The night air was crisp and cool, but the tension between them lingered like a storm that had yet to pass.

  Valerius, Lysara, and Aris moved through the dense forest, their figures barely visible under the moonlight. The battle was behind them, but its weight still clung to them, unspoken.

  For once, Lysara was quiet.

  Not pouting, not teasing, not grinning.

  Just quiet.

  She was still processing everything—Aris' true identity, the revetion of the Abyssal Lycans, and the reality that she was traveling with the st true vampire and a lycan-hybrid swordswoman.

  What a strange group they made.

  Their journey back to Lirielle had begun, but Lirielle was far. Too far to reach in a single night, or even a week.

  "So… are we just not going to talk about how I'm literally traveling with two terrifying monsters now?" Lysara finally broke the silence, swinging her legs zily as she sat on a fallen log.

  Aris, who was adjusting the strap of her sword, sighed. "Liri, I’ve been with you since you were five. I thought you’d be used to me by now."

  Lysara turned to her dramatically. "Aris, you were supposed to be my human handmaiden! My lovely, elegant, trustworthy companion who tucks me into bed and brings me tea!"

  Aris raised a brow. "I still do all of that."

  "Yes, but now I have to add 'can turn into a deadly monster' to the list!"

  Valerius exhaled sharply. "We don’t have time for this nonsense."

  Lysara turned to him, crossing her arms. "You’re just grumpy because I’m right."

  Valerius ignored her, gncing ahead. "We’ll camp here for the night. We’re still a week away from Lirielle, and I have no intention of running the entire way."

  Lysara smirked. "I wouldn’t mind being carried again."

  Valerius gave her a ft look.

  Aris, who had been silent for a while, suddenly spoke. "Lysara, don’t joke about that. He’s not your horse."

  Lysara pouted. "But he’s fast and strong. It’s convenient!"

  "Do you want me to drop you next time?" Valerius asked dryly.

  She gasped, hand over her chest. "You wouldn’t."

  He didn’t respond.

  Lysara’s eyes widened. "You would?!"

  Aris chuckled under her breath. "You two argue like children."

  Lysara huffed. "Excuse me, we are having an intellectual discussion about travel efficiency."

  Valerius pinched the bridge of his nose. "I regret agreeing to this."

  The fire crackled softly as they sat around it, eating whatever rations they could find.

  It was peaceful—until Lysara turned to Val with a serious look.

  "By the way, I have a question."

  Valerius didn’t gnce up. "Hm?"

  "You fought thousands of General Lycans in your kingdom and crushed them." She tilted her head. "But against Aris, you had a harder time. Why?"

  Aris, who was drinking water, paused.

  Lysara continued, eyes sharp. "Aren’t General Lycans supposed to be stronger than Abyssal Lycans?"

  Valerius finally looked at her. "Who told you that?"

  Lysara blinked. "Well… isn’t it obvious? General Lycans are the ones leading the armies, right?"

  Valerius smirked slightly. "Lysara, there’s a reason Abyssal Lycans hide their existence."

  She frowned. "What do you mean?"

  Valerius leaned back, arms crossed. "General Lycans are powerful, yes. But their strength comes from raw ferocity, endurance, and battle experience. They are born to lead warbands, to command packs, to destroy kingdoms."

  Lysara nodded. "Right. So that should mean they’re stronger."

  Valerius shook his head. "No. Abyssal Lycans are different."

  Aris set her water down, eyes darkening. "We’re… hybrids."

  Lysara turned to her. "Hybrids?"

  Aris nodded. "Born from a lycan and a human. That changes everything."

  Valerius continued, "Abyssal Lycans are rarer. They’re not wild, reckless beasts like the generals. They are smarter. They have human intelligence and lycan instincts. They are harder to predict, harder to counter. And worst of all—"

  He gnced at Aris. "They don’t just rely on brute strength. They use skill."

  Lysara’s lips parted slightly. "…That’s why you struggled."

  Valerius nodded. "Although I didn't struggle that much on Aris, but we are comparing, I can predict a General Lycan compared to abysal lycan. They fight like animals. But Aris—" He gestured toward her. "She fights like a human. A trained swordsman. And that makes her more dangerous."

  Silence.

  Lysara turned to Aris, suddenly seeing her in a new light.

  She had always admired Aris' skill with the sword, but now she realized—it wasn’t just skill.

  It was something else entirely.

  Something inhuman.

  They had set up camp in a secluded clearing, surrounded by towering trees and the distant hum of nocturnal creatures. The fire crackled softly as Lysara yawned, curling up in her cloak, Aris standing watch nearby.

  Valerius, as always, was silent.

  Then—

  A sudden shift in the air.

  The fire flickered.

  A presence—cold, oppressive, and hungry.

  Aris stiffened first, her golden eyes narrowing. "Something’s coming."

  Lysara, half-asleep, blinked groggily. "Huh?"

  Then—

  A blur of shadows burst from the trees.

  A monstrous figure lunged toward them—faster than a normal lycan, faster than any human could react.

  A Wraith Stalker.

  A creature that hunted in silence, unseen, unheard—until the moment it struck.

  Lysara’s breath caught in her throat. Too fast—!

  But before she could even scream—

  Valerius moved.

  One second, he was by the fire.

  The next—

  He was gone.

  And then—

  The Wraith Stalker froze.

  Not because it wanted to.

  But because Valerius was holding its skull.

  With one hand.

  Lysara barely saw him move.

  The creature, a beast that could tear apart warbands in seconds, trembled in his grasp. Its cws twitched, but it couldn’t escape.

  Valerius didn’t say a word.

  He simply tightened his grip.

  CRACK.

  The Wraith Stalker colpsed, lifeless.

  The forest fell into absolute silence.

  Lysara stared. Aris stared.

  Valerius exhaled, brushing his hand off as if he had just crushed a mere insect. "Pathetic."

  Lysara’s heart pounded.

  She had seen him fight before. Seen his speed, his skill.

  But this—

  This wasn’t just power.

  This was absolute dominance.

  A reminder.

  A warning.

  That no matter how human he sometimes seemed—

  He was still a monster among monsters.

  And if he wanted to…

  They were all just prey.

  Days passed.

  They crossed rivers, navigated forests, and even fought off bandits along the way.

  Lysara was surprisingly good at talking her way out of trouble—when she wasn’t busy annoying Valerius by asking him pointless but oddly deep questions.

  ("Do vampires get morning breath?" "No." "Liar.")

  ("If I bite you, would I become a vampire?" "No." "Are you sure?" "Stop.")

  ("Do you ever smile?" "I don’t see a reason to." "What if I make you?" "You won’t.")

  Aris, on the other hand, was the responsible one. She made sure they stayed on track, hunted for food when necessary, and stopped Lysara from doing something reckless every time Val wasn’t looking.

  By the time the first week of their journey ended, the three of them had settled into an odd but comfortable dynamic.

  Lysara was still clingy with Aris, often hugging her for no reason, and Valerius still acted cold, but…

  There were moments.

  Moments where Valerius’ gaze lingered on Lysara’s smile.

  Moments where he caught himself watching her.

  Moments where he thought about her lips, her ughter, the way she moved with absolute confidence despite her fragility.

  She’s… different.

  He didn’t know what that meant yet.

  But he was starting to notice her.

  The night was eerily quiet.

  Too quiet.

  Valerius stood at the edge of their camp, eyes fixed on the distant horizon where Liriell y beyond the darkened hills. The feeling of unease he couldn't shake.

  Something was wrong.

  Aris sat nearby, sharpening her bde in silence, but even she felt it. The air was too still, the wind carrying an unnatural heaviness.

  Lysara, resting against a tree, looked up at Valerius and frowned. "You’re staring into nothing again."

  Val didn’t answer right away.

  Because it wasn’t nothing he was staring at.

  It was the storm brewing beyond the horizon.

  After a moment, he spoke, his voice quiet but firm.

  "Something is waiting for us in Liriell."

  Lysara blinked. “What?”

  Valerius turned his crimson gaze toward her. Dark. Unreadable.

  “I don’t know what it is,” he admitted. “But I can feel it. This war… it’s just beginning.”

  A sudden gust of wind blew through the camp, making the fmes of their fire flicker violently—almost as if something unseen had passed through.

  Lysara shivered.

  Aris tightened her grip on her sword.

  No one spoke after that.

  But as the night stretched on, a single thought echoed in Valerius' mind—

  We are not ready for what awaits us.