The hammer came down.
CRACK.
For a single heartbeat, the entire world seemed to stop.
Aira saw it.
The brutal impact.
The way Mia's hammer crashed into Bjorn's skull with a sickening sound that echoed across the burning camp.
Bjorn's body collapsed sideways into the mud like a puppet whose strings had been cut.
"No—!"
The word tore from Aira's throat before she even realized she was screaming.
Her legs moved on their own.
She ran.
Boots splashing through wet mud, slipping across blood-soaked earth as she forced her way deeper into the burning compound.
The camp had become a nightmare.
Rain-damp ground hissed beneath spreading flames as torn tents burned slowly despite the soaked soil. Smoke crawled low through the clearing, thick and choking, stinging Aira's eyes as sparks drifted upward like dying fireflies.
Injured Lust faction members scrambled everywhere.
Some kicked mud onto the flames.
Others dragged burning canvas away from nearby tents.
The smell of smoke mixed with wet earth and blood filled the air, suffocating and bitter.
But Aira barely noticed.
Her eyes were locked on only one thing.
Bjorn.
His body lay motionless in the mud beneath the crimson moon.
And standing over him—
Mia.
Aira's chest tightened painfully as she ran faster.
"DON'T TOUCH HIM!"
Her voice cracked across the chaotic clearing, raw with fury and panic.
But Mia didn't react.
She stood still, staring down at the fallen wolf as if the rest of the world no longer existed.
Somewhere in the darkness beyond the firelight—
Something moved.
A ripple inside the shadows themselves.
Hidden behind the skeletal frame of a half-burned tent, a tall figure watched the scene unfold with quiet irritation.
Lan's shadow.
The one the Sloth leader had assigned to watch aira.
The figure sighed softly, his voice barely louder than the crackling flames.
"What a pain…"
His eyes shifted toward Mia, who still stood over Bjorn's unmoving body.
"If only she had calmed down…"
Another sigh escaped him.
"She could have turned this to her favor."
The shadow leaned slightly forward, observing Aira as she ran toward the center of the camp.
"…though I suppose it was inevitable."
His body seemed to blur slightly as smoke drifted past him.
"I'm reluctant to get involved…"
The shadow straightened slowly.
"But I guess…"
His form dissolved into the darkness beneath the ruined tents.
"…my time to step up has come."
The mud beneath him barely rippled as he moved.
Silent.
Unseen.
Sliding from shadow to shadow like a living stain across the burning battlefield.
The fires continued to spread.
Rain-soaked earth steamed beneath the flames.
Smoke thickened the night air.
And through it all—
Aira kept running toward the fallen wolf.
Unaware that something else had begun moving through the darkness behind her.
POV switch
For a moment, Mia simply stared.
Bjorn's body lay crumpled in the mud before her, half-submerged in the dark soil and ash. Blood slowly spread beneath his head, diluted by the damp ground from the earlier rain.
The crimson moon watched from above.
The flames crackled around the camp.
But Mia barely heard any of it.
Her mind felt distant, drifting somewhere deep within the satisfaction of the moment. The world around her seemed muffled, like she had submerged beneath water.
Smoke drifted past her face.
Bjorn… the wolf who had bitten her… who had defied her… who had dared look at her without worship.
Now he lay motionless.
Broken.
Something inside her twisted with a strange warmth.
Then—
A sound.
At first it was distant.
Blurred.
A voice.
"…don't you dare touch him!"
Mia blinked slowly.
The sound grew sharper.
Closer.
She turned her head.
Through the drifting smoke and flickering firelight, she saw a figure running straight toward her.
Aira.
Mud splashed beneath the girl's feet as she sprinted across the ruined camp, her face twisted with rage and desperation.
Mia tilted her head slightly.
Recognition flickered in her golden eyes.
Is this not the Sloth's pet…?
Her lips curled faintly.
What is she doing here?
Was she not taken by the Sloth?
Her gaze lingered on Aira as the girl ran closer, shouting, trembling with fury.
Then a quiet realization settled in Mia's mind.
Ah…
Come to think of it…
Her smile sharpened slightly.
It was her he chose over me.
The thought lingered only for a moment.
Because Aira was already within range.
Close.
Too close.
Instinct moved faster than thought.
Mia's hammer swung.
CRACK.
The metal head struck the side of Aira's skull with brutal force.
The girl collapsed instantly, her body hitting the mud with a dull, wet sound. Blood seeped into her hair as she lay motionless beside Bjorn.
Silence returned.
The flames continued to burn.
Smoke rolled across the battlefield.
Mia looked down at the unconscious girl.
Slowly, she bent one knee.
One hand reached down and lifted Aira's wrist slightly, examining her as if she were an interesting toy.
The other hand still held the hammer.
A strange smile spread across Mia's face.
It carried too many emotions at once.
Jealousy.
Lust.
Pride.
"So this is the one…"
Her grip tightened around the weapon.
The hammer slowly rose again.
High above Aira's head.
For the second strike.
And then—
A hand rested gently on Mia's shoulder.
The movement was so sudden, so quiet, she hadn't even sensed someone approaching.
" I suggest we all calm down."
The voice was calm.
Lazy.
Unbothered.
Mia's eyes widened slightly.
Behind her stood a tall figure half-swallowed by the shadows cast by the burning tents.
Lan's shadow.
He had been standing there long enough that the firelight barely revealed his shape at all—his presence blending perfectly with the darkness.
His arm remained draped casually across Mia's shoulder as if they were old acquaintances.
Smoke curled around him.
His gaze shifted toward the unconscious Aira… and then toward Bjorn's motionless body in the mud.
"Things have already gotten… unnecessarily messy."
The flames crackled softly behind them.
Mia's body froze.
Her golden eyes widened.
Who da fuck is this?
Her mind raced.
No… how the hell is he behind me?
Her grip tightened on the hammer.
No… when did he get behind me?
For the first time since the fight began, uncertainty crept across her face.
Behind her, the man resting his arm on her shoulder sighed softly.
"You should get your thoughts in check," he said lazily.
His voice was calm. Almost bored.
"You look like you just saw a ghost or something."
The words barely left his mouth before Mia moved.
Her arm snapped upward with explosive speed.
The hammer cut through the smoky air in a brutal sideways arc aimed directly at his skull.
But the strike hit nothing.
The man had already moved.
With an effortless hop backward, he slipped away from the swing, landing lightly several steps away. His boots touched the rain-soaked mud without a splash, as if the earth itself refused to disturb him.
The hammer whooshed through empty air.
For a moment, the only sound was the crackle of burning tents.
Smoke drifted between them.
The shadow straightened slightly, brushing a bit of ash from his sleeve like someone mildly inconvenienced.
Then he looked at Mia.
"Please," he said, tone still annoyingly relaxed.
"Stop swinging something so dangerous around."
His eyes briefly glanced toward her chest before returning to her face.
"If you will."
For a heartbeat, the meaning hung in the air.
Then it landed.
Mia's expression darkened instantly.
Insult.
Pure insult.
Her fingers tightened around the hammer handle until her knuckles whitened.
Not only had he appeared behind her without warning—
He had dodged her full-powered swing.
And now he was mocking her.
The flames crackled around them as the rain-soaked ground steamed beneath the spreading fire.
Bjorn's motionless body lay in the mud nearby.
Aira bled quietly beside him.
And Mia's golden eyes slowly filled with fury.
"Oh…?"
Her smile returned.
But this one carried teeth.
"So you want to play with me too?"
She lifted both hammers again.
To be continued