Christine and the search party were racing across the wilderness.

The horde of monsters that had ambushed them earlier mysteriously vanished as they approached the site. Christine found this even more unsettling. Her heart pounded furiously. It felt like something irreversible would happen if they didn't reach their destination as fast as possible.

"Kiieeeek!"

Amidst the silence, the cries of the monsters continued to echo across the wilderness. The terrifying roars that had threatened their prey now morphed into wails of pain.

"...Doesn't the sound seem a bit different?" a soldier from the desolate zone asked as he ran. Paola nodded.

"It sounds like they're in pain."

"...Could other monsters be attacking them?"

Paola shook her head.

"No, absolutely not. How many creatures do you think could inflict painful wounds on a massive Death Worm that burrows through rock? At least among the ones I've faced since being deployed here, none would pose a threat to a Death Worm. Even if they were transported by the cartload, they wouldn't be a match for it."

"So, what you're saying is..."

Paola narrowed her eyes.

"...We can't be sure yet. So, we'd better move faster."

Paola picked up her pace.

"Lieutenant Commander, we might need to prepare for combat."

Though she was in charge of the search party, Paola was technically subordinate to Christine. Christine nodded. She was already gathering light in her hands. Paola, seeing Christine's intent, gripped her mace. The bloodstained silver mace gleamed as it caught the sunlight.

"Everyone, prepare for battle."

The knights drew their weapons. The sound of metal clashing against metal resonated across the wilderness.

"Our priority is not to kill the monsters but to rescue lives. And above all, protect your own."

Paola led the team with ease, her voice carrying an inherent authority despite her lack of formal rank.

"Let's go."

They traversed the high and low hills, eventually reaching a gentle slope. Christine looked down at the ground beneath her feet. The dry, hardened earth was cracked. Pebbles scattered underfoot.

"The ground is shaking..."

Christine muttered.

"Yes," Paola replied briefly. Once again, the monsters' cries filled the air.

"Kiiiiiik!"

As the death throes of the creatures echoed, the search party caught sight of the enormous Death Worm in the distance.

"What the hell..."

The sight of the Death Worm thrashing about resembled a small hill in a frenzy. The ground trembled as if an earthquake had struck the wilderness. Dust rose like a tidal wave. The wave of dust, growing larger, spread in all directions despite the lack of wind.

Christine squinted, trying to make sense of the scene through the swirling dust.

At first glance, it appeared as though the Death Worm was thrashing alone. The ground beneath it was sinking and cracking, with large boulders being hurled into the air.

But then she sensed something.

Christine's eyes widened as she gradually realized what was happening. She breathed a sigh of relief, tears welling up, but the sight of Maxim battling reignited her anxiety. The team members began murmuring.

"Is someone riding on top of it?"

"Are they fighting?"

"Who is it? Is it the Commander? Whoever it is, they're alive."

Paola frowned, realizing who it was atop the Death Worm.

"It's Maxim. I don't know how he ended up on top of that thing, though."

Christine's eyes trembled.

"Where is the Commander? Where's the Commander?"

"If Maxim is alive, the Commander must be too. Don't worry."

"No, that's not it."

Christine shook her head fervently.

"Why isn't the Commander the one fighting?"

"...That's a good point."

But that wasn't what was troubling Christine. She bit her lip.

If this continues...

The energy felt increasingly unstable. Please, senior, you promised not to push yourself too hard.

Amidst the dust kicked up by the Death Worm's struggles, a clear light began to gather. Christine quickened her pace.

No.

"What is that light?"

"It looks like an aura, but it's not the Commander's..."

No.

The dust began to settle. No, it seemed to be drawn into the radiance emanating from that light. Paola watched in awe as Maxim formed an aura.

"Golden. That's rare."

The aura blossomed from its roots, with particles circling around Maxim like stars, making him look like a night sky that wasn't entirely dark.

Christine's eyes quivered. The light in her hands grew even brighter.

"Senior...!"

In the distance, the light flared up. The glow that had been spreading began to solidify into a definitive shape around Maxim's sword. It was straight and shining, like the trunk of a tree.

Oh no,

Christine reached out helplessly as Maxim grasped his sword and spun his body with great force. Her hand trembled in the air.

Amidst the battlefield, where a fierce fight was unfolding, a massive full moon rose. The full moon illuminated the wilderness. A strong gust of wind swept across the land. Paola, leading the charge, faltered in her steps.

"...Amazing."

Following Paola's exclamation, the team members reacted in delayed astonishment.

"What is that...?"

"I didn't know anyone in the Order could wield such an aura."

The sight left the knights stunned, rooted to the spot. But Christine didn't stop moving.

She had to hurry. She had to get there faster.

The massive body of the Death Worm was collapsing. Its body, sliced in half by the moonlight, was being pulled down to the ground. Maxim stood firm atop it. Christine ran.

"Senior—!"

She got closer. That precarious figure was wavering. Christine's voice was filled with moisture, barely holding back tears. No. Please.

When Christine finally reached him, Maxim was still standing, though just barely. He still held his sword in his hand. The golden aura that had enveloped him was fading like a setting moon. The rising aura dissolved into the sky.

It's okay. It's going to be okay. The ground where Maxim had fought was in ruins. Beneath the fully collapsed terrain, the Death Worm lay dead, sliced in two. Without hesitation, Christine rushed into the wreckage. She climbed over the Death Worm's corpse and approached the seemingly lifeless Maxim.

As soon as Christine reached him, Maxim's body crumpled as if all strength had left him. Christine hurriedly caught his falling form. Maxim's condition was dire—alive, but just barely.

His left arm was bleeding profusely, the armor shattered. His entire suit of armor was battered and dented in multiple places. His ribs seemed to have taken the brunt of the damage, likely fractured, judging by the deep indentation. Cuts and gashes covered his body, too numerous to count.

But the worst of it was the internal injuries caused by the curse. Christine infused healing light into her hands, desperately channeling all her mana into him.

"Senior..."

Blood trickled from Maxim's mouth. Christine checked his pulse and breathing. He was still alive, but only just. She turned his head to prevent the blood from blocking his airway, watching as blood trickled down his cheek. Christine sensed someone approaching behind her.

Theodora stood there, holding an unused signal flare in one trembling hand. Her leg was severely injured, likely broken. Her face was pale, and the hand holding the flare shook uncontrollably. She extended her other hand towards Maxim. Slowly, Theodora's hand inched closer.

But to Christine, Theodora's injury and the pale, frightened expression on her face were no excuses.

Smack.

Christine slapped Theodora's hand away. Her eyes were a storm of emotions—anger, resentment, sorrow—as she glared at Theodora.

"...Don't touch him."

Christine's voice trembled. Theodora staggered back. Christine remembered. She remembered Theodora's cold demeanor, the hatred she had shown towards Maxim. She also remembered how that hatred had once put Maxim in danger.

And yet, Theodora had clung to the lingering feelings for Maxim, unable to let go, constantly hovering around him.

Christine bit her lip hard enough to draw blood. The sharp, metallic taste filled her senses. And now, Maxim had fallen. He had collapsed trying to protect his ex-girlfriend to the very end.

"You don't deserve this."

Christine lifted Maxim, supporting his unconscious body. His feet dragged lifelessly on the ground. The search party arrived just as Christine began to carry him away. Paola moved to help Christine support Maxim's weight.

Christine carried Maxim away. Step by step, as Christine moved forward, Maxim's limp body moved farther from Theodora. Theodora stood there, frozen, as if struck by a hammer. She couldn't process everything that had happened in the past few minutes. The pain in her hand, where Christine had slapped her, was the only thing telling her that this was real.

Maxim had collapsed. He had collapsed, coughing up blood.

And it wasn't from fighting a monster.

The Death Worm had certainly been a formidable foe, but with aura, it was not an impossible opponent to defeat. If Theodora had been in good condition, she could have sliced it in half with a single powerful technique.

Why?

What had gone wrong?

We fought well. There were no direct hits, and the plan to provoke the enemy and finish it off was executed perfectly.

Knights swarmed around Theodora. Her vision blurred. She couldn't think straight. Her head spun. She tried to take a step forward, but her legs refused to cooperate. Staggering, Theodora collapsed forward.

Thud.

Even as she fell to her knees, Theodora tried to move forward.

Maxim had collapsed.

That scene replayed over and over in Theodora's mind. The sight of Maxim's sword dance under the full moon, the Death Worm's body split into two, and then the empty gaze of Maxim as he stood on the carcass of the fallen beast, staring back at her.

"Commander!"

"Commander, are you alright?"

"Someone, help! Do we have a stretcher?"

Theodora tried to crawl forward, dragging her injured leg. She wanted to say something, to call out Maxim's name. But her throat felt as though it was blocked, preventing any words from escaping. She coughed, struggling to breathe.

A dull humming sound filled her ears, the remnants of the aura that had resonated from Maxim's sword still ringing in her head.

Why, why, why, why, why.

The word "why" echoed endlessly in Theodora's mind. The sight of Maxim collapsing, the dark, almost dead blood that had trickled from the corners of his mouth, played over and over again.

Her vision began to blur. Theodora couldn't tell whether she was touching the ground or the sky. Her heart pounded erratically. Her breathing grew shallow and frantic. Several footsteps approached her, their urgency evident.

"Commander!"

"Hurry! Get the stretcher!"

As the world around her faded to white, the last thing Theodora heard before losing consciousness was Christine's words.

"You don't deserve this."

Theodora's eyes slowly closed, and she fell into darkness.

It was morning.

Maxim shot up in bed as if he had been pulled from underwater, gasping for air.

"Guh—Hah... Hah..."

A sharp, searing pain flared in his abdomen, forcing him to collapse back onto the bed.

"Ugh...!"

Maxim clutched at his chest, groaning in agony. The pain was long and excruciating, twisting his body until it began to subside. As the pain eased, Maxim slowly regained his senses.

A bed.

Maxim looked around, still breathing heavily. It appeared to be a hospital room. He recognized it as the medical unit in the desolate zone that he had visited once before. Sighing in relief, Maxim tried to relax.

So, I was rescued.

Honestly, I wasn’t sure what would happen when I unleashed the Aura Blade.

Did Theodora manage to fire the signal flare and hold out?

Maxim speculated, trying to comfort himself, though his body still felt far from comfortable as he once again attempted to sit up.

"Damn it."

The pain was still there.

And now, I’ve used the aura.

Maxim looked down at his abdomen with a grim expression. Though his torso was covered by the hospital gown, he suspected the damage was severe. As he hesitated, reaching to lift the gown to inspect his injuries, the door to the hospital room opened.

Maxim turned his head.

Standing in the doorway was Christine, her eyes brimming with unshed tears.