Knock, knock.
A dull sound echoed against the wooden wall.
"Ciiit—! Ciiit!"
Lea paused mid-motion, the pestle hovering above the mortar. Her brows knitted together as she turned toward the window. That sound was not human — far from it. Most likely a rat had scurried too close to the house and collided with the wall by accident.
Outside, the night lay heavy and unbroken. It was already past midnight.
Yet Lea remained awake, her hands stained with crushed leaves and roots, the air thick with the bitter scent of herbs. The lantern beside her flickered weakly, casting trembling shadows across the room. She still had medicine to prepare — medicine that needed to be finished before morning.
Since her last visit to the clinic, requests for her remedies had increased. More people sought her work. More lives depended on her hands.
Sleep could wait.
"Ciiit! Ciiit!"
The sound came again — sharper this time. Urgent.
Though Lea did not understand the language of rats, there was something unmistakable in that cry. It was not fear alone. It was desperation.
She exhaled quietly and set the pestle aside. Fine… just a quick look.
Crossing the room, Lea reached for the window shutter and pushed it open. She expected to see the familiar sight of her backyard garden — rows of carefully tended herbs, damp soil glistening under moonlight.
She did not.
"Gooo…"
A low, unnatural sound vibrated through the air. Something tall stood among the crushed plants.
It was not human.
Its body resembled a walking tree trunk, bark twisted and splintered, limbs formed of thick, gnarled wood. From the surface of its body seeped a dark purple mist, curling slowly like breath drawn from something that should not be alive.
A Fog Ent…?
Lea's breath caught painfully in her chest. Her gaze dropped — and her heart sank.
Beneath the creature's heavy steps lay her Thanora Bloom, trampled and torn from the soil. The most precious plant she owned. The very foundation of the panacea she had fought so hard to create.
Without it, she could not continue the medicine. Without it—
Grandma Royse would never fully recover.
Her hands clenched at her sides. She could not allow this.
Questions surged through her mind. Why here? Why now? But she forced them aside. There was no time to think.
Lea stepped out into the night, her bare feet sinking into cool earth. Before confronting the intruder, she grabbed the axe resting in the tool chest near the door.
She knew she was being reckless. She knew this was dangerous. But she could not stand still while everything she had protected was being destroyed.
The rats had already fled in terror. Her work had been disrupted. Her sanctuary violated.
Fog Ents possessed no eyes, no mouth, no organs recognizable as living. They were little more than animated trunks of wood. Near the top of its main body was a hollow that vaguely resembled a face — empty and unreadable.
Its movements were slow. Slow enough.
Lea crept closer, each step measured, each breath controlled. The creature did not notice her approach.
She raised the axe.
Crack!
The blade struck true.
The Fog Ent shuddered, reacting at once. Lea stumbled back — but froze.
Entwined within its branches were thick stems of Thanora Bloom. Clumps of soil rained down as the creature shifted, unmistakable proof that it had torn the plants from the ground.
Plants Lea had nurtured with her own hands. They were not ready to be harvested. Unforgivable.
I fled before because there were many of you, Lea thought, fury boiling in her veins. But you stand alone now. Don't think I won't fight.
With reckless courage, she charged forward.
Her axe swung wildly, each strike driven by desperation rather than skill. Again and again, the Fog Ent tried to seize her — but somehow, Lea slipped past every grasp, her body moving on instinct alone.
"You destroyer!" she shouted, voice breaking. "Take this! And this!" Another blow landed, snapping one of the creature's branches in two.
From the wound burst a torrent of black smoke — far denser than before. It surged outward violently, swallowing the space between them.
This was different. Too thick. Too concentrated. Too close.
Lea inhaled it.
"Cough—! Cough!" Her lungs burned as if scraped raw. "Is its entire body filled with poison…?"
Even with her resistance to toxins, this was overwhelming. Her breathing grew shallow and ragged as the smoke continued to pour from the severed branch, spreading across the garden like a suffocating tide.
Then realization struck her like a blade. The window. It was still open.
No—! Panic seized her. The smoke could reach the house.
Abandoning the fight, Lea ran back and slammed the window shut with all her strength. Nothing else mattered. Not the pain. Not the danger.
Only Grandma Royse.
Grab—!
The moment she turned back, a branch — shaped like a monstrous hand — wrapped around her body. The grip was crushing. Like being seized by a giant.
"Let go!" Lea screamed as she was lifted into the air, her feet leaving the ground.
The Fog Ent drew her closer, the hollow on its trunk facing her as if examining her.
Then it spun her. Violently. Mercilessly.
The world blurred into chaos as her body was twisted like a child's toy. Within the thick smoke, the creature moved faster — unnaturally so.
Her organs churned violently. Nausea surged. Her vision swam.
Damn it… how do I escape? Her thoughts scattered, slipping through her grasp—
Whoosh!
Without warning, her body was hurled away.
She flew.
Too far.
Too fast.
I'm… going to die, Lea thought as the forest rushed beneath her. The poison dulled her senses, drained her strength. Her limbs no longer obeyed her will.
Grandma… I'm sorry.
Crash!
Her body struck something solid.
Pain flashed—
Then darkness swallowed her whole.
✾ ─── ✾ ─── ✾
"—iss!"
"Miss!"
Lea's eyes snapped open at the sharp call near her ear. Her vision swam, blurred beyond recognition. The world refused to focus.
All she could see was a strand of striking white hair cutting through the darkness.
"Ugh—!" Pain tore through her head and back. Every bone felt shattered. Moving even a finger sent agony racing through her body.
"You're awake," a familiar voice said. "I was afraid the antidote wouldn't work. Don't move—several of your ribs are broken."
No wonder it hurts like hell, Lea thought weakly.
Gradually, other sounds reached her ears — the clash of metal against wood. Sharp. Violent.
Is there… fighting?
When her vision finally cleared, dread settled deep in her chest. She was surrounded. Dozens of Fog Ents loomed around them, their roots writhing, mist thickening the air.
And there — amid the chaos — stood a figure with white hair, dark skin, and long pointed ears.
She recognized him instantly.
The Dark Elf.
Twin katars flashed in his hands as he tore through the Fog Ents with brutal precision. His movements were wild, almost unhinged — yet terrifyingly controlled. Each strike cleaved through bark as easily as slicing cake.
He was overwhelmingly skilled. Like a veteran assassin. Within moments, every Fog Ent lay destroyed.
When the last fell, he turned toward Lea, who lay helpless on the ground. Strangely, the grin on his face no longer frightened her. Perhaps because she could not move. Perhaps because she could not run.
"Well then, Miss," he said lightly, crouching before her. "There are many things I wish to ask you."
"But this," he added, glancing around, "is hardly a place for a private conversation."
At once, Lea felt it. Dozens of eyes opening in the dark. Hostile auras pressed in from every direction.
Somewhere far away — beyond all detection — a grin lined with sharp fangs curved slowly in the shadows.
Krrrk…
Roots shifted. More Fog Ents surged forward like enraged predators.
"I can't fight while protecting you," the Dark Elf said calmly. "So don't be angry."
He lifted Lea effortlessly, cradling her like a princess, and leapt through the trees, vanishing into the forest canopy. His touch was careful. Gentle.
Why… does he handle me like something precious? Lea wondered hazily.
Then doubt crept in. "Are you protecting me," she asked weakly, "so you can devour me yourself?"
Predators often guarded their prey from rivals. Perhaps he was no different.
But her words made him burst into laughter. When it faded, his yellow eyes gleamed beneath the moonlight as he looked down at her.
"Honestly," he said, amused, "you are tempting, Miss. I keep wondering how a living human like you could possess a Dead Aura."
Dead Aura…?
The sky above Lea seemed to collapse.
He said—
She had a Dead Aura.