The forest was quiet as the three of them continued their journey toward the Azure Serpent Kingdom. The forest air was still, charged with faint energy. Even the trees seemed to shift slightly away when Kain walked past.
He didn't notice. Or pretended not to. Serena followed a few steps behind, her eyes fixed on the faint violet hue that occasionally shimmered beneath his skin. Takeru trailed at the rear, silent and heavy-hearted.
Abe was gone. That was a fact. But the truth of how it happened felt unreal.
Takeru couldn't bring himself to doubt Kain's words, not after everything he'd seen the man do—his strength, his strange ability to allow normal people to become beast tamers. Someone like that didn't need to lie. And yet, his chest ached when he thought of Abe's smile, the tired eyes that had carried him away from the burning capital months ago.
Abe had been his saviour. His mentor. His only connection to his family's past.
