Garron didn't respond.
He just knelt there.
Between them.
Surrounded by what was left.
His hand resting gently on Thalia;
While his gaze remained fixed on the others.
Still.
Silent.
And breaking.
"We should leave," Valen said, his voice low but firm, cutting through the weight of the moment. "This forest is far too dangerous. The longer we stay… the more attention we draw."
No one answered immediately.
Garron didn't even look at him.
He remained kneeling.
One hand resting lightly on Thalia's shoulder.
The other.
Hanging at his side.
Still.
His head lowered.
His breath uneven.
The silence around him deepened.
Not empty.
Heavy.
Crushing.
His eyes moved slowly.
From Thalia…
To Henry….
To Mauris…
Each one still.
Each one unmoving.
His jaw tightened.
Then loosened.
Then tightened again.
"…how…" he whispered, barely audible.
Not to anyone.
Not really.
"…how do we save her…?"
Valen stepped closer.
Careful.
Measured.
"We don't know," he said honestly. "But staying here won't help."
A pause.
"It will make her condition worse."
Garron's hand trembled slightly against Thalia's shoulder.
He swallowed hard.
Then.....
"What about Mauris… and Henry…?"
His voice broke.
Soft.
But filled with something raw.
"We can't just leave them here…"
A breath;
Shaking.
"…I can't leave them here."
Silence answered him.
No easy words.
No comfort.
Then...
His eyes shifted suddenly.
"…Frauner…"
The name came slower.
"…where is Frauner…? I heard he was missing as well…"
Leah's voice came weakly from behind.
"…Frauner… was thrown… that way…"
Her trembling hand lifted slightly.
Pointing toward the darker stretch of forest.
Garron turned.
His gaze fixed in that direction.
Determination flickered.
Through grief.
"I'll look for him," he said, forcing himself up, his body protesting but his will pushing through.
He barely took a step.
"He's not there."
Zyra's voice cut in.
Casual.
Certain.
Garron stopped.
Slowly turned.
His eyes landed on her.
Taking in the horns.
The posture.
The presence.
Something shifted in his expression.
Confusion!
Then realization.
Then tension.
"…you…"
His hand moved instinctively.
To his sword.
"You're a demon."
The word came out low.
Sharp.
His grip tightened as he began to draw the blade.
But before the steel fully cleared.
Valen moved.
Instant.
Silent.
His sword was already out.
Positioned.
Between them.
A faint glow ignited along the edge as he murmured.
"Lux… ward."
The air tightened again.
Charged.
Ready.
"Uncle!"
Leah's voice broke through, weak but urgent.
"She's not dangerous…!"
Garron didn't lower his weapon.
Didn't move back.
"How can you be sure?" he snapped, his voice rising with strain, with fear, with everything breaking inside him.
"She's a demon."
A step forward.
His blade steady now.
"Demons devour humans."
Zyra blinked.
Once.
Then tilted her head slightly.
Almost curious.
"…wow."
A pause.
"That's a strong introduction."
Valen didn't move.
Didn't lower his blade.
The tension snapped tight again.
Not with rage;
But with uncertainty.
And grief still bleeding through every word.
Zyra didn't flinch.
Didn't step back.
Didn't even look offended.
She just sighed.
Long.
Tired.
Then rested the knife loosely against her shoulder, glancing at Garron like she'd just been mildly inconvenienced.
"Relax."
A small pause.
Then she pointed at herself with her thumb.
"My mother is human."
That made Garron hesitate.
Just slightly.
Zyra continued, her tone casual, almost bored; but there was something real underneath it now.
"I'm half."
She tilted her head.
"Half human. Half demon."
The mist shifted softly around them.
"I haven't killed even one human."
Her eyes flicked toward him.
Not defensive.
Not pleading.
Just… stating it.
Then she exhaled again, dragging a hand through her hair in mild frustration.
"You know how hard it is to not eat you people?"
A beat.
She gestured vaguely toward the forest.
"I survive on cattle. Sheep. Whatever I can find that doesn't scream accusations mid-meal."
She made a face.
"Very inconvenient lifestyle, by the way."
Valen let out a quiet breath through his nose.
Not quite a laugh.
But close.
Zyra crossed her arms now, looking back at Garron.
"So no," she added lightly, "I'm not here to devour anyone."
A pause.
Then, with a small shrug;
"Unless you keep waving that sword at me."
Leah, still sitting weakly against the tree, looked between them, her voice trembling but sincere.
"…she saved me…"
Her fingers tightened slightly against the ground.
"She didn't have to…"
Garron's grip on his sword remained firm.
But it wasn't as rigid now.
Not as certain.
His eyes moved between Zyra…
Valen…
Then back to Leah.
The storm inside him hadn't settled
But it faltered.
Just enough to listen.
Valen didn't lower his sword immediately.
But his voice cut through the tension again.
Calm.
Firm.
"This is not the time to fight."
A brief silence followed.
Then the glow along his blade dimmed, and he slowly sheathed it.
"We should leave."
The weight of it settled over everyone.
Not a suggestion.
A necessity.
Zyra exhaled and rolled her shoulders, brushing her fingers lightly along her arm as if shaking off the last trace of tension.
"Finally," she muttered. "Someone thinking clearly."
Her gaze shifted toward the direction of the river, then back to Garron and Leah.
"Me and Valen will follow the river," she said. "We'll go deeper into the forest."
A pause.
"We'll look for your Frauner."
Leah's chest tightened slightly at the name.
Zyra continued, more grounded now.
"For now, you leave."
She motioned toward the bodies on the ground.
"We'll help you carry them… at least until the forest border."
Valen gave a small nod.
"The deeper regions will only get worse," he added. "If Frauner is alive, we have a better chance of finding him than you do in your current state."
Garron stood still.
Watching them.
Weighing everything.
His gaze shifted.
To Leah...
To Thalia...
To Henry.....
To Mauris.....
The decision pressed into him like a weight he couldn't refuse.
"…we don't leave them," he said quietly, voice strained but firm. "Not like this."
Valen answered without hesitation.
"We won't."
Zyra stepped forward and knelt beside Thalia, sliding one arm carefully beneath her shoulders and the other under her legs. She lifted her smoothly, adjusting her hold so Thalia's head rested securely against her shoulder.
"…I'll take her," Zyra said.
No teasing this time.
Just quiet certainty.
Valen moved toward Mauris, crouching beside him. He checked him once more out of instinct; then lifted him with controlled effort, securing his weight across his arms.
Garron turned to Henry.
His movements slowed.
Careful.
He knelt beside him, his hands pausing briefly before lifting him; supporting him as if he were still alive, as if care still mattered.
Leah remained where she was for a moment.
Watching.
Breathing unevenly.
Trying to hold herself together.
Garron looked at Leah, his expression still heavy with everything he had just seen.
"…can you walk?"