Wen held Kinetsa's and Nina's arms, walking silently between them. The scorching heat caused the ground to glisten, and with each step, the bare soles of Wen's feet felt increasing pain. The suffering was visible in her crystal‑blue eyes, which now brimmed with discreet tears.
Kinetsa, noticing the girl's discomfort, gently lifted her into her arms— not with a warrior's strength, but with a protective tenderness. She carried her to a patch of shade cast by a nearby building where the rest of the group waited.
Silence endured. Not a word. Just the weight of doubt hanging between them.
Kinetsa finally broke it:
— You said… you can help us find Revild. How?
Wen slowly raised her gaze. Her eyes, though filled with tears, glowed with a strange calm.
— Don't worry about Revild. My magic lets me connect with all demons, — she replied as if speaking of something ordinary.
Kinetsa furrowed her brow, more confused than ever. Nina stared at the girl with unease. The whole group felt the unease of her words.
— What? — Kinetsa murmured. — How so, connect with all demons? What does that have to do with my brother?
Wen smiled. For the first time, she seemed genuinely excited that Kinetsa asked.
— I'm glad you asked, — she answered. — I mentioned Revild because… he, too, carries the demonic essence. He has something that links demons to the elixir.
Her words landed like stones.
Kinetsa's eyes widened. Her mind couldn't process it. Something inside her was tearing apart.
— Revild… — she whispered.
— Yes, — Wen continued, still smiling. — He's the only human ever seen using Resurrection.
The entire group froze. Even the name was terrifying: Resurrection.
— If this continues, — Wen said more seriously — there won't be any human DNA left in him.
Kinetsa staggered, overcome by a mix of disbelief and horror.
— What is this Resurrection? — she asked, barely a whisper.
Wen stepped closer, her eyes sparkling like living gemstones.
— Resurrection is a forbidden technique of extreme power. Only demons can use it—because of their bond with the elixir. Each time you use it, you die for a few seconds… and the elixir brings you back. But every time you return, your power increases… and your emotions diminish.
Kinetsa could barely breathe.
— Want to know more? — Wen asked, eyes shining.
Kinetsa just nodded.
— A mid-level demon can use Resurrection up to the sixth time. You die for two seconds, but come back stronger. But from the seventh to the tenth, only high‑level demons survive. You die for thirty seconds—with an 80% chance the elixir fails.
Wen paused. Her smile vanished.
— The eleventh and twelfth… — she hesitated. — No matter how strong you are, you die for fifty seconds. And the chance of never coming back is 98.5%.
She looked Kinetsa dead in the eye.
— Are you satisfied?
Kinetsa said nothing. She was in shock. Trembling. Staring at Wen as if witnessing something beyond her understanding.
— So… Revild is becoming a demon? — she murmured. — But he's still my brother! How do you know all this? You're just a child!
Wen tilted her head. Her smile widened, more childlike than ever.
— If you don't want a brother who's turning into a demon… that's okay. I can be your new sister.
Kinetsa blinked, confused.
— Just take me to the human world, — Wen said. — Then I can alter your memories. I can make you forget Revild ever existed. And then...
She gripped Kinetsa's arms unexpectedly firmly for someone so small.
— I will be your sister since childhood. It will be wonderful!
Wen smiled. So pure, so sweet... that it chilled the blood.
Nina stepped back. Kinetsa felt a shiver. There was something behind Wen's crystal‑blue eyes.
Something more than childhood.
Not innocence.
Something else.
Something much, much darker.