The dark night revealed only three individuals. a man and two women. The young women talked about relationships and shopping, fingers intertwined as they walked. The man, close behind, hid in the darkness, a wide grin on his face, rubbing his hands together and running his tongue over his lips.
When they turned into an alley, remarking that it might be a shortcut, he quickened his pace. Getting closer and closer, his trembling hands were already reaching toward their necks.
But a soft sound made him fall silent.
His neck was wrapped by thin iron wires. He fell to the ground, thrashing, trying to scream without anything leaving his throat. The women kept walking farther away, and his vision grew darker as the seconds passed. When the grip loosened, a cry for help escaped him, but a sharp cut from those same wires separated his head from his body.
The women stopped at the end of the alley and turned around slowly.
There was nothing there.
In a distant apartment, a man pressed his phone to his ear, asking his beloved if she wanted to visit the old apartment where they used to live. She agreed without hesitation, excited by the chance to see the place again where it had all begun. He pulled the key from his pocket, agreeing they could even rent it out, since the sunset view was beautiful, a refuge for the two of them. She agreed again, saying it would be a great opportunity. He turned the key in the lock and said goodbye, promising to tidy the place before she arrived.
But, as the door opened, the phone slipped from his hand, sinking into a pool of blood.
There were countless bodies of men on the floor, knives with pieces of skin still on them, chests torn open, and illegal substances scattered everywhere. He dropped to his knees, covering his mouth, unable to hold back what his stomach carried.
In a library, the door opened. Slady pulled his coat closed, ran to the kitchen, and rinsed, under the tap, a wire coated in reddish stains. Once finished, he went up the stairs and opened the bedroom door, where he found two girls asleep. One snored, the other curled into the blankets. His muscles relaxed. He closed the door carefully.
The next morning, a journalist described the scene, blurred by censorship, dozens of bodies scattered across the room. An analyst, asked for his opinion, explained everything pointed to a deal between traffickers that had ended in a fight, with no man surviving.
Shaphira watched the television, eyes wide. Elisa pressed her legs against her chest, watching the other girl's furry ears flatten, and asked her to calm down, since the world was just like that. Shaphira asked how she could act so naturally in the face of something like that. Elisa only looked away.
Slady, scrubbing sponges over the dishes, asked Shaphira to be careful with the questions she asked. She apologized, also to Elisa, who said she hadn't been offended. Wrapping the dish towel around his arm, he sat beside the two of them and remarked that what mattered most was that no harm ever reached them. Shaphira puffed out her chest, declaring she would never let that happen. Elisa stayed quiet, not answering.
Slady looked at Elisa and saw her shoulders drop. There was something he wanted to give her, for a year's worth of good results in training. She looked up, curious, and he stood, heading to a locked room beneath the stairs. He opened it with a key and, moments later, returned with a sword.
Elisa's eyes widened and she stood, asking how he had found it. Slady, looking at Shaphira, asked her to leave the two of them alone. She pouted, wanting to know too, but he refused. Standing with her tail stiff, Shaphira went to the room and locked herself in. Slady said he would calm her down later.
Elisa pressed the question again. He took a deep breath, his gaze drifting over the blade before he explained. on the day of the accident at the tavern, when he had rescued her, he had spotted that sword and heard Raizer's voice. Maybe it was madness, but he had felt Raizer wanted the sword to be hers, that Elisa become as remarkable as he himself had once been.
With every word, her heart grew heavier. Elisa tried to wipe her face, but the tears kept coming back. She walked to him, hugged him, and apologized for giving in to her emotions. He said there was no reason to apologize, that it was a good thing. From that moment, she no longer hid her sobs, only buried her face in his chest, staining his shirt with the wetness. All she managed to say was thank you, and he asked that there be no gratitude at all. She deserved it.
On another occasion, at a house, Slady flipped through the pages of a book when he remembered a pending delivery. He knocked on a client's door, a woman with tousled hair who greeted him politely, asking if he delivered books. He explained it wasn't exactly a formal rental service, more a way to fill his free time. She found that interesting and let him in.
Seated on the couch, he took in the delicate, well arranged furniture of the place, until he saw her come down adjusting the hem of her dress. She positioned herself in front of him, lowering her neckline, hinting that she had no money and wished to pay another way. He refused, clarifying that, though new to that kind of more personal delivery, he was far from accepting any payment of that sort, and pointed at her chest, demanding cash instead. She scoffed, pulled the bills from her neckline, and handed them over, and he took them, nodded, and left.
Later that afternoon, near the library, Elisa gripped the sword firmly while Shaphira, circling slowly around her, roared and lunged. The blade left shallow cuts, and each of the fox's attacks sent Elisa stumbling back a few steps. At one point, she closed her eyes, feeling blood coat her own hands, and, with a grunt, dropped the sword to close the distance, trading punches that Shaphira deflected with her tail.
Little by little, the Renkai Energy clouded Shaphira's vision, until a bite landed with more force than before. Elisa called out her name, but fell silent as she watched the large fox crouch down, claws scraping the ground. When it lifted its head, its pupils had gone sharp and its muscles more taut. With a swish of its tail, it lunged again, and Elisa tried to counter each blow, feeling more and more powerless, until she was thrown to the ground, Shaphira opening its jaws toward her.
That was when a jet of water forced it back. Shaphira snarled up at the sky, where Victoria waited on a platform of water, her expression serious, lowering herself as she advanced. Her mind never rested knowing a monster was hidden among humans, and what Shaphira had become went beyond ordinary. She stretched out her hand, a spiral forming in her palm, ready to act, while begging not to be forced to kill her.
Elisa and Victoria were thrown against a rock. Shaphira walked slowly toward them, saliva dripping from its mouth. Elisa braced herself on the sword, fixing her eyes on the creature, and begged it to listen to her, swearing she wouldn't let that energy take her over. Victoria smiled faintly, impressed by the courage of such a young girl, and stood, wiping blood from her lips. She positioned herself beside Elisa and, without hesitation, charged at Shaphira, forming a shield of water that shattered on impact, pushing the creature back a few meters.
Springing off Victoria, Elisa leapt and struck a cut across the creature's collarbone, drawing a roar loud enough to make both of them cover their ears. Shaphira turned to chase her, and Elisa ran farther from the library while Victoria, high above, fired jets of water that, with every wound, released reddish smoke mixed with blood. Another roar, even louder than before, knocked them both to the ground.
Elisa crawled forward, watching Shaphira close in, its eyes unfocused, its teeth sharper than before. She reached out her hands, calling its name loudly, but the creature's jaws only opened wider. She closed her eyes, curling into herself, feeling its hot breath against her skin, until a voice ordered it to control itself.
A touch to the back of Shaphira's neck released countless chains from its throat, wrapping around the mechanical wrist of the one standing over it. The creature let out a distorted whine, curled in on itself, and thrashed wildly. Victoria knelt, watching it collapse onto the man.
A brief curtain of earthen smoke rose, making them cough. Approaching, they found Shaphira already back in her humanoid form, eyes rolled back, her head against Slady's chest, who remained expressionless, stroking her hair and murmuring soft words, saying everything was fine, and greeting Victoria and Elisa.
Elisa asked how he had known. Slady answered it had been instinct, and that he knew he couldn't leave them training alone. Victoria remarked that it had been far too dangerous, and that, if she hadn't been there. He agreed, thanking her for having gotten hurt for Shaphira's sake, even though he knew he could have killed the creature if he had wanted to. Victoria brushed off the injury, and he insisted on repaying her, inviting her and her husband to the library that evening. He then asked Elisa to take her sister to bed, and she agreed.
Elisa carried Shaphira in her arms and laid her down, feeling her own muscles still tense. Victoria watched them from a distance and remarked on how strong the girls had become, even without being able to imagine how much, one of them in particular, must still be shaken, even a year later. Slady said he imagined it too, losing someone who had raised you since you were small, who had seen you at your best and worst and loved you through both. Victoria observed that he seemed to have already had someone important like that in his own life. He denied it, saying he had never had a family by blood, and that he couldn't quite picture a relationship resembling that of a father figure.
Victoria said she understood, and asked him to keep what she was about to say a secret, not even from Faller, preferring that he decide for himself whether to reveal it. She told him then that their family had died long ago, never having seen what the two of them became. When Slady asked how long ago, she answered. during the Second Renkai Awakening.
Back in the bedroom at the library, Slady ran his mechanical fingers along Shaphira's ears, which twitched at the touch, when the air beside him warped and Truth's familiar voice returned, remarking on his tension, asking if it was because of Shaphira's loss of control. Slady confirmed it was the second time, and Truth recalled the first, when she had feared he might kill her. That hadn't happened, but she pressed him to make sure it never would, insisting he needed to teach her to control herself, questioning what would happen when she grew up and needed to live in society, or whether he meant to keep her isolated forever.
Faced with Slady's silence, Truth apologized for being demanding, but reaffirmed it was necessary, since Shaphira, at some point, would stop wanting to stay in his arms and would grow up, and that, in a way, he had condemned her to that. Slady said he had hoped she wouldn't be so demanding. Truth admitted she hoped he would think it over, since it mattered both to Slady and to her, and her image dissolved into the furniture of the room.
Slady, still with his fingers in the girl's hair, sighed and laid her down on the bed. The conversation stayed lodged in his mind. Maybe Truth was right, he needed to think about the future of the one he had, in some way, condemned. But condemned how? He had given her teaching, strength, ways to control her power. Maybe living in society was the true punishment, the possibility that someone would discover the truth and even kill her. It was better not to dwell on that thought.
Going down the stairs, he found Victoria on the couch, Elisa lying with her head on Victoria's lap. Their eyes met, and he sat beside them, gently lifting Elisa's leg and resting it on his own lap. He remarked that it looked like she had showered and gone straight to sleep. Victoria confirmed it, saying the girl had seemed thoughtful, that they had talked, and that she had shared a little about herself and her husband too. Slady observed that, given how she treated Elisa, she must do the same, or even more, for Faller. Victoria answered, joking, that she did far more than that, then added she was only teasing, reminding him they had already been friends for a year and that he should already know she wasn't nearly as proper as her husband. Slady admitted it was still hard to notice that, and thanked her for being there. Victoria said it was nothing, that he could always call on her, and reminded him she had already invited Faller, who was on a mission and would arrive soon.
A knock echoed at the door.
***
The next day, a police officer kept insisting that Slady open a website again, irritated because the killer known as X had been hacking computers and blocking every attempt to trace him. Questioning the codename, he concluded that only someone disturbed would choose a name like that, and thanked Slady for the time he had put into the investigation. He answered politely and said goodbye.
As soon as the door closed, Slady, still smiling faintly, went up to the second floor and stepped into the bathroom. He turned on the tap, leaned over, and vomited in a sudden fit. After wiping his mouth, he sat there for a while, wondering why he felt so nauseous, maybe it was from the night before, when Faller had arrived drunk, covering his wife in kisses, and everyone had drunk more than they should have, except the girls, who had gone to bed early. Maybe he had overdone it with the doses of that sweet wine he missed so much.
He then remembered where the girls were, left in the couple's care for training. He felt a faint pang of inadequacy over that, but recognized that Victoria and Faller's experience, and how well they already knew Elisa and Shaphira, made them perfect for the task. Even so, he needed to get there as soon as possible.
In the wealthy district, Faller chopped vegetables while Victoria dropped them into the pot, whispering to each other about the girls' behavior. In the bedroom, Shaphira stared at the floor, clutching the skirt of her kimono, while Elisa crossed her arms, rubbing her eyes. She said Shaphira didn't need to be upset, that she hadn't been hurt, since Slady had stopped her in time. Shaphira asked what would have happened if he hadn't been there, afraid she might end up killing her, something she never wanted. Elisa lowered her gaze too, moved closer, and sat beside her, lacing their fingers together before pulling her into a hug, asking her not to think about it anymore, that the two of them were fine, and that was what mattered. Shaphira, surprised by the gesture, returned it while trembling, hiding her face against her sister's chest and breathing deeply. She agreed there was no reason to be afraid, but whispered, quietly, that she couldn't let it happen again.
In the kitchen, amid the sizzle of the food, Faller pulled his wife closer by the waist and remarked on the heavy presence Slady had carried the night before, even muffled by the alcohol. Victoria was surprised he had noticed anything at all given how much he had drunk, and he confirmed that, despite the fog from the alcohol, he had still been aware of everything. Laughing, she stroked her husband's arms and explained the situation, and he, sighing, decided that, when he next saw Slady, he would have a clarifying talk with him, since he didn't need to carry everything alone.
When the door knocked, Victoria looked at her husband, signaling that the moment had come. Opening it, they found Slady standing there, hands in front of his waist. Faller asked if this was a visit, if they weren't interrupting anything, and the hug he received, strong enough to lift his feet off the ground, answered for itself.
At lunch, silence circled the table. Shaphira, beside Slady, ate slowly, and so did Elisa. Every so often, Victoria and Faller traded spoonfuls of food between themselves, which drew a disgusted complaint from Shaphira, promptly reprimanded by Slady. Elisa agreed, reminding her it was rude to act that way in front of the person who had made the food. The couple laughed, Faller apologizing for the inappropriate display of affection, and Victoria taking the comment as constructive criticism, thanking them for bringing some order to the adults.
After lunch, the couple offered to wash the dishes, and Slady sat down on the couch. Shaphira asked how much they earned, given the luxury of the building, and was told it was hard work, but rewarding. Questions about the training came up, and Elisa was honest describing the sessions Slady ran as strict but careful, murmuring, somewhat distracted, that he always made sure they never got seriously hurt. When Faller called them lucky, Victoria noticed her husband's expression darken, and Slady, noticing too, asked if they wanted to be left alone. They confirmed they did.
Swallowing hard, Slady asked Elisa and Shaphira to step out. They agreed, the Renkai Creature running off to the bedroom while the younger girl took a moment longer before finally looking away from her uncle. Faller and Victoria exchanged glances, pulled up chairs, and sat facing Slady. The conversation didn't take long. they said they had noticed how good he was with the girls, which had brought back memories of their own childhoods. Slady admitted he wasn't very good at understanding that topic, but that he wished, at least, to be a good listener.
Faller thanked him, saying it was only fair that Slady know their past. He mentioned having already brought up his childhood friendship with Victoria, but never how they had grown up. It was Victoria who took over the story. they had grown up in a village ruled by the Noughter family, as neighbors. Faller had been born with his Mana Liberator already awakened, a fact that caught Slady's interest, and he had been taken into training very early, coming out of every session with open wounds and purple bruises, struck with every mistake. That was how Victoria had grown close to him, tending to his injuries, holding him when his emotions overflowed, and even sharing in the punishments he received.
Then everything they believed in turned to ash during the Second Renkai Awakening. Their families died, proud men were reduced to ashes alongside the weak, women who had only been used to bear children found no glory, and children saw no future at all. Amid fire, ice, earth, wood, and blood, they fought for their own lives, until they came across something worse than death. a Flame Destroyer, whose fire consumed everything it touched. It was seeing her beloved unable to release his electricity, burning alive, that made Victoria awaken, and her waters put out the flames like tsunamis.
After it all, nothing remained of that village, only the two of them, the only ones given a chance to start over, and they hadn't wasted it. They told Slady that, if in that moment he felt the weight of something dragging him down, they wanted him to know that, over the course of a year, he had become someone worthy of trust, and therefore had their full support. With a hug, Slady froze, feeling the true size of a weight that had once seemed only moderate. The couple assumed it was fear for his family's future. It was more than that. But, for now, that hug was warm enough to make him give in, and he hugged them back.
***
The day had passed too quickly for him to notice. Slady woke up on a mattress on the floor, and, turning his head, saw Shaphira with her arm hanging off the bed, saliva trickling from her lips down to the floor. As he stood, he noticed that, beside Shaphira, there was no one else.
In the kitchen, a yellow light briefly pushed back the darkness that turned chairs into monsters. A figure crouched by the refrigerator, and, hearing her name whispered, Elisa looked up, surprised, greeting her uncle. She lowered her eyes again, picking up a glass and filling it with water in slow movements, scratching her stomach under her shirt and looking away as she drank. He said he hadn't meant to startle her. Elisa offered him water. He declined, asking if she needed anything. She admitted she would appreciate the company, but was afraid of waking someone. He suggested they didn't have to stay there.
In the cold streets of Libretãnhya, the two walked side by side, the streetlights reflecting in the girl's eyes as she kept rubbing her left hand over her elbow. Slady watched her without changing his expression, until she coughed before asking if she could hold his hand. He offered his own, their fingers interlacing. She remarked that it was cold, and he offered to switch, but she said she liked it that way, taking the chance to finally ask how he had lost his arm. He answered it was an unhappy story, not worth remembering, and she apologized for asking. He asked her to never stop asking.
She squeezed his fingers tighter and mentioned it had already been a year since her father's death, but that it still felt like yesterday. She said she missed him, wished she had cried in his arms, had told him how much she loved him, even knowing what was coming, wished she had made more of the time they'd had. When she tried to apologize for opening up like that, her voice broke against his chest, which he wrapped with his human arm, while his mechanical one stroked her hair slowly, moving down to her back in gentle pats.
Elisa couldn't hold back, the weight of her body giving way in his arms, tears flowing freely as she gripped his shirt, wiping her face on the fabric already darkened with red. She said she didn't want to lose anyone else, that her mother and father were already gone, and that she didn't want to lose him too. He promised he would never lose her, that he would be there forever. Kneeling on the ground, he held her until the crying stopped, her arms around his chest loosening little by little, the sobs going quiet, the weight finally letting go completely.
As he carried her in his arms, the girl's unconscious mind wandered through a past not so distant.
The sun beat down on the face of a man lying among vineyards, until a child's shout made him sit up. A small girl ran toward him, smiling with tiny teeth, calling him uncle. She jumped into his lap, and he settled her against his legs, combing her short hair with his human fingers, asking if her father had told her why he was visiting. She confirmed excitedly, saying he had come to feed her, bathe her, and put her to bed, and he confirmed she was his for the day.
Seated at the little table, Elisa asked for a hamburger while he opened the kitchen drawers. He teased her, asking if she already wanted to put him to work, and she confirmed excitedly, insisting she was a good girl, just like her father. He turned down the request, explaining it wasn't healthy, and that she had already lost a baby tooth, so it was better to wait. She pouted, crossing her arms, calling him boring.
With the food ready, he brought the spoon toward the child's lips, and she dodged, catching her cheek instead, until she finally accepted, chewing happily and asking for more. After the meal and a chaotic bath, he sat on the couch with the girl asleep against his chest, feeling that everything there was light, without fear, without anything missing, only the affection of an uncle who never stopped holding on.
***
In a distant laboratory, the machines stayed off, and the men and women in lab coats rested in their quarters.
Amid so much silent technology, only one light remained on. Inside a containment capsule, a nude woman floated, red hair falling over her chest, her muscles defined as though sculpted by something beyond human.
Wires attached to her skull picked up the movement of her eyes beneath her eyelids, while her fists clenched, blood mixing into the greenish liquid around her.
Suddenly, her eyes opened.
Red, pupils fixed directly on her own reflection.