The dust from the shattered windows still hung in the air like a windy veil when the heavy iron-toed boots of the City Guard thundered up the garden path.
The townspeople parted like a red sea, their fearful whispers turning into emboldened jeers as the Captain of the Guard stepped over the threshold of the Ruo Han manor.
Captain Vane, a man with a face like scarred leather, leveled his sword at Karas's chest.
"Karas Ruo Han! By order of the Provincial Council, you and your brother are under arrest for the murder of Master Eros and the abduction of a noble ward. Surrender the demon-boy, or we will take him by force!"
Karas didn't flinch. He stepped over the splinters of the broken boards, his shadow looming large against the sunlight. His blue eyes, though tired, held a terrifying clarity.
"Arrest us?" Karas's voice was a low, dangerous rumble that made the junior guards take a step back. "On what grounds, Captain? Do you have a witness who saw me draw a blade? Do you have a body that hasn't been turned to ash by a 'mysterious fire' you cannot explain? Or are you simply here to satisfy the gossip of a bored neighborhood?"
"The rumors-" Vane began.
"Rumors are not warrants," Karas interrupted, his voice rising with a cold, aristocratic authority. "If you do not have a signed confession or physical proof of a crime, you are currently trespassing on noble property. If you lay a hand on my brother, I will not only take this to the Disciplinary Court for the destruction of my home, but I will personally see your reputation burned for harassment and illegal entry. Is your career worth the price of a neighbor's lie?"
The Captain looked at the shattered windows, then at the fierce, unyielding glare of the eldest Ruo Han son. He knew Karas's reputation as a scholar-and as a noble philanthropist of the society. Shame flickered across his face. He signaled his men to lower their swords.
"We will be watching, Master Karas," Vane muttered, signaling his men to retreat. "The Council does not forget."
As the guards retreated and the crowd dispersed into the shadows, the oppressive violet energy in the room finally dissipated.
The black veins on Zaliyah's arms stopped their aggressive crawl, receding slightly toward his wrists. The poison had reached a stalemate with his stubborn heart.
Karas returned to the bedside, his shoulders finally dropping. Riru was already there, her small hands wringing out a fresh cloth. She wiped the cold sweat from Zaliyah's brow, her bottom lip trembling.
"Brother... Brother Zi seems paler," she whispered, her voice small.
Karas sat on the edge of the bed, his heart sinking as he looked at the sharp lines of Zaliyah's collarbone. "He has lost more weight than I realized," he replied softly. "It's like he's being consumed from the inside."
"He keeps mentioning a certain 'Malachi,'" Riru said, looking up with wide, curious eyes. "Brother... who is that? Is he someone who helped you?"
Karas shook his head, a flash of frustration crossing his face. "I honestly do not know, Riru. My mind is a fog. I remember the park, I remember the cold... but the rest? I can't remember anything."
Riosuka burst into the room then, her face tear-stained but her eyes searching. "So... you didn't elope? You didn't leave us on purpose?"
"Mom, look at us," Karas said, his voice weary. "I wouldn't do something like that. I would never leave you and Riru to fend for yourselves."
"And Eros? The men?" Riosuka pressed, her voice a frantic whisper. "You didn't kill them?"
"No," Karas stated firmly.
Riru reached out and patted Karas's hand. "Brother, you know since you beat up that guy at the library pavilion... everyone thinks of you differently. With the incident that happened here, the whole town is scared. I'm just glad you're back so you can clear your name. You're a hero, not a monster."
Karas patted her head, a bittersweet smile touching his lips. "Don't think of it too much, little star."
Riosuka sat on the other side of Zaliyah, her hand lingering on his cheek. "The Physician is completely useless," she sighed, her motherly love overriding any fear of the scandal.
"He can't trace the illness. He says it's not an infection, but the boy is slipping right in front of my eyes. Just when I thought he finally came back to me... he's slipping away again."
The midday meal was a somber affair. The family sat in the dining hall, the sound of silver against porcelain feeling too loud in the quiet house. Riru kept looking at Zaliyah's empty chair, her appetite gone.
"I wish he could join us," she murmured. "It's not the same without him pouting at his vegetables."
Caius, who had been silent for hours, finally looked up. His face was hard, the shame of the morning still etched in his brow. "He should wake up soon. He owes us explanations. I will not have my house turned into a fortress and my name dragged through the dirt without knowing exactly what happened in those woods."
That night, Karas refused to leave Zaliyah's side. He fell into a light, twitchy sleep on the edge of the bed, his hand occasionally reaching out to check Zaliyah's temperature.
In the middle of the night, Karas bolted upright. The space beside him was cold.
"Zi?" he whispered into the dark. No answer.
Panic surged through him. He rushed to the bathhouse-empty. He checked Riru's room, fearing the boy had wandered there-only the soft sound of his sister's snoring met him.
He ran to the garden, the cool air hitting his face, but the moonlight showed nothing but shadows.
Then, a faint clatter came from the direction of the kitchen.
Karas crept toward the light, his heart hammering against his ribs. He pushed the door open an inch and froze.
There, bathed in the soft glow of a single candle, was Zaliyah. He was dressed only in his thin silk undergarments, his white hair messy and his eyes wide and alert. He was standing by the larder, stuffed with a half-eaten loaf of bread in one hand and a piece of cold roast meat in the other,
unceremoniously stuffing his face as if he hadn't eaten in a lifetime.
Karas leaned against the doorframe, a wave of pure, hysterical relief washing over him.
He didn't speak; he just watched as the "White Lotus" of the Demon Realm acted like a starving street urchin.
Zaliyah, his belly finally full, let out a soft sigh and turned around to make his exit. His eyes fell on Karas standing in the shadows. He didn't scream. He didn't run. He just stood there with a crumb on his lip and a look of sheepish satisfaction.
Slowly, Zaliyah smiled-a genuine, human smile that reached his eyes for the first time in weeks.