Just once.

Father had said that.

If I succeeded in one attack, he’d tell me where Mother was.

‘...Can I do it?’

I had already agreed, but I honestly wasn’t confident. More than I ever had been.

I’d usually be able to sink my teeth into something, but this... this was different.

‘What should I do?’

The air was still.

Only the sound of the wind passed through the open space. My father and I stood at a distance, facing each other.

The solemn, almost wistful atmosphere from a moment ago had vanished, replaced by a chilling tension.

My father …