The forest didn't relax after the kill.
If anything—
it grew quieter.
Too quiet.
Vee wiped the last trace of dark blood from his hand, staring at the fallen Nightmaw. The faint energy he had absorbed still lingered inside him, like a second heartbeat trying to sync with the first.
Unstable.
But… addictive.
"…I could get used to this," he murmured.
"Don't."
The girl's voice cut in immediately.
He glanced at her.
She stood a few steps away now, sword lowered but not sheathed. Her eyes weren't on the corpse anymore.
They were on him.
Sharp. Careful. Calculating.
"You don't understand what you just touched," she said.
Vee raised a brow. "Pretty sure I just helped kill a giant nightmare dog. I understand that part perfectly."
"That wasn't what I meant."
Her grip tightened slightly.
"That thing you absorbed… it's not normal."
Vee smirked faintly. "You keep saying that like anything about today has been normal."
She didn't respond.
Didn't argue.
Which somehow felt worse.
A breeze passed through the trees.
Cold.
Heavy.
Different.
The girl stiffened.
Not visibly—
but Vee noticed.
"…You felt that too, right?" he asked.
She didn't answer.
Instead, she turned her head slightly toward the deeper part of the forest.
Listening.
Waiting.
Then—
Her expression changed.
Not fear.
Not panic.
Something sharper.
Annoyance.
"…Too soon," she muttered.
"Too soon for what?"
Before she could answer—
A voice echoed through the trees.
Calm.
Low.
Controlled.
"Young Miss."
Vee froze.
That voice didn't belong in this forest.
It wasn't wild.
It wasn't desperate.
It was… disciplined.
A figure stepped out from between the trees.
No dramatic entrance.
No noise.
He was simply there.
Tall.
Dressed in dark, fitted clothing that blended into the shadows.
A long coat, slightly torn at the edges.
And eyes—
Cold.
The kind that measured everything in a single glance.
They landed on Vee.
Paused.
Judged.
Dismissed.
Then shifted to the girl.
"You've strayed farther than permitted."
The girl exhaled quietly, lowering her sword completely this time.
"…You're late."
"Delays occurred."
His tone didn't change.
Didn't justify.
Didn't apologize.
Just stated fact.
Vee blinked.
"…Okay, hold on," he said, pointing between them. "Who is this guy? And why does he sound like he charges people for breathing?"
The man didn't react.
Didn't even acknowledge him.
That alone irritated Vee.
"Hey, shadow guy—I'm talking to you."
Nothing.
The girl spoke instead.
"…He's my bodyguard."
Vee paused.
Then looked the man up and down again.
"…Of course he is."
That explained a lot.
The attitude.
The silence.
The whole 'I can kill you in five seconds and won't even blink' vibe.
"Name?" Vee asked casually.
Still nothing.
The girl sighed.
"…He doesn't talk to strangers."
"I'm not a stranger. I just helped you not die."
"He talks to important people."
"…Wow."
Vee placed a hand over his chest.
"I've been insulted by gods, systems, and now a background character in a coat. This day is really going great."
The bodyguard's gaze flickered back to him.
This time—
it lingered.
Longer.
Studying.
Not dismissing.
Vee felt it instantly.
Pressure.
Not physical.
But real.
"…Oh," Vee muttered. "So now I exist?"
The man finally spoke again.
"You smell of death."
Silence fell.
Even the wind seemed to pause.
Vee tilted his head slightly.
"…I just fought a monster. That happens."
"No."
The man's eyes narrowed.
"Not that kind."
The girl's expression hardened.
"…You noticed it too."
Vee looked between them.
"…Okay, now I feel left out of a conversation about me."
The bodyguard stepped forward.
Slow.
Controlled.
Dangerous.
"You should not be near her."
Vee raised an eyebrow.
"And you should say please."
A pause.
The air tightened.
The girl stepped in between them.
"That's enough."
Her voice wasn't loud.
But it carried weight.
Authority.
The bodyguard stopped instantly.
Vee noticed that.
Filed it away.
Important.
"…We're leaving," she said.
Vee blinked. "Wait—what?"
She turned slightly toward him, her expression unreadable.
"This place will get worse."
"Yeah, I figured that part out."
"You won't survive the next wave."
He smirked faintly.
"Funny. I didn't survive the first one either."
A flicker passed through her eyes.
Confusion?
Suspicion?
But it vanished quickly.
"…You should go somewhere safer."
"Like where?"
She didn't answer.
Didn't offer help.
Didn't offer a path.
Just—
turned away.
The bodyguard moved beside her instantly, silent as ever.
Vee watched them.
"…That's it?" he called out. "You're just leaving?"
She stopped.
For a second.
Then—
without turning—
"You're not weak."
A pause.
"But you're not strong enough either."
Vee's smile faded slightly.
"…Working on it."
"I can see that."
Another pause.
Then, quietly—
"Try not to die."
Vee let out a short laugh.
"…No promises."
For a brief moment—
it almost felt like she might smile.
But she didn't.
They disappeared into the forest.
Just like that.
Gone.
Silence returned.
Heavy.
Empty.
Vee stood there alone again.
"…Well," he muttered, stretching his shoulders.
"That was rude."
He glanced at the corpse of the Nightmaw.
Then at his hands.
Then toward the direction they left.
"…She'll come back," he said to himself.
Not hopeful.
Not certain.
Just… stating it.
Then his expression shifted.
Darkened slightly.
"…And next time—"
His fingers curled slowly.
"—I won't be the one getting left behind."
The wind picked up again.
And far deeper in the forest—
something had been watching the entire time.
Waiting.