(Ereshgal POV)
The animals lay scattered around me: sheep, goats, bodies pale and empty. Not a single drop of blood left inside them.
The air was still.
Even the flies hadn't come yet.
Every time this thirst comes… will I have to do this again?
The smell was fading, but the memory of it wasn't. That pulse of heat when the blood touched my tongue, relief that hurt to feel. I hated how natural it felt.
But it's better than drinking human blood.
When I'd smelled that child's blood earlier, the hunger that was already burning in me exploded. I almost couldn't stand it. I had to leave… run, find something else to feed on before the urge swallowed me whole. But the sound followed me. His heartbeat. Steady. Warm. Alive.
I clench my fist until pain cuts through the urge, until it drowns out the echo.
I'm not a monster.
Can't let it happen again, I have to feed more often.
Before it chooses for me.
I looked around. The fields lay a short distance from Sippar—dark soil, soft underfoot, still warm from the day. The land sloped gently toward the Euphrates River, its surface catching the moonlight in restless silver.
On my left... the body of a soldier lay still. His armor was the same as those who guarded the city gates, he'd probably been watching over the animals I'd fed on.
When I arrived, I'd struck the back of his neck, too focused on feeding to hold back.
Had I hit him too hard? I closed my eyes and listened.
bump bump, bump.
Still alive.
Good.
But someone else could come. When they found this scene, they'd report it to the city, and once they started investigating, they'd realize all the bodies were completely drained. It wouldn't take long for them to connect it to the creature Kisaya had been sent to hunt. I couldn't allow that.
I didn't have time to bury them all.
The river shimmered at the edge of my sight. Throw them in? No. There were still boats moving even this late. If one saw me…
My gaze fell to my hands.
Maybe.
Should I use it?
I don't even know what I am anymore.
That spiritual energy felt wrong, like something waiting beneath the surface, eager to take more. I don't want to rely on it. I can't.
But if I don't… and something happens to her…
Just this once. After this… never again.
Closed my eyes and focused, calling the energy and guiding it toward my hand. When I opened them, the claw had already formed, covered in red, its surface faintly pulsing, alive and waiting.
I crouched beside a goat. When my claw touched its neck, the skin parted without resistance. At first there was no sound, then a dry, brittle rip. The flesh peeled clean, bloodless, as I dragged my hand down its side.
The sight made my stomach twist. My hand looked monstrous, something no human should have. The memory of the wendigo came back to me.
Would I end up like that?
I kept dragging my claws through the flesh. They were so sharp it felt like I was slicing through mist, tearing and marking it to look like a wild attack. I wanted to look away, but I didn't.
One by one, I went through them, slashing and scattering the bodies even further. If I were still human, I think I'd be sick right now, but my hands didn't stop. It was brutal, senseless, but it might keep suspicion away from us.
From her.
When it was done, I stood over the carnage and stared. The ground looked wrong.
I'm still myself… right?
When I stopped focusing my spiritual energy on my hand, the claws faded, leaving it clean, too clean.
I turned toward the city. Even from here, I could see the wall surrounding Sippar, massive, unbroken, circling the city like a shell. Torches burned along its length.
I had to get back. I'd ignore this feeling for now.
Kisaya might've returned already… and if she didn't find me there, she'd start to worry.
I started running.
The world blurred around me, the river sliding past in streaks of silver. I didn't even try to measure the distance, my body moved faster than I could think.
I found the spot where I was supposed to wait for Kisaya. She was already there, pacing beside the old, broken wagon—the same one I'd waited by before. One hand rested on her chin as she muttered under her breath, her thoughts spilling faster than her steps.
I almost smiled.
She'd probably been worrying herself sick trying to find me.
When I reached her, I spoke quietly. "Calm down. You'll give yourself a heart attack if you keep that up."
The moment she saw me, she ran over.
"Eresh!" Her voice cracked between anger and relief. "Where were you? I was so scared… I asked everyone around if they'd seen you go anywhere, but they all said you'd just vanished!"
She threw her arms around me before I could answer. Her grip was tight, I could feel her hands trembling against my back.
"Sorry" I said quietly. "I was just… hungry."
I met her eyes, holding the look long enough for her to understand what I meant.
Her expression softened, though worry stayed etched in her eyes as she let go of me slowly.
"Are you alright?"
I nodded.
She didn't believe that. But she didn't press.
"How about you?" I asked. "Did you find any information about Ishtal?"
Her face darkened immediately. "About that…"
She told me everything, how the priests tested her, how Ishtal appeared before she could even leave the chamber, and everything they talked about.
I looked up.
The stars... since I woke up, everything in the world felt magnified, stretched beyond what my mind could hold. The sky looked like a work of art, more vivid, more perfect than anything I'd ever seen.
Ishtal.
He hadn't changed. The same calm mask, the same careful cruelty. If anything, he'd grown worse.
My hands closed into fists before I realized it. The faint shimmer of crimson light flickered at my knuckles.
There's no other way. I can't leave Ennari here. Not with him.
I turned to Kisaya.
"Then I'll speak with him."