Luna pulled the little girl closer and stepped back slightly.
"Wh-Who are you?!" she stammered.
"Who am I? How rude! You met me here, so who are you?" the mysterious voice retorted.
Luna was speechless, her mouth slightly agape.
Meanwhile, at the entrance of Dionysus Hall, Aeron, Hector, and Corsair remained in the first building near the gate, frequently checking the window for any sign of Emrys.
"It's been an hour since we left Luna and the others, yet Emrys hasn't returned," Hector said.
"A bit longer, and we'll head out to look for them," Aeron replied, peeking through the window.
"Zzzzzz, Zzzzz," came the sound of snoring.
"How can he sleep at a time like this?" Hector muttered, glancing at Corsair.
"Well, we had a sleepless night," Aeron said.
Suddenly, they heard footsteps approaching. Aeron quickly peered through the window and, seeing who it was, ran outside.
With all the commotion, Corsair woke up and joined them. Approaching was Emrys, carrying Han on his back. Han's ankle was injured, and he was asleep. Blood dripped from Emrys' right arm, running from his elbow to his fingers.
"Guys, where are the others? Did you get here safely?" Emrys asked, his voice weak, his eyes devoid of light.
Realizing the severity of the situation, chills ran down their spines. Instead of bombarding him with questions, they guided him to their hideout.
After a ten-minute walk, they arrived.
"Knock, knock, knock."
One of the teenage girls, Rosette, whose hair was a brunette and had minor freckles across her nose opened the door, her eyes widening at the sight of Emrys.
"Where's Lysia?" she asked hesitantly.
"No, tend to the boy first," Aeron lay Han on the black comfy sofa.
Rosette and the blonde Vic rushed inside to get first aid for Han.
"Oh my gosh, Emrys your arm," Melanie, whose light brown skin matched her eyes, exclaimed.
Hector touched her shoulder and shook his head. Understanding, she remained silent and followed the other two behind.
Emrys stood at the doorway, staring into space, blood dripping from his hand. Aeron, Hector, and Corsair looked down in sympathy, understanding his state. The younger children ran to him, asking where he had found red paint, what had happened to Han's leg, and where Lysia was. Corsair quickly distracted them with fried meat and peaches they had gathered.
Emrys remained motionless until something white came out from one of the bedrooms. As soon as he recognized it was Luna, his breath grew heavier, and he immediately looked down, unable to meet her eyes.
Luna was stunned. She had never seen him like this before and knew it was serious. As she reached him, he stiffened. Then, without hesitation, she slipped her arms between his, wrapping it around his torso and embracing him in a long, warm hug.
The room fell silent. The warmth of the moment sent waves through everyone.
She smiled as she listened to Emrys' heartbeat slow down.
"Luna?" Emrys whispered, his empty eyes flickering with light.
"You did this for me when I was uneasy, remember?. It really helped," she said, holding him a little tighter.
A soft glow returned to his expression. "I'm sorry, everyone. Things went south."
"Tell us what happened," they all said in unison.
"Piranha Concentrate," came a voice from the room Luna had just left.
Aeron, Hector, and Corsair immediately turned toward the source.
"Who the hell are you?!" they squeezed their brows.
An average-sized, pale-looking man in a yukata leaned against the passage's border, picking his nose. He held a keg of palm wine with a small cup both in his left hand.
"Second time I've been asked that today. Well, I'm just someone who couldn't run away."
"Why're you still here? The other porters have all gone," Corsair said.
"Trust me, you'd rather be asleep," the man replied.
"Guys, he was here before us. We should treat him right," Luna said.
"Okay, but how do we address you?" Aeron asked.
"Just call me Sage," the man said, settling on the rug.
"Sage? Why should we call you that?" Hector asked, frowning.
"Because that's what I want to be called." He replied.
"Earlier, you mentioned something concentrate. What do you mean by that?" Emrys asked, still standing.
"Piranha Concentrate. I'm guessing that's what got your hand in that state, considering you came from the small woods," Sage said.
Emrys glanced at his bloody arm. Then, with a heavy heart, he recounted what had happened—omitting the part where he had heard a voice in his head.
Luna covered her mouth, tears streaming down her cheeks. The other girls mourned in silence. Aeron and the others closed their eyes, pained.
"It all happened so fast," Emrys whispered, his voice cracking as he wiped the blood slowly flowing down from his forehead.
Sage poured himself a drink and took a slow sip. "Truly unfortunate."
"So… what's going to become of her?" Aeron asked.
Sage took another sip.
"To understand that, you need to know what Piranha Concentrate is. It forms from the decomposition of long-dead leaves, animals, fallen tree bark, and other biodegradable matter. Holes and dents created by splash erosion act as containers for these wastes. Over time, stagnant water accumulates, blending with the decay."
"At first, it's just an irritating mix that causes itchy skin and allergies—nothing major. But the real danger begins when it stops receiving sunlight. Without sunlight for months, it transforms into the fastest universal solvent known to man."
"It eats through anything like a shoal of a thousand piranhas. Hence the name."
Silence filled the room. The children's voices in the room were muffled by the door, leaving only the weight of Sage's words lingering in the air.
He looked down, his voice softer now. "Based on what we know about Piranha Concentrate, it's obvious what's happening to her."
Emrys, Aeron, and the others clenched their fists and jaws.
"My speculation could be wrong," Emrys said, his voice trembling.
"Well, she's currently stuck in a battle between regeneration and degeneration," Sage explained.
The others barely reacted—they had already imagined something like that.
"But fear not. She's not in pain right now. In fact, she's unconscious," Sage added.
"But how? Shouldn't she be writhing in pain as her skin dissolves?" Emrys asked.
"You have the wrong idea. Listen, she has completely dissolved—bones, organs, everything. She's probably mixed into the concentrate by now."
They gasped.
"Then how is she regenerating?" Corsair asked.
"The regenerative-healing factor is far more formidable than you think. No matter how damaged the body is, it will instinctively restore itself to its healthiest state. As long as the part of the brain that activates it isn't blocked or restricted, it produces a hormone that stimulates the repair or reproduction of the damaged cells, just as it originally was.
"Once the hormone reaches the damaged parts, the cycle begins. Lost tissues, muscles, bones—everything damaged starts to restore, all brand new. But there's a setback. It's not instant. For the average human, it takes time.
"And because Piranha Concentrate dissolves flesh faster than she can regenerate, her healing ability is being pushed to its absolute limit. In that corner, it will reach a breaking point and surpass it.
"The regenerative-healing factor has one ultimate response: adaptation. Slowly, it will begin to match the speed of the continuous damage until it finally overtakes it."
"Without interference, about one year from now, she'll rise from that depth as the fastest-regenerating human alive—one of the advanced humans."
Sage took a long sip of his palm wine. "Insane, no?"
The others sat in stunned silence.
Emrys glanced at his bleeding arm. "Knowing that doesn't change how I feel."
"Hm?" Sage raised an eyebrow.
"I wish this wound would leave a scar—to remind me of my misjudgement and also to fuel my wrath" Emrys said.
"And who are you saving your wrath for?" Sage asked.
"The heartless bastard who caused all this, Klause"
"Vion Klause, huh?" Sage mused, taking another sip.