The flames hadn't slowed.
They had grown.
What started as scattered fires had now spread into a crawling inferno, licking through rain-soaked tents, devouring canvas that refused to die quietly. Smoke clung low, thick and suffocating, while injured Lust members stumbled through mud and ash, some dragging bodies, others failing to put out flames that only kept returning.
And at the center of it—
Mia lifted both hammers.
Her golden eyes burned.
"So you want to play with me too?"
The air tightened.
The shadow stood a few steps away, posture loose… almost lazy.
"Damn, no."
The response came instantly.
Flat.
Uninterested.
Mia didn't even pause.
Her muscles tensed—
She was about to swing again.
But the man raised a single finger… and pointed past her.
"Before you do that…"
His tone didn't change.
"Why don't you take a look around first?"
For a split second—
She ignored him.
Then her brow twitched.
Annoyance flickered.
But something in his voice… made her hesitate.
Just slightly.
Mia clicked her tongue and turned her head.
And froze.
The camp—
Was worse than she thought.
Far worse.
Flames had spread deeper into the compound, devouring entire sections of tents. The rain-soaked ground hissed endlessly beneath them, steam rising in waves as fire refused to die. Several of her faction members were down—some unmoving, others barely crawling, their bodies burned, broken… useless.
The ones still standing weren't fighting enemies anymore.
They were trying to survive the fire.
Trying—and failing—to regain control.
Her jaw tightened.
When… did it get this bad?
Her gaze sharpened.During the fight…She hadn't noticed....Not the fire,Not the damage,Not the losses, Only him, Only the wolf. Her grip on the hammer tightened.
Then—
She turned back.
Eyes colder now.
Still ready to strike.
The shadow exhaled softly, as if mildly relieved she had at least looked.
"Good," he muttered.
Then, casually—
"Let's make a deal."
Mia didn't lower her weapon.
But she didn't swing either.
He continued.
"You can have the corpse of the brute."
His gaze flicked briefly toward Bjorn's motionless body in the mud.
"All I ask…"
His eyes shifted to Aira.
"…is that I take her."
A pause.
"And I'll leave. Peacefully."
The flames crackled louder between them.
Mia said nothing.
But her mind moved.
Fast.
I could crush him.
Even like this… I could still—
…No.
If I drag this out…
Her eyes flicked briefly across the battlefield again.
Other factions could arrive.
The fire alone was already destabilizing everything.
And this man—She didn't know him, Didn't feel him, Didn't understand him. That made him dangerous.
Her tongue pressed lightly against her teeth.
Tch…
And then—Her shoulder throbbed.
The one Bjorn had shattered.
Pain pulsed through her arm, subtle… but real.
Her breathing was slightly heavier now.
Sweat traced slowly down her neck, mixing with ash.
With these injuries…
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
…dealing with him will be troublesome.
Silence stretched.
Then—
Mia's lips curled.
"…Fine."
The word came low.
Controlled.
"I'll accept your deal."
The tension didn't drop.
It shifted.
Her grip tightened around her hammer again.
"But…"
She took a step forward.
Her posture wavered—just slightly.
Barely noticeable.
But it was there.
The strain.
The fatigue.
The heat.
Sweat now more visible along her skin.
Her golden eyes locked onto his.
Sharp.
Demanding.
"One condition."
The shadow didn't move.
Didn't react.
Just watched her.
Waiting.
The flames roared louder in the background.
Somewhere behind them, a tent collapsed inward with a burst of sparks.
And for the first time—
The air between them felt like it could snap at any second.
"What is it?" he asked calmly.
Mia's smile deepened.
Dangerous.
Possessive.
Unstable.
And whatever she was about to say—
Wasn't going to be simple.
Part 1 end
Mia didn't answer immediately.
For a moment, she just stood there—breathing heavier now, the heat of the flames clinging to her skin, sweat tracing down her jawline. Her golden eyes drifted… not to the shadow—
But to Bjorn.
His body lay still in the mud.
Broken.
Blood pooling beneath his head, mixing with rainwater and ash.
Something in her expression shifted.
Subtle.Her eyes stayed on him… a second too long.
Almost unnoticeable.
Then she spoke.
"…Dispose of him."
Her voice was quieter now.
Not the same sharp, sadistic edge from before.
Lower.
Heavier.
"Make sure there's nothing left."
Her grip tightened slightly around her hammer.
For the briefest moment—
Her eyes lingered on Bjorn's body.
Then she turned away.
"Do that…"
A small pause.
"…and the girl is yours."
The shadow said nothing.
He just watched her.
Mia took a step—
And her posture betrayed her.
Just slightly.
Her injured arm hung awkwardly, and though she still held both hammers, her movement lacked its earlier sharpness. She shifted, subtly using her body to support the damaged shoulder.
The cost of that fight.
She exhaled through her nose.
Then—
She blurred.
Her figure vanished into the smoke and fire, reappearing further away as she moved toward her struggling faction members—back into the chaos she was supposed to control.
The flames roared on.
The shadow remained.
Silence settled in her absence.
Only the crackle of burning tents… the hiss of wet earth… and distant groans of the injured filled the space.
He stepped forward.
Slowly.
Boots pressing lightly into the mud as if the ground barely acknowledged him.
Aira lay closest.
Unconscious.
Blood matted into her hair.
Bjorn lay beside her.
Still.
The shadow stopped over them.
Looking down.
Not with concern.
Not with urgency.
Just… observation.
"…Oh well."
His voice was quiet.
Detached.
"It's the leader's order."
Aira first.
He bent slightly, lifting her with ease, draping her over his shoulder like she weighed nothing.
Her arm hung limply behind him.
Her blood still dripping faintly onto the mud below.
He adjusted his grip.
Then turned—
And froze.
A twitch.
His eyes flicked downward.
Bjorn's hand.
It had moved.
Just slightly.
The shadow's gaze narrowed.
"…What?"
A pause.
The fire crackled louder behind him.
Smoke drifted between them.
"…Nah."
He exhaled lightly.
"Guess I'm just tired from following that girl around all day."
He shifted his weight, about to step away—
Then—
A sound.
Wet.
Uneven.
A broken inhale.
Ghk—
The shadow stopped.
Slowly…
He turned his head.
Bjorn's body jerked faintly against the mud.
His chest convulsed.
Another sound tore from his throat—
A deep, choking cough.
"—GHK—!"
Mud and blood bubbled at his lips.
Air forced its way violently back into his lungs as if his body had forgotten how to breathe—and was now remembering all at once.
His fingers curled.
Uncurled.
Then clenched again.
His chest rose sharply—
Then fell.
Then rose again—
More controlled this time.
But still unstable.
Like something restarting.
Like a body dragging itself back from the edge of death.
The shadow's eyes widened.
For the first time since he appeared—
Genuine surprise.
"…Is this…"
His voice dropped.
"…a Lazarus phenomenon?"
Bjorn's breathing came rough.
Erratic.
Deep gasps followed by sharp coughs, his lungs fighting to stabilize after what should have been death. His body trembled slightly, muscles twitching as oxygen surged back through a system that had already begun shutting down.
His heartbeat—
Faint.
But returning.
His eyes didn't open.
Not yet.
But he was breathing.
Alive.
The shadow stared.
Then—
A slow grin crept across his face.
"…What a ridiculous life force."
He adjusted Aira slightly on his shoulder, but his attention never left Bjorn.
"To take that kind of damage…"
His gaze sharpened.
"…and still claw your way back?"
A quiet chuckle escaped him.
Low.
Genuinely impressed.
"You're not normal."
The flames reflected faintly in his eyes.
For a moment—
He just stood there.
Watching.
Studying.
"…Now this is interesting."
Bjorn's chest rose again.....Shakier this time....But steady enough.....Like something inside him refused to let go.
And the night....Burning, choking, alive with chaos...Seemed to pause…Just slightly
As the wolf breathed again.
To be continued