Silence.

  Or perhaps the comfortable sound of a breeze. Anyone who had ever laid their head on a patch of grass could describe that sensation—that feeling of freedom.

  Yet, no one was around to feel it.

  Except for a lone skeleton of a human long past, lying still, facing the earth.

  Breaking the silence, three figures tore through the air at mind-breaking speed.

  The peace shattered beneath the crackling sound of Deveralna’s wings and the roar of May’s blazing board.

  With a majestic slide, May came to a stop a short distance from the skeleton, joined by the lamia moments later.

  Stella, who had clutched May’s side to stay steady, finally breathed a sigh of relief as her feet touched the ground, away from her own creation.

  “Finally... I can feel at peace.”

  Placing a hand on her chest, she smiled dryly. Deveralna’s long tail brushed the ground. With a neutral smile, she glanced at Stella.

  “That’s a little strange to say when we’re thousands of meters above ground. Clouds aren’t exactly known for being reliable load carriers.”

  The young girl straightened, returning the same faint smile.

  “This is this, and that is that.”

  Giving a small chuckle at her reply, Deveralna chose to end the conversation there as May recovered the device that had carried her.

  “Alright.”

  Crouching on one knee, May picked up the diamond-shaped red crystal and slipped it into a pocket of her vest.

  “Let’s move. We’ve got remains to check.” Straightening, she faced the two behind her, her expression focused.

  “Yes.” They nodded, following her gaze toward the skeletal figure ahead.

  They walked for less than a minute before arriving. Surrounding the bleached bones, all three frowned.

  “What do you think? Does that help us?” Deveralna asked, curious for Stella’s opinion.

  “Well...” Stella leaned forward, scanning the body. “First, it’s not pointing toward a direction like the others did. This one’s just lying there.”

  Her attention shifted to the flower growing from its spine.

  “And then there’s this single flower. It’s weird.” Tilting her head, she crouched closer. “We’ve seen several on the others. Just one is unusual.”

  “While it still glows, it’s far weaker. It feels... lifeless. I can’t pinpoint why, but it makes me uneasy just looking at it.”

  The roots wrapped around the spine as they did on the others, crawling up toward the shoulder blades and skull, forming a strange, withered pattern.

  “Lastly...” Stella stood again. “There’s really nothing else around here.”

  The other two nodded in agreement, having already searched the surroundings.

  “Indeed. No sign of a pillar, and no foul smell either.” May’s tone carried distaste. “This doesn’t help us at all. I could really do without smelling that again.”

  Deveralna winced at the memory.

  “So we’re back to square one?” The lamia’s shoulders slumped. “I wanted to finish this before sundown, but I guess that won’t happen.”

  May shook her head, placing a reassuring hand on her friend’s shoulder.

  “We never know. It’s only past noon—we still have a few hours before the sun sets.”

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  Trying to comfort the lamia, they failed to notice Stella behind them.

  Intrigued, the young researcher’s eyes had caught on something. Pushed by instinct, she knelt again, leaning over the ribcage.

  Her face drew closer to the flower—still cautious, as its properties remained unknown.

  There’s something strange about this one. Far too peculiar. She couldn’t wrap her mind around the existence of this lone flower. The petals are too frail... this isn’t one that transfers siphoned energy to a pillar.

  It looks fake... I can’t see anything else.

  Her hand reached for the stem of the ashy red bloom.

  “Stella?! What are you—” May’s words came too late. She only caught a glimpse of Stella’s motion before the flower was plucked free.

  “I knew it!” Stella shot upright, crushing the flower in her hands with visible anger. “What a clever trick. I can’t believe I almost fell for it.”

  Letting the flattened remains fall aside, she brushed her palms clean, still fuming.

  “That was dangerous. We don’t know what those flowers can do to us.” May exhaled sharply, her heartbeat still elevated from the shock.

  “Yes. You could’ve told us you were going to do something as crazy as grabbing the flower.” Deveralna leaned back, eyes on the sky, visibly stressed.

  But Stella only shook her head.

  “This.” She pointed toward the body, catching their attention. “It’s just a farce. The body’s real—that much I can confirm.”

  “But the flower was a masquerade. A petty attempt at hiding something in plain sight.” Crossing her arms, she stepped away from the skeleton, scanning the blackened dirt carefully. “Here. Come here.”

  Beckoning them closer, Stella’s expression remained sharp and focused.

  “...”

  Both women exchanged a look—silent, mutual understanding passing between them.

  “Alright.”

  They trusted Stella too much to hesitate. As they joined her, they studied the ground, trying to discern what she had found.

  “!”

  Deveralna halted, slowly turning her gaze toward Stella.

  “How did you—No. You’ve got one crazy eye for detail.” Her pupils briefly slit into draconic form before returning to normal.

  “I don’t see anything.” May frowned, still lost. “Care to explain?”

  Stella didn’t respond immediately.

  “Well, it’s simple.”

  She drew Catharsis once more and plunged the blade into the earth.

  The soil parted without resistance. With a twist of her wrist, the weapon dug deeper.

  At first, only a thin scar appeared—but it widened fast, spreading cracks outward.

  They reached the skeleton, and in moments, fractures had crawled across an entire circle around it.

  The ground gave way under invisible pressure, collapsing into a wide pit—at least a hundred meters across.

  And beneath the surface, the truth awaited.

  “...”

  May frowned, peering into the depths. What they sought lay below.

  “This is disgusting...” Her expression contorted in revulsion. “And this smell... it’s worse than any other we’ve faced.”

  All three instinctively covered their noses.

  “There’s still... flesh on them,” Deveralna murmured, eyes darting uncertainly.

  “Stella, you were right.” May stood at the edge of the pit, glancing over her shoulder.

  “I wish I wasn’t.” Stella’s stare was hollow—like someone who had lost all faith in humanity. She fixed her eyes on the pillar glowing bright at the center of the chasm.

  The skull of the fallen skeleton had lodged itself upon the pillar’s jagged tip, as if accusing her of its fate.

  Below, countless rotting corpses lay piled upon one another like discarded rags.

  The flowers, glowing more vividly than ever, mocked them—feeding endlessly on the essence of the dead.

  “I... can’t.” May turned away, nausea rising. “No one should have to see something like this.”

  Deveralna’s expression hardened, her eyes fixed on the grotesque mass.

  “Look away.” She removed her hand from her nose, lifting both arms above her head.

  Even Stella, who tried to suppress her disgust, couldn’t endure the sight any longer. Tears welled as she turned aside.

  “Ophion. Send them away.” Deveralna spoke to the serpent coiled around her arm, waiting as it stirred awake.

  It opened its eyes, demanding its due. Without hesitation, Deveralna channeled lightning through it.

  Ophion unraveled, soaring into the sky as its body expanded to colossal size. With jaws wide, it turned toward the pit and dove like a thunderbolt.

  A column of plasma erupted, engulfing everything within, leaving nothing behind.

  The roaring energy filled their ears, drowning all else.

  Under normal circumstances, the stench of burnt flesh would have lingered—but Deveralna’s control over her magic erased even that.

  Rest in peace. Your suffering ends here. Placing a hand to her heart, Deveralna prayed silently.

  As the light faded, Ophion returned to her in its smaller form, wrapping itself once again around her arm.

  She exhaled, weary, preparing to turn away—

  “Hm?”

  Before she could, the ground darkened.

  “D-Deveralna... is the pillar... gone?” Stella’s voice faltered, but Deveralna ignored her question, instead glancing down.

  “It is,” she said. Then she looked up. “Dark clouds?”

  Turning fully around, she froze.

  “...”

  At last, like her companions, she was greeted by the sight ahead.

  “Deveralna...” May’s voice trembled. “I think we’ve found our Devourer.”

  In the distance, over the vast plateau, the world itself had changed.

  Black clouds, darker than night, loomed across the entire region. Lightning fell at random, devouring the clouds where it struck. Thunder howled with unnatural fury, filling the air with dread.

  And at the center of it all rose a black dome—only partly visible, yet unmistakable.

  Swallowing hard, Stella tightened her grip on Catharsis.

  “L-Let’s go. We have to deal with her... I have to avenge my grandmother.”

  The tremor in her voice slowly faded, replaced by resolve. Remembering the promise she made to her mother, she stepped forward, standing tall.