Kota stood in the middle of the road. His shadow stretched long and jagged, a stain on the earth. He didn't look back at the villagers or the ash he'd left behind.
"I am leaving, girl. Follow me."
His voice cut through the air like a cold blade.
Leiya looked up. Her hands were still stained with the blood of the people she'd just helped. She flinched at the word.
"Kota, why do you keep saying 'girl'?" she asked. Her voice trembled with confusion and fear. "And where are you going?"
"South," he replied simply.
He didn't wait for her answer. He began to walk. His pace was steady. Predatory.
Leiya scrambled to finish the bandages for the two villagers. Her eyes darted between her work and the retreating figure of the boy she thought she knew.
"Wait up!" she called out.
She stood and grabbed her pack, trying to catch up to his long strides.
The female villager reached out a hand toward Leiya. "Wait," she pleaded. "Can we go with you? We have nothing left. Our home is gone and the raiders will return. Please, let us stay with you."
Kota stopped. He didn't turn around fully. His head tilted just enough for them to see the hollow void in his eyes.
"No."
The word was final. The female villager shrank back, but her brother tried to stand taller despite his injuries.
"We can help," he said.
Kota cut him off with a sharp, humorless laugh. He looked at the girl.
"The guy cant even protect you. I don't need feeble creatures around me," Kota spat. "This girl is barely an exception."
The female villager suddenly began to cough violently. Her hand flew to her chest. She felt a crushing weight in the air. It was as if the oxygen were being pushed out of her lungs by something heavy and dark.
"Keep your distance!" Leiya shouted. Her eyes were wide with realization. "His Yen is too powerful for you to be around!"
Leiya turned to Kota. Her face was pale. "Kota, why are you acting this way? Mask your Yen! You're hurting them!"
The brother pulled his sister back. His face was grim. "Just thank them for saving us and let's get out of their hair," he whispered. "We don't need to be around him. I don't know what that is, but it isn't human."
Kota didn't respond. He was already walking again. He moved into the gloom of the southern road.
Leiya looked at the two villagers. Her heart broke for the fear in their eyes.
"Im sorry," she said softly. Her voice was thick with emotion. "Im so sorry for everything. He has never acted like this. It has to be his sickness. We're trying to get him to a doctor. I am sorry once again."
She didn't wait for a response. She turned and ran, trying to bridge the distance between herself and the dark figure leaving her behind.
In the Haven, Kova moved through the halls. He masked his Yen with a precision only a master of the Void could maintain. He wasn't there to fight. He was there to observe.
Juno stood in a small clearing. Her eyes were sharp. She had found her target. Kana was standing near the central arch, her expression a mixture of self-hatred and exhaustion.
Kova stepped from the shadows. His movement was as natural as a shifting dark. He looked at Kana. For a brief moment, the cold mask he wore for the world seemed to soften.
Kana asked why Kova sent his subordinates to follow her. Why was he watching her?
Kova didn't answer.
He had never truly ignored Kota or Kana, even when they were a family. While the others saw them as burdens, Kova had been the one to check on them. He would appear randomly whenever Kota was isolated, standing at the edge of a field just to ensure the boy was still holding together.
He was the silent watcher of the failures.
"You have been busy," Kova said. His voice was low and resonant.
Kana looked at him. Her jaw tightened as she struggled to mask the disgust she felt for her own existence. "I didn't ask for you to watch me. Or to follow me."
"I do not follow because I am asked," Kova replied. "I follow because I see what the others choose to ignore. If you want to be strong, I will help you. I have sent Koa to train. You can join her. Or, if you feel you do not need it, you can join Juno. Kaola has failed. Koma has given me sole lead of the mission.
"Juno watched the exchange. She knew the history. Kova was the only bridge left between the divine and the discarded.
"What makes you think I want anything from you?" Kana asked, her eyes searching his.
"I am here to see if you are worth saving," Kova answered.
He looked at Kana. Not as an object, but as a sister he had spent years watching from the fringes.
"The world is getting smaller. Your brother is being consumed by something that will eventually come for us all if left unchecked."