Ezra stared at the, unfortunately, familiar ceiling.

The same ceiling.

The same patterns.

The same place he had been trying not to think about since the moment he stepped inside this room.

He lay on the king-sized bed, unmoving, his body still while his mind refused to follow.

Beside him, Lior slept soundly.

Quiet and peaceful.

Which was a relief.

Sprawled out like a little starfish, his arms and legs spread without care, the soft rise and fall of his chest steady, the faint sound of his breathing almost soothing.

The kind of sight that would normally ease something in Ezra.

Ground him.

Remind him what mattered.

Ezra knew that.

He knew all he had to do was turn his head, just a little, and look at him.

That would be enough.

It always was.

But he didn’t.

He couldn’t.

Because right now—

That wasn’t what he needed.

He felt like he needed his frustration.

The tension in his chest.

The anger that refused to settle.

If he let it go now—

He felt like he’d miss something important.

Like the clarity that came with it would disappear.

"Fizzy..." Ezra whispers under his breath, his voice barely audible, his gaze never leaving the ceiling.

He didn’t blink.

Not even once.

The name lingered.

Uncomfortable.

After talking with Kaelis—

A conversation that, surprisingly, went...well—

There had been a realization.

Not sudden.

Not obvious.

But once it was there—

It refused to leave.

A realization of something...not good.

No—

Infuriating.

’It doesn’t make sense...’ Ezra thought, his fingers curling slightly against the sheets. ’But it does at the same time.’

It was still just a theory.

That’s what he kept telling himself.

A theory.

Nothing confirmed.

Nothing solid.

Only two things to back it up.

Two small details that shouldn’t have mattered as much as they did.

But they did.

And he couldn’t let it go.

Not when it involved Lior.

Not when it might’ve been connected to everything that had already happened.

Lior is getting taken.

Lior is in danger.

Almost twice.

His jaw tightened.

"In just a day we’ve been here..." Ezra murmurs quietly, his voice lower now, like he didn’t want even the walls to hear him. "He gives Lior a massive amount of candy and loses Lior."

He let the words sit there.

Heavy.

He hadn’t thought much of it at the time.

Didn’t question it.

Didn’t see anything wrong.

Because it could’ve been a coincidence.

That was the easiest explanation.

The safest one.

’But was it?’

Ezra’s gaze finally flickered slightly, not enough to look at Lior, but enough to break the stillness just a bit.

Fizzy used to work with kids.

That detail surfaced clearly now.

Too clearly.

Because it wasn’t new information.

It was something Ezra already knew.

Something he had known for years.

But only now—

Only now did it feel...relevant.

Important in a way it hadn’t been before.

’He knows how kids act,’ Ezra thought, his chest tightening faintly. ’He knows what they like. What would distract the?’

It was evident how he was the first time they met.

Six years ago...

"I think most of the Dark Ones are gone, Captain," Leomord says, looking around, his gaze sweeping across the quiet village as if making sure nothing moved where it shouldn’t. "The only place we haven’t checked is the orphanage, but the other villagers said it’s abandoned."

Ezra didn’t answer right away.

His eyes lifted toward the orphanage building in the distance.

"If it’s abandoned, then there’s no rush to check it,t but..." Ezra says, his voice trailing slightly as he studied it more closely.

It did look rundown.

Not just empty.

Neglected.

The windows were dull, some of them cracked, the paint peeling off in uneven patches, the entrance slightly tilted like it hadn’t been properly maintained in years.

Something about it sat wrong.

’Abandoned doesn’t always mean empty,’ Ezra thought, his brows pulling together faintly.

And he somehow had a feeling.

A bad feeling.

Call it intuition.

"...have the others check on the villagers and have them inform Prince Helios that we’re almost done," Ezra orders, his tone settling back into something firm, something more grounded.

Leomord nods without hesitation.

"What of the orphanage?"

"I’ll check it out," Ezra answers, his gaze still fixed on the building. "I’ll send a signal if something’s off, but the clouds are clear, ng so I doubt there are any still. If there are, I’m sure I’ll be able to handle it."

He didn’t sound worried.

Not really.

Confident.

Like this was routine.

Well, it was routine.

"Right, Crimson Fae can handle it," Leomord says, his tone shifting slightly, a teasing edge slipping in.

Ezra rolled his eyes.

"I never liked that title."

"Do you prefer Drunky?" Leomord shoots back, the grin in his voice obvious even without looking.

"Watch it," Ezra warns, though there was no real bite behind it, just a faint annoyance mixed with something familiar. "We’re on duty."

He reminded him anyway.

Even if they both knew it didn’t matter much between them.

"Yes, yes, Captain. I wouldn’t want to be punished," Leomord says with a small laugh, already stepping away, his tone light as he waved a hand dismissively. "See you later."

Ezra just lifted a hand in response.

A brief wave.

Then he turned.

And started walking.

Toward the orphanage.

Each step felt quieter the closer he got, the sounds of the village fading behind him, replaced by something still.

It was peaceful, but the peace didn’t seem...

He couldn’t really explain it.

’It’s probably nothing,’ Ezra told himself, his gaze narrowing slightly as the building grew larger in front of him.

But even then—

He didn’t slow down.

Ezra looked around as he walked, his steps steady but his gaze constantly shifting, taking in what remained of the village.

Houses were damaged.

Some are barely standing.

Others had already been reduced to nothing more than broken wood and scattered debris.

He could already imagine the work it would take to rebuild everything.

The time.

The effort.

The loss.

’They’re going to have to start from nothing,’ Ezra thought, his jaw tightening faintly as he passed by a collapsed fence, his eyes briefly lingering before moving on.

And all of this—

Because of one person.

One villager.

One moment.

He exhaled quietly through his nose.

He still couldn’t believe it.

That they were just there.

Just passing through.

A routine patrol.

Nothing special.

Nothing urgent.

Then suddenly—

A surge of Dark Ones.

A whole village turned into something unrecognizable.

All because someone had apparently taken their own life.

’That kind of thing shouldn’t even create this many,’ Ezra thought, his brows pulling together slightly. ’It doesn’t make sense.’

It felt too sudden.

Like something lined up too perfectly.

And yet—

There he was.

Standing in the aftermath of it.

’Pure luck,’ Ezra thought, though the word didn’t sit well with him.

Because luck didn’t usually feel like this.

It was unsettling.

His steps slowed slightly as the orphanage finally stood right in front of him.

Up close—

It looked worse.

The structure leaned just enough to make it feel unstable, the wood warped in places, and the door was slightly ajar, like it hadn’t been properly closed in years.

Ezra didn’t speak.

Didn’t make any noise.

He moved quietly, carefully pushing the door open just enough to slip inside.

’If anything’s here, I’ll catch it first,’ he thought, his hand already near his weapon.

The inside smelled faintly of dust.

Old wood.

Something stale.

But nothing fresh.

Nothing that immediately signaled danger.

His steps were light as he moved through the entrance, his eyes scanning every corner, every shadow.

It did look abandoned.

Completely.

No movement.

No sound.

Nothing.

It was quiet.

He walked further in, checking the first room.

Empty.

The next.

Also empty.

Nothing disturbed.

Nothing out of place beyond what time had already ruined.

He paused.

Listening.

Still nothing.

’It’s clear,’ Ezra thought, his grip loosening just slightly as he exhaled.

He was about to turn.

About to leave so he can report back to Helios.

When—

"Hng!"

A sound.

Faint.

From above.

Ezra froze.

His hand immediately moved, unsheathing his sword in one smooth motion, the metal catching just a bit of light as he lifted it.

’Upstairs.’

He didn’t hesitate.

He moved quickly, but still carefully, his steps controlled as he made his way up the stairs, each creak of the wood beneath him sharper in the silence.

He checked the first room.

Empty.

Second.

Nothing.

Third—

Still nothing.

Then—

A scream.

"Help! Please, someone!"

Ezra’s body reacted before his mind could fully process it.

He ran.

Straight toward the sound.

He pushed the door open without hesitation—

And stopped.

Just for a second.

Because what he saw—

It hit all at once.

It wasn’t empty.

Not even close.

There were three Dark Ones.

Their movements were erratic, their forms twisted, drawn toward something behind a row of overturned cribs.

A boy, he seemed like a teenager.

Hiding.

Barely.

Trying to stay quiet as they reached for him.

But that wasn’t what made Ezra’s stomach turn.

Not the Dark Ones.

No—

’What...happened here?’

It was the floor.

The bodies.

Children.

Small.

Fragile.

Lying still.

Some curled.

Some sprawled where they fell.

Ages four to seven.

Too young.

Far too young.

And it was fresh.

The blood is pooling beneath Ezra’s boot.

Like it had just happened.

Ezra already knew.

He didn’t need to think about it.

Didn’t need to piece it together.

He knew exactly what had happened here.

’...no.’

His grip tightened around his sword.

His jaw clenched.

He forced his eyes away from the children, even if only slightly, enough to focus.

Because there was still one alive.

"Stay hidden!" Ezra orders sharply, his voice cutting through the room as he moves forward.

The Dark Ones turned.

Too slow.

Ezra was already there.

His blade moved fast, precise, no hesitation, no wasted motion as he struck the first one down, then the second before it could even reach him.

The third lunged—

And Ezra cut it down just as quickly.

Silence followed.

Heavy.

Pressing in from every side.

But Ezra didn’t lower his sword right away.

Not yet.

Not until he was sure.

His eyes moved across the room, sharp, searching, checking every corner, every shadow, every still body of the Dark Ones to make sure none of them twitched, none of them stirred.

’Stay alert,’ Ezra told himself, his grip still firm around the hilt. ’Don’t assume anything.’

A second passed.

Then another.

Nothing moved.

Nothing breathed. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Nothing remained.

Only then—

Only when he was certain—

He slowly lowered his arm, sliding the blade back into its sheath with a quiet, controlled motion.

The sound felt louder than it should have.

Out of place in the stillness.

Ezra exhaled softly, his chest rising and falling once as he turned his attention back toward the cribs.

Toward the boy.

"You can come out now," Ezra says, his voice quieter now, steady, though there was something beneath it he couldn’t fully hide.

The boy didn’t answer.

Not right away.

He didn’t move either.

He stayed where he was, hidden behind the cribs, as if he stayed still enough, everything would undo itself.

Ezra took a small step forward carefully.

"It’s okay," Ezra adds, his tone softening just slightly. "I’m a knight. I won’t hurt you—"

"They’re dead."

The words cut through him.

Barely above a whisper.

But clear.

Ezra paused.

"Yes, the monsters are dead—"

"The children..."

The boy’s voice trembled this time, quieter than before, like the words themselves were hard to say.

"...are all of them dead?"