The ashes of H.O.T. remained, glowing faintly as sunrise greeted Mama's Fangs. They stood at the edge of the ruins, bags stuffed to the brim with supplies, breath heavy from exhaustion.
"Okay… now what? Therma's fallen, Obsidian is blood-hungry for our guts, and Hana's injured," Mika muttered.
"Not all gone," Rhea said, supporting a now-conscious Hana.
"If Therma's smart, they had escape routes," Rhea continued.
"Scattered, so harder to kill them all at once. Harder to track," Leo added grimly.
"Good… but we still need to extract Michael," Jax chimed in.
"Michael's safe where he is. We don't even know where we're going," Alice countered.
Mika collapsed onto the grass, arms spread wide. "What do we even… do?" she whispered, half to herself.
Jax sat beside her, setting down his machine guns. "This feels nice, though…"
"Not to mention Haruka…" Leo said, his voice dropping.
Haruka hadn't spoken once. He stood pale and frozen, staring at the scar Raito's blade had carved into the earth. Without a word, he picked up his katana, sheathed it, and began walking away.
"He's with us—wherever we go, he follows—" Alice started, before calling out sharply:
"Haruka! Where are you going?"
Hana, still limping, pushed past her. "Wait!" she called, hurrying after him.
"Goddammit, Hana! I just patched you up!" Mika groaned, grabbing her MP5 and rushing after.
Jax shook his head but stood, scooping up Mika's bags like they were a teddy bear. "Guess that's my job."
"I suppose we're following him now?" Leo muttered.
Alice exhaled and gestured for them to move. "Come on."
---
Night had caught them. They trudged through a dark creek of trees, weary but silent.
Haruka suddenly raised a hand. Everyone froze. He crouched behind a tree, watching a light flicker in the distance—on, off, then on again.
Alice gestured to the others. Quiet.
They moved carefully, leaves barely crunching beneath their steps, until the trees broke into an opening.
A massive wall stood before them. Haruka pressed his palm against the cold stone, scanning left, then right.
"Which way?" Alice whispered.
Haruka turned right, leading them until they found a great oval-shaped wooden gate.
The squad stopped, staring. Haruka lowered his head, shame weighing heavy, and forced himself to knock.
"Wait—you know who lives here?" Jax hissed.
The gates creaked open. A man in his 60s emerged, wrapped in a blue hanfu, flanked by two masked maids in black qipao.
Haruka couldn't meet his eyes.
"Did you fulfill your desire?" the man asked calmly.
Haruka's fists clenched, but he said nothing.
"…Barely, huh?" the man continued softly. Haruka dropped to his knees, tears streaming. The two maids hurried to steady him.
"Who… how… what is going on?" Mika whispered.
Alice stepped forward, extending her hand. "I'm Alice."
The man smiled warmly and shook it. "Bai Shan."
"I'm guessing you're Therma?" he asked.
Alice gave a tired laugh. "What's left of it."
Shan nodded knowingly. "And he's on the move again…" He stepped aside, gesturing them in.
The mansion loomed beyond, pristine beneath the night sky. Trees swayed gently, grass impossibly green.
Inside, the wooden corridor glowed with soft orange light. Their shoes removed, every step felt quiet, reverent.
Alice walked close behind Shan. "So… how do you know Haruka?"
"A risk," Shan said after a pause. "Or perhaps… a blessing. I can't seem to decide."
He stopped, resting a gentle hand on Haruka's neck. "But now is not the time. You're all exhausted. Please—allow Eda and Rosemary to show you to your rooms."
He looked down at Haruka, eyes full of weight.
"Me and this boy have much to catch up on."
The group was led away by the maids. The doors slid shut.