287,

A sense of peace came from the palm of her hand.

She held Cyclone's hand tightly, just like Yuna was holding onto the other arm.

Their fingers intertwined, with no excess movement or extra sound.

The two of them leaned silently against each other, quietly passing the night.

Until Cyclone opened his eyes again, and her hand was gone.

In a daze, he looked at the empty palm that couldn't hold anything anymore, with the warmth of last night still lingering.

...Yuna?

The words in his mouth were left unspoken, but Cyclone already knew the answer.

Witch Yuna, that young girl was no longer here.

"You're both insane! Both of you are insane!!"

A voice came from outside the stable, clearly not the owner of this land, but the lust in his escape still shouted loudly.

Lust, skilled in various guerrilla tactics, stealth, and covert operations, continued to evade as a wounded war general.

But at this moment, the assassin paid no attention to the current situation and shouted.

"Father!!!"

Instead of answering, Asmodeus lowered his head and looked in the other direction.

Realizing that Asmodeus, her own father, had made up his mind without even giving Himiko a choice, she also lowered her head.

"Dad..."

Seeing Himiko's distressed reaction, Cyclone felt a surge of emotion.

It wasn't sadness from not having a choice, but more like the sadness that came from making a choice.

In this instant, a sense of unease erupted from within his heart.

Cyclone looked left and right, then back at Himiko.

"And, Yuna?"

Suddenly asking this question, Cyclone shocked Asmodeus.

No one answered, Asmodeus looked at Cyclone, then at Himiko.

"I...I didn't save her for this reason!! Daughter!!"

With Asmodeus' shout, Cyclone already understood the choice Himiko had made.

"She can do it, she can make it!"

"That's not the point!! Why didn't you stop her! She's your..."

"I know!!! Ever since that night when you brought Yuna back, I've already treated her like my sister..."

A tear welled up in his eyes, but Himiko continued speaking.

"But you also know... Yuna, she... she always saw the favor she owed you for saving her as her reason to stay alive!"

"I... I know..."

"I won't let you die, Dad! Yuna is a witch, she's my strongest sister, she can do it! While she buys us time, we can head south, pass through Kakarl, and escape from the pursuing Allen army..."

"For the Water Teachings, we demons are also their enemies."

"But at least it's safer there!"

"Girl... Do you really... truly believe that your sister can do it?"

"..."

Himiko didn't answer, only tears streamed down her face.

"Then... What do you want me to do? Do you want me to watch you die? I can't do it! One is my father, and one is my sister. What do you think I can do?!"

In her feeble voice, Himiko said.

"Yuna said she can do it! And as her sister, all I can do... is to believe in her!" Himiko suddenly saw a black sphere appear behind her. Both Himiko and Asmod were instantly stunned. Even though the trees blocked their line of sight, they could still see the top of the sphere above the forest. The magic emitted by this black sphere filled both of them with fear. "This magic... " "This is..." The world screamed in agony, even Cyclone felt the chill. In an instant, it was back to the cold winter, as if the world had lost its vitality. "The source of darkness..."