Seris felt a small breeze brush against her cheek as she slowly regained consciousness, her back aching from the ordeal.
Nearby, she could hear the gentle rustling of leaves accompanied by a faint whistle.
She kept her eyes closed, trying to enjoy the moment.
It was finally time to be at peace. She had been through far too much over the past few months, and as much as she hated to admit it… this was a badly needed respite.
She wanted to enjoy it, even if only for a few more fleeting seconds.
Seris kept dreaming about that day. Whenever the memory resurfaced, a dull ache would form in her chest, beating rhythmically alongside her heart. It was a subdued kind of pain, the sort that didn't quite hurt but still left her feeling empty.
Sorrowful, even.
It happened every time she remembered.
She felt her face twist into a grimace, her eyelids twitching as the memory crept into her mind.
That completely ruined her sleeping mood. Now that she was at least partially lucid, another thought came to her.
Just where was I sleeping? Did that boy carry me?
And if so, a fight on that level would have attracted a million different mirror beasts.
A sense of dread crept into her mind as she realized she had let her moment of weakness suppress her survival instincts for far too long.
With that thought, she opened her eyes.
All she could see was crimson, a vibrant shade of auburn filling her entire field of view. For a brief moment, she felt a flicker of fear, but it quickly faded as she realized what she was looking at.
"Hey, um, can you move, please? I'm trying to see the trees."
Seris directed the request at the effeminate young man standing over her.
She was lying on what appeared to be a makeshift pelt, while he stood above her, his eyes fixed in her direction. However, he didn't seem to be looking at her at all. His gaze was distant, almost…
Glossy.
"Hey! Are you listening to me?"
Seris's face grew visibly pink as she raised her voice.
Kalen continued staring blankly for a few more seconds before his lilac eyes finally seemed to come back to life. He then looked away, turning his attention towards the distant tree line beyond the clearing.
"Can you move now?"
Seris sat up before answering.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Enlightened heal extra fast."
Kalen straightened up and stretched before continuing.
"Do you have one of them as well?"
Seris got to her feet, leaning an arm against a nearby tree for support. Her muscles twitched with the effort, still sore from the ordeal.
"One of them? What the hell are you talking about?"
"You know… one of the demon people, the ones in the mirror. The same one you made the deal with?"
Seris stared at him for a moment before answering.
"Yeah… I do."
Kalen reached into his pocket and pulled out a pristine shard of glass, no bigger than the palm of his hand.
"Do you know how to make him shut up? He's been talking my ears off since."
Seris glanced at the shard, then back at Kalen. He glared at it like a bull staring at a red cloth, his grip tightening with every passing second.
"Can you try asking nicely?"
Kalen looked up at her with a deadpan expression.
"Well… if I'm being fully honest, my spirit and I are not on the best of terms right now. We haven't been for a while, so I wouldn't know."
Seris said
He took a few steps towards her, leaning in slightly.
"I don't mean to come off as disrespectful, but… what district are you from?"
He paused before adding, "You don't match the qualities of any person I've ever seen before."
Seris reached for the ends of her hair and gently held them in her palm. It was one of the many ticks she had developed over the years, and one she particularly disliked.
She lowered her gaze and cleared her throat before answering.
"District 14."
Kalen looked at her in confusion.
"District 14?"
"I thought they ended at 12?"
Before Seris could react, Kalen reached out and grabbed her face, turning it slightly as he examined her eyes. His hands were ice-cold, and his touch felt almost corpse-like.
"Your eyes are most interesting. Red in District 3 is known as the 'color of the damned.'"
Seris struggled out of his grip, pulling away from him.
"The color of the damned? What are you even talking about?!"
For a fraction of a second, Kalen's expression changed.
Then came one of the loudest bangs Seris had ever heard.
The trees, which usually stood completely still even when subjected to the Lion's unyielding heat, suddenly shook.
"What the he—"
Before she could finish, Kalen rushed forward and covered her mouth once again.
He leaned closer and spoke in a hushed tone.
"I discovered that I can autonomously control my guns. As of right now, I can have up to three out at any given time. They've been shooting down anything that comes this way."
Seris grabbed his hand and pulled it away from her mouth.
"Kalen, just how much internal energy do you have? To be able to upkeep a constant defense system for hours would be…"
Her words trailed off as she considered the implications.
Meanwhile, Kalen casually waved his arm. A stream of red energy flowed into his left palm, gathering until it condensed into a tiny crimson ball.
"It's simple, really. I just siphon the energy off the dying creatures and add it to my own reservoir."
Seris stared at him, struggling to process what she'd just heard.
"You do what?"