The forest was crying. Not the creaking of wood. Something deeper. Lower. The sound of mana trembling through the air itself. Reon quickened his pace. His sword remained sheathed. He moved with careful steps, avoiding the torchlight, killing the sound of branches underfoot. The wave of mana was growing stronger. The frightened presence he'd felt at the cottage earlier had become something closer to a scream. ——There. The moment he broke into the clearing, a searing blue light came flying at him. Reon threw himself sideways without thinking. The tree beside where the blast hit snapped clean in half at the trunk. The thick log crashed down with a sound that echoed through the night forest. Three men stood before him. The emblems on their chests were unmistakable. The Purification Order's seal——the outreach arm of the Nocturne Sect, an organization that hunted down and detained magic users across the land. The men gripped metal shackle-like devices in their hands. Holy chains——the Sect's unique equipment for sealing magic. Once fitted, the wearer's internal mana circulation would be cut off, rendering all magic impossible. Those three men had surrounded a single girl against a rock wall. She was in terrible condition. Her crude linen clothes were filthy and torn. Her bare feet were covered in wounds, her long silver-white hair matted with dirt and mud. She was so small her head barely reached Reon's chest. Her skeletal frame pressed against the rock wall, both hands trembling. From those hands, blue light erupted again. She couldn't control it. The bursts of light scorched her own arms as they detonated repeatedly. Three trees around her had already been snapped in half. One look told him it wasn't her will. Those eyes weren't calling for help——they were simply terrified, terrified, and power was overflowing from her body. "[angry]There's nowhere to run. Stay still," One of the men stepped forward, brandishing the holy chain. The girl unleashed another burst of light. The man retreated. But he immediately clicked his tongue and pressed forward again. The three were closing in on her in a semicircle. Reon shifted his grip on his sheathed sword and stepped behind the men's backs. He didn't speak to the first one. He simply struck the man's elbow joint from the outside with the scabbard. A dry crack. The holy chain fell to the ground. Reon took the right arm, twisted it outward, braced it with his knee, and drove him down. Before the man could cry out, Reon cut off his air and stole his consciousness. The second man turned and drew his sword, but Reon's foot sweep was faster. A horizontal kick to the back leg sent his center of gravity crashing. As he fell, Reon drove the tip of the scabbard up under his jaw. One blow and his eyes rolled back. The third man tried to shout. Reon didn't run. He simply stepped forward once. The distance closed in an instant. He grabbed the man's wrist and threw him toward the wall. The man's back slammed against the rock face and he crumpled. All three men lay on the ground. Silence returned in mere seconds. The blue light was gone too. Reon returned his sword to his belt and turned to face the girl. ——In that moment, the light came back. The girl's hands rose. Trembling. A blade of blue light hung before Reon's face. Its edges wavered and blurred. Unstable. But dangerous enough. "[scared]Don't come near me," Her voice shook. Her body shook. But her eyes——raw with terror and something more, something like hostility——stared straight at Reon. Reon stopped. He didn't reach for his sword. He opened both hands and slowly spread them to his sides. Showing he held nothing. Then he slowly lowered himself to sit. The girl froze. She'd expected him to attack. He didn't. Reon sat there, watching her face. He didn't shout. He didn't try to persuade her. He simply was. For a long time, they remained like that. The blue light wavered and gradually dimmed. The girl's body was nearing its limit. A body that had fled for three days without food was about to collapse right here. Her knees gave way. Reon stood and stepped forward. The moment her body tilted, he caught her in both arms. She was so small. Impossibly light. The remnants of blue light seared the back of Reon's hand for an instant. A sizzling sensation as skin burned. He didn't let go. ——In his past life, he had let go. The feeling of those fingers slipping away remained in his body even now. This time, he wouldn't let go. He had no intention of putting that reason into words. His grip simply tightened. ＊ They reached the cottage just before dawn. When Reon tried to lay the girl on the floor, she woke immediately. "[angry]Don't touch me," She shouted, but her body couldn't rise. Reon silently retrieved medicinal herbs and began boiling them in a pot. He poured the concentrated liquid into a bowl, placed it within the girl's reach, then sat with his back against the wall on the opposite side of the room. The girl stared at the bowl. Perhaps she thought it was poisoned. Reon said nothing. He had no intention of speaking. After a while, the girl took the bowl. She drank it all at once. Her stomach was growling. Tending to her wounds took some effort. When Reon offered bandages, the girl silently snatched them from him. She tried to wrap them herself, but her hands trembled and she couldn't manage. The loose end hung down. Reon offered again. She took them again. They came loose again. The third time, Reon simply took her wrist. Blue light began to activate——but stopped. Reon's hand wasn't cold. It wasn't rough. It simply had a certain weight to it, and he wrapped the bandage carefully, avoiding her wounds. He wasn't hurrying. Methodical, but without sentimentality. The girl said nothing. He didn't ask her name. He didn't ask where she came from. It was clear she was fleeing the Sect. There was no need to confirm anything more tonight. As dawn approached, the girl pulled the blanket up to her chin, faced the wall, and spoke quietly. "[whispers]……Riri," Just her name. That was all. Reon didn't answer. He simply nodded. ＊ Morning came. Pale light filtered through the cottage window. Riri was still under the blanket, facing the wall. Whether she was asleep or simply couldn't sleep, she hadn't moved. A knock sounded at the door. "[excited]Big bro! It's me, Baldo!" When Reon stepped outside, Baldo immediately peered through the gap in the door, saw Riri, and his expression changed. His chestnut-colored short hair was disheveled. He must have run here early in the morning——his breathing was slightly elevated. "[serious]Big bro, can we talk outside?" The two of them moved away from the cottage to a nearby stream. The sound of morning water covered their voices. Baldo began speaking rapidly. "[serious]That girl——silver-white hair, blue mana. No doubt about it. She's a witch's egg," "A witch's egg," "[serious]One in fifty thousand chance of being born. They come into the world with more than ten times the mana of a normal human. When puberty hits, that mana swells all at once and they can't control it——that blue rampage is proof. It's not her will. The mana inside her body is overflowing," Reon remained silent, prompting him to continue. "[serious]The Sect catches witch's eggs and performs sanctification on them. They forcibly extract the mana from the body using ritual magic and crystallize it. That ether crystal——the mana crystal——sells for five hundred gold coins per egg on the black market. It's the Sect's hidden income source," "……What happens to the girl," "[sad]She dies. They don't just extract the mana——they take her life force too. She'll weaken and die in three to five years. The Sect calls it purification of the soul," Only the sound of water. "[serious]There's one more thing," Baldo's golden eyes looked straight at Reon. "[serious]The Magic Registration Edict——in countries under the Sect's influence, magic users must be registered. Harboring an unregistered user makes you equally guilty. If discovered, you're marked for execution. You and me both," "I know," "[serious]I'm asking anyway——you did save that girl last night, right. Three junior inquisitors were found incapacitated in the forest this morning. There's a pursuit. The Sect's search is spreading across the entire forest," Reon looked at the stream. "[serious]But if it's you, I figured you'd do it anyway," That was all Baldo said before he fell silent. He wasn't smiling. ＊ When Reon returned to the cottage, Riri had pulled the blanket up to her chest and was looking out the window. Her eyes searched the gaps between the trees outside——searching for escape routes. She didn't turn when Reon entered. Reon stood there, watching her for a while. Three days of running. No food. Her own mana burning her own arms——and still she couldn't rely on anyone. Didn't know how. Had given up trying. "[whispers]……They'll just abandon me anyway," It was almost a whisper to herself. Words directed at the window, with no intention of being heard. But those words pierced something deep in Reon's chest. The memory of his past life came flooding back. A woman's face, smiling even as she lay bleeding at an intersection. Her eyes had been resigned——but not truly resigned. She'd wanted someone to hold onto her until the very end. Eyes that wanted someone to keep her tethered to this world. Riri had those same eyes now. Reon looked up at the ceiling. He didn't want to get involved. Didn't want to be hurt again. Didn't want to repeat the memory of failing to protect someone——all the excuses spinning in his head were honest, and all of them were right. Still, his feet wouldn't stay still. A long, long silence. Finally, Reon clicked his tongue. "[cold]Tch, can't be helped," That was all he said before pulling a leather travel bag from the storage closet. Dried meat, hard bread, flint and tinder, bundles of medicinal herbs. His hands packed them in of their own accord. Riri finally turned to look at him. "[surprised]……What are you doing," "[cold]Getting ready to run," Riri went silent. Her eyes wavered. Baldo opened the door from outside, his face appearing in the gap. "[excited]Big bro! I knew you'd do it! I know a hidden settlement deep in the Growden Great Forest——a community built by magic users who fled the Sect. It's hidden behind a barrier——no one who doesn't know about it will ever find it. I can guide you there," "[cold]I know. I'm counting on you," "[excited]Leave it to me!" When dividing the provisions, Reon halved his own share of dried meat and bread, placing it in front of Riri. Riri stared at it, then looked at Reon. "[angry]I don't need charity," "[cold]I just can't carry extra weight. It slows me down," He turned away as he said it. It was a lie, and he knew it. Baldo definitely knew it. Riri probably knew it too. There was a pause. The sound of Riri picking up the bread came. The three of them left the cottage when the sun had just begun to show itself above the trees. "[serious]Big bro, east," Baldo spoke in a low voice. Multiple torches were moving in the eastern direction of the forest. The reinforcements called by those who'd discovered the three incapacitated inquisitors from last night. There were many lights. Not just one or two. Time was running out. Reon took the lead. Baldo brought up the rear. Riri walked between them. Her feet still wavered, but she didn't fall. Riri kept her eyes on Reon's back the entire time. Whether from fear or trying to understand him, her gaze never wavered——with eyes that even she didn't fully understand. The forest at dawn swallowed the three of them whole. Morning light filtering through the trees created thin paths at their feet.