Anyway, she decided to open the metal briefcase. She did not know what to expect, but she hoped for money. Judging by Ferzan’s reaction, though, that was definitely not the case. It was going to be something much cooler.

  She flipped the two toggle locks up and pushed the top half of the case back. Inside, rows of sharp silver, black, and bronze disks lay neatly arranged on thin metal sheets. At the center of each disk was a soft red button.

  They looked just like the one Ferzan had sent at Caren, the same one that exploded on contact. If these were exactly the same weapons he wielded, then excitement stirred in her chest.

  There were three rows and ten columns, a total of thirty disks. She reached for one, eager to test it out.

  The moment her finger touched it, her finger passed through.

  The disk flickered, and suddenly part of it was gone, replaced by a faint light shining onto her fingertip, like a projection.

  What the hell was this?

  She tried again. Same result.

  Confused, she waved her hand through all of them in frustration, like swatting at an annoying mosquito. Not a single one was real.

  She turned to Emill. The woman covered her mouth with one hand, stifling a childish smile. “Do you like it?”

  A deep, visceral hatred rose in Vernisha’s gut. She hated that smug woman with every fiber of her being. She had been made excited for nothing.

  Vernisha slammed the briefcase shut and dropped it to the ground. Ferzan, finally catching on, cringed.

  “She does that a lot,” he muttered.

  “I see,” Vernisha said flatly.

  Disappointed did not even begin to cover it.

  Emill lowered her hand and spoke as if she had not just crushed her excitement. “Sorry, dear, but I don’t like giving rewards for doing what one should. The experience you gained from fighting someone vastly superior to you is a reward.”

  Vernisha wanted her to shut up. But Emill had a nasty temper, and she did not want to deal with that. So she forced out a response.

  “I’m grateful.”

  “As you should be.” Emill turned to Ferzan. “Fight.”

  Ferzan nodded and stepped forward.

  Vernisha barely paid attention to his match, just enough to know it was short and far crueler than hers.

  He collapsed onto one knee, gasping for air, sweat dripping from his forehead. Blood ran down his arm, pooling around his elbow, where bone jutted out through the skin.

  A shiver ran down her spine. She had seen her fair share of injuries, but that was disgusting.

  What unsettled her even more was the lack of reaction from everyone else, except Tarnisha. Tarnisha bit down on her lip, watching him with pity. But his mother and grandmother looked as casual as if they were watching a child kick a ball.

  The Julioes slave was in a similar state, though instead of exposed bone, strange blue goo oozed from his arm. Vernisha doubted Julioes even had rigid bones to begin with.

  He had definitely been holding back against her.

  Emill tilted her head. “You’ve improved. I thought no longer having Farel to train you would have set you back.”

  There was something odd about her tone, as if she was unsure whether to be pleased.

  Ferzan pushed himself up, his injured arm hanging limp at his side. “Sir Kaen has been doing a good job.”

  Her frown deepened. “Not good enough. If you had come to Yellowbrim, you would have surpassed all expectations.”

  “I doubt that, Granny. Farel’s the best at what he does. Besides, he and Dad will be back soon.”

  “Soon, soon, soon.” She sighed. “Whatever. I’ve seen what I wanted.”

  “You’re leaving already?”

  She nodded, casually cracking her knuckles. “Yes. Your progress has been steady. Ignoring whatever nonsense they’ve been teaching you about ethics, your education is progressing well.”

  She turned to Abella. Their gazes locked in a silent battle before Abella finally looked away.

  “Take care, Mom.”

  Emill smirked. “I’ll tell your uncle and aunts that your lovely family said hi.”

  Abella slowly nodded. “Before you go, say goodbye to Katie. It’s the least you could do.”

  Emill raised an eyebrow, confused.

  Abella’s voice softened, almost pleading. “She only has one grandmother.”

  Emill sighed and shook her head. “I don’t have the time.”

  “Mom, you can’t be serious.”

  Emill’s fingers slid through the air as if interacting with an invisible device. “I’ll make it up to her. She likes science, right? I’ll gift her some kind of rare element. Anyway.” Her gaze swept over them. “Cha cha.”

  Just like that, she and the slave vanished.

  That kind of power, a true ability not born from a monster, was beyond amazing. And beyond that, that woman was the definition of a cunt.

  Ferzan was getting his broken arm treated by the same doctor. The silk-made spider worked to push his bones back into place. He was not handling the pain well. His fists clenched, his face tight with strain.

  Still, he managed to ask his mother, “I don’t get it. Granddad always makes time for Katie. He visits her every month or at least calls her over.”

  Abella sat on a wooden bench, sighing. “Ignore it. She just has a lot on her mind. She’s busy.”

  Ferzan clicked his tongue and looked away. “I’m starting to doubt that.”

  Vernisha returned to Katie’s bedroom.

  Katie stood near the window, bathed in moonlight. She turned toward Vernisha, taking in her bloody state.

  “You came back quick,” she noted.

  The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  Vernisha closed the door and headed toward the pile of clothes a servant had left near the bathroom. She said that the grandmother had left, so there had not been much reason to stay outside.

  “Oh.” Katie’s voice was neutral. “What do you think of her? You like her?”

  Vernisha hesitated, then decided to lie. “Yeah. She’s super amazing.”

  She pulled off her bloody dress and asked where the dirty laundry basket was.

  Katie pointed at a tall blue wooden basket near Vernisha’s bed.

  Vernisha balled up the dress and tossed it inside before slipping into a plain white Terrafallen dress. She was not a fan of solid white, but she did not care right now.

  Katie continued, “Nice. Most people think she’s an asshole.”

  Vernisha had not expected her to say that, though she did not disagree.

  “But she likes you. She almost never likes anyone,” Katie added.

  Vernisha did not know what to do with that information. She did not want Emill’s approval.

  “Congrats,” Katie said with a frown. “If I were you, I’d be happy.”

  Vernisha could almost feel the animosity in her tone.

  Sharing a room with someone who hated her sounded awful. The last thing she wanted was to wake up with a knife in her chest. So she sat on the bed across from Katie and reminded her that her entire family was dead.

  Katie’s brows furrowed. “That’s why you’re here. Obviously, I know.”

  “Then I’m guessing you can imagine how I feel,” Vernisha said. “I’m kind of jealous of you. Your mom’s alive, your dad is clearly alive, and you have your brother. You also grew up in wealth, unlike me. I don’t care about your grandmother’s approval. If I could trade everything to have my family back, I’d do it in a heartbeat.”

  She knew she would not miss Caren for long. The grief she felt because of him would fade soon enough. But Katie did not need to know that.

  She continued, “But I can’t. So trust me, your grandmother’s opinion on me means nothing to me. I don’t even want it, or care for it.”

  Katie bit her lip, then nodded. “Yeah… of course. Sorry. I was just being stupid.”

  Vernisha walked to her and reached out a hand. “So… no bad blood between us? I promise to avoid your grandmother as best as I can.”

  Katie hesitated for a moment before taking her hand. “Yeah. I don’t want to be envious of you, but… it’s kind of hard not to be.”

  Vernisha smiled warmly. “I get it. A couple of years ago, I was jealous of a homeless kid because he didn’t have responsibilities or parents to boss him around.”

  That was a lie, but it served its purpose.

  Katie chuckled. “That’s stupid.”

  “It didn’t seem that dumb to me at the time.” Vernisha waved her hand dismissively. “I was like, ‘He can do whatever the hell he wants, whenever he wants.’ It was stupid, but we all experience that.”

  Katie debated whether to share something embarrassing. Finally, she smirked. “When I was learning about viruses and the melting corpse outbreak we had eighty-seven years ago… I thought I could get super rich and influential by creating a new outbreak and blackmailing world governments.”

  Vernisha stared at her. This girl was a little demon. Strangely, she liked that.

  “It’s a good thing that became a dumb thought,” she said.

  Katie smiled, then frowned. “You’re nice. Now I feel like shit.”

  “Well… let’s just talk. I’m sure you’re fun.”

  “I doubt it.”

  They talked for a while. Eventually, Ferzan came to check on them, carrying dinner, metal plates stacked on a much larger one.

  The sight reminded Vernisha how hungry she should have been. But her stomach felt oddly full, likely from trapped gas. That meant she would be dealing with stomach pains tomorrow, something she was not looking forward to.

  “Oh, you guys are talking? Nice, nice.” Ferzan plopped down beside Katie’s bed, leaning against it. “I was worried Katie would be a bore.”

  “Shut your ass.” Katie took a plate.

  Vernisha grabbed the other.

  The meal consisted of wide, grassy leaves, red meatballs, and hard ground provisions like loop figs, pink, grainy figs shaped in a perfect circle.

  It was not what she expected, but she was in no position to complain. She thanked him and picked up a food needle, a long, sharp, half-thumb-thick utensil, before stabbing a loop fig and taking a bite.

  The thing was hard.

  She chewed, wincing at the texture. “Why is it so tough?” It felt like biting into a moderately hard tree branch.

  Ferzan shrugged. “Hard food helps build strong jaws. We pretty much have to eat it until we’re done with puberty.”

  She knew about that. It had just not crossed her mind. Still, she was fairly sure food was not meant to be that hard. It felt like asking for that strange jaw condition caused by overstraining the muscles, though she could not recall the name.

  Regardless, she ate everything. The meat had a strange taste, somewhere between goat and rabbit.

  The food needle’s tip had an adhesive property, making whatever it pierced stick just enough not to slip off.

  She glanced at Ferzan’s left elbow, wrapped in a soft yellow rubber. “Does that help with healing?”

  He raised a brow before realizing what she meant. “Oh. Yeah, it keeps it from getting infected or hurting too much.”

  “At least you didn’t get your neck broken, huh?”

  He half-smiled. “Back at you.”

  “So… is training normally this brutal?”

  He bit half of a meatball before answering. “If it’s meant to simulate real battle.”

  “Until the other person can’t continue?”

  He pricked a loop fig and raised it to his mouth. “Exactly. That’s how it’s done back at Yellowbrim.”

  Katie rolled her eyes. “It’s extreme for no reason.”

  “That’s stupid. It has its uses,” Ferzan replied.

  “Sure, every blue moon. Not often. Dad agrees with me, so my opinion is right.”

  “And Mom agrees with me.”

  “Dad knows more.” She twirled the food needle.

  “You’re annoying, you know that?”

  She smiled and mocked him. The banter faded after a short while.

  Before he left, Vernisha and Ferzan had a short, private exchange. Then Vernisha collapsed onto her bed, sinking into the cushion.

  Katie threw herself onto her own bed, staring at the bunk above hers. “Good night.”

  “Yeah, good night to you too.” Vernisha hesitated. “Do the lights go off on their own?”

  “Nope.” Katie pulled out a rectangular black device and pressed a red button. The artificial light vanished.

  Darkness surrounded them.

  Vernisha did not want to sleep. She knew what would be waiting in her dreams. With nothing to distract her thoughts, her mind would drift back to Ulah. To Natasha.

  To Caren.

  She hated to admit it, but she was probably focusing only on the good memories. Or maybe just the emotions tied to them. She was not sure.

  Complex emotional responses were hard to dissect in real time.

  Her fingers ran through her hair without purpose. Thinking about them being dead, about some strange woman pulling the strings behind it all, made her stomach twist. The way the Balash educator had described that woman sounded eerily similar to how people described Natasha. The two were connected. That much felt undeniable.

  She did not want to think about it. But ignoring reality would not make it disappear.

  That woman would likely try to ruin her life even more. Or maybe not. Maybe Vernisha was already walking the exact path she wanted. She did not know.

  One thing was certain. She did not believe in any grand destiny.

  She got off the bed and leaped out of the window. Landing hurt like absolute hell, but she didn't care.

  She pulled out the brown map and found her destination. The lies were already prepared for any nosy guards, permission from Abella, Ferzan tagging along, an “exercise.”

  Then she set out for the Great Monster Forest.

  There, she could keep her mind busy. Busy and getting stronger.

  No more drowning in thoughts.

  Leaving the estate was easy. She was not a prisoner, so the guards did not seem to care.

  Traveling on Crusbull, however, was painful.

  The crustacean-shelled bull tore across the landscape, likely exceeding a hundred miles per hour.

  Holding onto its horns was a struggle. Every few seconds, she was lifted slightly off its back, only to slam right back down onto its hard shell. If not for her increased durability, her thighs and backside would have been torn open.

  She focused on something else instead.

  System, tell me my stats.

  Strength: E12

  Combat Speed: E12[]

  Traveling Speed: F1[]

  Endurance: E12

  Defense: E10

  Mind: F1

  Her speed was still being modified. She had not rested enough, so that made sense.

  System, how many modification points do I have?

  20

  She considered spending them on defense, but something else had her attention, so she saved them.

  Eventually, the monster zone barrier of ether became visible. As Crusbull crossed it, a prickling sensation spread across her skin, followed by an unexpected sense of relief.

  She drew her black knife and dagger.

  She was ready to kill.

  The deeper she went into the monster zone, the deadlier the creatures would become. She kept moving forward, cutting down every monster in her path.

  Back in Sundawn

  He stood near the gates, baffled. Blood. Destruction.

  Emergency workers rushed around, clearing rubble and searching for survivors.

  He turned to one of the Knights stationed inside. “What the hell happened here?”

  The man’s rough voice carried exhaustion. “Some strange creature just appeared and did this. Two of them.”

  He nodded slowly. So that was why they had been called back.

  The higher-ups suspected people were behind it.

  Knights were not called to deal with people. They were there to look impressive and guard.

  Adventurers were not sent either. They were used to handle monsters.

  Vanquishers were called. People like him.

  They wore red and silver, the colors of Terrafall. They moved in the shadows, protecting those who walked in the light. And they would kill any man, woman, child, or infant to ensure that.

  His thoughts broke when a telepathic message reached him from a fellow Vanquisher.

  ‘You there?’

  ‘Tell me what you got, man.’

  ‘Right, right. Other than your mom, witnesses and stealth recorders spotted the creatures first appearing on Forkcrown Street. The weirdest part? They all came from a doctor’s office.’