CHAPTER 61: CH 61: TAKING ACTION- PART 2

Smoke clawed at Kana’s lungs the moment the explosion hit. The air turned thick and gray, tasting of burnt wood and scorched stone.

She coughed, the sound muffled by the roaring in her ears, her eyes stinging as ash swept into them.

Her vision blurred, and every breath became a struggle.

Her hands reached out blindly, searching for balance as debris scattered across the courtyard. Then, with a faint shimmer, her body flickered—

[Passive Skill: Body Purification] had activated.

A soft, warm current surged through her limbs, flushing the toxins from her system and easing her breathing.

Her vision sharpened slightly, but the smoke still clouded everything around her. The high priestess, the guards, even the temple walls—everything had vanished behind the thick, suffocating fog.

Before she could move forward, a hand grabbed her arm.

She instinctively recoiled, but the grip was firm and deliberate, not violent. Through the gray veil, Kana caught a flash of soft pink—hair, cloth, something—and then a voice called out.

"Don’t panic. I’ve got you."

The world tilted as she was pulled forward, the smoke swirling behind her.

They ducked behind a ruined pillar, and the sudden break in movement made Kana collapse to her knees, coughing again as her lungs tried to clear. She looked up—and her heart skipped.

"Rose...?"

The familiar back, the unmistakable way she carried herself—it was Rose. The front desk worker from Nina’s café. But something was different.

Her expression was sharper, eyes less vacant than the last time Kana had seen her. A small cut ran down the side of her temple, and dust clung to her robe.

Kana blinked, disoriented.

"What... what are you doing here?"

Rose turned to face her, face uncertain.

"I don’t know. I wish I could tell you."

Kana’s eyes narrowed. Her body was still on edge.

"Who are you, really?"

"I swear I’m not here to hurt you. I don’t remember everything... but I know I came here to help. And that you’re important."

Rose said quickly, her voice low but urgent.

Kana’s instincts screamed caution—but not fear. Something about Rose felt familiar. Safe.

Even now, as her thoughts jumbled from the explosion, her body told her this girl was not a threat.

She forced herself to relax, just slightly.

"So you’re saying you don’t remember who you are, but you’re here to help me."

Rose nodded, looking away.

"It sounds insane, I know."

Kana sat down, her legs finally giving out beneath her.

"No. Not insane. Just... a lot."

They sat in silence for a moment. The smoke outside still hadn’t cleared. Distant sounds of shouting and clashing footsteps echoed from somewhere far off.

But here, tucked between broken pillars and rubble, it felt strangely quiet.

"Thanks for getting me out of there. Even if I’m not sure why you did it."

Kana said softly.

"I didn’t want you to get hurt. Even if I don’t remember why... I just know I need to protect you."

Rose murmured.

Kana looked at her closely.

"So, what now? You said you had a mission?"

"I think I did. Before I lost my memories. But I don’t know what it was anymore. Something important. Something to do with you. I... I was supposed to be watching you. Helping. But everything’s blank now."

Rose’s hands clenched in her lap.

A frown tugged at Kana’s lips.

"If it’s connected to me, then maybe you should stick close until your memories return. That might help."

Rose hesitated, visibly torn.

"I don’t know if that’s a good idea."

"Why not?"

"Because... something tells me that if I stay, something bad will happen. To you. I’m not sure what I am, Kana. I don’t even know if I’m fully human. What if I lose control? What if I’m the reason something happens to you?"

Rose looked away, her voice barely above a whisper.

Kana tilted her head.

"You’re talking like you’re a monster."

"I don’t know what I am."

There was fear in her voice now—real fear, like she was afraid of her own reflection.

But Kana only exhaled slowly.

"Then I’ll decide for myself."

Rose’s eyes widened slightly.

"If my instincts say you’re not dangerous, then I’ll trust them. I think I’ve learned to listen to myself a bit better these days."

Rose looked at her, eyes shining with something unreadable.

"You’re... brave."

Kana smiled faintly.

"No. I’m just tired of doubting everything. And I’d rather deal with someone who might be dangerous but wants to help, than someone who smiles at me and stabs me the moment I turn my back."

Rose opened her mouth to respond—but froze.

The sound of boots crunching stone. Voices. Someone was approaching fast.

Kana whipped her head toward the direction of the sound, squinting past the smoke.

"Is it the high priestess’s guards?"

She asked.

But when she turned back—

Rose was gone.

Kana blinked.

No sound. No movement. Just empty space where she’d been sitting.

She stood quickly, wobbling slightly as she steadied herself.

"Rose...?"

But there was no answer. Only the muffled chaos of the aftermath and the press of smoke curling back into the ruins.

Kana stood still for a moment longer, heart pounding in her ears. Then, without a choice, she turned and ran toward the approaching voices.

Whatever was coming, she’d face it head-on.

And she’d find Rose again. Somehow.

With Rose gone and the smoke still curling thick in the air, Kana hesitated for only a moment before heading toward the sound she had heard earlier.

Her legs were unsteady, her breaths shallow, but she moved anyway—driven by instinct and the flickering hope that someone from the temple might still be alive.

The noise echoed strangely through the stone corridors—heavy steps, the dragging of claws, and a low, guttural growl that made the hairs on Kana’s arms rise.

Her pace slowed.

That didn’t sound human.

Each step brought her closer to the source, and with each step, unease twisted deeper in her chest.

Whatever was ahead wasn’t speaking, wasn’t calling for help—it was snarling. Breathing heavily.

She paused near a crumbling archway, her heart pounding as she tried to make sense of the silhouette in the shadows beyond.

She decided to retreat, pivoting quickly to head the other way. But she’d moved too late.

A low snarl rolled through the smoke, and Kana stopped dead in her tracks as the shape emerged from the shadows.

The creature stepped into view—larger than any beast she’d ever seen.

Its body was powerful and thick with muscle, covered in bristling fur that shifted between the orange stripes of a tiger and the coarse gray of a wild wolf.

Its back arched, its head low, and its fangs glinted through its parted lips. Its eyes, once possibly intelligent, were now bloodshot and empty—glazed over with rage and madness.

Kana instinctively stepped back.

The beast’s eyes locked onto her.

It wasn’t an animal anymore. Whatever it had once been, something had stripped it of its reason, leaving only hunger and violence in its wake.

Kana’s mind raced. She had no weapon. No backup. And no idea if this thing could even be reasoned with—if it had ever once been something human.

The beast growled, lowering its head, and its claws scraped against the stone as it began to stalk forward.

Kana swallowed hard, body tensing.

She didn’t know if she could outrun it.

But she knew she wouldn’t survive if she stood still.