Sin screamed as grass blades pierced his body. He tried to rise, but movement intensified the agony. Trapped—not physically, but by pain too overwhelming to endure—he felt the blades drive deeper into his flesh.
A message flashed red in his mind. The system. Was it warning of blood loss? He couldn't tell. His vision blurred, rendering the words illegible.
*Host has sustained massive blood loss. Activating Blood Fill.*
"What is—" Sin croaked.
His body began filling with blood, though he couldn't understand the point when it would simply seep through the holes. Yet his wounds started healing. Eventually, the punctures closed, and the grass blades could no longer harm him. Pain lingered—at least its aftereffects did—but Sin shakily stood.
He examined his body. No injuries remained.
*What was that?*
He studied the message again. *Blood Fill. Does it replenish my blood and heal my body?*
Shaking off the thought, he continued walking. The grass blades bent harmlessly beneath his feet now, as though he'd become immune. He walked for miles. Day became night, and still he walked. After nearly twenty-four hours, he found himself in a large city—multiple houses, multiple buildings. A civilization built by humans.
His legs weakened. He felt consciousness slipping away. When he collapsed, the grass merely bent under his weight, breaking off before immediately reforming.
His red eyes closed.
---
Instead of the cave where the hollows stood in perpetual darkness, the red-eyed man at the far end now faced all five thousand of them. Edward, Sam, and the Hunter stood among the mass.
The Hunter stepped back. His cannons ceased firing. Every weapon and gadget remained on his waist, untouched. He didn't dare reach for them.
The hollows stood frozen, afraid.
"Leave now," the man said, his red eyes boring into them. Somehow, he seemed to look at all five thousand simultaneously, meeting every black eye on every face.
"We can't find the exit," Sam said. "How exactly do you expect us to leave?"
"My energy isn't at a high enough level to create a portal," Edward added, "especially for five thousand hollows."
"Then I will teleport you out," the man said, raising his hand. "I don't know where you'll arrive, but I know you'll be teleported somewhere in my realm and yours."
"What does that mean?" a hollow asked, stepping forward.
"It means you'll be teleported to my original home. I don't know how you'll return to yours, but that won't be a problem anyway."
"What do you mean it won't be a problem?" Edward demanded. "If you teleport us away, we won't know how to get back. How exactly do you think this will be easy?"
"Perhaps someone will tell you the way back. Maybe someone already has a portal open," the man said.
"Maybe isn't good enough," Sam said, glancing at Edward.
"You don't think I know that? I can't get us out of here."
The Hunter stood motionless. Then he did the most cowardly thing imaginable. Smart, but cowardly. He pressed a button on his waist and became invisible. Gone. His essence vanished. Everything about him disappeared, even the cannons.
The man couldn't reach him. The hollows could teleport, but that didn't mean the Hunter couldn't. They were stuck. He wasn't. He'd prepared an escape plan in case things went south.
The man stood unbothered by the Hunter's disappearance. His eyes blazed red as the floor crumbled beneath the hollows. They fell into infinite darkness.
The last thing Sam said as he plummeted: "You'll pay for this. I will find you, and I will kill you."
Then darkness swallowed him.
---
Hours later, Sin woke on a bed. Two people slept in beds beside him.
To his right lay a young man with black hair, red scales, and a red sword placed beside him. His blue eyes shimmered, open even in sleep.
To his left slept a young woman, slightly older than the man. She also had blue eyes that remained open while she slept, black hair, red scales or armor, and a red sword.
Sin sat up quickly, surveying the area. Outside, darkness reigned. Surprisingly, no moon hung in the sky.
*Is there no moon where I am?*
He examined the room. Paintings adorned several walls, depicting multiple figures holding swords, each wearing different colored armor. One stood out: a person with black hair, black eyes, black scales, and a black sword strapped to their back. The others appeared nearly blurred.
If only Elias were here to help him understand where he was. But Elias had vanished—not in the mindscape, not anywhere Sin could sense. He was gone. Couldn't help this time.
Sin was on his own.
His eyes felt heavy, and he was extremely groggy, meaning his brain didn't process everything around him. Slowly, surprise set in. Then confusion.
He left his bed and walked around. A door stood at the far end of the room. As he approached, his footsteps softened somehow—the floor absorbed the sound beneath his feet, even though he walked at his usual pace.
He reached the door and opened it. After he left, everything returned to normal. The room itself was noise-canceling.
Outside, he shut the door behind him and looked around. A large hall stretched before him. Nothing but corridor extending far into the distance. When Sin squinted, he could see where it ended. Many doors lined the hall, triggering memories of the demon mansion—the halls, the doors.
He hadn't forgotten the demon mansion. It simply wasn't the first thing on his mind anymore. Still, he reminisced, even though he'd been there such a short time. This hall brought those memories flooding back.
Sin continued down the corridor. Eventually, he heard noise in a room. He walked over and placed his ear against the door.
"I can't believe they brought someone in," a female voice said.
Another voice responded—male. "You have to remember, some people, whether human or dragon, get left in the outskirts of the Dragonic Continent. Bringing someone in, whether they're human, dragon, or any other race we don't know about, is a kind deed. Plus, remember our deal. The humans will only kill dragons who've been criminalized. It's a fair deal, considering our blood slows human aging and gives them superhuman abilities. They're not mindlessly killing us, so it's all good in the end."
The woman spoke again. "I guess you're right." Her voice lowered. "Who knows? Maybe this man isn't like the other humans. After all, remember—Talon and Crystal said his eyes opened, and they were red. No human's eyes are red."
"I don't know. He might be another race, though. There are other races besides humans, you know. Honestly, if you don't know that, it's understandable. All we see nowadays are dragons and humans. We don't see other races besides ourselves and humans, so I wouldn't fault you for not knowing there are others in this world."
"You're right. You're right."
The man smiled—Sin could hear it in his voice. "Yes, I am. Also, remember to tell Talon and Crystal to wake the young man and give him food if he needs it. After all, he was brought in exhausted, so he probably needs nutrients."
"What if we don't have what he eats or drinks?"
"That's not a problem. We have everything here for all races. Since we don't know if another race will come, we stock everything—water, blood, human food, and of course just water, because you never know. Some people might drink only water and nothing else."
"What's the blood for, by way?"
"Just in case."
"I should have known you'd say that." She sighed and lay back down. "Let's just go back to sleep, okay? We'll discuss this matter tomorrow."
The man smiled warmly. "Yeah, I'm already tired. You've stayed up late enough as it is."
They lay back down and fell asleep.
Sin finally removed his ear from the door.
*How interesting. They have all types of food here, including blood. Lucky for me. They probably have human food as well. Surprisingly, I miss the taste of human food. I haven't eaten in a while. Come to think of it, I can't remember the last time I actually ate something. It's been non-stop combat ever since I turned into a Shut-up. It'll be nice to have some food.*
Sin walked back toward his room and opened the door. The noise quieted immediately—the noise-canceling room at work. He wondered if his voice would be quieted too, but he wasn't about to test it and risk waking anyone.
Who knew? Maybe they'd want to kill him for eating their food. Or do something worse.
Sin lay down on his bed and closed his eyes. He still needed more sleep before he'd feel better.
He drifted off.
But as darkness claimed him, a distant sound echoed through the hall—footsteps, deliberate and slow, approaching his door.
Then they stopped.
The door handle began to turn.