The streets were still humming with panic and confusion when Lysera turned her sharp gaze back to Kana. The air carried the thick scent of dust and smoke, fragments of wreckage scattered across cobblestone paths.

People shouted in the distance, but in the moment, Lysera seemed to notice none of it. Her eyes were locked on Kana alone.

"I'll take you home."

She said firmly, as though it was not a suggestion but a decision already made.

Kana blinked at her, flustered.

"W–what? No, that's not necessary. You should stay here and help the town. Something big must have happened for things to end up like this, right? They'll need your strength more than I do."

But Lysera didn't move, didn't even glance at the broken buildings around them. Her gaze softened slightly as she studied Kana's face.

"You're more important to me than the town. I'd rather not send you back alone."

She said quietly.

Kana's heart gave a small, startled thump. The words, spoken so simply, carried a weight that left her chest warm and unsettled all at once.

She lowered her eyes, fighting down the strange flutter in her stomach. After a moment, she exhaled softly.

"…Fine. You can walk me back,.

She murmured.

Lysera's lips curved into the faintest of smiles, satisfied. Without another word, she fell into step beside Kana, keeping close as they made their way through the fractured streets.

By the time they reached Kana's home, the air felt calmer — or perhaps it was just Kana's relief at being away from the wreckage and crowds.

She stopped at the door, fingers brushing the frame lightly before turning to Lysera.

"This is fine. You don't need to follow me further. You can return now."

Kana said gently.

But Lysera didn't leave. Instead, she kept staring at Kana with an expression that was hard to read — steady, but almost uncomfortable, as though there was something weighing on her mind.

Kana tilted her head at her, then let out a light laugh.

"You can come in, you know. You don't need an entry permit just to step inside. This is your own house too."

Lysera blinked, her eyes flickering with something unreadable. She looked away for a brief moment before answering.

"I didn't want to make you uncomfortable. So I was waiting for permission… even if this is technically my home as well."

She admitted softly.

Kana's chest warmed again at the sincerity in her tone. Shaking her head, she stepped aside, motioning for Lysera to follow.

"Come on, then."

She said, her voice lighter.

Inside, the quiet hum of the house wrapped around them. Kana headed toward the kitchen, her thoughts on something simple to calm the moment.

"I'll make us some tea."

She called over her shoulder.

As she entered the kitchen, her eyes immediately caught sight of something odd. A slip of paper lay neatly on the table, almost too deliberately placed.

Her brows knit together.

"What's this?"

She muttered, reaching out and picking it up.

The moment her fingers brushed the surface, a searing pain lanced through her arm.

"Agh—!"

The startled cry tore from her throat as she flinched violently, dropping the note onto the floor. Her knees nearly buckled from the sudden burn spreading through her senses, sharp enough to steal her breath.

"Kana!"

Lysera's voice came instantly, her boots striking against the wooden floor as she rushed into the room. She froze as she saw Kana clutching her arm, her face pale with shock.

"What happened?!"

Kana forced herself upright, shaking her head quickly.

"Stay back! Someone used… some kind of ability here. We don't know what it'll do."

She gasped.

As if to answer her words, the discarded paper on the ground began to writhe. It twisted and shuddered, the edges folding unnaturally until it tore itself apart with a ripping sound.

The paper's form warped, shifting into something beastlike. Within seconds, a wolf — jagged, made from the same pale scraps — leapt forward, its fangs bared.

Kana's eyes widened. She threw herself sideways, the creature's claws just grazing her sleeve as it lunged past. It hit the ground, snarling, then twisted its body to leap at her again.

"Kana!"

Lysera surged forward to intercept, but the instant she reached the threshold of the kitchen, her body slammed into something invisible.

A barrier.

She pressed her palm against the unseen wall, her eyes flashing in alarm.

"Damn it!"

She cursed, striking against it again with no result.

Inside, Kana dodged another attack, her breath quickening as the wolf circled her like prey.

The faint glow of a sigil still shimmered faintly on her arm where she had touched the cursed note, the pain echoing through her nerves like fire.

The kitchen, meant to be a place of warmth, had become a cage. And Kana stood alone against the snapping jaws of a conjured predator — while Lysera could only watch, helpless, from the other side of the barrier.

Kana's back hit the counter as the wolf lunged again, its jagged body scattering paper scraps that dissolved into smoke before reforming.

Its eyes glowed faintly, unnatural and cold, locked on her every move.

Her pulse raced.

'I can't just dodge forever…'

She reached for the nearest object — a kettle — and swung it in desperation. T

he metal clanged against the wolf's head, scattering half its face, but the pieces quickly reassembled with a hiss.

Outside the barrier, Lysera slammed her fists against the invisible wall, her voice sharp with fury.

"Kana! Fight back! Don't let it corner you!"

Kana swallowed hard. The pain from her arm flared, and instinctively she focused on it. Mana pulsed there — faint, but hers.

'Ruby told me to trust myself…'

She pressed her palm forward, the energy inside her surging clumsily outward.

A burst of light struck the wolf mid-leap, tearing it apart in an explosion of scraps. For a moment, silence filled the room.

Kana panted heavily, her hand trembling as the glow faded. Then, from the floor, the shredded paper began to stir once more.

Her heart sank.

'It's not over yet.'

And Lysera, powerless beyond the barrier, could only watch her struggle.

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