Blue stood silently before Aluca's cell, staring at the frail man whose body was now a shadow of its former self. Aluca looked up with a tired smile, his voice as soft as the mist creeping through the cracks of the cold prison walls.
"Go," Aluca whispered, "You still have a long life ahead of you."
Blue's lip quivered as tears began to fall. He wanted to speak, to promise he'd come back, to scream at the unfairness of it all—but all he could do was nod. He looked into Aluca's dim, fading eyes one last time and turned, sprinting into the hallway, past the cells, past the chains, past everything.
Behind him, Aluca whispered into the fog, "You're a good kid, Blue… live a long life."
---
Far from the prison, Vagan stood face-to-face with the old woman in the alley, the one who had once given her the amulet.
"What's happening?" Vagan asked, voice shaken.
The old woman said nothing. Instead, she pulled a pinch of strange, sparkling dust from her pouch and flung it into Vagan's eyes. Vagan recoiled, blinking rapidly.
"Wha—what did you—?!" she gasped, but when her vision cleared, the woman was gone. The alley stood empty, still and silent.
Then, a distant voice broke through the fog. "VAGAN! VAGAN!"
It was Blue.
Vagan turned and sprinted toward the voice, her boots echoing on the stone roads as she ran through the haze. She reached the shore, breathless, and found Blue there—Pluto still unconscious on his back, deep in meditation.
"Where's the ship?!" Blue shouted, looking around in panic. "Where is it?!"
Vagan followed his gaze, then calmly pointed toward the shoreline. "It's right there," she said.
Blue stared blankly. "What are you talking about?" he said, confused. "I don't see anything."
Vagan stepped closer, eyes narrowing. "There's a barrier," she said. "It's locking us in."
"How do you know that?" Blue asked, eyes wide.
"Because I can see it," she whispered. "It's like the ship is behind a wall of fog and light."
Blue stepped back. "Then how do we escape?"
A cold voice echoed through the mist, sharp and deliberate.
"You can't."
Both Blue and Vagan turned toward the sound.
Emerging from the thick fog, like a phantom from another world, stood Van Dragul Helsing. Pale, tall, and smirking, his crimson eyes locked onto them.
END OF CHAPTER 78