Of course, things were not over yet. In the distance, massive green mutants wandered without purpose, their bodies breaking down as chunks of flesh slid off them like melting fat.

  It was not happening fast enough.

  Ferzan’s gaze stayed fixed on the rampaging clones of her father and likely her brother. She could not tell.

  Then the realization struck.

  She had to kill Ulah.

  Her heart dropped heavily. She had no time to sit with that, no room to drown in self-hatred, no space to wish she were dead.

  She pushed herself to her feet. Ferzan noticed how tightly she held the knife.

  “You should rest. The Knights can handle it. They’re suited for this,” he said softly.

  The armored Knights, mounted on their warbirds, had struggled at first. Each strike had caused the mutants’ flesh to expand and split into more bodies. Now it seemed to be working.

  But there were still too many.

  Ferzan took out a small bottle of clear liquid and a roll of bandage. “Your head’s bleeding badly.”

  He poured liquid into the cap. “I can’t give you more healing elixir. This will burn.”

  He covered her eyes and poured the alcohol onto her forehead. Pain tore through her skull, and she forced herself not to groan. She wanted to shove him away and heal herself.

  He wrapped her head while she watched the Knights. Their speed was incredible. Their swords, spears, and bows looked almost magical.

  She looked at Ferzan. “These Knights. Why don’t you have weapons like that?”

  “Huh?” He followed her gaze as one of the Knights fired a golden arrow that struck a fallen mutant. Its neck pulsed and exploded.

  “I do have fancy weapons,” he said.

  “You didn’t use them. I only think of your monsters as the real wonders,” she said, her voice flat.

  She tried not to think about what she had done.

  “The Knights compensate with weapons since they don’t use monsters. Anyway, I’m done.”

  “Thank you…”

  She turned toward the ruined doctor’s office.

  Natasha.

  Her body moved before she could stop it. Fear ran down her spine as she wondered why she had only remembered her now.

  Because it was Natasha.

  Even during the earlier village attack, she had not truly worried about her. She had believed Natasha would survive.

  Because Natasha was Natasha.

  Ferzan ran beside her. “What’s going on? What did you see?”

  “My… mother.”

  The word came out before she realized it.

  Ferzan’s face darkened.

  They reached the collapsed building and started clearing rubble.

  “Mom!” she screamed.

  She was stronger now. She lifted slabs of concrete that should have been impossible to move.

  Ferzan threw aside even larger pieces. It still felt too slow.

  She stared at her left hand and tried to summon a monster. The snake could help.

  Only faint black sparks flickered from her seal.

  Why.

  “Why, why, why?!” she shouted.

  She knew the reason but could not think clearly.

  She had never wanted to admit these parents were hers. Her parents on Earth had been distant. Her father had grown busy. Her mother had compared her to others.

  Natasha had been different. Strange, but warm. She had felt valued.

  She had hated that.

  No reasoning could override how she truly felt.

  An hour passed. She could barely breathe, yet she kept searching, shouting for Natasha.

  Ferzan kept working too, though he clearly did not believe Natasha would be found.

  She held onto a rock and stayed there. Ferzan wiped sweat away. “You think she escaped?”

  “She wouldn’t leave me behind.”

  She looked at her hands. Hatred rose from deep inside her.

  What were these hands good for. What were these healing powers worth. They only hurt people.

  She straightened and looked around. Blood, rubble, crying children.

  The last mutant’s head exploded from a distant shot.

  She killed her family. No. She had turned them into monsters and then watched them die.

  She dropped to her knees.

  Even the jagged rocks did not pierce her skin.

  "Damn it!" Ferzan muttered as rocks flew everywhere. She was thrown back, tumbling to the ground.

  Then something slammed into her leg, fast and hard. It didn’t break, but it hurt. A lot.

  She gritted her teeth and grabbed her leg, preparing to heal it. She didn’t care. Her hands glowed red, but the healing aura flickered.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  It flickered. On, then off.

  She couldn’t believe it. Not again. She hated it. She hated these powers more than anything.

  The intensity was the same, but it refused to obey her.

  After all the progress she had made, this happened. She exhaled, loosening her grip.

  She didn’t know why she cared. She was cursed. This power was useless trash. If she had never had them, she could have been happy. None of this would have happened.

  Ferzan came over. "You okay?"

  "No."

  She didn’t want to think.

  He helped her to her feet. She tried her best to stand on both legs, but the pain was too much, forcing her to limp.

  "You have family back home?" he asked.

  "No. I don’t. I don’t even see the point of going back. It’s empty."

  He grimaced, standing beside her in silence.

  Time passed. Eventually, a tall woman with curly blonde hair approached them. A young girl walked beside her, scanning the surroundings as she followed the woman, who Vernisha assumed was her mother.

  It was definitely Ferzan’s sister. The red and blonde strands of her hair made that clear. The wind tossed her hair, the red half sometimes crossing over the blonde.

  The woman spoke. "Ferzan."

  "Mom."

  She glanced at Vernisha before continuing. "I see... Are your injuries only external?"

  "Yes."

  Then she asked Vernisha, her tone softening. "Where are your parents, young child?"

  It took a moment for Vernisha to respond. "Dead."

  Ferzan approached his mother to talk.

  After a minute, she spoke again, her voice a little louder. "Okay."

  The ride on Ferzan’s back was anything but steady. With so many chunks of concrete scattered across the ground, he had to leap over debris and keep moving.

  Vernisha didn’t complain. She kept her hands tight around his neck, not wanting to fall off, though she doubted it would hurt if she did.

  The little girl was carried by her mother, her leaps far more graceful and confident than Ferzan’s.

  Vernisha tried to inspect her, but as expected, she couldn’t see her level. It was the same for Ferzan.

  She often spotted green mutant giants, or smaller ones lying motionless on the ground, lifeless. Knights and adventurers were methodically double-tapping their corpses, perhaps haunted by the creatures' ability to duplicate.

  Time seemed to slip away quickly. She wasn’t sure how long it took for them to reach the city gates, perhaps just a couple of hours.

  She stared at the massive pile of decaying green mutants. All headless.

  As they approached the gate, they encountered a lone Knight stationed there, his armor stained with green blood.

  Abella spoke first, her voice tinged with impatience. "I wish to leave."

  The Knight stood straight as a rod, offering an apologetic response. "We’ve been ordered not to allow anyone to leave due to this incident until a proper investigation—"

  Abella cut him off. "Who am I?"

  The man hesitated before asking, "I don’t understand... what do you mean, Miss Abella?"

  "Abella what?" she pressed.

  The Knight paused, his demeanor faltering, before muttering, "Starlight."

  Abella Starlight. Vernisha blinked in surprise, her gaze lifting to take a better look at her. She had heard so many stories about her, but never imagined she would meet her in person.

  She was famous for being fearless, and something else Vernisha couldn’t quite remember at that moment.

  If she had known the reason behind her fearless reputation at the time, she would have fled right then.

  The Knight said, his voice softer now. "We know you’re a hero, but it’s an order we received. The command came from the Senate."

  Abella’s tone hardened. "Do yourself a favor and open the gate. My mother is outside, and I wish to get to her as soon as possible."

  The Knight sighed in resignation, muttering under his breath before knocking sharply on the gate several times.

  The gate creaked open. Outside, Knights stationed nearby seemed confused at first, but when they saw Abella and Ferzan, they straightened immediately, their postures rigid.

  They stepped outside, and Vernisha’s eyes landed on a woman sitting on a stone. As soon as she spotted Abella and Ferzan, she leapt to her feet.

  Like Abella, she wore a dress that blended yellow and white, her blonde hair and yellow eyes strikingly similar to her daughter’s.

  She flashed a wide, toothy grin, her perfect white teeth gleaming. "It’s been so long since I’ve seen my grandchild!"

  She rushed forward and embraced Ferzan, squeezing him tightly. Up close, Vernisha could see her slender nose and deep red lips, features that made her look almost too young to be his grandmother. She could easily pass for just a few years older than Abella.

  When she pulled back from the hug, she held Ferzan by the shoulders, smiling down at him. His head barely reached her nose, but what caught Vernisha’s attention was the monster seal emblazoned on her forehead. Abella’s lack of a seal there surprised her. It was part of Starlight tradition. She assumed Ferzan didn’t bear one either, as his identity seemed more aligned with the Starworth.

  Ferzan managed a faint smile, but he was clearly exhausted.

  The woman turned to Abella, her smile shifting into something more calculating. "Who’s this child?" she asked, her gaze narrowing as she studied Vernisha. "Have you gone and adopted another one without consulting me?"

  "No, mother. This is Ferzan’s friend. She’s injured, so we’ll be administering some care."

  "Ah... I see." She turned her focus back to Vernisha, her gaze lingering. "At least she’s a Vlandos. A high-level one for her age."

  Vernisha did not understand why her Vlandos status was relevant in this context.

  "Hello..." she murmured, her energy draining so low that speaking took effort.

  "Don’t bother, child." The woman’s attention shifted to Ferzan’s sister, who was staring at her with unreadable eyes.

  The grandmother’s smile faded a little, no longer as bright as the one she’d shown Ferzan.

  "Katie..." Her hand passed through her red hair in an absent motion.

  Before she could ask another question, Katie spoke up. "I haven’t gotten a monster seal. Granny."

  The woman’s hand twitched, a brief moment of surprise passing over her features. She nodded slowly, and the air between them grew tense.

  Abella locked eyes with her mother, silent but clearly warning her with a single, piercing gaze.

  The two maintained the hard stare for a long moment before the grandmother finally turned away, slipping her hands into her dress pockets. "We’ll be heading to your home now."

  After a brief pause, she added, "I brought a guest to test Ferzan, by the way."

  "Who?" Abella asked, raising an eyebrow.

  "Just a slave," the woman replied nonchalantly.

  Suddenly, the air around Vernisha shifted, and a strange, glitching aura enveloped them. A flash of light followed, and they found themselves standing on concrete tracks surrounded by neatly trimmed green grass. Flowers and trees dotted the landscape, creating an almost serene atmosphere.

  Vernisha would later realize it was a life buff, Teleportation.

  Ahead stood a grand mansion, its walls painted red, white, and gold. Large balconies extended from the upper floors, and tall arched windows lined the structure.

  A wide stone path led to towering double doors. To the side, a shimmering pool reflected the sky, surrounded by trimmed hedges and flower beds. Smaller houses stood across the grounds, and a row of garages rested nearby.

  She heard metal shift behind her. Turning, she saw a well-dressed, armored Julioes man, his pink skin and white hair unmistakable. An iron rectangular triangle hung from his left ear, as long as her finger. A slave.

  "Bring the child to the nursing room," Abella instructed Ferzan.

  He nodded and walked toward the doors. Outside, Punchios stood at attention, dressed in white tunics that fell past their knees. The fabric swayed as they moved. High collars framed their necks, and long slits revealed loose silken trousers beneath. Small emeralds decorated the fabric from left shoulder to right knee.

  Punchios and gems were inseparable, like a politician and false promises.

  The men did not wear head coverings. It was part of their culture.

  They bowed and opened the doors. Vernisha was taken to a room on the third floor. The air smelled sharply of cleaning alcohol. It resembled a medical ward.

  She did not think much of it. She was exhausted.

  A gray-haired, wrinkled woman entered. She and Ferzan spoke briefly.

  A flash of white light came from the woman’s earlobe, and a silk spider monster appeared, its legs tipped with curved claws.

  The doctor smiled and asked Vernisha questions. She barely remembered her answers. She moved through it automatically.

  She was told to lie down, so she did, staring at the ceiling.

  The spider crawled over her, stitching her wounds closed.

  When it reached her head, she shuddered as its claws touched her scalp.

  Then something snapped her fully alert.

  While the spider remained summoned, the doctor called out another monster. A massive, human-sized sphere of translucent blue fire.

  Vernisha stared. "How?"

  The doctor raised an eyebrow.

  "You have two monsters out at the same time." Vernisha clarified.

  "Oh… I always wanted to be a Vlandos doctor. I trained my mind."

  "It doesn’t hurt?"

  "Not one bit," the doctor said.

  The fire drifted to her injured leg, and the pain faded.

  The doctor noticed Vernisha’s clenched left hand and reached for it.

  Vernisha pulled it to her chest. "No."

  "If it's—"

  "It's the earring of my now-dead mother."

  "Oh." A pause. "Was it during the creature attack earlier today?"

  She nodded slowly. "Yes."

  "I see. I'm very sorry." The doctor stepped back.

  Vernisha felt the sting of lying about Natasha, but she believed she needed a reason. Otherwise, they might force her hand open or tell the others.