What happened had happened so fast.

The sword flew past Sarah, so close that she felt the air whip across her cheek like an angry whisper. The metallic hum sliced through the silence, and before she could even blink, the blade struck an enemy creeping behind her.

The creature froze mid-motion, its body twisting grotesquely before turning into a puff of dark smoke that vanished with the sword itself.

Simma's lips curved into that familiar cocky grin as he straightened himself, waiting for the expected "thank you" from the person he had just saved.

"Tsk," Sarah scoffed, brushing imaginary dust off her shoulder.

"I had him already." Her tone dripped with mockery, light, but sharp enough to prick Simma's pride.

Simma chuckled weakly, leaning against a nearby tree. His breath was uneven, his legs heavy with exhaustion.

"I… I didn't think you had him," he managed, voice trembling with both fatigue and mischief. "Pretty sure I just saved your ass."

Sarah blinked, arms crossing over her chest like a queen unimpressed with her jester.

"Really? And how exactly were you planning to handle all these things without us? You're already exhausted."

Simma peeled himself from the tree, straightening his posture in the most unconvincing show of strength imaginable.

"Ugh, if you guys weren't here, I wouldn't have probably been here," he retorted, his words brave but betrayed by the way his knees wobbled beneath him.

"And who said I was weak?"

Sarah raised an eyebrow, about to deliver a cutting reply, but Lucy, who had clearly reached her limit, snapped first.

"Would you two just stop it!" she yelled, throwing her arms in the air.

"We just got attacked by freaking zombies, and all you can do is bicker? Gods!" She dragged a hand down her face, clearly done with both of them.

Simma's grin faltered. Her words hit him like a weight to the chest. It wasn't even her intention, but guilt crept up his throat all the same.

He didn't realize Sarah felt it too, the unspoken shame of realizing how childish they sounded in the middle of near-death chaos.

"It was Sa..." Simma started to say, but before his sentence could crawl out of his mouth, a shrill chorus of cries erupted again, this time, louder, closer, and coming from every direction.

The sound made Simma's blood run cold. Sarah felt her heart hammering violently, each thump like fists pounding on her ribcage.

Lucy didn't wait for anyone to give an order.

"Hold on!" she shouted.

In the blink of an eye, glowing sigils formed under their feet, light swirling like liquid mercury. The ground fell away, and a circular portal opened beneath them.

The moment the first shadowy figure appeared at the tree line, the trio dropped through, disappearing just as the horde of the damned came crashing forward.

–––

The end of the portal burst open mid-air, ripping reality like a slit curtain.

It hovered horizontally.

Lucy emerged first, flipping forward and landing gracefully on her feet like a seasoned ninja. Her cloak fluttered dramatically around her before settling.

Then came Simma, flailing, yelling, and tumbling out of the portal like a thrown potato sack. He landed on his back with a loud thud.

"Ow..." he groaned, wincing.

And before he could even lift his head, Sarah came flying right after him, stumbling straight onto his chest.

The impact forced a groan out of him, but the next moment, his expression changed entirely.

He froze, aware of her warmth pressing against him, her soft hair brushing his neck. Her soft breast presses heavily on his chest. She was just simply overwhelming that Simma hadn't realized his hand had automatically held her, to himself by the waist.

For a second, all his pain vanished, replaced by a foolish grin creeping up his face.

"Well," he said, his voice low, teasing, and far too pleased for someone who'd just been flattened. "Isn't this lovely?"

Sarah's eyes widened, her face turning an adorable shade of crimson.

*Whack!*

The slap landed squarely on his cheek, a quick, stinging correction that made his head turn slightly.

"Let go of me, Simma!" she shouted, scrambling off him.

Simma chuckled despite the sting, still sprawled on the ground, rubbing his cheek.

"That was just a thank you slap, right?"

Sarah glared daggers at him before turning away, arms crossed again, muttering something about "idiots and misplaced grins."

Lucy, meanwhile, stood to the side, shaking her head in disbelief. "You two are hopeless," she muttered under her breath. "Like some sick lovers out of a cheap tavern story."

Rolling her eyes, she lifted her hand, summoning a faint purple glow. A portal shimmered open again, and a few seconds later, a horse stepped out, snorting as if also judging the two.

Sarah meanwhile, was turning crimson, the shyness lingering over her like a trailing smoke.

Simma finally stood up, brushing dirt off his shirt, and looked around.

"Wait… Lucy, you brought us back here?"

Lucy grimaced. "I know, I know! I just had to get us out fast. Or so you want me to take you back in there with the horde of damned souls?"

Sarah chuckled, clearly still annoyed but unable to resist the banter. "Yeah, I totally stand for that."

Simma sighed. He didn't even know how to make her forgive him anymore. Ignoring her jab, he turned to Lucy.

"Look, just...make the next portals short-distance and westward, okay? Let's keep it steady."

Lucy exhaled loudly, rolling her eyes.

"Fine, fine. I'll try my best."

She walked to the horse, which Sarah was already gently patting. As Sarah prepared to mount, Lucy turned to Simma.

"Hey, why don't you ride with Sarah for a while? You look half-dead."

Simma nodded, grateful for the idea, but Sarah immediately cut in.

"He's not riding with me," she said flatly.

Lucy blinked, startled. "What? Why not?"

Sarah's gaze flicked to Simma, then away again.

"Nothing. He can ride alone. I'll manage with you."

"You... you will treck with me?" Lucy asked surprised, feigning not to know the reason behind Sarah's decline.

Sarah shrugged, "yeah" she said simply and cooly.

Simma felt that rejection like a dagger in his gut. He couldn't understand what he'd done wrong. Was saving her really such a crime? Or was not wanting her to come with him, so that she wouldn't get hurt, a bigger crime?

Lucy looked like she wanted to argue but thought better of it. She knew Sarah well enough to sense when pressing further would only make things worse. So she let it go, turning toward the west.

She knelt down, brushing her fingers across the earth. Her expression shifted to concentration as faint energy rippled around her hands. The forest hummed softly in response.

When she finally opened her eyes, they glowed bright violet. Raising her arm, she drew a slow circle in the air, leaving a trail of shimmering purple energy that coalesced into another portal.

Without saying a word, she motioned for them to move. Sarah went first, Lucy followed, and Simma, already mounted on the horse, brought up the rear.

The next few hours became a rhythm of travel and teleportation. Step in, flash of light, step out again and again. Each new portal brought them closer to their destination. And lucy made sure that she kept her portals on track.

The forest around them blurred from thick green to foggy grey, then to the darker hues near the Haydes border.

By the time they stepped out of what must have been the twenty-first portal, Lucy stumbled forward, panting heavily.

"Whoa," she gasped, bracing her knees. "That should be the last one."

Before them stretched the view of Haydes, the infamous city of outcasts and slaves.

The forest opened like curtains parting for a grim stage. Far in the distance, metallic towers jutted up against the orange sky.

The entire city looked forged from shadow and steel, rusted plates stacked into walls, smoke rising from vents that hissed like serpents. Dim lanterns flickered on crooked poles, casting uneasy light on narrow alleys that wound like veins through a giant's corpse.

Sarah stared, her eyes wide with disbelief.

"So it's real…" she whispered. "I thought this place was just a myth."

Simma's face darkened. His jaw tightened as he stared at the sight before him. Every creak of metal and every puff of smoke brought memories clawing to the surface, memories he'd tried so hard to bury.

The screams.

The chains.

The whips.

Sonja.

His hands clenched on the reins until his knuckles whitened. If a Soulnexer appeared right then, it wouldn't need to fight hard to devour him; his sorrow alone would serve as bait.

Lucy finally broke the silence.

"Well," she said softly, straightening up. "We made it in time. Let's rest a bit, and when it's fully dark… we attack."

Simma's lips pressed into a thin line.

He knew the Haydes better than anyone. Its streets, its monsters, its cruelty. Resting here though wasn't suicide.

But...

He turned slowly to her. "If we do that, Lucy," he said quietly, his tone carrying the weight of grim certainty, "then we're walking into a lion's den, when the lion's are starving."

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