Meanwhile, Grey sat by the fireplace on the upper floor of the inn, watching as the tongues of flame slowly devoured the logs.
After the town crier's announcement, his mood had already turned grim. And when his mother explained that tomorrow they would have to part ways with Kaguya, Aika, and Chris, it was ruined completely.
The latter two did not trouble him much. They were merely fellow travelers with whom he had shared the road.
But Kaguya… with her, it was different.
For Grey, she had become his first true friend—the kind of person he could speak to without weighing every word; someone he could laugh with and confide in.
She was different from his mother and sister. Not because she was closer, but because she was other. That "outsider" who had accepted him when everyone else called him a "child of darkness."
Perhaps that was why her friendship meant so much to him.
Kaguya still did not know his real name—it had been necessary. But more and more often, Grey caught himself thinking that he wanted to tell her the truth. Just so she would know who he really was.
He did not want to say goodbye to her.
Grace took the news far more calmly. She was sad, but, just as with the little donkey, she understood that parting was inevitable. What hurt far more was watching her brother withdraw into himself again.
She quietly came up behind him and wrapped her arms around him.
"Big brother, don't be sad. We'll meet them again."
"Really? You think so, little sister?"
"Of course. You heard the stories Mom told us. Friends always reunite after a long separation. Mommy wouldn't lie to us."
"I know… but I'm still sad."
"Then think of something to give Kaguya to remember you by. So she can look at your gift and think of you."
"That's a good idea, but I don't have anything like that."
"Look," she opened her palm, and silver glinted in the firelight. "This shiny thing must be that legendary coin Mom always used to pay with."
"Where did you get that? Mom said we don't need money."
"I picked it up from the bandits when no one was looking. But shhh!" She pressed a finger to her lips, calling for silence. "Let's go outside and find something for a present."
"But Mom told us not to go out alone," Grey frowned.
Ever since the ceremony, he had behaved very obediently, afraid that his mother might be disappointed in him. He was still terrified of upsetting her in any way, but right now he hesitated.
As if sensing her brother's doubts, Grace decisively grabbed his hand. Lately he had been far too timid. If she didn't push him, he would never dare to do anything.
"What are you afraid of? Your big sister will be with you. I'll definitely cover for you, and Mom won't find out." She tugged at him insistently. "Come on! We'll go and come right back. A five-minute adventure."
"Fine. But quickly," Grey gave in. He valued his bond with Kaguya too much and desperately wanted to leave her something to remember him by.
At that moment, Catherine was receiving the latest reports from her network of agents. In the city of Stormdale, she needed to be more cautious.
She could not recklessly use her soul to keep watch over the children. Even such faint impulses might draw attention to them. She understood the risk, and so she deliberately suppressed her power, concealing her aura to the bare minimum.
She had left the room for barely a quarter of an hour—and it was precisely then that Grace began to act.
The twins threw on the black cloaks they had bought back in the city of Danmur, slipped out through the tavern doors, and vanished into the crowd.
Moving from one stall to another, the two small cloaked figures did not attract much notice.
In a city this large, stray children were nothing unusual. In alleys, near markets, on temple steps—they wandered in search of food or a place to sleep. People were used to them and rarely paid them any mind.
Most of the time, these children caused no real trouble. A little one might swipe an apple or a pastry. A great disaster. The merchant would simply pretend not to notice. At worst—curse and shout.
The appearance of Grey and Grace was like a drop falling into the sea. No one noticed them.
The brother and sister stopped at a small stall.
They were drawn to a beautiful blue pearl the size of an eyeball. The stone was smooth and perfectly round. Its color reminded them of their own eyes.
Grey looked at it and nodded. Grace nodded back. They understood each other without words.
The girl handled the transaction, as she was the extrovert who easily found common ground with strangers. The boy—who had recently developed an inferiority complex and an acute stage of social anxiety—would have preferred fighting a monster over engaging in conversation.
"Sir, what kind of stone is this? And how much does it cost?" Grace asked in a sweet voice, trying to imitate their mother's manner.
"Ha-ha-ha, little miss, this is a blue pearl straight from the ocean floor. They say it preserves youth if you wear it around your neck. That's why it's expensive. Five silver liras, no less. Can you afford it?" the vendor asked with a sly squint.
The children took his words at face value. How impressive! A gift like that would surely make Kaguya happy.
"Sir, but this is all we have. Could you still sell it to us?" Grace pleaded, holding out the silver coin. "We want to give a gift to our friend. Please…"
When the vendor saw her innocent, charming eyes, he almost regretted trying to deceive such a naive little girl.
But money was money. Sentiment would not fill his stomach.
"All right, but only because you asked so politely. I'll even throw in this string as a gift. With it, you can turn the pearl into a necklace pendant." The vendor quickly snatched the coin and handed the purchase to the children.
"Sis, we need to hurry! Mom will definitely notice if we don't come back soon. Do you still remember what she did when you went into the forest without asking?" Grey tugged at his sister's sleeve, realizing they had been gone for quite a while.
Grace jumped in fright. Their mother's sandal was still fresh in her memory. Her backside had suffered so often during the journey that she had gotten used to sleeping on her stomach. What hurt her most was that her brother had never once been punished.
Well, he rarely strayed more than two meters from their mother. He simply never had the chance to misbehave. When choosing between suffering together or avoiding it entirely, Grace had chosen the second option without hesitation.
"You're right! Let's take a shortcut so we can get back faster!"
"Okay," Grey agreed.
They ran quickly through the streets, occasionally turning into dark alleys. Their memory was excellent, so they weren't afraid of getting lost. Unfortunately, the twins failed to notice that a group of older teenagers had begun tailing them.
When only a few streets remained before the tavern, two boys standing shoulder to shoulder like a wall blocked their path.
"Let us pass, we're in a hurry!" Grace shouted without thinking.
She was rushing because she feared their mother's sandal far more than anything else.
Grey was smarter—or rather, more cautious. Without hesitation, he pulled Grace back. But when he glanced over his shoulder, he saw three more boys behind them. Their retreat was cut off. Grace quickly put two and two together and realized these thugs hadn't shown up by accident.
"What do you want? We don't have anything," she said, shielding Grey with her body.
"Oh? And what about that pendant you bought from Mr. Wilson? Hand it over and you can leave," said the smallest boy standing in the back. Apparently, he was the leader.
What a cliché…
"Why do you need a girl's accessory?"
"Young miss, we'll sell it. Money doesn't smell. Too bad you foolishly gave that silver coin to Wilson. If we'd known you had something like that, we'd have come sooner. What a waste…"
"We bought it, so it's ours. Get out of the way! Do you know who my mother is? She won't let you off," Grey said, imitating Chris, who had easily scared off a guard with a bluff. Could ordinary bullies really be anything scarier? Besides, he knew his mother was very strong.
"And who's this brave little hero? Let me take a look," one of the brutes stepped forward and yanked their hoods off.
"Derek, look at this beauty! Can I play with her before we let them go?" another said, smacking his lips, while a third had already shoved Grey to the ground.
"Are you an idiot? A beauty like that would fetch a gold coin! But we'll have to keep it quiet so we don't get caught. We'll need to ask the senior for protection, or they'll skim that gold off us just like we're skimming these kids for a silver," the leader said.
The twins' eyes turned red with fury. That bastard didn't just want to rob them—he wanted to sell Grace into slavery. How dare he? Even the God of Light had only tried to persuade and tempt her with privileges. So who did this worm think he was?
Grace moved first.
She sprang toward the nearest thug and struck where she could reach.
She remembered every word Catherine had taught her: "Eyes! Throat! Groin! Use your energy. Strike fast and strike hard."
Given her height, she had only one real option.
The thug squealed like a pig at slaughter.
Pain twisted him up like a shrimp. Tears streamed from his eyes. If he had known there were two other possible targets, he would have cursed his luck even more.
"Ugh—damn it! That hurts! Boss, she's got magic! Ugh! Shit—she burned my balls! Ughhh!"
The others immediately rushed to help. They closed in around Grace, forgetting about the boy their companion had already subdued.
Grey kicked and writhed, trying to break free and rush to his sister's side. But it was useless. His opponent was twice his size. All he could do was endure blow after blow to the back of his head until his vision blurred.
Grace fought desperately.
The awakening of her magic core had doubled her strength, allowing her to hold them off—though not for long. Neither she nor these street jackals knew any martial arts; victory and defeat were decided by nothing more than brute force. And they had four times as much of it.
They slammed her against the wall. Fabric tore with a pitiful rip. The teenagers had already forgotten about money and plans—they craved revenge now, and they knew exactly what would hurt the most.
"You little bitch, you'll regret that," the gang leader growled. "Mister Derek has never known a woman before. Today you'll fix that. Sure, you're small—but I'm not complaining. If you don't squeal, maybe I'll even decide to take you as my wife."
"Ahhh! No! Don't! PLEASE, STOP!" Grace screamed, twisting desperately. "Brother! Save me! Somebody… HELP!"
She didn't fully understand what those scum intended to do to her—but she knew it wasn't anything good. Their cruel smiles made her skin crawl, her knees tremble. She just wanted to cry.
Hearing his sister's screams, Grey snapped.
He thrashed, struggled, bit at anything he could reach. Rage burned through him from the inside out. It felt like being trapped in a nightmare with no escape. But now it wasn't him suffering.
It was his sister.
The thug struck him on the back of the head again, hoping to knock him out. To his satisfaction, Grey finally went limp.
What a pity the teenager failed to notice the black pupil pulse and widen.
There was no iris left. No white.
Only a bottomless, freezing darkness staring back at the world.
The first warning was the warm dampness spreading between his legs.
The thug glanced down—only then realizing that blood was gushing from his thigh. He couldn't comprehend when the frail boy pinned beneath him had managed to sever his femoral artery. His life had been reduced to mere minutes.
Grey didn't even blink. He twisted his body and, in one clean motion, slit the thug's throat—reducing those minutes to pitiful seconds.
He was no longer himself. Cold. Ruthless. Decisive.
With the short sword in hand, he killed without a trace of emotion, as if taking a casual stroll. His movements were smooth almost lazy, but impossibly swift.
Like a graceful cheetah, he leapt onto the back of the nearest youth and drove the blade straight into the base of his skull. No pause. No hesitation.
He pushed off again, launching himself toward the remaining two.
When they turned around, they saw only the bodies of their companions.
Grey flipped elegantly through the air, rising above them—outside their field of vision. His arm moved naturally with the momentum of his body, fluid and almost beautiful. Yet that simple motion sliced open two more throats.
The alley filled with choking gasps and sprays of blood. They never even saw what killed them.
The boy landed in a crouch behind Derek. As if planned from the start, his gaze aligned at the level of the gang leader's exposed backside. Derek didn't have time to make a sound.
Grey sprang upward and struck from below—the blade piercing into flesh and driving up toward the base of the spine. It was impossible to imagine the pain Derek felt. He released Grace and crumpled to the ground, his back left exposed.
With a deft motion—like someone who had done it a thousand times—Grey pulled the sword free and immediately thrust it between the ribs.
The blade reached the heart without resistance.
Derek died instantly.
And Grey collapsed to the ground, losing consciousness.
Grace still kept her eyes shut, not daring to look at the horrifying scene. Yet once the assault had ended, a desperate curiosity flared within her—she needed to know what had happened.
A scream of panic echoed through the alley.
The air reeked of iron. Six lifeless bodies lay sprawled across the cold stones, soaked in blood. And worst of all—Grey was among them.
Tears streaming down her face, she ran to him. Her hands shook violently as she checked for signs of life. Through her blurred vision, she caught sight of a strange glow emanating from her brother's body. She had seen it before, on the altar, when Apollo had appeared before her.
"Help!" Grace shrieked in panic. She hoisted Grey onto her back and sprinted toward the tavern.
About five minutes later, a dark figure appeared in the alley. Its eyes scanned the five bodies and then caught the trail of small footprints.
"Fuck! What the hell were you doing here?! If Mistress finds out—she'll explode. No, no, I have to find these kids first at all costs, or something terrible will happen," the figure in the cloak thought, hastily covering up the evidence.
Even a fleeting thought of Catherine's reaction sent an uncontrollable wave of fear and panic surging through her.