The three men responsible for the rape and murder were shoved into a stone cage. The underground structure was an artificial prison carved into rock, lined with multiple cells each holding one or more criminals. The trio was locked together in one of them.
The second man, whose arms had been severed, glanced around and thought, "This is my first time inside this place… doesn't look too hard to escape from."
The Knight escorting them said coldly, "You'll be brought to court tomorrow. That's when your punishment will be announced."
The first man scoffed, "And what's the worst that could happen?"
The Knight locked the cage with heavy chains. "For the murder… your heads will likely be removed from your bodies."
"What? That's not fair!" the second man shouted.
"It is," the Knight replied bluntly. "You killed—so you'll be killed. That's how justice works here. But your final punishment will be decided in court. You'd better pray it's merciful."
The third man, trembling, asked, "W-What about the… rape?"
"Oh, that?" the Knight raised a brow. "There haven't been any rape cases since we've been stationed here, so there's no set punishment yet. But if I had to guess… maybe the organ you used will be ripped off."
"That's… That's inhumane!" the first man protested.
"You should've thought about that before you committed that brutality," the Knight said coldly.
He then placed a spear outside the cell and continued, "And if you're thinking about escaping....don't. This crystal," he said, wrapping a glowing gem around the spearhead, "will light the area, and also suppress your mana. As long as it's near, you won't be able to use any powers."
With that, he turned and walked off. "Good luck…"
Meanwhile, at Selay's house…
Inside the home on the right of the two-story home, Doulong lay in bed under a blanket, munching on baked potatoes.
Outside, in the yard between the house and the fence, a young woman about fifteen with long, flowing hair and striking beauty, stood in a black dress. She was Diana who also grew up.
Several Knights were gathered around her.
The female Knight, who had removed her helmet, revealed short blue hair and piercing blue eyes around twenty years old. She looked at Diana and said, "I think you can handle Doulong now. Don't let him move until sunset unless it's absolutely necessary."
"Thank you, Miss Elesa. I'll take it from here," Diana replied politely, bowing slightly.
She then turned to the other Knights near the horses and added, "Thanks for all your help."
A male Knight with long brown hair and brown eyes smiled. "No need to thank us. Your brother and Selay did most of the work. We just assisted."
Another Knight, still wearing his helmet, said, "If you need anything, just contact us through telepathy."
Diana nodded again in appreciation as the Knights mounted their horses and rode off.
One of them, while leaving, whispered to the others, "Despite her status, she's incredibly polite."
"Polite, huh? Don't expect politeness from me if you keep throwing yourself into deadly situations" She said loudly , glaring at Doulong.
"Calm down, Diana," Selay said from nearby. "We did what we had to do."
"I'm not mad about what you did...I'm mad that one of you ended up getting hurt! And Doulong…" she turned to him, "you keep bragging that you're powerful, yet got beaten by some random guy. Real impressive."
Doulong groaned. "First of all, I am powerful. Second, I was tricked. That's why I got hurt. So stop yelling and start healing me."
"Tricked, huh?" Diana crossed her arms. "Then why is Selay unharmed and you're poisoned? You say you're stronger than him, yet you were the one who got taken down."
Doulong rolled his eyes. "Selay's not stronger, but he is faster. That's the only reason. What is Selay without his speed? he has like no way to beat anyone if he had not gained that speed due to his moms genetics "
At that, Diana's green healing mana fizzled out. She turned away. "Now you're insulting Selay? That's it. No fast healing for you. Heal yourself naturally for whatever time it takes"
"Hey, come on! I was just joking!" Doulong called after her.
"I won't help you heal either way," Diana said, crossing her arms. "We have mana level scaling in five days, so I'm not wasting my mana on you just to make you heal faster. I don't care if it takes you an entire day to recover...I won't do it." With that, she turned around and walked out, closing the door behind her.
Doulong looked at Selay and muttered, "Even you didn't get mad at what I said, but she did. It's really hard to talk to her. You never know when she'll suddenly get mad."
"Don't worry, I've got this," Selay replied, walking toward the door and stepping outside.
"I don't care, though… I feel sleepy," Doulong mumbled, pulling the blanket up and settling in.
Outside, Selay spotted Diana sitting on the wooden surface in front of the house, the sunlight softly glowing on her face. She was sipping something purple from a glass bottle.
Approaching her, Selay said gently, "Don't be so mad about what Doulong said. I didn't take it personally."
Diana looked at him and said, "Sit."
"Huh?" Selay blinked.
"I told you to sit. Sit," she repeated, louder.
He sat down beside her, a little surprised. "Something wrong? I mean, obviously something's wrong, but you don't usually get this upset over little things."
Diana took another sip and said quietly, "You know, my mom has this ability, the ability where she can sense when something bad is going to happen. Like a sixth sense or something."
"Yeah, I know that. But… why bring it up now?" Selay asked.
"I think I might have that same ability," Diana said, her voice serious. "I've been feeling this weird sense of dread since early this morning. At first, I thought it was about what happened with you two… but the feeling hasn't gone away."
"Really?" Selay nodded. "You might be right. Doulong did get hurt."
"No," she shook her head. "This feeling came before any of that happened. So whatever it's about… it hasn't happened yet and if it has happened ... I don't know yet. "
Seeing her concern, Selay changed the subject slightly and asked, "By the way… what are you drinking?"
She glanced at the bottle. "It's a healing potion with Blueberry and nut flavor mixed in with the feminine potion "
"Never seen one like that before," Selay said.
"It's for a problem I have. My mom gave it to me. She said to drink it whenever… well, whenever the pain hits. It helps ease it."
"What kind of problem?" Selay asked.
"Girly problem," Diana said with a small sigh. "You know… the physical kind we girls have to deal with every month."
"Oh. Sorry," Selay said quickly, looking away.
"No, it's okay," she reassured him. "It's just… this is only my second time going through it, and it really hurts. Most girls start around twelve, but mine didn't begin until I turned fifteen. And with this pain and the strange feeling I've had since morning, I'm just… feeling awful."
She leaned her head on Selay's shoulder and whispered, "Please don't move… It feels better like this."
Selay blushed and stayed still, not saying a word.
"We've grown up a lot," Diana said softly, "but things between us haven't really changed."
"What do you mean?" Selay asked.
"Nothing…" she replied, then continued with more enthusiasm. "Mom's finally going to teach me how to heal souls! She said once I turned fifteen, I might be ready...and it's been over a month since then. She promised this time. Soul healing is something only people from her clan can do, and she's the last adult left in the clan. So it's a really precious ability. I'm excited she's going to pass it on to me."
She then lifted her head from his shoulder and pointed to his lap. "Can I lay there?"
"Huh? Uh… I guess… I mean…" Selay stammered, but before he could finish, Diana had already laid her head in his lap.
"Now I feel better," she said with a smile.
Selay blushed again, and when he looked down, he saw she was gazing up at him.
She looked into his eyes. He looked into hers.
What's happening to me…? Selay thought with his heart racing. "Why do I feel so weird?"
Suddenly, the ground rumbled beneath them.
Diana quickly sat up straight, and Selay stood, alert.
Selay took out his sword, gripping it tightly as he thought, "Is this just a normal reappearance portal, or…?"
Suddenly, the very fabric of reality at the corner of the yard tore open with a soft yet eerie ripping sound, forming a glowing portal from the wound in space. The air shimmered around it.
Seeing this, Selay slowly sheathed his sword. It wasn't hostile.
Diana, watching closely, let out a small breath of relief.
"Oh… they're back. I thought…" She didn't finish her sentence, her voice trailing off with lingering worry.
From the portal, people began to step through and cane civilians from the outside.
Women, men, and children with wide eyes filled with exhaustion and hope.
Animals followed them like cows, moose, dogs, cats and even a few deer making their way into the open air, blinking under the sunlight like waking from a long nightmare.
Selay walked closer as the flow of civilians continued.
Their expressions were almost dreamlike as they looked around, stunned by the peaceful scenery. To them, it must have felt like stepping into heaven after a long time from whatever place they had been trapped in.
Then came the soldiers who were the troops who had gone to rescue them.
While the rescued wore joy and wonder on their faces, the soldiers' expressions were heavier. They tried to look composed, professional, but their eyes told a different story. Their eyes showed Fatigue and Grief.
Recognizing some of the returning troops, Selay thought, "Looks like the mission was successful…"
Diana, scanning the crowd, searched frantically with her eyes. "Where's Dad…? He should've been in front…"
Just then, a woman around the age of 25, with white hair stepped out from the portal.
She raised her hand and shot a burst of mana into the sky. It exploded above in a dazzling burst of light, forming glowing words high above the village.
Selay looked up. All the villagers did too. A man tending his farm stopped, wiping his forehead, and squinted at the message in the sky.
" Looks like they are back" the farmer said and He read :
{People Rescued – 78
(31 male, 29 female, 18 child)
Rescued People Died – 0
Troops Entered – 42
Troops Came Back – 40
Troops Came Back Alive – 34
Troops Died – 06
Troops Missing – 01
Troops Stayed There Intentionally – 01}
Selay's eyes narrowed in confusion. "What…? Six troops died? That's… rare. Yes, some go missing, but that's often intentional for intel gathering. But dying? That's almost rare to think of…"
Elsewhere in the village, a woman milking her cow looked up at the sky. Her eyes slowly widened.
"Wait… my husband… is he…?"
Her young son tugged her sleeve, asking innocently, "What, Mama?"
She quickly forced a smile. "Nothing… I just need to go find something." But her hands trembled as she stood, heart sinking.
Diana was growing more and more anxious. Her breath became shallow. She stared at the portal with her panic rising.
"Where's Dad…?"
And then… they began carrying out the bodies.
Soldiers emerged, solemnly lifting wrapped corpses white fabric stained faintly in spots, each body tied to simple wooden frames .
Diana's eyes darted from face to face until she saw him.
"Dad…!" she whispered in relief. "Oh thank the stars… I was scared for no reason."
Her knees nearly gave out as she saw Douzen step out of the portal. But just as she moved to approach him, the portal abruptly closed behind him.
Selay felt something was wrong and his eyes widened.
Dana said "Wait… Mom didn't come out… where is she?!" and walked toward Douzen.
Without thinking, he sprinted after Diana, who had already run toward Douzen.
"Dad! Where is Mom?!" she cried, grabbing at his arm.
But Douzen didn't respond. His face was stoic, his eyes avoiding hers completely.
"Call the families of the dead," he ordered one of the soldiers.
"Yes, sir," the troop member replied and quickly moved away.
Diana stood frozen as her father walked past her without a word. Her voice cracked, "Dad… why are you not saying anything?!"
A female soldier, around 25, called out softly, "Diana… don't ask him."
Diana turned toward her, frowning. "What do you mean…?"
The woman stood near one of the bodies still wrapped. Her face was pale, her voice trembling.
"Stay strong…" she whispered, but it felt like a storm behind her words.
"What… Do you mean…?" Diana asked again, taking hesitant steps forward.
The woman didn't answer right away. Instead, she gently unwrapped the cloth from the body revealing the headless body of Chaw.
Diana's breath caught in her throat.
It was unmistakable.
Tears immediately welled in her eyes as her vision blurred. Her lips parted, but no sound came. Her body trembled.
The woman lowered her head and said quietly,
"Your mom… Mrs. Chaw… she is no longer with us . We… we couldn't save her…"
Diana's knees hit the ground.