The air grew heavy.
It wasn't just a feeling.
The magical pressure surrounding the forest clearing changed abruptly, as if the world itself had realized that, from that moment onward, there would be no turning back.
Nella stepped forward.
From seemingly nowhere—from a space that didn't appear to be physical, but rather somehow reserved—she drew a weapon.
At first, it was nothing more than a short, simple blade without any ornamentation. But the moment she gripped it firmly, the blade began to distort, stretching and widening.
The metal creaked.
The knife transformed into a long, elegant, yet brutal saber. Red, living flames ignited along its edges as though they were breathing, crackling with violent energy that was contained only by the will of the person wielding it.
It wasn't an ordinary weapon.
It was a weapon made to kill without hesitation.
Everything pointed toward trouble.
Yeana, without lowering her bow or moving from her position, spoke with a bitter smile.
—Finally, a weapon worthy of you —she said—. Just as savage as you are.
Nella didn't even flinch.
—Says the woman who refuses to move from her position while aiming an arrow meant to kill —she replied calmly. —We're not so different.
Silence settled over the clearing once again.
Yeana clenched her teeth.
—Nella… —she said—. I don't want to fight you. We've known each other for nearly twenty years. You should be more rational.
For the first time since the conflict began, something in the scene cracked.
Ana, who had been watching everything without fully understanding it, noticed something that disturbed her more than the saber, more than the flames, more than the words.
Yeana's back.
That back she had always seen as strong, steady, unbreakable.
That figure that seemed capable of carrying the weight of the entire world without ever bending.
Now she looked…
Small.
Vulnerable.
Nella answered without raising her voice.
—I don't understand what surprises you —she said—. I've always been like this. You know that, unlike you, I'm not the prince's personal servant. I'm his royal guard. A soldier of the empire.
The flames along the saber danced more intensely.
—The authorities I owe my loyalty to aren't His Highness or his whims —she continued. —They're the army… and those above it.
Yeana frowned.
Nella raised her eyes, looking directly at her without hesitation.
—I received very clear orders from above —she said. —And they were these:
Bring the human.
We need to accelerate the experiment's advancement process.
The word experiment fell like a sentence.
—And I'm simply doing my job.
There was no hatred in her voice.
No mockery.
Only such absolute seriousness that it was terrifying.
Ana felt something inside her break.
Everything hit her at once.
Nella… a soldier.
Nella… an enemy.
The prince… in a coma.
She… an experiment.
She understood everything.
And at the same time, she couldn't move.
Shock held her completely still, as if her body had decided to disconnect from the world rather than collapse beneath the weight of everything she had just learned.
But then something even stranger happened.
The flames of the saber trembled.
Nella tightened her grip on the hilt…
And a tear fell.
Then another.
She was crying.
Not loudly.
Not dramatically.
She cried in silence, like someone who had already accepted that there was no right way out of this.
—Please… —she said, looking at Yeana. —Give Ana to me, and I'll forget this ever happened.
Her voice broke.
—I… I don't want to kill you —she confessed. —Nor do I want to report you as a traitor to the empire. Your family already has too many stains in its past.
Yeana's eyes widened.
—Think about your father's position… —Nella pleaded. —Please.
Yeana's hands began to tremble.
Not from fear.
From rage.
—Do you think I don't? —she shouted, tears spilling from sheer fury. —That's exactly why I'm protecting her!
Her voice echoed throughout the clearing.
—My duty is to protect her safety and integrity at the cost of my own life!
Her voice lowered, each word heavy as lead.
—While the prince is unavailable… if I don't do this and everything fails… —she swallowed hard— his sacrifice will have been for nothing!
The flames seemed to falter.
Nella closed her eyes.
She knew Yeana was right.
And yet…
—Yeana… —she said, almost pleading. —Please. Give me the creature.
Yeana raised her chin.
—I won't.
The wind stirred.
—Then why don't you attack me? —Yeana continued. —You drew a weapon, but we haven't started fighting. If you want to kill me, then do it. But I won't hand her over. Ever. Do you understand?
Ana remained in shock.
Her mind floated somewhere far away, as if everything were happening behind a sheet of glass.
Then Nella made a decision.
She raised the saber.
The flames expanded.
And she launched a direct attack.
A wall of fire surged forward violently.
Yeana reacted instantly.
She moved.
And that was the moment.
While protecting Ana, she took advantage of the exact second Nella concentrated her offensive magic. Her free hand slipped toward her waist.
She pressed a device.
One of Leo's failed teleportation prototypes.
Unstable.
Dangerous.
Forbidden.
Light exploded.
And they vanished.
The world shattered into fragments.
When the magic ended, they were falling.
Through the air.
Ana didn't scream.
She simply fainted.
Yeana, still in free fall, shifted with impeccable precision, catching Ana before her body could drift away. She channeled her magic, pushed herself beyond her limits, and landed cleanly and gracefully…
Although completely disheveled.
She dropped to her knees.
Then she let Ana fall as if she were a sack of potatoes.
She flopped onto her back, utterly exhausted.
—I survived… —she murmured. —I actually made it.
She took a deep breath.
—And I protected the target.
She smiled tiredly.
—Your Highness, I hope you give me a bonus when you find out… and raise my salary.
Back in the forest, Nella stared at the empty space where they had disappeared.
Silence.
Then she sighed.
—What a clever woman —she said. —She created a distraction… and used my own magic to open a blind spot.
She put the saber away.
She looked up at the sky.
—Yeana is incredible.
She smiled.
—When this is over… I'll ask her to marry me.
And she burst into laughter.
The world, without realizing it, had just crossed a point of no return.