After Marcus had left her slumped at the tree trunk, it took less than a minute before four Solara Knights, accompanied by a mage, burst through the dense forest canopy. Their golden armor shimmered faintly beneath the moonlight as they rushed to her side without hesitation, one of them instantly kneeling to check her vitals while the mage began working to seal the wound at her midsection.
As the healing spell washed over her, Serah winced, her body still rattled by the encounter. The commander of the squad—a broad-shouldered man with a thick beard, cropped buzzcut, and a single eye gleaming from beneath a worn eyepatch—stood tall over her, eyes sweeping the surrounding battlefield. When his gaze settled on the twisted corpse of the Blood Demon, his jaw clenched. He looked like he wanted to ask—how the hell did Serah end up fighting one of those alone?—but seeing her drained state, he swallowed the questions and said nothing.
