Alucard played dead for a while, patiently waiting for Nephis to try and heal him.
It took longer than expected, almost as if she wanted to let him suffer just a little more. Eventually, she finally placed her healing flames on him.
Well… not on him. That would hurt him badly.
It was something he had unfortunately learned a while back, when he once asked her to heal his arm after he accidentally broke it jumping off the walls of the Dark City.
Don't ask him why he did that. He won't tell you.
But if you ask Effie, she would happily explain — and mention that she had made a bet with him that he wouldn't survive the fall.
Al had walked away with the crisp corpse of a fallen demon and its blood. Unfortunately, he also had to convince Gluttony not to eat it, which turned out to be a far more harrowing task.
And Effie nearly lost her voice laughing at him, which made the whole thing worth missing out on that delicious nightmare creature meat.
Was Effie being a little sadistic by laughing at Al's suffering? Yes.
Did she actually think he was going to die? Hell no.
Effie was almost certain you could cut off his head and he'd still find a way to survive.
He'd already been resurrected like a zombie twice — and those were only the times she knew about.
So in her opinion, this was the equivalent of laughing at someone normal tripping.
Like, for example, right now Al would be fatally wounded and bleed out.
Now listen to that again.
Al… would bleed out.
That's like saying someone would drown in a desert.
Or freeze to death in hell.
Effie knew for a fact that any injury that didn't instantly kill him wouldn't do much against him.
That's why they were laughing.
Meanwhile, Al was calmly closing the wounds on his body, which were minor anyway. He had mostly just cracked his armor and coated it in blood.
After Nephis "healed" him, he stood up and thanked her profusely.
And the voice he chose was utterly horrific.
He went with the voice of the most pathetic, bullyable nerd in existence — Season 1 Izuku Midoriya, if you needed a mental image.
"Oh—thank you so much! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
He shook Nephis's hand enthusiastically with both hands.
Yes. He had two hands again.
But if you looked closely under the armor on his left arm, you'd notice it was actually made of blood — something he had managed to achieve while being basically imprisoned inside Nephis's house.
Oh, and he was shaking her hand for an uncomfortably long time now.
Eventually, Nephis pulled her hand away and walked off, while Al stood there awkwardly for a few seconds.
He was clearly trying to act as far from his real personality as possible, to the point no one would ever suspect it was him.
And it worked.
No one suspected him.
Of course, Nephis asked him a few questions just for show, and he answered them exactly as planned — complete with nonstop stuttering and sheepishly rubbing the back of his head.
Effie could barely stand due to how hard she was laughing. Even Sunny, reluctantly at first, couldn't help laughing at how dumb Al sounded, constantly going "uh" and "um" while refusing to make eye contact.
It worked so well that no one ever suspected he was the Butcher of Men — the single creature in the Dark City with the highest kill count (apart from Feltan Zorkiel, the Sinner of Wrath, of course).
Hell, some people who would normally run and hide at just the mention of the Butcher were now teasing the very same person.
One man who had literally pissed himself the first time he saw Alucard crawling out of a nightmare creature's corpse had his arm around Al's shoulder, bragging about killing an Awakened monster once.
And Al played along, sounding deeply impressed.
"Wow… you really did that? You must be a big shot around here."
The man smirked, his ego swelling.
"I am. Soon I'll be trusted enough to join Changing Star's circle."
Al nodded and scratched the back of his head sheepishly.
"Oh… well, I hope you do. I don't think I'll ever be trusted enough to join them."
The man patted Al's back and chuckled.
"Not with that attitude. Who knows — maybe your Aspect will be useful enough that your strength won't matter."
Soon, everyone started bragging to Al, seeking praise and ego boosts.
And Al delivered.
"Wow, you really managed to run away from an Awakened Devil? And you're still alive?"
"Wow, you're telling me you actually have a Memory that can cut the skin of a Fallen Beast? What do you mean it only works on Tuesdays while you're eating the raw meat of a nightmare creature giving birth? That's still so cool!"
"Wow, you really got an 89 on your finals? That's amazing. I never could've gotten that."
After everyone's egos had been thoroughly inflated, they finally reached the outskirts — where everyone gathered around him again.
Well… actually, they gathered around Nephis for food. But still.
Once a crowd formed and started noticing him, Nephis finally explained:
"He will be joining us from now on. I expect you all to treat him with care."
Someone in the crowd raised a hand.
"Who is he? I've never seen him before."
Nephis took a deep breath before answering. She clearly knew it wasn't very believable, but it was the only way to explain his age.
"He's a Sleeper who was trapped in the Forgotten Shore for two years. He survived by feeding on Crimson Coral. After a long journey, he finally arrived here."
The crowd was skeptical at first, but quickly chose to trust her.
She was Lady Changing Star, after all. Why wouldn't they believe her?
So they gave Alucard a chance out of respect for her.
And surprisingly, Alucard managed not to kill anyone — even when they were rude.
Truly, he was a saint. The most innocent man in the world. Two worlds, even.
After that, everyone lined up to get food.
Al patiently waited his turn.
And when it finally came?
Cassie revealed they had run out of food.
Al was utterly dumbfounded.
And appalled.
"How?" Alucard asked, letting his real emotions slip.
Cassie shrugged.
"You can guess who ate it all."
I grabbed my empty plate in frustration and stormed off, anger in my mind and nothing in my stomach — both Effie's fault.
I eventually found Sunny sitting alone at the bottom of a staircase, far from everyone else, and decided to join him.
"Hey Sunny, is this seat taken?"
I pointed to an empty step.
"No."
I sat down and closed my eyes, trying to relax.
"What was that voice all about?" Sunny asked.
"Ah… that. I decided to sound as wimpy and idiotic as possible so I'd be completely unrecognizable," Alucard replied, still using that cursed voice.
Sunny laughed.
"And I'm guessing you constantly tripping on the way here was also part of your act?"
I nodded with a straight face.
"Of course it was."
Alucard lied as easily as he breathed.
They kept talking about random stories and gossiping about other people until eventually Caster walked up to them.
"Hey, Sunny. It's your turn for guard duty."
Sunny stood up. He was planning to just practice swordsmanship like usual — guard duty was normally boring, quiet, and painfully uneventful.
But then he remembered.
Al was here.
So why not bring him along? Maybe spar a little. Maybe learn something. Maybe figure out how dangerous he really was.
After all, Al was probably the strongest human here besides Nephis.
That meant he had to know how to fight with a weapon, right?
"Hey, Al. Come with me. It'll help you fit in."
Alucard shrugged lazily.
It wasn't like he had anything better to do.
"Fine, I guess. You're right. Plus, it's not like I have anything else to do."
Sunny led Alucard toward the outskirts they were assigned to patrol.
It was an area filled with tall, broken buildings — a maze of collapsed rooftops, cracked windows, and narrow alleys. The place was drenched in shadows.
Which was exactly why Sunny usually got sent here.
Plenty of hiding spots.
Plenty of angles.
Plenty of places to vanish.
The only problem?
Most of the time, there was nothing to fight.
No nightmare creatures. No enemies. No real danger.
So Sunny usually just practiced swordsmanship alone.
It felt weird wishing for nightmare creatures to show up — but he needed them. He needed kills. He needed strength.
A thought crossed his mind.
Maybe he should ask Al to drag a few nightmare creatures over and let him land the finishing blow so he could still gain Shadow Shards.
But for now…
He wanted to spar.
And if Al really had survived the Forgotten Shore longer than almost anyone else, then he was probably a terrifyingly experienced fighter.
"…Hey, Al. Want to do a quick sparring match?"
Alucard thought for a few seconds, then nodded.
"I guess that would help kill some time. Sure."
Sunny summoned the Midnight Shard into his hand and slid into the stance Nephis had drilled into him countless times.
Balanced. Calm. Deadly.
Meanwhile, Al asked Gluttony to gather blood around him.
The blood swirled like a living thing before shaping itself into a long spear — simple, brutal, and efficient.
He also wasn't wearing the full Mantle of the Underworld, only the chainmail beneath it. The full set tended to make people nervous.
"Shall we begin?" Al asked casually.
Sunny didn't answer with words.
He answered with motion.
He lunged forward in a sharp thrust aimed at Al's chest — clean, fast, disciplined.
Al blocked with the spear shaft, rotating his grip and using the length of the weapon to redirect Sunny's blade.
Then he stepped in.
The spear twisted, hooking Sunny's arm into an uncomfortable joint lock.
It was rough. Practical. Improvised.
Al wasn't skilled at close-range combat — far from it — so he leaned heavily on reach, leverage, and brute control.
But Sunny adapted instantly.
He switched his sword from right hand to left mid-motion and slammed the pommel into Al's liver.
The hit staggered him.
Sunny pressed forward.
A quick step in.
A slash toward the neck.
The blade stopped a hair's breadth from cutting open Al's throat.
"Round one goes to me," Sunny said smugly.
He clearly enjoyed that — revenge for being kidnapped and psychologically tormented earlier.
Sunny still didn't fully trust him.
And honestly?
He planned to learn exactly how Al fought — so if Al ever changed his mind and turned hostile…
Sunny would be ready.
They reset.
But Al changed weapons.
The spear dissolved into blood and reformed into two crossbows.
He flexed his fingers, feeling the solid weight of an actual Memory.
"Ah… this is nice," he muttered. "How about we start?"
Sunny narrowed his eyes.
Close-range. That was his win condition.
But he also assumed Al would try to kite him, keep distance, and play cowardly.
Instead…
Al fired first.
A blood-forged arrow shot straight toward Sunny's eye.
It never reached him.
Sunny sliced it cleanly in half mid-air and surged forward, blade flashing.
Al blocked with one crossbow, sparks scattering as metal met metal.
Meanwhile, the other crossbow began absorbing blood, swelling with power — the more blood coating it, the stronger the shot.
Sunny saw it.
Calculated.
Adjusted.
He swung upward toward Al's neck — predicting that Al would dodge backward.
If Al dodged, Sunny would control the tempo.
He would win.
But Al didn't dodge.
Because Al had absolutely no self-preservation.
Instead, he raised the charged crossbow and aimed it straight at Sunny's head.
Then fired.
At the last possible second, he twisted the aim — sparing Sunny — but the arrow slammed into a nearby wall.
The impact exploded stone, cracking it like a spiderweb.
Dust rained down.
Silence.
"…Round two goes to me," Al said casually.
Sunny clicked his tongue.
Final round.
Sunny reset into stance.
Al changed weapons again.
This time, he dismissed everything.
No spear.
No crossbows.
Just bare fists coated in flowing blood, forming shifting gauntlets.
Sunny smirked.
Al's ego had just handed him a massive disadvantage.
Fists versus a sword?
Arrogant.
Risky.
Stupid.
Could Al still win?
We'll never know.
Because a random Sleeper approached them.
He was a young man — blond hair, green eyes, looking exhausted and slightly terrified.
"Excuse me… Sunless… Alucard… Lady Changing Star requested both of you."
That snapped them out of their battle mindset.
Both turned toward him.
Slowly.
Menacingly.
Silently.
Staring.
Waiting for the other to speak first.
Eventually, both tried at once.
"Where—" "How—" "Wait—" "When—" "No—" "You—" "Uh—" "Okay—" "No—" "You ask—"
The Sleeper sighed.
"She's in the meeting room."
And left.
---
When they arrived, Alucard was immediately dragged into logistics hell.
Planning.
Routes.
Supply chains.
Food distribution.
Water transport.
Evacuation paths.
Every time he tried to escape, Effie physically dragged him back.
"Oh logistics…"
"Oh you wicked devil…"
Never in his life had Al imagined he would spend so long discussing how to move food.
Or explaining the same plan over.
And over.
And over.
He prayed he'd never have to do it again.
Unfortunately…
He knew the city too well.
Escape was impossible.
The only solution was a lobotomy.
Unfortunately, Gluttony would heal him.
So even that was off the table.
Thus, Alucard was trapped in logistical hell forever.
And Sunny could only watch.
---
Sunny slowly realized something horrifying.
Al joining the cohort had somehow reduced Sunny's own value.
He wasn't the scary one.
He wasn't the strong one.
He wasn't even the best scout anymore.
He was…
Moral support.
Disposable.
Optional.
So he left.
And no one followed.
Or so he thought.
---
"Hey… where is Sunny going?" Nephis asked quietly.
Caster shrugged.
"Probably getting fresh air. He probably couldn't understand anything we were talking about anyway."
Nephis glared at him.
Alucard didn't bother glaring.
He elbowed Caster straight in the liver.
Did it hurt as much as if Nephis or Effie had hit him?
No.
Did it make him stagger?
Yes.
"Hey! What was that for?" Caster complained.
Al rolled his eyes.
"He's a member of the cohort. Remember? Play nice."
Caster sighed.
"I'll apologize later. You're right."
Everyone knew the apology was half-hearted.
But it was at least something.
After that, life settled into a strange kind of routine.
The same old, same old.
Most of the time, Al went on expeditions with Effie.
Now that he had officially joined the cohort, the group had split into two teams — one led by Nephis, and the other led by Effie.
Honestly, he was glad he ended up with Effie.
With her, he could actually joke, argue, and talk like a normal person.
With Nephis, it always felt like a silent war of glares.
And besides…
He and Effie made an absurdly effective team.
They filled each other's holes perfectly
Effie filled his holes when it came to close combat by tanking hits head-on, drawing attention and soaking damage like a walking fortress.
Meanwhile, Al filled her holes by handling the annoying enemies — closing wounds, suppressing threats, controlling the battlefield, creating openings, and giving Effie perfect windows to strike or disengage.
In short:
Effie was the tank.
Al was the support.
And everyone else on their team?
Cannon fodder.
At first, people were suspicious when he revealed that his Aspect involved blood manipulation.
There were whispers.
Fear.
Distance.
But after a few weeks…
They trusted him.
In fact…
They have gotten too comfortable.
To the point where people started shipping him with Effie.
Because of course they did.
There were actual debates.
Loud ones.
Public ones.
Notable topics he overheard included:
Whether his burn scars came from an intimate night with Nephis.
Whether he could handle being pe—### by Effie.
And of course…
Whether he could grow tentacles for certain… purposes.
Now listen.
Maybe it was just him.
But why the hell would you discuss that in public, where he could hear you?
And it wasn't just him either.
Caster was another fan favorite.
He once overheard someone saying he and Caster would make a "peak yao couple."
Someone else called Caster an Omega.
Al had no idea what that meant.
And he was too afraid to ask.
Shipping nonsense aside…
The past few weeks were actually… nice.
He'd go on expeditions with Effie.
Come back.
Eat dinner with everyone.
Laugh.
Argue.
Party.
Late at night, he'd wander the outskirts with Caster, Effie, or sometimes Cassie — talking for hours, playing dumb games from the real world like Imposter or Werewolf.
Effie even convinced Nephis to join once or twice.
It almost felt…
Normal.
The only regret he had?
He wished he talked to Sunny more.
But Sunny always seemed distant.
Avoidant.
Like he was slowly drifting further away from everyone.
---
One night, while walking through the outskirts with Caster, Al heard a commotion coming from an old wooden hut — one that looked like it would collapse if someone sneezed too hard.
The wood creaked.
Something inside scraped.
Muffled breathing.
They entered.
And the moment Al stepped inside…
His mood died.
Sunny was there.
A knife was jammed into a man's chest.
Sunny's hand covered the victim's mouth.
The man was already dead.
Sunny looked up.
Frozen.
Pale.
Shaking.
Like a child caught doing something unforgivable.
He flinched when Al approached.
Al gestured for Caster to stay back.
Then stepped closer.
Slowly.
Carefully.
He placed both hands on Sunny's shoulders and forced him to meet his eyes.
"Hey. Look at me. Okay? What happened?"
Sunny's breath hitched.
"I—I killed him… I did it… he's dead… it's my fault… I did it because it was easy… it was a moment of weakness… I didn't have to—"
Al slapped him.
Not hard.
But sharp enough to snap him out of the spiral.
"Sunny. Breathe. Now. Deep breath. Calm down."
Sunny inhaled.
Exhaled.
Again.
"I killed him… because he was asking too many questions… I need to hide the body… no one can find out…"
Al forced a small smile.
It came out wrong.
Too sharp.
Too unsettling.
"Okay. I'll take care of it. Don't worry. I know it's your first time killing someone."
He turned to the corpse.
Placed his palm on the man's chest.
And let the blood flow.
His blood slid beneath the skin like a living parasite — spreading, crawling, infesting every vein.
He whispered inside his mind:
"Gluttony. Absorb everything."
"Alright."
The blood inside the corpse moved.
Veins collapsed.
Flesh slackened.
Internal organs shriveled as if drained by invisible fangs.
The body began to hollow out from the inside — ribs showing more clearly, skin sagging as the substance of the person vanished.
When Gluttony finished…
Only skin and bone remained.
A hollow shell.
A human-shaped husk.
Al lifted his boot.
Sunny's eyes widened.
"Sunny. Look away. Okay?"
Sunny turned his head.
Al stomped.
Bone cracked.
A sharp, wet sound.
He stomped again.
Another crunch.
The ribs splintered.
The spine collapsed.
Every step shattered what was left — grinding the remains into fragments, pulverizing what had once been a person into a grotesque, ruined heap.
Crunch.
Crack.
Snap.
Sunny flinched at every sound.
But Al didn't stop.
Not until all that remained was a pile of shards, scraps of skin, and mangled remnants.
He poured blood over it.
Coated it.
Then detonated it.
The remains burst apart into nothing but mist, residue, and fading stains.
He exhaled.
Maybe saving blood hadn't been worth it.
Not after seeing Sunny's face.
"Hey… Sunny. You okay?"
Sunny was on the floor.
Vomiting.
Shaking.
Broken.
He wasn't mentally prepared for what he had just witnessed.
Al knelt beside him and rested a hand on his shoulder.
"Hey. It's over. No one will ever know. Okay?"
Sunny didn't believe him.
Favors like that never came free.
Especially not ones this horrifying.
Caster signaled that someone was approaching.
Al stood and helped Sunny up.
He cleaned Sunny's clothes — absorbing the blood, restoring them like nothing had happened.
"We have to go."
Sunny nodded.
Speechless.
Empty.
Al wrapped an arm around his shoulder and guided him back to his room, motioning for Caster to give them space.
They walked in silence.
When they arrived, Al finally asked:
"…Are you okay?"
Sunny answered flatly.
"No."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"No."
Al nodded.
He respected the answer.
And left him alone.
Even though he was still worried.
Alucard walked towards the balcony.
The night air was cold, washed in moonlight, and Cassie stood there alone — facing the city like she was listening to something no one else could hear.
He stepped beside her.
"Hey."
"Hey."
Cassie tilted her head slightly.
"How is Sunny doing?"
Alucard immediately understood what that question really meant.
Despite the dumb act he put on so often, he was far from an idiot.
"So… you knew he was going to become a murderer today," Al said quietly. "And you didn't stop it?"
Cassie exhaled.
"I tried to stop it. But it's hard to change fate."
Alucard burst into laughter.
Not the amused kind.
The unhinged kind.
He grabbed his head, leaning against the railing as he laughed like a madman.
"That's it? That's all you have to say?" he scoffed. "Isn't he your friend? You're telling me you let him suffer because it was hard? And I'm the villain? Oh gods… this has to be some cruel joke."
Cassie stayed still, jaw tight.
She didn't answer at first.
Then her voice sharpened.
"What do you know?" she snapped. "Do you know how hard I tried to avoid this? I've fought fate again and again — trying to save him, trying to soften what was coming. And when it didn't work, all I could do was make it less cruel. Try changing someone's destiny before you judge me."
She turned and tried to slap him.
Alucard caught her wrist mid-swing, smirking.
"Oh, trust me," he said calmly, "if I'd known this was coming… I would've changed it easily."
Cassie yanked her hand free.
"And how would you have done that?"
Alucard stared straight at her pale, unseeing eyes.
"I would've killed that poor bastard first."
Cassie froze.
"…What?"
He stepped closer, lowering his voice beside her ear.
"I would've killed him first. That way Sunny would never have had to do it."
Cassie stared — then laughed.
"And what about the next one?" she asked bitterly. "And the one after that? What if you weren't around? What if fate cornered him again?"
Alucard scowled.
"Then I'd find a way to be around."
Before the argument could continue, Alucard noticed movement in the distance.
Sunny.
Running.
Across the Dark City.
Al turned sharply, about to chase him — but Cassie grabbed his arm.
"Some bad things are necessary," she said quietly. "If you stop him now, you might be the reason he dies in the future."
Alucard clenched his jaw.
She was right.
And he hated that she was right.
"…Yeah," he muttered. "Maybe my way would've made him weaker. Maybe you're right. But I'd still find another way. Always."
Of course, his ego still refused to even suggest she was right.
After that, they stood in silence.
Just the two of them.
Moonlight.
Wind.
Two people who wanted the same thing — but in completely opposite ways.
Cassie wanted their friends to grow strong enough to protect themselves.
Alucard wanted to protect them so they never had to.
Who was right?
Who was wrong?
No one could really say.
---
No one else knew Sunny had run away.
Not until morning.
Nephis panicked, searching the city, interrogating everyone.
And eventually…
Alucard told her the truth.
Sunny hadn't been kidnapped.
He hadn't been killed.
He left.
Nephis took it harder than she showed.
She searched for weeks.
Tried to plan ways to bring him back.
But in the end…
She chose to respect his decision.
And hope.
Hope he'd return someday.
---
Not much changed for Alucard in the months Sunny was gone.
Except one thing.
More logistics.
A special kind of hell.
Every time he entered that cursed planning room, he cursed Sunny's name.
Every time he left, he cursed it again — just to make sure.
He would rather fight a Sacred Terror than sit through one more hour of logistical planning.
Thankfully…
One day, when he was dreading another soul-crushing three-hour session of numbers and routes…
Nephis entered in an unusually good mood.
"Sunny might be coming back," she announced.
Then quickly corrected herself.
"…Actually, he said he might come back. But I'm hoping he does."
Alucard immediately began mentally revoking every curse he had ever placed on Sunny's name.
If Sunny saved him from logistics, he would personally forgive every crime he'd ever committed.
Sunny did return.
An hour late.
But Al didn't care.
Late was still better than spreadsheets.
Sunny and Nephis started arguing about something Alucard couldn't be bothered to listen to.
But he did notice Sunny's new look.
And Kai standing beside him.
So Al walked over.
"Hey, man. Long time no see."
Kai turned toward him, confused.
"…I'm sorry. Who are you?"
Ah.
Fair enough.
Alucard looked nothing like before.
"I'm Alucard."
Kai blinked.
"Oh. Uh… hi."
Al smirked faintly.
"Relax. I'm a changed man now."
Kai hesitated.
"…You look different."
"Yeah," Al replied casually. "Almost dying a few dozen times does wonders for your aesthetic."
Kai let out a small, awkward laugh.
"…So you're part of this cohort now?"
"Unfortunately," Al sighed. "I've been enslaved by logistics and paperwork."
"…That sounds terrifying," Kai admitted.
"Oh, it is," Al deadpanned.
Kai smiled faintly.
"…It's good to see you're still alive."
"Same to you," Al replied lightly. "We should talk sometime. Properly."
"…Yeah," Kai nodded. "I'd like that."
Alucard walked back to his seat, feeling oddly satisfied.
---
About ten minutes later, Sunny left the meeting.
Al was about to follow.
Then Nephis stopped him.
"Where are you going?"
She smiled — far too sweetly.
"Now that Sunny's back, we have to completely redo our logistics."
"…Prepare for a few all-nighters."
Alucard froze.
Horror drained the color from his face.
His eyes widened.
Bloodshot.
His knees buckled as he collapsed to the floor.
Tears welled.
His fist slammed into the ground.
Again.
And again.
A cry of pure, soul-crushing anguish echoed across the Dark City that day.
---
After a grueling week of logistics, Alucard was finally spared.
Sunny had decided to rejoin the group.
For a brief moment, Alucard considered killing him for his crimes against him — crimes that included spreadsheets, supply routes, and numbers so cursed they bordered on psychological warfare.
Unfortunately, killing Sunny would mean all that math had been for nothing.
And Alucard refused to suffer pointlessly.
On the bright side, Kai had also joined the expedition.
Which meant there was now someone else Nephis could emotionally and strategically torture instead of him.
A blessing.
Soon after everyone regrouped, the expedition began.
Sunny and Alucard were assigned as scouts.
Sunny relied on his shadows.
Alucard relied on his Sin of Envy.
Together, they made an effective — and unsettling — pair.
Before long, Sunny noticed something.
Harus was following them.
He reported it to the group.
The reactions were mixed.
Some were tense.
Some were cautious.
Some were worried.
Alucard's reaction, however, was simple.
"Okay. Amazing. Let's kill him."
Everyone turned to stare at him like he had just loudly confessed to having a foot fetish for furry femboys.
"What? He's one man," Alucard scoffed. "We can kill him easily."
He also desperately wanted to vent the frustration of a week spent in logistical hell.
"No," Nephis said calmly. "We only fight if it's absolutely necessary."
Alucard rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.
"Okay. Then how exactly are we avoiding him?"
Only two people already knew the answer.
Alucard and Effie exchanged a look.
"…We could go through the lighthouse," Effie said.
Alucard froze mid-step.
His expression darkened.
"Absolutely not."
Nephis spoke again, measured and firm.
"If there's a way to lose him without fighting, then we'll take it."
Effie looked at Alucard.
"We both know that place is empty. There are no enemies there anymore. No one else knows that. Especially not Harus. He won't follow us."
Alucard scowled.
She was right.
"…Fine," he muttered. "But I'm not leading the way."
As they continued walking, Alucard and Effie fell silent.
The others didn't know what had happened in that cursed place.
Alucard wished he didn't remember it either.
Unfortunately…
He did.
---
The lighthouse loomed ahead.
As soon as they entered, Alucard didn't speak.
He simply walked forward — and dropped through the broken interior, falling all the way to the bottom.
The lower floor was still the same.
Silent.
Cold.
Filled with corpses and skeletons.
None of them moved.
Because Alucard had already put them to rest.
A long time ago.
He had put everyone to rest.
Including the last expedition that had tried to retrieve the shard Memories.
It had been his fault.
He had led them here.
He had led them to their deaths.
And now it felt like fate was looping back around.
What would change this time?
Would everyone here die too?
Just like the last expedition?
Just like Sara?
His chest tightened.
He wondered if her body was still here.
It was.
Exactly where he had last seen it.
Now only bones remained.
But he recognized them instantly.
Without a word, Alucard walked over and lifted the remains.
Effie joined him the moment she realized what he was holding.
"…Is that—?"
Her voice cracked.
This had been her former mentor.
Her friend.
And now all that remained was proof she would never come back.
Alucard nodded silently.
He moved to bury the bones, but Effie stopped him.
"If what the evidence suggests is true," she said softly, "we might find the First Bright Lord on our travels… I think she should rest beside him."
Alucard hesitated.
Then nodded.
He summoned a storage Memory.
A pristine wooden coffin appeared — untouched, clean, and almost painfully gentle compared to the ruin around them.
He carefully placed Sara's remains inside.
With respect.
With regret.
With guilt.
Then he dismissed the Memory.
For a few seconds, he didn't move.
Then he stood.
And silently returned to the group.
---
To Alucard, this place was proof.
Even if he survived…
The people around him wouldn't.
Death followed him like a curse.
A shadow he could never shake.
And if that was fate?
Then he would fight it.
He would protect them all.
Even if it broke him.