As the curse slowly spread across her arm, Star’s cocky attitude faded, replaced by a gloomy expression. Star fell silent, lowering her gaze. Her lips parted as she spoke in a low, pained voice.
 
“Do you really think you’ve done something right? Tch! ”She tightened her grip on her arms, almost as if holding herself together. “You’ve ruined everything we worked for... everything I worked for.”
 
Azrael could only watch in silence, feeling the weight of her words press on him. Slowly, Star raised her head, and, with a breath that seemed to draw up everything buried within her, she shouted.
 
“YOU PIECE OF SHIIIIIT! YOU DESTROYED Everything! EVERYTHING! YOU RICH PEOPLE—YOU’LL NEVER UNDERSTAND WHAT WE POOR FOLKS GO THROUGH! ”
 
Azrael frowned. "Rich?"
 
She scoffed. “Azrael Vandey. That necklace around your neck—it’s the symbol of the Vandey family. Only the leader, former leaders, or the children of the current leader wear that kind of pendant.” She paused, studying his reaction. "So... you’re Dred Vandey’s son, aren’t you?”
 
The recognition made Azrael flinch. He hadn't expected Star to know so much or for things to escalate like this.
 
“Now, tell me... do you even know what it’s like to starve? To wonder if you’ll make it another day?”She shook her head, her tone sharpening, edged with anger. “This world is rotten to the core, and that will never change. If you’re rich, you can have everything handed to you. But if you’re poor... Well, then darkness—darkness becomes the only thing left to turn to.”
 
“There are still choices you can make.”
 
“Choices? ”She laughed bitterly, tilting her head, her hand gripping her face as though to steady herself. “What choice does someone like me have? We have to scrape and claw just to survive, and when there’s nothing left, we’re forced into things we never thought we’d do. That’s how we finally got what we wanted, how we had the chance to break free.”
 
“...”
 
“Then Druel Kent came along. He promised us a way out, a chance to change our fate. And now, you’re here, planning to tear down everything we’ve fought to build! ”
 
“The council wouldn’t have let it come to this if you’d just asked for help.”
 
“The council? ”She cut him off, almost laughing. “What council? No one ever came to see us; no one ever offered a hand! That council of yours—they only see the evil people do, not the reasons behind it!”Her eyes burnt with an intensity that shook him. “Don’t defend them, Azrael Vandey. Just because you’re royalty doesn’t mean you understand the filth we live in every single day!”
 
Azrael held his breath, the words lodging uncomfortably in his chest. “I didn’t come here to protect the council or to dismiss what you’ve been through. But there has to be another way. If you go down this path... You’ll only find more suffering.”
 
“What would you know about suffering? ”Star's voice was almost a whisper now, raw with something deeper than anger. “You’ve had everything—safety, power, family. We had none of that. So don’t talk to me about another way when this is the only one we’ve ever had.”
 
A long silence hung between them, heavy and electric. For a moment, Azrael thought he saw a flicker of the person she might have been before all this, before the hardships and the anger. He opened his mouth, but no words came.
 
“Just go, Azrael,” she finally muttered, her gaze dropping. “Go back to your world where you don’t have to fight just to stay alive. Leave this one for those of us who can’t escape.”
 
Azrael looked down, feeling the weight of her resentment sink into him. He didn’t know if he could find the right words, but he couldn’t walk away either.
 
Star’s aura flared, the ground trembling beneath her. She clenched her fist, preparing to strike, when footsteps echoed down the staircase that connected the underground floor to the rest of the building. She paused, recognising the presence before her with a smirk.
 
A man descended the stairs—tall and muscular, with long, greyish hair and piercing eyes. His handsome face held an air of confidence and danger, unmistakably familiar to Azrael. And in his grip, he held someone Azrael knew all too well.
 
“No… M-Mika! ”Azrael cried out, frustration and anger boiling over. "Why is Druel Kent here? This can’t be happening."
 
“Surprised? ”Druel sneered, his voice mixed with mockery. “Did you really think you could tear down this operation so easily? Would you like to know how I found out? Doesn’t matter—you won’t live long enough for it to matter.”
 
Earlier, Druel sensed something odd while overseeing the shipment of cargo. Usually, the captives cried, shuffled, or struggled inside, but this time... silence.  He shook one crate, and it moved far too easily. Opening it, he found it empty. Not just one, but every single crate was a decoration.
 
When he returned, the sounds of fighting echoed through the valley, and he’d spotted his associate, Dabric, in combat with Carl. Now, here he was, face-to-face with Azrael.
 
“A Vandey, in the North,” Druel taunted, his eyes narrowing. “Shouldn’t you be down south, where your family’s domain is? What’s the matter? Did they disown you? ”
 
Azrael’s gaze sharpened, defiant. “You know nothing about me, Druel. And this is the end of the line for you.”
 
“Oh, is it? ”Druel chuckled, savouring the moment. “Do you realise there’s no escape for you here? Your friends ran off, terrified. Now, you’ll join them... starting with her.”
 
He lifted Mika by her head, his grip unyielding as he lifted her effortlessly. She gasped, choking on her own words. 
 
“Mika… No! Mika! ” 
 
"Az... Azrael,” she forced out, barely able to breathe. "Run. Get out of here.”
 
Light flared in Mika’s hands, a blazing fire spell exploding around her and Druel. The shockwave destroyed the spot where they stood, hurling debris in every direction.
 
“No! Druel! ”Star screamed, her face stricken with panic.
 
Azrael tried to rush forward, but Kyle appeared beside him, grabbing his arm. “Azrael, we have to go! Now! ”
 
“But… Mika! ”Azrael’s voice wavered, torn.
 
Kyle’s face was resolved. “There’s nothing we can do. She made her choice. If we don’t honour it, her sacrifice will be for nothing.”
 
Azrael hesitated, pain tearing through him. He shut his eyes, inhaling sharply, then nodded. Together, he and Kyle sprinted away, but as they ran, a sudden, sharp pain ripped through Azrael’s shoulder—a bullet tearing a clean hole through the muscle.
 
“Azrael! ”Kyle shouted as Azrael stumbled, clutching his bleeding shoulder.
 
When the smoke cleared, Druel emerged, unharmed, a smirk on his face. In his hand, he held the Soul Embrace—a powerful, unique-grade gun known for its ability, Vortex Crash. Each shot left perfect, circular wounds, capable of punching through any material with deadly accuracy and making the hole three times bigger than the size of its original bullet.
 
Azrael coughed, blood trickling from his mouth as he glared at Druel, one eye closed in pain. 'This is bad. Really bad,' he thought quietly.
 
Druel aimed again, but before he could pull the trigger, something materialised before Azrael—the Oathkeeper. It appeared as if breaking through a barrier of shattered glass, emerging from another dimension to shield its master.
 
Azrael grasped the weapon, and the union of their energies released a powerful shockwave that shattered the surrounding area. Taking advantage of the chaos, Azrael struck the stone wall behind them, creating a massive opening.
 
Without hesitation, he pulled Kyle to his feet, and the two fled through the breach. Druel made no move to chase them, a smirk playing on his lips.
 
“Are you just going to let them go? ”Star questioned as she stepped beside him. “They could expose everything.”
 
Druel chuckled, his gaze darkening. “I’ve already considered that,” he replied, his voice chillingly calm. “They’ll be back... for what I still have.”
 
Druel walked to where Mika’s body lay among the debris. Unscathed, she’d been protected by a multi-layer barrier Druel had cast, preventing her from being completely destroyed in the explosion.
 
*
 
Azrael dashed through the woods, carrying Kyle as best as he could. Desperation was engraved on his face, his mind racing with thoughts of revenge. 'I’m coming back for you, Druel Kent. We’re not done.'
 
“Where do we go now? ”Kyle asked weakly. “Carl and Jarred ran off too. How do we even start to find them? ”
 
Azrael looked down, his heart heavy. “I don’t know. But at least we’re alive. We’ll find a way, regroup, and make Druel pay.”
 
“You think they survived? ”Kyle’s voice was almost a whisper.
 
Azrael nodded, though uncertain. “Druel would have declared if they’d been killed. He’s not the type to lie about something like that. I think... They’re still out there. 
 
“I hope you’re right,” Kyle murmured.
 
Lost in thought, the two ran forward, feeling the weight of their mission’s failure. They’d lost more than they’d saved—the slaves, their friends. Everything felt like one giant misstep, a series of failures that only grew heavier with each step.
 
The road to the south continent would be treacherous, but they had no choice. Whether they survived this journey was the one question neither dared to ask.
 
*
 
The silence between Azrael and Kyle grew heavy as they moved through the dim forest, their breaths fogging in the cold night air. The weight of their escape, the loss of Mika, and the constant danger clawed at their minds, and every step forward felt like another step into the unknown.
 
After some time, Kyle spoke, his voice barely a whisper. "Azrael, what do we do now?”
 
Azrael’s gaze was fixed ahead, his face set in hard determination. “We regroup. Find Carl and Jarred, if they made it out. But most of all, we make Druel pay.” He tightened his grip on the oathkeeper, feeling the weapon’s pulse resonate with his own anger.
 
Kyle hesitated, glancing at Azrael’s wounded shoulder. “But how? Druel is more powerful than we realized. His connections, his resources… even with Oathkeeper, how can we stand a chance?”
 
Azrael clenched his jaw, the ache of his wound flaring with every heartbeat. He pushed the pain aside, his mind refusing to accept defeat. “Druel has something of ours,” he said, the memory of Mika’s last moments sharp in his mind. “We’ll get stronger. We’ll do whatever it takes.”
 
The forest began to thin as they reached the edge of a nearby town. The faint glow of distant lanterns and the murmur of voices filled the air. They slowed, moving cautiously along the outskirts to avoid drawing attention.
 
“We should find a place to lay low for the night,” Kyle suggested, casting a wary glance over his shoulder. “Rest, at least until we’re healed.”
 
Azrael gave a reluctant nod. “Agreed. But we can’t stay long. Druel won’t give us much time before he sends someone after us.”
 
They found a small, abandoned barn on the edge of town and slipped inside. The air was musty, and the wooden walls creaked, but it provided shelter. Azrael lowered himself against the wall, wincing as his shoulder throbbed. Kyle quickly rummaged through his pack, retrieving some supplies.
 
“You’re lucky Druel’s shot didn’t go right through your heart,” Kyle muttered, his hands trembling as he dressed Azrael’s wound. “You shouldn’t be moving at all.”
 
Azrael gritted his teeth, bearing the sting. “I’ve survived worse.” He forced a weak smile, trying to reassure Kyle, though his mind was anything but calm.
 
As Kyle continued to wrap his shoulder, Azrael’s thoughts drifted back to their escape. The image of Mika sacrificing herself replayed, and he couldn’t shake the guilt. She had given him a chance to live, but at what cost?
 
“We’ll honour her,” Azrael murmured, more to himself than to Kyle. “We’ll keep fighting. I’ll make sure her sacrifice means something.”
 
Kyle nodded, his face a mixture of sorrow and resolve. “For Mika, and for everyone, Druel’s enslaved. We’ll find the strength.”
 
They shared a brief, silent understanding as Kyle finished with the bandages. Finally, the two settled down for what little rest they could afford.