Ash danced in the air. The sky was still gray. Smoke hung over the ruins. Saki was on her knees. Ash settled on her shoulders. On her hair. She didn't brush it off. No reason to. Footsteps in the distance. Several. Crunching over rubble. Drawing closer. "[surprised]Hey, someone's alive over here." A voice. Soldiers gathered. They surrounded Saki. She turned her face toward them. A smile. Her facial muscles moved exactly as they'd been taught. Slightly lowered the corners of her eyes. Lifted the corners of her mouth. A natural smile. She'd forgotten how to make any other face. "[laughing]Thank god you survived." "[gentle]You're safe now." Voices of relief. Saki's body already knew what they meant. Safe—meaning usable again. As a tool. Saki stood up. Brushed the mud from her knees. The gesture came naturally. Her body moved before she could think. She looked around at the soldiers. Five. Six. More. "[gentle]Let me heal you." A sweet voice. A voice crafted to vibrate deep in her throat. Words she'd repeated hundreds of times slipped from her lips. One soldier caught his breath. The others fidgeted. Just a little. But—their eyes changed quickly. The look of men who understood they'd been offered what they wanted. Saki knelt before the lead soldier. She reached out. Her fingers found the fastenings of his uniform. Undid them. She could do it without looking now. (What day is it?) A number tried to form in the corner of her mind. (Eighty-seven...) Her fingers stopped. She didn't know why she was counting. Didn't know anymore. She just stopped. —. In the shadow of a collapsed stone wall. Amid the scattered remains of burnt tents. Saki took the soldiers one by one. She moved her hips. Let out sweet breaths. Made the sounds she'd learned. "[gentle]Ah..." A moan. Another technique. Her body moved without hesitation. But—her mind was quiet. No anger. No sadness. No regret. Just empty. One soldier looked down at her face. His movements stopped. He stared into her eyes. His expression shifted. To something horrified. She was smiling—but her eyes weren't. No. Her eyes felt nothing. Not fear. Not sadness. Not anger. Just... nothing there. The soldier looked away. Decided not to think about it. He kept going. Saki's smile stayed fixed the whole time. —. The last soldier pulled away. A young soldier crouched down in front of her. Peered into her face. "[scared]Hey... you okay?" Saki looked at him. Smiled. The young soldier—stepped back. "[scared]What the..." Words failed him. She was smiling, but her eyes reflected nothing. Just... nothing there. His half-open mouth closed. He stood up. Walked away toward his comrades. Saki watched his back, smiling. —. She was alone. Saki leaned against the ruined wall. The cold stone spread across her back. Dagan. She tried to remember the name. The hook-claw prosthetic. The bandit leader who'd raped her and sold her off. Nothing came. Madame Vespa. The Mansion Under the Moon. The black dress. The woman who'd sold her to the army. Hazy. The face surfaced. But no feeling came with it. Camila. Red hair. Cold attitude, but she'd given her medicine. Her senior. (...Who was that?) The words she muttered in her heart vanished as they came. She tried to summon what had once been inside her—and nothing came. She didn't even have the will to search. —. The sky began shifting to the color of dawn. The soldiers gathered around a campfire. Sparks swirled upward. Mixed with ash. Vanished. Saki sat alone by the wall. Arms wrapped around her knees. She looked down at her palms. Tried to count on her fingers. One. Two. Three—stopped. (My name is) Saki. She murmured it in her mouth. Was it really hers? She tried to confirm it—and didn't know how. She wasn't scared. Wasn't sad. No urge to stand and run. No sense that she could go anywhere. Nothing anywhere. Just—the smile remained on her face. Ash settled on her shoulders. She didn't brush it off. In the distance, a soldier called to his comrades. "[excited]Hey, the relief wagon's coming!" Saki turned her face toward the sound. Reflexively, the corners of her mouth lifted. Whatever came next—her body had already decided to greet it with this smile. Ash danced in the air. Saki sat hugging her knees. Still smiling. Where she was. What she should do next—she didn't know anymore. Just the smile remained. From far away, the sound of wagon wheels drew closer. Saki's eyes reflected nothing.