"Uh... Hennah?" Ying asked as both she and Hennah walked past the streets and arrived at the brothel. "Why are we here?"

  "What? Never met a woman like me who used to live here?!" Hennah grinned.

  "Wha—"

  "Pfft, relax, I'm just joking. Come in." Hennah grabbed her hand and dragged her inside. The moment they entered, it was nothing but dust and decay.

  "Oh... there's nothing left here," Ying sighed with relief.

  "Well... not completely nothing, red hair," Hennah smirked. She led her into a red room filled with countless scrolls. Ying’s eyes widened in shock at the collection.

  "Wow... where did you get all these?" Ying asked.

  "I wrote them myself."

  "Really?" Ying was amazed.

  "Not really. Jana helped me too."

  "Which Jana?"

  "Crimson Crowns?"

  "Oh, that—wait... JANA HOLFEN?!"

  "Yuhhh. My beloved, fucking cousin."

  As Hennah sifted through the scrolls, Ying tilted her head. "So... Jana Holfen is your cousin... then your whole family’s mostly mages, right?"

  "Except my barbarian."

  "Gholsha?" Ying guessed. Hennah nodded.

  "My family's mostly... how to say this... let’s just call us Paganic Vikings," Hennah said.

  Ying froze. "P-Pa—Paganic... Vikings?!" she stammered. "Y-You’re..."

  Hennah smirked and gave her a chilling side-eye. "What if..."

  As Hennah turned toward her, Ying backed away. She reached for the door—but it was just a wall.

  "HELP!!! ANYBODY!! HELP!!!"

  "Oh... no one's gonna save you anymore, red hair," Hennah chuckled darkly.

  Ying raised her spear, trembling as she pointed it at Hennah. "GET AWAY... I BEG YOU... I—I WILL KILL YOU IF I HAVE TO—"

  As tension built, Hennah suddenly burst into laughter. "HAHAHAHA... YOU SHOULD'VE SEEN YOUR FACE—SIKE!" she cackled wildly.

  Ying stood frozen, still shaken. Hennah, still laughing, said, "Relax, red hair... I have a religion, don't worry. I'm the same as Ming."

  "Ming’s religion?"

  "Hmm... what's it called again? Sil...Seltn...uhh..."

  "Saryiha?" Ying offered.

  "Ah yes, that. I'm bad at naming," Hennah giggled. She gently lowered Ying’s spear and patted her shoulder. "I won’t be as wraithful as the rest of my family. Chillax."

  She turned back toward the red room. "Now... lemme find that scroll. It's gotta be here somewhere."

  Ying stood still, still processing everything.

  Then, from inside the room—

  CRASH.

  Hennah flew out and hit the opposite wall, landing upside down with her legs in the air.

  "I found it!" she grinned.

  "...Oh. I... see."

  In the tavern, Myke sat quietly, sipping Gihl Coffee—black with a bittersweet, spicy aftertaste—as he read the newspaper.

  Across from him, Ming calmly wrote in her notebook. It was her usual habit; he noticed, but didn’t comment.

  After a long moment, Ming broke the silence.

  "I want to replace Ying as vanguard, Myke," she said without looking up.

  "Replace her with you?" Myke replied, eyes still on the paper.

  "Reasons?"

  "Vehra."

  "Hmm. How long?"

  "Only her choice."

  Myke stayed silent, thinking.

  Then—

  a sudden scream echoed from upstairs.

  Jug burst out of his room, completely naked.

  "FUCK... TELL ME THIS IS HEAVEN?!" he shouted in panic.

  "What do you think, Jug?" Myke said dryly.

  "FUCK, I'MMA KILL THAT BITCH!"

  "Hennah?" Ming asked without looking up.

  Jug froze.

  "HENNAH DID THIS?!"

  "She told me you and her went to hell," Ming said, glancing up from her notes.

  "Shit! She should’ve woken me up!"

  "I don’t think she planned to," Ming replied calmly. "Also... why are you naked?"

  "Well, do you know what she meant by ‘going to hell’?" Jug said.

  Ming tilted her head. "No?"

  "Hell meant Telres—the largest, darkest forest."

  "...And?"

  "I thought you knew—"

  "Goblins stole your... clothes?" Ming said blankly.

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  Jug looked down, suddenly realizing.

  "I THOUGHT THERE WERE NO GOBLINS IN THAT FOREST!!"

  Ming went back to her writing.

  "I thought you knew," she said, expressionless.

  As Ying and Hennah continues their journey, Ying noticed she is far away from the town as she walk passed by the crowds that awaiting their teams for the next fight. "Uh...aren't we going to the training ground?" Ying asked.

  "Amatuers, just follow me. I know the great place for you," she winked at Ying.

  As soon they're approaching the heavy trees and darkness linger inside. Ying stops, watching Hennah dwell in. She saw something warping inside, and the unsettling voice from the inside. "Uh...Hennah? Are you sure?"

  Yet she didn't listen, because she'd already inside.

  Ying stand too long, yet she fear of something inside. She had no choice but goes inside to find Hennah.

  As she dwell in, there's no light, only branching trees, old leaves and muddy ground. The chirping sounds distinct yet nowhere to be seen. The trees mostly cover with lichens around it that seems like grass and it moves as if it's alive. The more Ying dwell, the more suffocating she breaths. She almost passed out as Hennah drag her shoulder to her. "Don't go too far, red hair!" she said.

  And as they arrived at the only wide space in between the forest, clear white sky and air begins to re-freshened Ying's once more, she fell. "W-where are we?" Ying asked as she stood up again.

  "Telres," she smiled like nothing is a big deal.

  "WHAT?!" Ying's eyes widened.

  "What?" Hennah tilt her head. "Never been here before?"

  "But..."

  "No...no 'but'. We're here," Hennah said while putting her finger on Ying's lips.

  As Hennah pulls out her scroll, checking and immediately gave it to her. "What...should I do this?" Ying curious.

  "Read it, dumbass,"

  Soon, as Ying look at the words, seems simple to read, and as she reads it, something glows around her. Embers flying around her and her hand starts to burn. "Hennah...HENNAH!!"

  "Relax girl~"

  "I'M BURNING!!! ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME!?"

  "Nah...it's normal,"

  "WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT'S NOR-" soon Ying noticed there's no heat she felt. "Wait..."

  "See...relaaaaxx~" Hennah smile. "Now pick up your spear,"

  As Ying picks up her spear, Hennah strikes her with her fire arrow. Ying flinched, and yet she didn't felt anything and she still standing unharmed. "What...The...Fuck?!"

  "That scrolls is Cindershalya. More like a shield and a buff," Hennah said.

  "Buff?"

  "Oh yeahh... now...Minotaur at your back,"

  And Ying froze, turn her back and saw an ugly minotaur. "KYAAA!!!" Ying freaks out and strikes her spear to the minotaur and it killed it instantly and burn into ashes. "I...fuck...I just killed it..."

  "Effortlessly, right?" Hennah walks towards Ying, lean her body towards her. "Now.." soon she stabs Ying with a knife.

  Ying soon weakened. "Hen-Hennah..." she started to fell.

  "Stand up, bitch! There's a lot of Minotaurs here," Hennah said and walk in the forest again, while waving her hand. "Good luck~"

  As she left, more minotaurs appear, surround her in circles. As Ying tries to stand and fell, she pull out the knife off her body and tries to fight while she can. "I...can't...win this..."

  At far beyond of all arenas, in Telkha, Vehra walks around the hallway, spectating the team's registrations and next fights. She help out the workers and lead some team leaders for direction. Soon, Maks, approach her. "Vehra," he said from afar. Her head slightly raise and her ears twitching. "Word,"

  Soon, Vehra stood, knocking the floor with her iron legs for sound, and she sense him from the front. She soon walks towards, and other team leaders make way for her. As she arrived, Maks holds her tall body still. "I'm here," he assure her that she found him.

  "Glad." she said.

  Then, he hold her arms with his, and walk towards to somewhere quiet, easy for her to hear the footsteps.

  As they arrived nearby, Maks offer her to sit down, pulling a chair and she sits.

  "Why would you ask Ming for a fight?" Maks asked.

  "I want to see if Valirion still relevant to fight," Vehra said.

  "But you know one of her members is still new,"

  "Ying?" and she sense Maks nod. She chuckled and smile softly. "She might be new, but she will knew,"

  "Yet not the war they will faced soon. It'll break Myke again,"

  "Not hers. I know her heart. I know her intentions,"

  "Everyone has they're intentions. You need to postponed that fight. Ying will never cope it, even she won or not,"

  Vehra lets out a soft exhale, and her head wander to his. "She's a survivor, not a fighter. If the kingdoms fell, I can safely say...she may live while others don't," She said. She grab his arm softly and offer him to sit on her lap. "I know how she fight. I yield. I can feel her resilience. As what we have seen before,"

  Maks stays silent on her lap. "Makswara Jifu. The fight must exist. If not...she'll not be ready for the war as what you said,"

  "I'm sorry, Vehra... I'm just...worry for the young that cannot survive for the war."

  "Calm...have faith for Her Divine Light."

  "One... more... Just... one more bullshit!" Ying panted heavily as she finished off the last minotaur. She summoned her glitch clones, charged, and ran her spear straight through the beast’s chest.

  "Finally..." she gasped, relieved.

  She picked up the scroll and gave it a quick glance. But before she could breathe—

  Three arrows sliced past her.

  Ying flinched, dodging instinctively.From the treeline—Hennah stepped forward, face cold, bow drawn.

  "OH SHIT!" Ying screamed, scrambling.

  "You know your task," Hennah said, her voice stern—void of jokes, laughter, or chaos.

  She loosed another volley. Ying dodged, destroyed some mid-air, lunged forward—

  But then—A rain of arrows fell from above.

  Hundreds.

  "NYALHA!!" Ying shouted, trying to trigger her spear’s invocation—But nothing.

  “Your spear is sealed with your spells,” Hennah said coldly.

  Ying looked at her—But it wasn’t Hennah.Not the prankster. Not the wild flame.

  This was something else.

  Deadly. Controlled. Focused.

  Ying’s lips began to move—muttering something.Hennah narrowed her eyes.

  “What?!”

  “…”

  “I CAN’T HEAR YOU!! SAY IT OUT LOUD!!”

  "TERLA VARLA!!"Ying roared.

  Her spear split in half—forming twin blades. She spun them above her, shielding herself as arrows clashed and broke against her new form.

  Then, she charged.

  “NOW WE’RE TALKING!!” Hennah yelled—voice sharp as steel.She shifted her bow into a gauntlet and dashed forward, jabbing hard.

  Ying blocked the strike with both blades, gritted her teeth, then kicked Hennah back.

  She lunged again—Flurry. Strike. Spin. Rage.

  Hennah rolled, dodged, and jabbed Ying in the back—Ying fell to her knees.

  As Hennah raised her weapon to finish the fight—Ying snapped her blades back into a spear and drove it into the ground.

  Suddenly, an explosive shockwave knocked Hennah off her feet.

  Ying knelt in the center of the blast—spear planted like a flag.Wind howled around her.

  Hennah stared—Something inside Ying had changed. It wasn’t just fury.

  It was something deeper. Something angry.

  Hennah smirked.

  “Hehe... That’s what I wanted to see!”

  She swapped her gauntlet for a spear and charged again—Their weapons clashed—

  And then—

  "YOU ANNOYED ME!!YOU KILLED ME!!I WON'T FORGIVE YOU!!"

  Ying’s scream shattered through the clearing.

  Hennah froze.

  The wind struck her.

  And she fell.

  Ying stood up, panting. She reassembled her spear and walked toward her opponent—But her hands were trembling.

  She looked at Hennah.

  Tears were running down her cheeks.

  "I'm... I'm sorry," Hennah stuttered. "I-I stabbed you... I’m sorry..."

  Ying blinked.

  “Hennah... I—”

  “Kill me…” Hennah sobbed. “JUST FINISH ME OFF, YOU BASTARD…”

  But Ying dropped her spear.

  And wrapped her arms around her.

  “I didn’t know I hurt you worse,” Ying whispered. “I’m sorry.”

  Hennah broke.

  She cried—loud, aching, raw.

  “I just wanted to train you... I didn’t mean to kill you…”

  Ying held her tighter.

  Hennah wasn't a monster. She wasn’t a evil.She was just—unhinged. And hurting.