"Do you know where Alexa is?" he asked directly, without changing the calm tone he had maintained since appearing there.

The question wasn’t laden with explicit concern, but it wasn’t casual either. It was objective. Precise. Like someone who had already tried to find an answer on their own and was now confirming a possibility.

Kaguya took a few seconds to answer. Not because she didn’t know, but because she clearly didn’t like what she was about to say. Her gaze fell slightly to the ground for a moment, and she bit her lower lip almost imperceptibly before finally speaking.

"...Did you go to her house?" she asked first, slightly diverting her attention.

"I did," Vergil replied without hesitation. "She wasn’t there."

This made Kaguya sigh softly, almost frustrated with herself. The pace of the walk slowed even more, and for a moment it seemed she considered not answering, or perhaps formulating something different. But she knew it was no use. Not with him.

"She hasn’t been home for a while," he finally murmured, his voice a little lower than before.

Vergil turned his face slightly toward her, without stopping walking. His gaze wasn’t pressing, but it also left no room for omissions.

"How long?"

Kaguya hesitated again, but this time she was quicker to answer.

"A few weeks," she said, exhaling immediately afterward, as if it were heavier than it should be.

The silence that followed wasn’t uncomfortable, but it carried a different kind of attention. Viper and Raven were a few steps behind, keeping enough distance not to interfere, but close enough to hear. Neither of them commented. Both realized that this conversation wasn’t something to interrupt.

Vergil processed the information without altering his expression. He didn’t show exaggerated surprise, nor visible concern. He only slightly adjusted the pace of his walk and asked the next question with the same objectivity.

"Where did she go?"

Kaguya looked away again, this time more clearly. Her fingers moved slightly between his, as if trying to decide whether to speak or not, even though she already knew she had no reason to hide it.

"...Kingdom of the Werewolves," she finally answered, her voice more restrained.

Vergil didn’t react immediately. He simply repeated the information mentally, fitting it into what he already knew about Alexa, about her connections, about the history she carried. It wasn’t completely illogical, but it wasn’t exactly... simple either.

"Why?" he asked.

Kaguya made a small sound through her nose, something between a sigh and a humorless laugh.

"She went to see her father," she said, finally looking at him again.

The answer hung in the air for a moment. There was no need for further explanation at that first moment. The meaning was already clear enough.

Vergil nodded slightly, as if that confirmed something he already suspected, even without direct evidence before. His gaze shifted forward again, but now there was a slight adjustment in how he analyzed the path.

"Did she mention this to you before she left?" he asked, maintaining a neutral tone.

Kaguya shook her head.

"Not exactly," she replied. "She didn’t announce anything. She just... disappeared. I went after her later."

Vergil said nothing for a few seconds, letting her continue at her own pace.

"I sensed her trail," Kaguya added, now a little firmer. "Wolf energy isn’t hard to recognize when you’ve dealt with it before. I followed it to the border... and stopped."

"Why?" he asked again.

Kaguya grimaced slightly, as if it were too obvious.

"Because it’s not exactly a place you enter without a reason," she replied. "And because... it seemed personal."

That last part came a little lower, almost like an admission she didn’t like to make.

Vergil tilted his head slightly, understanding the point without needing to question it further. He knew enough about territories, hierarchies, and pride to know that it made sense. Still, the fact that Alexa had been there for weeks changed the weight of the situation.

"And you didn’t try direct contact?" he asked.

Kaguya hesitated again, and this time the discomfort was more visible.

"I tried," she replied. "But she didn’t answer."

Viper, behind them, raised an eyebrow slightly, exchanging a quick glance with Raven, but neither of them spoke. This was already entering more serious territory.

Vergil stopped walking.

The movement was simple, but enough to make Kaguya stop with him, still holding his hand. She looked at him, trying to anticipate what would come next.

"She didn’t answer," he repeated, as if organizing the information.

Kaguya nodded.

"No," she said. "Not once."

Silence returned, but this time it was more concentrated. There was no explosive tension, but there was real analysis happening there.

Vergil didn’t seem worried in the usual sense. There was no emotional urgency on his face, no haste in his gestures. But there was focus. A kind of attention that indicated that this was no longer just casual information.

"Do you think there’s a problem?" Kaguya asked then, this time breaking the silence.

The question came out more directly than she intended, and her tone carried a slight trace of unease that she couldn’t completely hide.

Vergil looked at her.

For a few seconds, he simply analyzed her expression, as if deciding how much to answer.

"Not necessarily," he finally said.

Kaguya frowned slightly.

"’Not necessarily’ isn’t exactly reassuring," she murmured.

Vergil let out a small, almost imperceptible sigh, and brought his free hand to her head, sinking his fingers firmly, but not roughly, into her white hair. The gesture slightly ruffled the strands, and Kaguya blinked, surprised by the sudden change in contact.

"If it were an immediate problem, I would have already sensed it," he explained, keeping his hand there for a moment. "But the fact that she’s not answering... is something to be observed."

Kaguya relaxed a little at the touch, even while maintaining a watchful gaze.

"So, shall we go after her?" she asked. Vergil removed his hand from her hair and intertwined his fingers with hers again, resuming their walk.

"Yes," he replied simply.

Viper let out a small sigh behind them.

"Finally something straightforward," she commented, somewhat relieved.

Raven crossed her arms, but there was a slight smile at the corner of her lips.

"The Werewolf Kingdom isn’t exactly going to be a walk in the park," she said.

Vergil didn’t look back as he replied.

"It doesn’t have to be."

Kaguya squeezed his hand again, but this time the gesture was different. There was still unease, but now it was accompanied by something more stable. Direction. Decision.

"She was acting strange before she left," she murmured, almost as if thinking aloud.

Vergil didn’t interrupt.

"Like... quieter," Kaguya continued. "Overthinking. I thought it was just her thing, but..."

She didn’t finish the sentence. "But that wasn’t all," Vergil finished for her.

Kaguya nodded slowly.

"Yes," she said.

The path ahead seemed the same as before, but the context had completely changed. It was no longer just a peaceful return after a battle. Now there was a clear destination forming, even if it wasn’t yet urgent in a chaotic sense.

Vergil maintained a steady pace, without accelerating, without showing unnecessary haste. But each step was now aligned with a next action.

Going to the Werewolf Kingdom wasn’t a light decision, but it wasn’t something that required hesitation for him either.

...

Sankaria didn’t appear on maps, wasn’t mentioned in human records, and was certainly not recognized by any common political structure. The Werewolf Kingdom existed outside these superficial layers of organization, hidden in the vastness of the Amazon rainforest as something too ancient to be reduced to territory. It wasn’t just a place. It was a presence. A living extension of something that breathed alongside the forest itself, as if roots, blood, and memory shared the same space without clear distinction. Those who didn’t belong couldn’t find it. Those who found it by chance... didn’t return.

The forest around Sankaria wasn’t silent. It never was. But the sound that dominated that space wasn’t birdsong or the natural movement of wildlife. It was heavier. Denser. Something that vibrated beneath the surface, like an ancient heart beating to a rhythm that didn’t follow the time of the outside world. The energy there wasn’t just wild. It was territorial. Everything within that domain knew exactly what it was... and what it wasn’t.

And Alexa—

Alexa was no longer recognized as part of it.

The impact came dry.

The sound of her body being thrown against a tree trunk echoed brutally, breaking the sequence of natural noises like a violent intrusion. The wood cracked slightly with the force, leaves falling around as she slid to the ground, leaving a trail of blood in her wake. The air left her lungs in a low, faltering sound, as her body tried to respond to the impact without immediate success.

She tried to get up.

She couldn’t.

A foot pressed her shoulder against the ground before she could even reorganize her own breathing.

"You still think you can come back here... like this?"

The voice was laden with contempt, not uncontrolled anger, but something colder. Something that saw no need to feign respect.

Alexa turned her face slowly, her hair stuck to her skin with blood and sweat. Her gaze was still conscious, still steady, but her body no longer responded with the same efficiency. There were visible cuts, bruises beginning to form, and her breathing hadn’t yet stabilized since the last blow.

"I didn’t come here to ask for anything," she murmured, her voice hoarse, but without hesitation.

The response was immediate.

A kick.

Straight to the stomach.

Her body reacted involuntarily, contracting as the impact dragged her a few inches across the ground, leaves and dirt being pushed along with her. The sound that came out wasn’t a scream. It was lower. More controlled. But it still betrayed the pain.

"So what did you come here to do?" another of them asked, the younger voice, but carrying the same tone of superiority.

They weren’t playing.

It wasn’t a contest.

It wasn’t a test.

They were trying to kill.

Alexa braced her hand on the ground, trying to force her body to stand up again. Her fingers sank into the damp earth, but her arm trembled before she could support her weight.

One of them laughed.

"Look at this," he said, tilting his head slightly as he observed. "Is this the same one who thought she could leave here and come back whenever she wanted?"

Another step.

Another blow.

This time, straight to the back.

The impact made her body fall again, completely, the air being expelled from her lungs uncontrollably. The taste of blood immediately rose in her throat, and she spat on the ground as she tried to breathe again.

"You are nothing," said the first, now crouching slightly to look closer. "Never were."

Alexa closed her eyes for a second.

Not out of weakness.

But to stabilize herself.

To avoid reacting impulsively.

Because she knew—

Any mistake there... was the end.

"Then why are you bothering?" She answered, still on the ground, her voice lower, but steady enough not to sound defeated.

The smile that appeared on his face was not pleasant.

"Because someone needs to put you in your place."

The fist came this time.

Straight to the face.

The sound was sharp, and her head snapped back from the force of the impact, her body being pushed against the ground again. Her vision wavered for a second, dark spots crossing her field of vision before everything slowly returned to focus.

She didn’t try to get up this time.

Not immediately.

Her fingers moved slightly, gripping the earth, feeling the moisture, the roots, the very essence of that place that, at some point, had been... home.

"What did you think you came back thinking?" another of them said, now circling her. "That someone would welcome you with open arms?"

A low laugh accompanied the words.

"After running away?" added another.

"After mixing with... that stuff out there?" the first one said, a slight disgust in his voice.

Alexa opened her eyes again, staring at the ground for a moment before turning her face slightly toward them.

"I didn’t run away," she said simply.

The silence that followed lasted less than a second.

Because the answer came in the form of violence again.

A side kick, striking her ribs.

The sound this time was heavier.

Her body reacted with an involuntary spasm, and the air escaped in a louder sound, impossible to completely contain. Something there... wasn’t intact.

"Don’t lie," he said, now clearly angry. "You left because you couldn’t take it anymore."

Alexa breathed heavily, her chest rising and falling unevenly as she tried to ignore the growing pain.

"I left because I wanted to," she replied, still.

Another blow.

This time, harder.

Her body rolled a few inches, stopping on its side, completely exposed.

"Look at you," said the younger one, moving closer, now not even trying to hide his contempt. "Do you really think you still belong here?"

Alexa didn’t answer.

But her gaze—

It still hadn’t softened.

And that was irritating.

Very.

"She still has that look," one of them murmured. "How irritating."