Morning light crept across the stone streets of Crestfall’s east district, pale and sickly, as though even the sun hesitated to touch this part of the kingdom. Dust clung to broken cobblestones, and the faint metallic scent of decaying minerals lingered in the air. The buildings leaned at odd angles, their once-white plaster now dulled by ash and neglect.

  Rhen Calder walked at the front, the morning chill biting at his cheeks, hand resting near the hilt of his sword. Every sense was alert, ears straining for even the faintest sound, eyes sweeping the shadows. Beside him, Akitsu Shouga moved like a ghost, hood low over his face, footsteps so quiet that even the crunch of gravel beneath the soles seemed muted. Lemon hovered lazily near their shoulders, whiskers twitching nervously, scanning every corner of the empty district.

  “…Nothing,” Rhen muttered, jaw tight. “No crowds. No disturbances. No sign of panic.”

  Lemon clicked his tongue, wings fluttering with nervous energy. “Which makes it worse. Places like this are never quiet without a reason.”

  Akitsu’s eyes swept rooftops and alleyways with precise care. “If the corpses only appear at night,” he said softly, “then one should have appeared last night.”

  Rhen nodded grimly. “Which means whatever is doing this is either hiding extremely well… or moving freely without being noticed.”

  They passed abandoned market stalls, tarps torn and flapping weakly in the wind. A broken lantern rolled across the cracked road, clinking softly against stones. The echo reverberated unnaturally in the quiet streets.

  “This district feels… wrong,” Lemon whispered, his voice barely audible. “Like it’s waiting.”

  The next second—Akitsu halted.

  Rhen noticed immediately. “What is it?”

  Akitsu turned his head slightly, eyes narrowing beneath the hood. “There.”

  A narrow alley yawned between two crumbling buildings. The shadows inside were thick, heavy, almost viscous, unmoving.

  At the far end slumped a man.

  Hunched against the wall, his skin was gray like ash, stretched tight across his protruding bones. His breathing came in shallow, ragged gasps, a faint rasp of despair. In front of him lay a small leather pouch, its clasp broken, contents spilling black powder onto the stone—Ashveil.

  The old man trembled as he tried to reach for it. His arm fell short, fingers twitching uselessly.

  “…Damn,” Rhen muttered, eyes narrowing.

  Akitsu stepped forward, silent, measured, calm. Rhen followed closely behind, hand tightening on his sword. “Akitsu—be careful.”

  The old man’s head twitched unnaturally, slowly turning toward them. His eyes were sunken, glassy, unseeing yet somehow aware. The arm lifted again, trembling violently, reaching toward Akitsu with the last fragments of his will.

  Lemon drifted closer, nostrils flaring. “Ashveil… finding it here is rare, but not impossible. Some smugglers still circulate it in dying districts.”

  Akitsu bent down, lifting the pouch carefully. The old man let out a hoarse sound—half plea, half growl, desperation in every strained breath.

  Akitsu’s voice was soft, almost indifferent. “It’s sad.”

  Rhen frowned. “Sad?”

  “He’s far beyond saving,” Akitsu continued quietly. “Ashveil hollowed him out long ago. There’s nothing left of the man that matters.”

  The old man’s arm twitched violently again, clawing at empty air, his trembling fingers scraping stone.

  Rhen clenched his jaw. “The kingdom’s priorities shifted. From Ashveil eradication… to Valenreach and Crestfall’s political tension.”

  Lemon turned away, ears drooping. “And people like him… they get forgotten.”

  Akitsu straightened, slipping the pouch into his cloak. He did not look back. Behind them, the old man’s arm finally dropped to the ground.

  “…You took his drugs,” Rhen said quietly after a moment.

  “Yes,” Akitsu replied without hesitation.

  “Why?” Rhen asked, brows furrowed.

  “I won’t let him waste away in a false reality,” Akitsu said simply.

  Rhen frowned. “You’re saying—”

  “He’ll die slowly,” Akitsu said, voice steady, “but he’ll die awake.”

  Lemon gave a small nod, wings twitching. “Cruel, but honest.”

  Rhen exhaled slowly. “This district is clear.”

  Akitsu’s hood shadowed his face, eyes glinting. “We should move.”

  “Crystal Mine,” Rhen said, voice low, carrying weight. “If there’s unnatural decay, something underground could be involved.”

  Akitsu inclined his head. “Then we go now.”

  The Crystal Mine loomed like a wound carved into the mountainside, jagged stone cutting into the sky. Inside, the air grew colder, heavier with dust and the faint metallic tang of minerals. Crystals embedded in the walls caught the dim lantern light, fracturing it into jagged rainbows that danced across the rough surfaces.

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  Deeper in, the mine seemed alive. The echo of hammers, shouts, and carts filled the tunnels. But as soon as Rhen and Akitsu entered, conversation faltered. Eyes followed their movements, narrow and suspicious.

  “They don’t like outsiders,” Lemon muttered, hovering close.

  “They don’t like authority,” Rhen replied evenly, voice low, scanning faces.

  Halfway through the tunnels, a bearded middle-aged man stepped into their path. He paused, assessing the two quietly. “Captain,” he said, nodding respectfully. “It gets dangerous the deeper you go.”

  Rhen inclined his head. “Thank you. We’ll be cautious. We’re only searching for something.”

  The man’s gaze lingered on Akitsu for a long moment, then he nodded and stepped aside, disappearing into the dim tunnels.

  At the deepest point, they reached a dead end.

  Akitsu frowned, scanning the walls, floor, and ceiling. “Nothing.”

  Rhen’s eyes swept over the stone, lantern light reflecting off jagged mineral veins. “No hidden passages. No residue.”

  Lemon crossed his arms. “Then we’re barking up the wrong tunnel.”

  Akitsu turned his head, hooded gaze sharp. “We could check the other branches.”

  “No,” Lemon said, voice sharp now, wings bristling. “Think about it. Bodies appeared in the east… then spread west.”

  “…Meaning the source is outside,” Rhen said slowly, realization dawning.

  “The forest gate,” Lemon finished, voice low. “Someone came from Everdawn Forest.”

  Akitsu inclined his head. “Let’s move.”

  They passed through the eastern gate without incident. Rhen’s authority and reputation ensured that no questions were raised, though the guards’ eyes followed them longer than normal.

  Everdawn Forest opened before them like a cathedral of trees, sunlight filtering through golden leaves, painting shifting patterns on the forest floor. Roots twisted like veins beneath their feet. Paths, clearings, and hidden hollows stretched in every direction.

  They searched with meticulous care. Nothing.

  Then Lemon froze.

  “…Wait,” he whispered, hovering near Rhen’s shoulder, eyes narrowing.

  “What is it?” Rhen asked, stepping closer.

  Lemon drifted to a nearby tree, pressing his nose against the bark, whiskers trembling. He sniffed, inhaled, then froze completely.

  “…That smell.”

  Akitsu stepped closer, crouching slightly. “What kind?”

  Lemon inhaled again, slower this time, wings twitching. “I’ve never smelled anything like it. Not animal. Not human. Something… different.”

  Akitsu examined the bark, hand brushing lightly across its rough surface. “Something touched it.”

  Rhen knelt, eyes scanning the forest floor around the tree. “Can you track it?”

  Lemon shook his head. “Not a trail. But… if I get close enough again, I’ll recognize it instantly.”

  Rhen stood, determination hardening in his expression. “Then we need a body.”

  Akitsu tilted his head, a faint smirk beneath his hood. “Using Lemon like a K9 dog?”

  Lemon puffed up indignantly. “I am far superior to a dog.”

  Rhen blinked. “What’s a K9 dog?”

  “…Never mind,” Akitsu muttered, turning back to the path. “Let’s return.”

  Permission came swiftly. With Selene Vael’s authority and the High Council’s approval, they were escorted to the morgue.

  The staff looked uneasy as the two Royal Knights entered.

  “We don’t normally allow this,” the attendant said, voice low.

  Rhen nodded. “I understand. Thank you.”

  A body was placed on the table. Intact, yet already rotting unnaturally fast. The odor of accelerated decay filled the room.

  Lemon dropped onto the body, wings twitching, whiskers quivering.

  The attendant paled. “Is that… allowed?”

  “He’s helping,” Rhen said flatly.

  Lemon sniffed. Once. Twice. Then hovered across the room, stopping suddenly.

  “Same scent,” Lemon said, voice low. “Exactly the same as the tree bark.”

  Akitsu’s hood shadowed his eyes. “So the source touched both.”

  Rhen straightened. “Then whatever is causing this… moves between forest and kingdom.”

  They thanked the staff and left.

  Rhen exhaled sharply as the heavy doors closed. “Research room.”

  Akitsu nodded. “We’re closer than before.”

  Lemon crossed his arms, gaze darkening. “And I really don’t like what we’re chasing.”

  Outside, the kingdom remained silent, shadows stretched unnaturally long, and somewhere—hidden just out of sight—that scent lingered.

  The hunt had only just begun.