The plains had finally gone quiet.
Where moments before two storms of raw strength had collided, now only drifting dust remained. The air was heavy, settling slowly over the cratered field. Reider and Juno stood facing each other from several meters apart, both breathing unevenly, both worn down from the fight but still standing.
Reider lowered his hand… and that's when it happened.
A tremor ran through his fingers. A tiny, almost imperceptible shake. A drop of blood fell from his palm onto the broken earth below.
Juno caught it immediately.
"You're bleeding?" His voice was calm, but the confusion cut through it.
Reider didn't answer at first. He just lifted the back of his hand to his mouth, wiped, and when it came away… the smear was red. Not dust. Not dirt.
Blood.
He stared at it for a moment, dazed, vision blurring. His breath hitched, uneven. His eyes lost a bit of focus.
"Guess… I overdid it," he murmured, smiling weakly.
Then he staggered, gripping his side as his legs trembled under him. He forced himself upright, but even Juno—stoic, quiet Juno—felt something cold crawl up his spine.
"Oi," Juno said, stepping forward, voice dipping into genuine worry. "What's wrong with you?"
Reider tried to respond, but instead he coughed—violently. Blood splattered across his hand, bright against his pale skin.
Juno froze.
And then Reider whispered it, too weak to hide it anymore.
"I don't have a core…"
Juno's eyes went wide with shock.
"What?!"
Reider's knees buckled. His body shook violently as he fell to the ground, barely catching himself on one trembling arm. The strength he had a moment ago was gone, replaced by raw, painful exhaustion.
And that was the sight Vael, Mei, and Eryndra arrived to.
"REIDER!" Mei's voice cracked as she sprinted across the field, dropping to her knees beside him. Her hands grabbed his shoulders, frantic.
Vael reached him a moment later, immediately assessing him with sharp, trained eyes. Her expression darkened.
"His body… he pushed too far."
Eryndra slowed to a stop behind them, still catching her breath from the run. Her tone was confused, almost offended.
"What are you talking about? He fought Juno head-on—why is he like this?"
Vael turned to her, expression sharp enough to cut.
"Because he doesn't have a core."
Eryndra froze. Silence fell over her face as the meaning hit.
"He… what?"
Juno walked closer, still rattled by the revelation.
"That's why he didn't use magic… He forced mana through his body without a core?"
Vael nodded, placing a hand on Reider's chest. Her eyes glowed faintly as she read his condition.
"He circulates raw ambient mana through his body. It tears him apart if he pushes himself too far."
Mei gripped Reider's hand tightly, her eyes wet.
"You idiot… why do you keep doing this to yourself…"
Eryndra dragged her hand through her hair, trying to steady her breath.
"You mean the guy who threw me around like a ragdoll doesn't even have a core?" She scoffed, but her voice shook. "That's cheating."
Vael shot her a glare.
"This isn't a joke."
Reider opened one eye slowly, seeing all of them crowding over him. Despite the pain twisting through his body, he tried to smile.
"Stop… worrying so much…"
Vael's voice cracked between anger and fear.
"Of course we're going to worry, idiot."
Juno stood back slightly, arms crossed, but his expression was far from detached now.
"How's he alive without a core?" he asked quietly.
Vael didn't look at him as she answered.
"He shouldn't be… but somehow, he is."
Eryndra crouched down, staring at Reider with a new weight in her eyes—not mockery this time. Respect. And concern.
"You're even crazier than I thought, Reider."
Reider tried to sit up, but Vael pushed him flat with one firm hand.
"You're not moving," she said sharply.
Mei's voice trembled.
"Please… rest. Let us handle things for now."
Reider closed his eyes, finally yielding to the exhaustion.
Vael stood and looked to Juno. Despite everything, her expression remained steady, resolute.
"We'll need your help moving forward."
Juno nodded. No hesitation.
"You'll have it."
The wind swept softly through the grass as Reider lay surrounded by them—his makeshift shield, his strange family—as the sky above slowly cleared.
The storm had passed.
For now.
---
Later, night settled quietly over the mansion.
Reider lay asleep on a large bed, bandaged and pale, but his breathing steady. The room was dim, lit by the moon filtering through the window. Vael sat beside the bed, arms crossed, watching him with that same fierce protectiveness she tried—and failed—to hide. Mei sat near the window, staring at the night sky with a soft, distant sadness.
Eryndra lounged against a wall, arms folded, studying both women before breaking the silence.
"So… who is he, really?" she asked quietly.
Vael glanced up but didn't answer. Mei slowly lowered her gaze from the window, her voice softening.
"We don't really know. Dain—my husband—found him alone in the forest."
Eryndra raised a brow.
"What? He wasn't just born mysterious?"
Mei smiled faintly, a sad warmth in the curve of her lips.
"No… When Dain found him, he was a baby. But he grew fast. Too fast. In just one month, he looked six years old."
Eryndra's eyes widened.
"A month? That's insane."
Vael finally spoke, voice quiet.
"And now, after two months, he looks like this. A grown man… but he's still just a boy on the inside."
Eryndra stared at his sleeping face differently now—less teasing, more careful.
"What about his parents? Someone must know what he is."
Mei hesitated, reached into her bag, and pulled out a folded letter.
Vael's expression softened slightly as Mei held it gently, like something precious.
"We only know his mother from this letter," Mei whispered. "She never gave her name."
Eryndra's expression sharpened.
"What does it say?"
Vael answered quietly.
"That Reider must find her one day… in a land that existed a hundred million years ago."
Eryndra blinked.
"A hundred million years ago? What is she—a fossil?"
Mei laughed softly despite everything.
"I don't know. But Vael thinks it's an ancient place hidden from time."
Eryndra folded her arms, dropping her usual sarcasm.
"So he's chasing a ghost… and we're following him into gods-know-what."
Vael looked at Reider, her expression too soft for her usual demeanor.
"He never asked for any of this. But now everything in this world is after him."
Mei's hands tightened around the letter.
"Because of that… Dain is gone."
Silence settled over them.
Eryndra's gaze softened, honest for once.
"That kid's carrying more than anyone should."
Vael nodded.
"Which is why we're here. So he doesn't carry it alone."
Eryndra sighed.
"Guess I'm stuck with you guys now."
Vael smirked faintly.
"Don't pretend you weren't curious about him from the start."
Eryndra scoffed, looking away.
"Yeah, yeah…"
Mei smiled gently.
"Whatever happens next… we face it together."
The three women gathered around Reider in quiet unity, their shadows overlapping in the moonlit room.
Vael stood, stretched, and glanced out at the moon.
"Wherever your mother is… I hope she has answers."
Eryndra huffed.
"She better. I'm not crossing ancient death lands for nothing."
Mei chuckled softly and wiped her eyes.
Vael stepped toward Reider, brushing stray strands of hair from his forehead.
"Sleep while you can, Reider…" she whispered. "We'll protect you."
The three sat around him, silent, watching over him as he slept—guarding him, trusting each other, and preparing for the unknown future waiting outside the quiet glow of the room.
The night held its breath.
Waiting.