"Protect your sister, Gray…"
The words didn't fade.
They clung to his mind like a wound that refused to close.
Gray jolted awake violently, sucking in air as if he had been underwater for too long.
For a moment, everything was blurred.
Then reality returned in fragments.
The smell of blood.
Burnt wood.
And silence.
"Marie!"
His voice cracked as he turned sharply, eyes scanning the broken ground around them.
Then he saw her.
Marie sat a short distance away, knees pulled tightly to her chest. Her small frame trembled slightly, though she wasn't making a sound. Her eyes were fixed forward—but not truly seeing anything.
She was staring at the place where their parents had fallen.
Where everything had ended.
She wasn't crying loudly.
That silence was worse than anything else.
Only slow, uncontrollable tears ran down her face, falling one after another as if her body refused to accept what her mind already knew.
Gray stood slowly.
His legs felt weak.
Unstable.
Like the ground beneath him didn't want to hold him anymore.
He walked toward her step by step.
Each step heavier than the last.
When he reached her, he lowered himself and knelt in front of her.
For a long moment, neither of them spoke.
The world around them felt distant now, like it no longer belonged to them.
Then Marie slowly lifted her head.
"Gray…" she whispered, voice trembling. "Tell me… they're not gone. Please… tell me it's not real."
Her eyes searched his face desperately, clinging to even the smallest sign of hope.
Gray's throat tightened.
He didn't want to say it.
He didn't want it to be real either.
But silence would have been a lie.
"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "Marie… I'm really sorry."
That was all it took.
Marie collapsed forward into his chest.
Gray caught her immediately, wrapping his arms around her tightly as she broke completely.
For the first time, there were no words between them.
Only shaking breaths.
Only grief too heavy to speak.
AFTERWARD
They buried their parents themselves.
There were no ceremonies.
No prayers.
No one came.
Just two uneven graves carved into the earth behind the ruins of what used to be home.
Gray stood there for a long time afterward, staring at the ground without blinking.
Marie stood beside him silently.
Neither of them spoke.
Because anything they said would make it real again.
When they finally turned away, neither of them looked back.
They left the town behind them.
And began walking toward the Dark Regions.
THE ROAD TO THE MERCHANTS
Days passed.
The world felt emptier than it should have.
They slept in silence.
They ate when they could.
They didn't talk about what happened unless they had to.
Eventually, they reached a small farming settlement.
Gray approached a farmer working near his field.
"Excuse me," Gray said, voice calm but tired. "Do you know how we can reach the Dark Regions?"
The farmer paused mid-task.
Slowly, he straightened.
"The Dark Regions?" he repeated, frowning deeply. "Why would children want to go somewhere like that?"
Marie stepped forward.
Her voice was sharper than before.
"Just tell us if you know."
The farmer looked between them for a long moment.
Something about their eyes made him uneasy.
"…I don't know the route," he finally admitted. "But there's a merchant group passing through. They're heading close to that region. If you're lucky, they might take you near the border."
He pointed toward a camp not far away.
Carriages were being loaded.
People were preparing supplies.
Movement everywhere.
Gray nodded. "Thank you."
They walked toward the merchants without hesitation.
A woman near the lead carriage noticed them approaching.
She looked to be in her late thirties. Calm expression. Travel-worn eyes.
"Yes?" she asked. "What do you need?"
"We want to know if your group is heading toward the Dark Regions," Gray said.
The woman blinked slightly.
"Yes… but only near it. Not inside."
"That's enough," Gray replied. "We want to join you."
She studied them more carefully now.
Two children.
Travel-worn.
Alone.
It didn't make sense.
"Why?" she asked.
Gray didn't answer.
Instead he said, "We just need to get there."
A long pause followed.
Then she nodded slightly. "Wait here."
She walked toward the front carriage.
Marie exhaled slowly.
"She seems kind."
Gray didn't relax.
"Kind people are still vulnerable," he said quietly. "Stay alert."
Marie nodded. "Yes, brother."
Soon, the woman returned.
"The leader agreed," she said. "You can come with us."
Gray gave a slight bow.
"Thank you."
And just like that—
They joined the caravan.
ONE WEEK LATER
The journey was slow.
Dangerous roads.
Unstable terrain.
Occasional tension in the air when they passed abandoned zones or damaged villages.
At night, the caravan stopped in open fields or broken clearings.
Fires were lit.
Guards stayed awake in shifts.
That night, the air felt heavier than usual.
Gray sat near the edge of the camp.
Marie was beside him.
Neither of them slept easily anymore.
"Are you awake?" Gray asked quietly.
"Yes," Marie replied.
A long silence stretched between them.
Then Gray spoke again.
"The man who did this… Xavier… he wasn't alone."
Marie turned slightly toward him.
"I can feel it," Gray continued. "This wasn't random. Something bigger is behind it."
His hands slowly tightened.
"When we find them… I won't forgive any of them."
His voice darkened.
"Not the ones who did it… not their allies… not anyone involved."
Marie stared at him for a moment.
Then she spoke softly.
"Then I won't let you do it alone."
Gray looked at her.
For a brief moment, something unsettling flickered in her expression.
Not innocence anymore.
Something else forming beneath it.
"I'll make sure they regret everything too," she said quietly.
Gray studied her for a moment longer.
Then gently ruffled her hair.
"Good," he said. "Then I won't be alone."
They lay down afterward.
And eventually, they slept.
THE ATTACK
"Marie—wake up."
Gray's voice cut through the night instantly.
Screams followed.
Metal clashing.
Fire igniting.
The camp had been attacked.
Gray's eyes snapped open fully.
The smell hit him immediately.
Blood.
Thick.
Warm.
Strangely… inviting.
For a split second, something inside him reacted.
He stopped it immediately.
"Marie!"
She sat up slowly.
Then froze.
Her eyes were glowing faint red.
Her nails had elongated unnaturally, sharper than human.
"Blood…" she whispered. "Blood…"
She stood up.
And walked out of the tent.
"Marie, stop!" Gray grabbed her hand and followed.
But the moment they stepped outside—
Chaos.
Bandits everywhere.
Merchants being slaughtered.
Women and children dragged toward iron cages.
Chains rattling.
Firelight flickering across blood-soaked ground.
Gray's expression changed instantly.
All emotion drained out.
Focus replaced everything.
Then one of the bandits grabbed Marie by the hair.
Something inside Gray snapped.
He moved.
Instantly.
His hand pierced through the man's chest.
The bandit froze.
"…What the—"
His body collapsed seconds later.
Marie stood over him, licking blood from her fingers slowly.
A faint smile formed on her face.
"…More," she whispered. "I want more."
Gray's breathing slowed.
He looked at the blood on his hand.
Then at the chaos around him.
For a moment—
Something in him almost answered the hunger.
Almost.
Then he saw the cages.
The people.
The children.
Reality cut through everything.
"Marie," he said firmly.
She turned slightly.
"Listen to me," he said. "I'm going to finish this. Stay hidden."
"But I can help—"
"No," Gray said sharply.
Silence.
Then softer:
"Please."
That word broke through.
Marie hesitated.
"…Okay," she whispered. "Be careful, brother."
Gray nodded.
And disappeared into the shadows.
THE BANDITS
Only five remained.
Gray observed from above a tent.
Silent.
Controlled.
One bandit laughed while dragging a girl forward.
"She's good," he said. "Let's enjoy this one."
Gray's eyes narrowed.
Then—
A voice entered his mind.
"Don't do it."
Gray froze.
"…Who?"
No answer.
Then the voice came again.
"Last carriage. Black hair. Blue eyes."
Gray turned his gaze.
There.
A boy his age.
Shackled in heavy silver chains.
But smiling.
Completely calm.
"You can hear me, right?" the voice said.
Gray hesitated.
"…Yes."
"Good," the boy replied. "Now listen carefully."
The smile widened slightly.
"The man holding that girl has the keys. I need them. You need me."
Gray narrowed his eyes.
"What do I gain?"
The boy tilted his head.
"You want to enter the Dark Regions, don't you?"
Gray didn't respond.
"I know a safer route," the boy continued. "Longer. But it gets you there alive."
Gray looked down at the bandits.
Then at the girl.
Then back at the boy.
A long silence passed.
"…Fine," Gray said.
He shifted forward.
"The enemy of my enemy…"
He exhaled slowly.
"…is my friend."
And he moved.