The first thing they encountered at the manor was the lifeless bodies of the guards.
Karon hesitated for a brief moment, unsure of what to do, then quickly dismounted his horse.
He was brought back to awareness by Cecila's scream.
"Cecilia, go to the nearest village and call for help."
"But you—"
"I'll check inside."
Cecilia, eyes filled with tears, reluctantly rode off.
As the smell of blood filled his nose, Karon drew his sword and took a stance while approaching the broken gate.
The darkness of blood, swallowing the faint light from small fires, had engulfed the entire manor.
Karon, barely holding back his nausea, covered his nose with his clothes and continued forward.
Armored bodies and scattered limbs had become so distant from their original state that they were barely recognizable.
Karon shuddered at the sight of a head staring back with no body and forced his focus forward.
He quickly ran to the servants' quarters and slammed on the door.
"Is anyone there?"
"Thank goodness, young master, you're alive. Are you alright?"
"I'm fine. What's happening here?"
"A monster has invaded the manor. The lady and your master are fighting it upstairs."
The moment Karon heard this, he rushed toward the upper floor.
The sound of clashing steel and the monster's roar reached his ears, carried by the wind.
***
"Lady, what do you need?"
"A few strikes… and time."
"I'll stay on defense. Attack when you find an opening."
Stark had barely finished speaking when the creature bared its fangs and lunged at him.
He moved to dodge quickly, but couldn't fully evade, only creating enough distance to take a defensive stance.
He blocked the creature's bite.
At that moment, Orchid drove a broken, orange-tinted blade into its neck.
Even though the shattered blade looked too dull to cut bread, it still drew blood from the monster's thick skin.
With graceful and precise movements, the woman danced around the creature, repeatedly striking the same point.
The monster let out a growl and leapt back, then began muttering something.
Its fur bristled, and air currents formed inside the room.
In an instant, a shockwave tore through the entire space, leaving deep gashes across the walls.
Stark couldn't fully defend and sacrificed one of his arms, struggling to stay on his feet, drenched in blood.
Orchid, however, escaped with only minor scratches.
Without hesitation, the monster turned to the master and slammed him against the wall, exploiting his broken balance.
The sound of bones breaking echoed as Stark coughed up blood, barely able to stand.
Still, his eyes showed he refused to give up.
As the creature moved toward Orchid, a sharp blow struck its ear from the side, tearing off a piece of flesh.
The monster let out a sorrowful growl and turned toward the direction the figure had come from.
A man stood there—Stark—supporting himself on his sword, a massive wound across his chest and one arm gone.
The monster tensed its leg muscles and launched itself at him with explosive force, tearing him in half with a single claw strike.
Witnessing this, Orchid screamed and charged the monster.
Her once-elegant movements had turned feral.
She attacked repeatedly, deepening the wound in its neck with every strike.
The air was filled with the smell of gunpowder and blood; every clash rang out like metal singing through the ruins.
Covered in blood and cuts, Orchid carried a wild, almost beautiful brutality.
Sweat mixed with blood streamed down her face, flowing along her body before scattering into the air with her movements.
***
How long had passed was unknown when Karon's mother noticed a figure beside Stark during the battle.
For a brief moment of distraction, she took a heavy hit from the monster.
A deep cut opened in her leg, flesh scattering through the air, and at that exact moment, a figure rushed toward Orchid.
"Mother!?"
"Don't come closer."
"But—"
"You'll only get in the way. It's too dangerous."
Karon stood still, gripping his sword, his foot trembling as it shifted back and forth.
He couldn't gather his thoughts.
Despite her slowing movements due to severe injury, Orchid gripped her broken blade with both hands and began pushing the creature away from Karon.
With every exchange, the monster inflicted more damage, trying to bring her down.
Once they had moved far enough, the mother raised her sword, muttered something under her breath, and swung.
The creature sensed danger and created air currents around its fur.
A deafening explosion followed, strong enough to tear through eardrums.
Karon ran toward the sound.
The creature's neck was shattered—its head severed.
The room was filled with the smell of burning flesh and gunpowder, overpowering even the scent of blood.
Karon scanned the room desperately, searching for one figure.
A woman in a torn dress, hair slightly burned, her leg and abdomen ripped open so deeply that bone was visible: Orchid.
"Mother…"
Coughing blood, she whispered: "gh… gh… my son…"
Karon pressed cloth from his own clothing against her wounds, trying to stop the bleeding.
"Hang on, mother. I'll close the wound and call a healer."
Her delicate voice slowly fading, the woman placed her hand on her son's face.
"I can't… hold on anymore, my son."
"A–ah…"
Words failed him.
Her thin hands, once used to wield a sword, were torn and bloodied. Her beautiful violet eyes were slowly fading.
"My path… gh… gh…"
"Don't speak anymore, mother. You're wasting your strength."
Her slender waist could no longer endure the severity of the wound; several organs spilled outward.
Tears fell as her pupils trembled.
"You choose how it ends."
"..."
"Mother…"
The bowed flower broke.
Cecil's reinforcements arrived hours later. But all they found were a few servants and a boy crying beside a corpse.