As soon as they arrived at the grand cemetery, Samael immediately felt the urge to return to America.
He wanted to see how Liu was doing.
He wanted to make sure she was still alive.
But at the same time...
His body begged him to stay.
In Rime's Realm, he felt no pain.
No fever.
No freezing cold slowly creeping into his bones.
His body in that place remained perfect.
Untouched.
But his mind...
His mind was still shattered.
Even so, Samael wanted to return.
Because he understood something now.
During the week Liu had remained unconscious, what had destroyed him the most hadn't been the Nightmare Creatures.
Not the injuries.
Not the hunger.
Not the constant fear.
It had been the loneliness.
If only he had someone to talk to...
Someone to hear his voice...
Maybe everything would have been a little more bearable.
Samael glanced toward the enormous black crow standing among the white graves.
— I'm returning to my world, Tenebrae.
He spoke cautiously.
He still expected a sudden attack at any moment.
— Will you wait for me?
The crow's black eyes narrowed.
— Get out of my sight, filthy nephilim.
Samael fell silent for a moment.
Then nodded slightly.
"So he'll wait."
Somehow, absurdly enough, he was already beginning to understand that creature's personality.
Without wasting any more time, he crossed the portal.
Reality distorted around him.
The sensation of moving between worlds was already becoming strangely familiar.
In Rime's Realm, Samael had no way of perceiving the passage of time.
Only an eternal night existed there.
His Flaw didn't even function properly in that place.
But in America...
The world still had days and nights.
Pain and cold.
The moment the transition ended, the fever returned like an explosion.
His entire body burned.
At the same time, a brutal chill pierced through his bones.
Samael slowly opened his eyes.
It was still afternoon.
The scent of the wet forest filled his nostrils.
Then—
Blood.
A lot of blood.
He realized he was leaning against the trunk of a tree.
As he slightly turned his head, he saw Liu slowly approaching.
And her condition...
Was terrible.
In just a single day, she looked as injured as he was.
Perhaps even worse.
Her clothes were torn.
Deep cuts covered her body.
Dried blood stained parts of her arms.
And behind her...
Five corpses.
Five Nightmare Creatures.
Fallen Demons.
Dead.
Alone.
Samael felt his chest tighten.
It only reinforced something he had already realized long ago.
He had survived that week only because of Elisa.
And because they had remained within the territory of the Pasture Beasts.
If he had constantly encountered creatures of this level...
He would have died long ago.
Or worse.
Inside the stomach of some monstrous creature.
Now that he had finally slept a little, Samael felt marginally better.
He was still in terrible shape.
But perhaps he could walk on his own.
Liu approached silently.
Then sat beside him and slowly began changing the bandages on her own wounds.
— Do you need help?
The question came out quietly.
Almost guiltily.
Her heart ached seeing him in that state.
Because it was obvious.
Those creatures had probably tried to attack him first.
And Liu had stopped them.
— No.
The answer came simply.
Without irritation.
Without coldness.
Just exhaustion.
As she finished wrapping one of her arms, Liu commented:
— You spent a long time in the Dream Realm.
Samael looked away.
— I was exploring.
He completely concealed Tenebrae's existence.
He didn't want that creature anywhere near the others.
The pain from his innate ability reminded him of the lie.
He couldn't even imagine what would happen if the crow ever decided to leave Rime's Realm.
— Why did so many creatures surround you?
Samael asked after a few seconds.
He had already realized Liu was extraordinarily talented.
She wasn't someone who would walk into a suicidal battle by mistake.
Liu tightened one of her bandages before answering:
— There was only one at first.
She looked away.
— But more kept arriving during the fight.
Samael let out a tired sigh.
Of course.
America seemed to love turning every bad situation into an even worse one.
After finishing her treatment, Liu stood up.
— Let's go.
She tried to help him lean against her shoulder.
But Samael immediately refused.
— No need... I can walk on my own now.
It was a lie.
But his pride still existed.
Even while he was practically dying.
Then the two of them slowly began walking through the forest.
In silence.
Samael was still extremely weak.
He walked slowly.
Sometimes he stumbled.
Other times he nearly collapsed entirely.
Fortunately, Liu possessed absurd reflexes.
Most of the time she managed to catch him before that happened.
Most of the time.
Because even she couldn't prevent every fall.
And Samael still ended up hitting the ground several times.
As he walked, one phrase remained stuck in his mind.
"Filthy nephilim."
It refused to leave his thoughts.
Even though he hadn't shown it in front of Tenebrae...
Those words had affected him more than he wanted to admit.
"Now I don't belong anywhere anymore..."
His gender was already undefined.
His body constantly changed.
He no longer belonged to that world.
And now...
He wasn't even considered human.
Samael lowered his gaze slightly.
"Then where do I belong?"
The answer appeared immediately in his mind.
And it frightened him.
"Nowhere."
His chest tightened slightly.
— Did something happen?
Liu's voice interrupted his thoughts.
She had noticed.
Samael was too quiet.
Far quieter than usual.
He quickly looked away.
— Nothing.
His voice came out hoarse.
— It's just the sickness.
A lie.
Another one.
His innate ability was becoming increasingly active in this environment.
But Liu didn't press further.
The sun slowly disappeared.
The moon claimed the sky.
And when the two were already searching for a place to spend the night...
They found something strange hidden among the vegetation.
Remnants of asphalt.
Destroyed roads.
Consumed by the forest over countless years.
Samael slowly came to a halt.
His golden eyes scanned the ruins covered in massive roots.
Then he realized.
They were close to something that once...
Had been a city.