After receiving the news, Bai and Vera each sat in silence, lost in their own thoughts. They didn’t touch their food again even after it had gone cold.
Night fell, and Bai weakly said, “Let’s go inside and rest.”
Vera didn’t say much. Since hearing the news, the smile on her face had completely vanished, along with the lively energy she had before. Now, she lowered her eyes, her expression full of worry.
Because this wasn’t just about the Broken Blood Knight Order anymore.
From what she had just heard from the Inn Receptionist, the Elf Tribe had also been attacked.
Though it was only briefly mentioned, Vera’s anxiety grew.
Her sister was part of that operation.
Back in the room, Vera could no longer contain her restless mood.
She ran her fingers through her hair, her pale gold locks becoming disheveled as she vented in frustration, “Ahhh, how could this happen? How could those damn Vampire Beasts suddenly appear out of nowhere! This can’t be a joke!”
Bai was silent for a moment, then said, “After the Broken Blood camp was attacked last night, I also heard from other Knights that they suspect there might be Vampires hiding in the forest. Otherwise, those berserk Vampire Beasts wouldn’t have launched such a large-scale surprise attack.”
“Exactly! It has to be the Vampires! They must have set a trap to lure the expedition in, then plan to wipe them out completely. Those despicable bastards! Once I join the Broken Blood Order, I swear I’ll tear their teeth out!”
Vera clenched her teeth fiercely, her fist swinging wildly in the air, as if she wanted nothing more than to take down those Vampires right now.
But after all the fury, Vera sighed helplessly.
She couldn’t even enter the forest, and even if she could, her strength was nowhere near enough to face those massive Vampire Beasts, let alone help out.
“Forget it, forget it. Let’s sleep. Maybe when we wake up early tomorrow, the Broken Blood will have already broken through the siege! Yes! They’ll definitely have a Triumphal Return!”
Vera clenched her fists, trying to encourage herself, then looked at Bai.
“You think so too, don’t you, Little Bai?”
Bai nodded gently but said nothing more.
She had seen the terror of the Vampire Beasts firsthand.
That night’s attack involved only a few dozen Vampire Beasts but ended in such tragedy.
This time, there must be at least a hundred surrounding them.
How could the already weakened Broken Blood Order possibly deal with that?
Unless, a miracle happened.
Vera blew out the lamp, and the two lay down back to back. But neither of them could fall asleep through the deep night, their hearts filled only with endless worry.
Uncle Skarn, Aurelia (Sister), and the other Knights—they were all kind and pure people.
Because Bai had seen them with her own eyes, her heart hurt all the more…
Her consciousness gradually slipped away as Bai fell into sleep.
***
In her dream, Bai seemed to hear the harsh scraping of steel, the roaring of beasts, the splattering of blood—and screams!
The darkness before her suddenly dissipated.
She saw exhausted Knights fighting against huge, ferocious Vampire Beasts. But it was no fight; it was a one-sided massacre.
The battered Sword of Silver was full of chips, while terrifying claws tore through the Knights’ Armor like paper, mercilessly reaping one life after another.
Bai’s eyes trembled.
She hurried forward, wanting to heal the fallen Knights, but her body wouldn’t move an inch.
She tried to scream in agony, but no sound came out.
All she could do was watch as the fallen Knights became lost souls beneath the Vampire Beasts’ claws, blood splattered across the grass, one soldier after another helplessly collapsing.
Then, she saw a familiar figure.
Golden hair matted with coagulated blood, silver armor riddled with gaps stained red, blood dripping down her forehead.
One arm was already severed, the other clutching a slender sword, barely holding on to the last bit of strength to stand and continue fighting the swarm of Vampire Beasts before her.
But in the next moment, her body finally fell, becoming prey on the Vampire Beasts’ chopping block.
They swarmed over her, moving their massive bodies to surround the fallen girl, preparing to feast.
“No… No! Aurelia (Sister)! Wake up!”
Bai tore at her throat, but still no sound came out.
She could only watch helplessly as the monsters ruthlessly tore and chewed her body…
Suddenly waking with a start, Bai’s face was already wet with tears.
She hurriedly sat up and looked around, only to realize it had all been a dream…
Was it just a dream?
Or was it the very despair they were experiencing now?
She lowered her head and was silent for a long time.
Outside the window, the moonlight cast her small, fragile shadow.
Suddenly, a voice appeared in her mind.
“They need you, Bai. Aurelia (Sister), Uncle Skarn, and all the Knights—they need you! They need a Healer!”
Bai shook her head to cast away the foolish thought.
“What are you thinking, Bai? Even if you go, what can you do? Your strength can’t even move those monsters’ claws. If you go, you’ll only be a burden to them…”
“But… what if—”
The voice from that night surfaced in her mind.
***
“Aren’t they tired?”
“They are. But if even we close our eyes, then who will protect our homeland?”
***
In the dim room, Bai suddenly lifted her head. Her heart had made up its mind: she was weak, even frail, but she could never just wait to die!
***
Under the moonlight, the small figure ran frantically, from the inn to the city gates, from the gates to the grasslands, never daring to stop for a moment.
Bai knew she was doing something foolish. She knew her body was smaller than even the claw of a Vampire Beast, and if she went, she might only add another cold corpse to the pile.
But what if—what if Aurelia (Sister) and the Broken Blood Knights needed her healing, needed someone to help?
She wanted to go.
No—she had to go!
Her footsteps never ceased, and what should have taken several hours was done in only one.
The forest at night looked like a massive giant lying on its side.
Nearby, Kingdom Soldiers stood guard to prevent outsiders from entering—and just as much to stop the monsters inside from escaping.
Bai held her breath and tiptoed, but the soldiers’ strict watch made it impossible to slip through.
Just as she was troubled, she noticed not far off a patch of earth, stripped bare and covered in coarse sand from over-grazing.
She stretched out her hand and whispered toward the sandy ground: “「Αναστήσει ο άνεμος!」(Wind Arise!)”
A strong wind suddenly swept up, raising swirling sand that blocked the nearby guards’ sight.
The night’s darkness added to the blur, making it even harder to see.
“Damn, where’s this wind coming from? Blowing sand everywhere.”
One guard waved his hand irritably.
“No idea, maybe it’s the Wind of Triumph?” another guard joked.
The first sighed but smiled back, “Let’s hope so.”
As the two chatted, unaware, a small figure took advantage of the swirling sand and slipped back into the forest…