Dante crouched on a shadowed balcony above the market square, keeping out of sight. From there, he watched everything below, the crowd, the murmurs, the eerie line of Fog Walkers moving through the street. But his focus wasn't on them.
It was on Thomas's crew.
More specifically, on Iris.
She stood beside Thomas, talking to him, too close for Dante's liking. They looked like people who had gone through something together, something hard, something that built trust. Maybe they had. But that wasn't what bothered him.
He knew Iris from before. Before the fog. Before the world went to hell. Before she disappeared. And now she was back, standing next to some guy like Thomas, trusting him like he mattered.
Dante's jaw tightened as he let out a slow breath. He wouldn't say it, but it irritated him more than he wanted to admit.
Then Thomas moved. A small shift in posture, his focus locked on the Fog Walkers. Dante couldn't hear what they were saying, but the way Thomas gestured, the small hand signs, the quick nods from his crew, it looked like they were planning something.
Curiosity edged out his irritation. Dante adjusted his stance and focused, listening in from afar.
"You're thinking something dumb, aren't you?" Bryan muttered beside him, arms crossed.
Thomas grinned. "Oh, yeah."
Iris groaned. "Thomas, don't say it..."
"I'm gonna join them!"
Nevin slapped a hand over his face. "For the love of... Thomas, NO."
Thomas raised a hand. "Hear me out. If I go with them, I can find out what's happening firsthand. We've all been asking what's going on inside the Fog Walkers, right? How they're walking through the Pink Fog in human form without getting torn apart? It doesn't make sense. Why aren't the Fades attacking them? Maybe they really believe in something, or maybe there's something else going on. Either way, let's just ask them."
Iris crossed her arms. "You think they'll just tell you?"
Thomas shrugged. "Eventually."
Bryan sighed. "You mean after they try to brainwash you, sacrifice you, or whatever else cults do?"
Nevin jabbed a finger at Thomas's chest. "How about we just stay here and not let them take you?"
Thomas smirked. "That's the thing, Nevin. I let them take me."
The group fell silent. Then Iris pinched the bridge of her nose. "This is the worst plan I've ever heard."
Thomas spread his arms. "But is it?"
"Yes!" Iris, Bryan, and Nevin shouted together.
Iris sighed but then frowned. "There's a problem. The moment you step into the Pink Fog, you'll turn into a Demon instantly. You can't walk with them during the pilgrimage."
Thomas blinked, then grinned. "Then I'll just stay human in the fog."
Bryan raised an eyebrow. "You don't say?!"
Thomas nodded with confidence. "Yeah, I've mastered it. I can shift between human and Glint form whenever I want in the fog."
Everyone stared at him, stunned.
Nevin squinted. "And you just conveniently forgot to mention that?"
Thomas shrugged. "Didn't think it was important."
Bryan studied him. There was that tone again, the kind that sounded too sure to be true. Thomas always spoke like he had already tested things when in reality, he usually hadn't. Most of the time, he just believed it would work. The crazy part was that it usually did. That was the only reason Bryan didn't call him out.
Iris looked like she wanted to hit Thomas but stopped herself and shook her head instead.
Dante, still watching from the balcony, couldn't hear everything they were saying, but from the way the group reacted, he knew something had been decided. Maybe he misread it, maybe it was nothing, but one thing was clear. Thomas planned to join the pilgrimage.
That made no sense at all.
Thomas turned toward the Fog Walkers just as the last of them disappeared down the street. "Alright, so how do I get in?"
Dante let out a long breath and shook his head. The guy was actually serious.
Then a thought hit him. If Thomas went, he'd probably come back with some big win. People would talk. Iris would talk. And Dante couldn't let that happen, not without being part of it.
He clenched his fists. If Thomas could do it, so could he.
Before he could think twice, his feet were already moving. A small smirk formed on his face.
"If he can do it, I can do it better."
Dante decided to join the pilgrimage too.
The streets of Graves Safe Zone buzzed with low voices as more people gathered near the city's edge. The memory of the last pilgrimage still hung over them, heavy and uneasy. Yet despite the fear, more had come. The number of those willing to follow the Fog Walkers had grown.
Among them stood Harren, arms crossed tight over his chest. His son, Marek, stood a few feet ahead, eyes fixed on the hooded figures preparing to lead the new pilgrimage. The space between them felt cold and strained, full of words neither wanted to say.
"You don't have to do this," Harren muttered.
Marek didn't look at him. "You don't understand."
Harren's fingers twitched, but he didn't reach out. "She walked away from us. She didn't even look back."
Marek's voice was quiet but sharp. "Then I'll make her look back."
Harren's expression darkened. "That thing isn't your mother. She hasn't looked at us since she returned. She doesn't speak. She doesn't recognize us."
Marek gripped his arms tighter. "What if she does? What if she just needs help? What if she's still in there?"
Harren said nothing. It was easier to believe she was gone than to face the hope his son still held.
Marek took a deep breath. "She's right there. I'm bringing her back, no matter what."
That was his reason. It wasn't faith. It wasn't belief. It was her. He was going to bring his mother home.
Without another word, Marek stepped forward, moving into the sea of followers until the crowd swallowed him.
Before Harren could call out, a bell rang in the distance. The sound came from a smaller temple recently claimed by the Fog Walkers. It was their signal, their final call for those ready to enter the mist.
The crowd shifted. Some moved forward without hesitation. Others froze, caught between fear and faith.
The third pilgrimage was the largest so far. Hundreds stood in formation, waiting for the march to begin.
Elise stood at the edge of the crowd, her hands curling into fists. Somewhere among those faces was her brother. She searched for him, but they all looked the same, blank, calm, eyes fixed straight ahead. It was the same look Marek's mother had when she came back. She hadn't remembered anyone, not her family, not her life before. Only the words of the Fog Walkers seemed to matter to her now. Elise feared her brother would return that way too.
Thomas watched the gathering with quiet focus. "It's bigger than last time," he said.
Bryan nodded. "And we still don't know what's happening to them."
Nevin looked between Thomas and the crowd. "So, what's the plan?"
Thomas smirked. "Simple. We walk in."
From a rooftop above, Dante observed them. He didn't need to hear the words to know what Thomas was about to do. The way Thomas studied the Fog Walkers' rhythm, the way he matched their timing, it was clear. He was waiting for a chance to slip into formation.
Dante let out a quiet breath. He didn't know what Thomas was planning, but joining the actual march was a bad idea. If Dante himself tried that, he'd transform the moment he entered the fog and blow his cover instantly. Watching Thomas act like it was no big deal made no sense to him.
Maybe the guy was just stupid.
What confused him more was Iris. Why was she siding with someone like that?
Dante needed a different approach. He would follow from a distance instead.
The Graves Family had already approved his plan. The Fog Walkers were becoming a threat not just to Blood Creed but to their hold over the safe zone. Dante had his elite guards stationed outside the city, ready to shift into their Glint forms the moment he gave the signal. If things went wrong, they would move in fast.
Then the march began.
Thomas took a deep breath and stepped into the fog. The reaction was instant. Power surged through his body, his muscles tightening as his frame began to expand. His vision sharpened, his skin tingled, and the pull of his Glint form pressed against him.
From his hidden spot, Bryan tensed. "Damn it, Thomas, hold it back," he muttered under his breath.
Thomas clenched his fists and steadied his breathing. The transformation pushed harder, his body swelling for a moment before he forced it down. Bit by bit, the energy faded, his muscles shrinking, his form returning to normal just before anyone nearby noticed.
Bryan let out a long breath. "No way... he actually did it."