The commotion became loud, everyone came out including Jason and Ylva as they had no idea what was causing so much commotion.

Jason and Ylva stood frozen at the edge of the carnage.

Chunks of flesh everywhere. Blood sprayed across the cobblestones in patterns that looked almost artistic—if art involved viscera and bone. A severed hand rested against a streetlamp, its thick green fingers still twitching. A section of jawbone lay a few feet away, teeth gleaming in the morning light. The torso was the worst: collapsed inward, ribs pointing at odd angles, the neck ending in a ragged stump where the head used to be.

Jason’s stomach lurched. He had seen dead bodies before—in movies, in news reports, in the dungeon back at the elf palace. But this was different. This was raw. Fresh. The blood was still spreading.

And Jason instantly knew it was Thalion.

Because this scene looked the exact same as what he had seen in the castle with the elf guard. The head exploding. The gruesome, violent end he had witnessed Thalion enact on his enemies.

Thalion had done this.

Ylva grabbed Jason’s arm, her claws digging into his skin. Her eyes were wide, her ears pinned flat against her head. She didn’t say anything. She didn’t need to.

They both knew they had to find him right away.

"Before the guards get here," Jason muttered, pulling his arm free. "Before someone connects this to us."

Ylva nodded. Her nostrils flared as she sniffed the air. The crowd behind them was growing louder, more panicked. Someone was already shouting for the city watch.

"Can you track him?" Jason asked.

Ylva’s eyes flickered. She inhaled deeply, then again. Her tail straightened.

"I think so," she said. "My nose is... better."

Jason raised an eyebrow. "Better how?"

Ylva’s cheeks flushed—an actual blush, which Jason had never seen on her before. "It’s... a werewolf thing. Our senses improve when we..." She trailed off, her ears twitching.

"When you what?"

"When we copulate with someone. It’s part of the evolution. The next stage." She glared at him. "Don’t make it weird."

Jason’s mouth opened, then closed. "So sex with me made her stronger." That was... something.

"Noted," he said. "Now find him before I have time to process that."

Ylva took off at a jog, her nose tilted upward, sampling the air. Jason followed close behind, his bare feet slapping against the cobblestones. They wove through back alleys and side streets, away from the growing commotion.

The trail led them deeper into the adventurer’s district, past boarded-up buildings and rusted signs. The crowd noises faded. The sun seemed dimmer here, blocked by overhanging balconies and clotheslines strung between windows.

Ylva stopped in front of a narrow gap between two buildings—barely wide enough for a person to squeeze through.

"He’s in there," she whispered.

Jason peered into the shadows. At first he saw nothing. Then a shape shifted. A figure hunched against the brick wall, knees drawn to his chest, silver hair spilling over his face.

"Thalion."

He was panicking. His whole body shook—violent, uncontrollable tremors that rattled his teeth. His hands were pressed against his ears, his fingernails digging into his scalp. His lips moved rapidly, forming words that didn’t quite come out.

Jason’s chest tightened.

He realized, in that moment, that Thalion must be suffering from some form of PTSD. Of course. Just because he was in a new world didn’t mean the laws of the previous one didn’t apply. Centuries of torture. Isolation. Abuse. That kind of damage didn’t heal with magic.

Jason stepped into the alley. Ylva hung back, her eyes watchful.

"Thalion," Jason said softly.

The elf didn’t respond. His shaking intensified.

"Thalion." Louder this time.

Thalion’s head snapped up. His eyes were wild—unfocused, darting around like he was seeing things that weren’t there. His pupils were dilated. His breath came in short, ragged gasps.

"You aren’t real," Thalion muttered under his breath. His hand twitched. Mana crackled around his fingers. "You aren’t real. None of this is real."

Jason saw the magic building. He recognized the signs—the same way Thalion’s hand had moved before the guard’s head exploded back in the tower.

"Ylva, stay back," Jason said.

"What are you—"

"Stay back."

Jason stepped forward. Thalion’s hand rose, palm facing him. The mana was visible now—a dark, swirling energy coiling around his fingers like smoke.

"You aren’t real," Thalion repeated, his voice cracking. "I’ll prove it. I’ll make you go away. Just like the others."

Jason didn’t flinch. He walked right up to the shaking elf, grabbed his raised hand, and slapped him across the face.

SMACK.

The sound echoed off the brick walls.

Thalion’s head snapped to the side. His eyes blinked once, twice. The mana around his fingers fizzled and died.

"Real enough for you?" Jason said, his voice hard.

Thalion stared at him. His chest heaved. His lower lip trembled. Then, slowly, recognition flooded back into his pale eyes.

"Jason?" he muttered, his voice small.

"In the flesh." Jason crouched down, bringing himself to the elf’s eye level. "But more importantly, we need to get you out of here. Or at least, wash the blood off you."

Thalion looked down at his hands. They were covered in green fluids. His clothes were splattered. He hadn’t even noticed.

"I... I didn’t mean to," Thalion stammered, his voice breaking. "He touched me. I told him not to. And then... and then..." 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

His eyes welled with tears—not of sadness, but of horror. He was scared. Scared that Jason would see him as a monster.

But there was no judgment in Jason’s eyes. No disgust. No fear.

"We can talk about it later," Jason said, grabbing Thalion’s arm and pulling him to his feet. "Right now, we move."

Thalion swayed, unsteady. Ylva stepped forward and caught his other arm, her claws retracted.

"You look like shit," she said flatly.

Thalion let out a shaky laugh. "I feel like shit."

"Good. Means you’re still alive." Ylva glanced at Jason. "Where to?"

Jason thought for a moment. They couldn’t go back to the Feather’s Rest—not with Thalion covered in blood. Someone might have seen him fleeing the scene.

"The hot spring, I saw one when I was walking around earlier,"

Ylva’s ears flicked. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"It is our only choice." Jason started walking, pulling Thalion along. "Come on. Before someone finds him and start asking questions."

They could have easily left Thalion behind. Let him face the consequences. Let the city watch find him and lock him away.

But Jason didn’t even consider it.

"We’re in this together now," he thought. "For better or worse."

Thalion stumbled between them, his silver hair matted with sweat and blood. His breathing was still ragged, but the shaking had subsided.

"Jason," he whispered.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

Jason didn’t answer. He just kept walking, pulling the broken elf toward whatever came next.