in a house of worship—but thankfully, it was empty.
That said, the place had seen better days. Sothing had clearly stord through: smashed furniture, scattered debris, a general air of “oops.”
I brushed the dust off a half-broken statue with my sleeve, then dragged over a surviving chair and sat nearby.
I wasn’t religious, so the setting felt oddly unfamiliar… but also quietly absorbing.
The Temple of Loa’s involved sohow… but who’s lying?
Was it Aria, the would-be savior? Or Valdes, the cheery psychopath?
Either way, we needed answers before we could do anything useful.
“What’re you mulling over so seriously?”
Yoan pulled up a chair beside .
“Thinking of offering a prayer?”
“Praying?”
It hadn’t crossed my mind, but now that he’d said it…
In stories, divine intervention usually showed up around this point.
Aria had gotten blessings in the original tiline, after all.
“I’m atheist.”
“Gods don’t care about that. Got anything you want to ask for?”
“Hmmm.”
Well, if I were gonna ask for sothing…
I awkwardly clasped my hands together and shut my eyes.
God, you up there? Please give the information I need…
“…”
I poured every drop of desperation into that silent plea.
Nothing happened.
Figures.
“Pfft.”
I cracked open one eye, snorted—and shot straight to my feet in shock.
“Hi there. You called, so I ca.”
Uh. Who?
“Don’t tell … you’re the god?”
“Yep.”
Gods actually show up when you ask nicely?
Just like that?!
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