Cyrinne noticed them long before they reached the village.
At first, it was only a distant disturbance, a subtle shift within the forest itself. Branches broke somewhere beyond the trees. Predators abandoned their territories and relocated. Monsters changed their routes. The forest was moving around something.
Then came the sounds.
Footsteps.
Human.
Several of them.
One moved normally.
The other moved like a natural disaster disguised as a man.
Still in her wolf form, Cyrinne leapt from the watchtower overlooking the settlement. Her massive body crossed the distance in a single bound. The moment she landed inside the village, silver light rippled around her as she transformed back into her human form.
Several lamias noticed immediately.
"Lady Cyrinne?"
She didn't answer.
That alone was enough to make everyone nervous.
Cyrinne's expression remained calm as she looked toward the forest.
"We have company."
Within minutes, word spread throughout the settlement.
Visitors.
Strangers.
Humans.
The atmosphere shifted immediately.
Not into panic.
Into caution.
The village had survived precisely because outsiders never found it.
Outsiders were a problem.
And problems usually arrived carrying swords.
Lucas appeared moments later.
"What happened?"
Cyrinne continued walking toward the village entrance.
"We have guests."
Lucas frowned.
"...Was I followed? How?"
"We shall find out."
His hand immediately moved toward the sword hanging at his waist.
Nearby, several mudwolves rose from their resting places. The enormous creatures watched the forest silently, muscles tense beneath thick fur.
Waiting.
Observing.
The lamias gathered behind them.
Some armed.
Some curious.
Some are very obviously hoping for drama.
One younger lamia whispered excitedly,
"What if it's bandits?"
Another whispered back,
"What if they're handsome bandits?"
The first one paused thoughtfully.
"Excellent point."
"We should reserve judgment."
Raisa pinched the bridge of her nose.
"It doesn't matter what they look like. They're intruders."
The lamias ignored her completely.
Eventually,
the visitors emerged.
The forest grew quiet.
Even the birds stopped singing.
Two men stepped from between the trees.
One wore black from head to toe.
Young.
Handsome.
Dangerous.
The other seemed to carry an entirely different kind of weight.
Silence itself appeared to bend around him.
Tall.
Restrained.
Ominous.
The sort of presence that made people instinctively lower their voices.
The moment Cyrinne saw him, recognition flickered briefly across her face.
Noctellis Ellengarde.
Hero of the Empire.
Isaac talked about him constantly.
Usually while annoyed.
Occasionally while plotting murder.
Mostly annoyed.
Noctellis studied her in return.
Silver hair.
Jade-green eyes.
An ancient beauty untouched by time.
A Primarch.
Without question.
Neither spoke immediately.
Meanwhile, the younger lamias were experiencing an entirely different crisis.
"Oh no."
"What?"
"We are under attack by beautiful men."
"They're both ridiculously attractive."
Raisa looked physically exhausted.
"What did I just say?"
The lamias continued ignoring her.
Ysilvern's gaze shifted across the gathering.
Past Cyrinne.
Past Lucas.
Past the mudwolves.
Past everyone else.
Until it landed on a single person.
Milena.
The color drained from her face.
For a brief moment, she looked exactly like the woman who had first stumbled into the village.
Tired.
Cornered.
Afraid.
Ysilvern stared.
Months.
Months of searching.
Months of frustration.
Months of anger.
And there she was.
Alive.
Healthy.
Smiling.
Without him.
Something dark settled behind his eyes.
Milena slowly stepped forward.
Nobody stopped her.
"Milena."
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
That somehow made it worse.
She swallowed.
"...Ysilvern."
His gaze swept over her carefully.
No bruises.
No injuries.
No signs of mistreatment.
He visibly relaxed.
Then immediately seemed irritated by his own relief.
"You've caused me a great deal of trouble."
Several lamias gasped.
One whispered,
"That was his opening line?"
Another nodded solemnly.
"Terrible."
"Absolutely awful."
"I expected better."
Rosaline looked horrified.
Lucas looked entertained.
Milena ignored all of them.
"Why are you here?"
Ysilvern smiled faintly.
"You know why I'm here."
His eyes never left hers.
"I came to bring my wife home."
The words landed heavily.
Milena's hands tightened.
"No."
The answer came instantly.
No hesitation.
No uncertainty.
Just,
no.
For the first time, Ysilvern's smile disappeared.
"You've had your vacation."
"It wasn't a vacation."
"Then what was it?"
Milena laughed softly.
A sad laugh.
The kind that hurt to hear.
"You really don't know?"
Silence stretched between them.
Then she raised her head.
"Do you know what finally made me leave?"
Ysilvern folded his arms.
"Enlighten me."
The village listened.
Nobody interrupted.
Even the monsters seemed quieter.
Milena took a deep breath.
"I am not fit to be in your world."
Something flickered across Ysilvern's expression.
Not guilt.
Not regret.
Confusion.
And perhaps irritation.
Because from his perspective, he had given her everything.
Protection.
Comfort.
Safety.
Love.
Why wasn't that enough?
"You were safe."
Milena smiled weakly.
"There it is."
"What?"
"You still don't understand."
Something uncomfortable stirred inside him.
For the first time since arriving, Ysilvern felt uncertain.
And he hated it.
"I woke up every morning wondering what decision had already been made for me."
Her voice trembled.
"With you..."
"I never chose where I lived."
"I never chose where I went."
"I never chose who followed me."
"I never chose anything."
Ysilvern stared.
Still not understanding.
Still trying to solve the problem without understanding what the problem actually was.
Milena looked away.
Because there was one truth she could never say aloud.
You deserve someone better.
Someone educated.
Someone useful.
Someone worthy of standing beside you.
Not me.
She swallowed the words.
Instead, she simply whispered,
"I don't belong in your world anymore."
Ysilvern's face became completely expressionless.
That was somehow worse.
Far worse.
Several seconds passed.
Then—
"Are you finished?"
Milena's heart sank.
She recognized that tone.
She had heard it before.
Whenever Ysilvern stopped listening.
Whenever he made a decision.
"Milena."
His voice became frighteningly calm.
"We're leaving."
The words cracked through the clearing.
Not loud.
Not angry.
Absolute.
Final.
Ysilvern stepped forward.
Milena instinctively stepped back.
The movement was tiny.
Almost invisible.
But Ysilvern saw it.
Pain flashed briefly behind his eyes.
Then hurt.
Then possessiveness.
"No."
Milena shook her head.
"I won't go."
Silence.
Then Ysilvern smiled.
A terrible smile.
Small.
Cold.
Dangerous.
"I wasn't asking."
Behind him, his men appeared and reached for their weapons.
Across the village, every mudwolf rose simultaneously.
The forest became very quiet.
Very still.
Like the moment before a storm.
Then Ysilvern moved.
Fast.
Far too fast.
His men followed.
Chaos ensued, and they all scattered to fight back and to defend.
Ysilvern's hand shot forward and closed around Milena's wrist.
Gasps erupted immediately.
"Let me go!"
"No."
"You can't do this!"
"You ran away from a life most people would kill for. I gave you everything. And you threw it away."
Battle exploded around them.
Monsters charged.
Weapons flashed.
Screams echoed across the clearing.
And directly in the center of it all—
Noctellis drew his sword.
Silver steel flashed beneath the sunlight.
Cyrinne's eyes sharpened instantly.
The Primarch smiled.
Just slightly.
Then she stepped forward.
The collision shook the entire clearing.
The earth shattered beneath their feet.
Trees cracked.
Shockwaves blasted outward in every direction.
Everyone nearby scattered immediately.
Noctellis stared at her.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Aside from Isaac,
someone else had stopped him.
And Cyrinne stared back with equal interest.
Neither moved.
Neither yielded.
The battle had only begun.
Then,
far away, deep within the Null Forest,
something enormous roared.
Every monster in the village lifted its head simultaneously.
The sound echoed through the forest like thunder.
Cyrinne's smile widened.
A real smile this time.
Noctellis frowned.
The Primarch glanced toward the trees.
Toward something approaching rapidly.
"She's back."
A second later,
something massive crashed through the forest.
Trees exploded outward.
The ground trembled violently.
And the entire battlefield froze.