HEADSHOT

The orphanage had not released a proper statement on what exactly had taken the children. They were made to believe that the kids had snuck out after dark and likely got lost, hence a search party was tasked with finding them. 

Makima had a wilder guess. 

"So you believe these kids were taken by an abomination?" 

Caspian asked as he inspected the metal bars and the odd shapes they were bent in. 

"No. I am very sure that this is what had transpired." 

Caspian stared at her with a strange expression. It was clear something had breached the gate, but the way it had the common sense to manoeuvre through the vents hinted at a disturbing level of intelligence. This wasn't the work of a simple beast. Only a Crisis—abominations with four cores or more—could possess such advanced cognition.

Frankly, they were not just outclassed—they were facing a threat far beyond their capabilities, and they were woefully unprepared.

'Now I understand why she doesn't mind handing out cores like they're candy,' Caspian thought grimly. 

He knew he was better off with some Celestial power fueling him than marching into that abomination-infested forest with just his mundane body, which wouldn't stand a chance against those creatures. Even then, he wouldn't be much help if they encountered a real threat. 

"And you plan to do what exactly? Engage immediately you see the thing or what?" 

He understood the risks when he first agreed to help, but this felt less like a risk and more like a guaranteed death sentence 

"If we have to, then yes." 

Deven suddenly answered sharply. Speaking directly to Caspian for the first time. 

"I understand the reason behind your weariness, but please trust that we have taken all the necessary measures in preparation for today, all you have to do is help us track her down and that's all." 

Makima said calmly, stepping between Caspian and Deven. 

"I understand the reason behind your weariness, but please trust that we have taken all the necessary measures in preparation for today, all you have to do is help us track her down and that's all." 

Makima said calmly, stepping between Caspian and Deven. 

"And why should I trust a bunch of thirteen-year-olds idea of precaution?" 

Caspian turned to face Makima. There were far safer ways to earn Soul cores than throwing yourself into a forbidden forest infested with flesh-eating monsters. Usually, the students would try hunting on the safer part of the forest—upstream where the orphanage's borders were tighter and the guards patrolled regularly. 

This was the steeper end of the mountain. There was no telling what could be lying in wait as they spoke, getting ready to– 

"Listen, mushroom head, while you've been wondering about the manor getting your ass kicked some of us have actually been training to be knights. If you are terrified by a simple recon mission then you should really reconsider your career options." 

Deven replied with a smirk before continuing. 

"And besides, it's Makima. She's smarter and more cautious than the both of us combined. I trust her even more than the school." 

Caspian kept his gaze on Makima for quite some time, her calm eyes never left him either. After a while he strode past her, jumping right into the forest ahead. 

'Damn it.' 

Caspian cursed as he landed on soft dark soil. He had every reason to turn away now but also just as many to stay. The situation kept growing stranger and stranger and for some reason, he felt like all this had something to do with how he had ended up in a six-month-long coma. So definitely, he could get some answers if he tagged along. 

'Tch mushroom head? What the hell does she even mean by that.' 

Caspian muttered as he took a good look around. The air vents had led them further down the mountain with the orphanage hanging somewhere above them to the north. 

Now they were surrounded by massively tall trees with ancient barks and scanty branches. The deeper into the forest Caspian peered where more patches of white snow buried the dark soil underneath. 

Makima and Deven joined him not long after. Deven first handed him a black long-sleeved shirt made of soft almost cloud-like wool. The texture was so bewitching he suspected the red-haired orge had to have harboured ill intentions in gifting it to him, but soon he came to understand that Makima had been the one to prepare it for him beforehand. 

He didn't let the rising cold meet his skin before hastily putting on the shirt. Instantly his body was suffused with warmth. He let out a soft sigh as he turned to thank Makima. 

She and Deven were now bundled up in an extra layer of clothing. Makima wore a dark purple jacket paired with black gloves, with thick padding over her chest that wouldn't stop everything but would absorb a few hits. 

Deven, meanwhile, was clad in a red jacket similar to Makima's, though hers had a longer collar that covered her mouth and the tip of her nose. 

Caspian couldn't be more glad to see something placed over her mouth. She had her brows tied in a knot as she walked up to Cas, handing him a piece of jewellery as she said; 

"She never took it off, not even in her sleep." 

Caspian could tell so, from how much of the missing girl's scent still hovered about it. The black chain had a dark crystal hanging from it, just staring at it for too long gave him an eerie feeling. 

With a thoughtful look, he turned to Deven and said; 

"The cold might dampen my sense but finding her shouldn't prove to be too difficult." 

Deven nodded to that as she extended her bow. Seeing that they were both ready, Caspian immediately shot forward with the girls following right behind him. 

They ran for a while till snowflakes began to fall from the sky, and their boots sunk deeper into the snow, running was already getting harder but he was sure that they were on the right track. 

Soon Caspian stopped and took to one knee. Makima stood guard while Deven walked forward; 

"What do you see?" 

Makima asked and Caspian replied saying; 

"Tracks, quite a few of them. Extremely orderly, almost uniform. Doesn't make sense." 

"Yes, yes, very uniform it doesn't just make sense." 

Deven repeated with a nod, it was obvious she had no idea what he meant. After all the tracks were faint and he could only see them thanks to his spectral gaze. 

After a bit of discerning, Caspian continued forward, avoiding the areas he suspected were flooded with abominations while also maintaining their route. 

Soon he turned to Deven and asked; 

"Your sister's just as close to Makima as you are?" 

It took a while but she finally replied saying; 

"When Diane was much younger, still... in despair by our parent's death. She ran away from the orphanage... Makima found her first hidden in a cave having starved for days. She then gifted Diane that necklace and ever since then Diane has looked up to her like a sister and so do I." 

Caspian was a bit taken aback by her story. Having lived in the orphanage his entire life, he was well-versed in its history and could recall a certain runaway case that matched the details Deven had just described. 

'Wait, weren't there rumours of the child being born in an Event just like I was? Surely Makima knew more than she was letting on.' 

"What the?!" 

Caspian cursed as he came to a sudden halt. For some reason, he could smell blood. He turned and informed Makima, and she instructed that they follow the blood trail cautiously. 

Soon they were staring at the frozen corpse of a child, with black short hair, with white eyes. His face was devoid of any expression as if the cold had locked his features in place the moment he bled out. A gaping wound marred his neck, the flesh around it fractured and blood dried and frozen in place.

It was clear that something had wanted only his blood. 

Makima was the most disturbed by the scene. She barely let it show but there was an extra film of moisture plating her eyes. Deven was just glad it wasn't Diane while Caspian was too curious about the happenstance of the young boy's death. 

But just then something moved at Caspian's peripheral. There had been a faint mist that hovered just below the snow when they had first gotten there, but now the mist was almost to their shoulders with a chilling ominous aura. 

Caspian was already up on his feet, instantly drawing his lean blade close to his chest. Deven seeing this, raised her bow with an arrow resting on its string. 

Makima meanwhile stood behind them staring into the mist that surrounded them with a calm face. 

Soon a vague figure could be seen walking in the mist, it seemed human but much too sluggish to be entirely so, soon there was another following right behind it, then another, then another all with faint outlines of weapons held in their arms. 

Before they could yell, an arrow shot out of the mist. Caspian immediately rose his blade to meet it, right before it could go through Deven's head. 

The next moment, six armoured knights emerged from the mist with their weapons drawn, immediately initiating an attack.