Darkness.
Not the darkness of the underground chamber.
Not the living shadows that had become familiar to Gray.
This darkness flowed.
It wrapped around them like an endless ocean, carrying them through space without sound or sensation.
The crimson mist was warm.
Strangely warm.
Gray couldn't tell whether seconds or hours had passed.
Then—
Cold.
A sharp gust of icy wind struck his face.
His boots touched solid ground once again.
The crimson mist slowly drifted away, before them stretched an endless valley buried beneath white snow.
Jagged black mountains surrounded it on every side like broken teeth.
Far below, forests of silver trees stretched toward the horizon, their branches glittering beneath the crimson sky.
Fresh snow blanketed the earth, untouched except for the four figures standing within it.
For a brief moment...
Nobody spoke.
The silence felt different.
Not oppressive.
Alive.
Somewhere in the distance, birds called to one another.
Branches creaked beneath the weight of snow.
The wind carried the scent of frozen earth instead of damp stone.
After months beneath the surface...
They were finally outside.
Zil blinked several times before looking up.
"...So this is what the sky looks like again."
Marie lifted her gaze.
Soft white clouds drifted lazily overhead.
"I almost forgot how bright it was."
Gray said nothing.
His bright purple eyes slowly wandered across the endless forest surrounding them.
The underground chamber had become its own world.
A world of steel.
Stone.
Blood.
Training.
This...
This felt limitless.
"You'll have plenty of time to admire it."
Blood's calm voice broke the silence.
"But standing still has never helped anyone reach their destination."
Zil sighed dramatically.
"There he goes."
"What?"
"I thought since training was over you'd become... I don't know..."
He scratched his head.
"...Less you."
Blood walked past him without slowing.
"I am."
"...Seriously?"
"I didn't tell you to start running."
Marie let out the faintest laugh.
Zil placed a hand over his chest dramatically.
"...He's learning jokes."
"I fear for the world."
Gray shook his head.
"You talk too much."
"I talk because somebody has to."
Zil looked between the siblings.
"You two would probably walk in complete silence for three days."
Marie answered calmly.
"We would."
"...That's terrifying."
The forest welcomed them with an uneasy peace.
Snow crunched beneath their boots.
The towering pines swayed gently overhead.
Occasionally small animals darted between bushes before disappearing into the undergrowth.
Everything seemed...
Ordinary.
Yet Blood never relaxed.
His crimson eyes constantly moved.
Watching.
Listening.
Measuring.
Gray noticed.
"So we're not safe."
Blood didn't even look back.
"No."
Gray frowned slightly.
"It doesn't feel dangerous."
"Exactly."
The answer confused Zil.
"What does that even mean?"
Blood finally stopped walking.
Without a word, he crouched beside the snow.
Four sets of tracks crossed the path.
Large.
Deep.
Fresh.
"Wolves?"
Zil guessed.
Blood stood.
"No."
"Then what?"
"They're running."
Marie looked carefully.
"They're... uneven."
Blood nodded once.
"They aren't hunting."
Gray narrowed his eyes.
"They're fleeing."
Blood looked at him.
"For the first time..."
The corner of his mouth lifted ever so slightly.
"...You're observing instead of merely seeing."
Gray didn't respond.
But somehow...
That small acknowledgment meant more than praise.
They continued deeper into the forest.
Hours seemed to pass peacefully.
Too peacefully.
Until—
Blood suddenly raised one hand.
Everyone stopped instantly.
Not because they were afraid.
Because months of training had made the movement instinctive.
Silence.
No birds.
No wind.
Nothing.
Blood looked toward the trees.
"What do you hear?"
Zil frowned.
"...Nothing."
Marie slowly tightened her grip on Scarlet Thread.
Gray's hand rested on Graveveil.
Blood nodded.
"Good."
Then he began walking again.
Only after several minutes did Zil finally ask,
"...What was that?"
"When a forest becomes completely silent..."
Blood's voice remained calm.
"...Something has already announced itself."
Zil instinctively looked around.
"...You could've told me that before we kept walking."
"If I had..."
Blood replied.
"...You would've panicked."
"I would've been... strategically concerned."
Marie looked at him.
"That's a very long way to say panicked."
As the afternoon sun slowly descended, the forest began to thin.
Ahead...
Snow-covered hills stretched toward the horizon.
Blood finally stopped.
This time...
He didn't move again.
The trio exchanged confused glances.
Gray spoke first.
"...Blood?"
The hooded man remained facing forward.
When he finally turned around...
Something was different.
Not his expression.
The feeling.
"This is where our paths separate."
Silence.
Zil laughed.
"...Good one."
Blood didn't answer.
The smile slowly disappeared from Zil's face.
"...You're serious."
"I am."
The wind blew gently between them.
Marie stepped forward.
"Why here?"
"Because everything I could teach you..."
Blood looked at each of them.
"...I already have."
No one answered.
Blood reached into his cloak.
When his hand emerged, three small silver earrings rested upon his palm.
He handed one to each of them.
"Wear them."
Marie studied hers carefully.
"What do they do?"
"They suppress your Essence."
Blood's gaze sharpened.
"The world beyond these forests contains those who can sense power."
He looked toward Gray.
"Some will fear it."
Then toward Zil.
"Some will covet it."
Finally, Marie.
"And some will attempt to destroy it before it has the chance to grow."
"Do not remove them."
The three silently fastened the earrings.
Almost immediately...
The pressure surrounding each of them seemed to disappear into the air.
Then Blood withdrew one final object.
A crimson pocket watch.
Time had faded its shine.
But it had clearly been cared for.
He stepped toward Gray.
"This belongs to you."
Gray stared at it.
"...Why?"
Blood closed Gray's hand around the watch.
"You'll understand..."
His voice became quieter.
"...when the time is right."
Gray wanted to ask another question.
But something told him...
Blood wouldn't answer.
The four stood together beneath the falling snow.
No one spoke.
Finally...
Marie broke the silence.
"How do we reach Luna City?"
Blood pointed toward the distant mountains.
"Continue north."
"You'll eventually find the old trade road."
"Follow it."
"It will lead you to Luna City."
She nodded, committing every word to memory.
Gray suddenly asked,
"...Will we see you again?"
For the first time...
Blood didn't answer immediately.
His gaze drifted past them, toward the distant horizon.
"...Perhaps."
It wasn't yes.
It wasn't no.
Just...
Perhaps.
Gray lowered his eyes.
He understood.
Blood stepped toward them one last time.
His gaze settled first on Gray.
Then Marie.
His voice was as calm as ever.
"If your Mother and..."
He paused.
"...your father could see the two of you now..."
His eyes softened almost imperceptibly.
"...they would be proud."
Neither sibling spoke.
Gray's fingers tightened around the pocket watch.
Marie lowered her head.
The silence between them carried more weight than words ever could.
Then Marie inhaled slowly.
"...Thank you."
Just two words.
Nothing more.
Blood gave a single nod.
He understood.
He turned toward Zil.
"...Continue making them laugh."
Zil blinked.
"...Huh?"
"They'll need it."
For once...
Zil couldn't think of a joke.
Blood took a single step backward.
Crimson mist gathered around his feet once more.
"I've carried you this far."
The mist climbed higher.
"The rest..."
It reached his shoulders.
"...is your own journey."
The crimson mist swallowed him completely.
Moments later...
Only snow drifted through the place where he had stood.
Silence.
A long silence.
Then Zil rubbed the back of his neck.
"...Well..."
His voice was quieter than usual.
"I guess..."
He forced a crooked smile.
"...the old man really left."
Gray looked ahead.
Toward the endless white wilderness stretching beyond the trees.
Marie stepped beside him.
Neither of them looked back.
There was no point.
Blood had already given them everything he could.
Now...
They would have to discover the rest themselves.
Without another word...
The three figures walked forward together, leaving behind the only home they had known for months.
Above them, snow continued to fall.
Ahead of them...
The world waited.