After last night, Haniel began living with us. Over time, I noticed a few bad habits of hers—she avoids doing her chores, and she flirts with the soldiers, often landing me in trouble because I was the one who brought her in.
Luna suggested that Haniel pursue an education in the medical department, and surprisingly, she's proven to be a fast learner. As for me, I'm preparing for an expedition to Switzen, a village located beyond the walls. There are rumors that creatures are blocking the harbor, so our mission is to drive them out. I've also heard that the snow cones in Switzen are exceptional—I'm eager to try them.
As the carriage rumbled along, Javier glanced over at the journal I was writing in and asked, "Hey Felizch, what are you scribbling down?" His tone was laced with mockery.
"What, do you have a fetish for watching every move I make? You're starting to sound like a creep," I shot back.
Javier leaned in with a smirk and said, "No need to get defensive... I just want to borrow your book!"
He made a grab for the journal, but I was quicker, slamming the cover into his forearm. "Why do you care? If you want a book, get one yourself!" Javier winced, then sighed and leaned back, staring up at the clear blue sky.
As we drew closer to Switzen, the sky darkened, turning a murky gray. The soldiers heard the distant sound of galloping, growing louder as a thick fog rolled in. Javier quickly sat up, while I dropped my journal and reached for my rifle and ammunition.
"Hey, Javier!" someone called from the carriage ahead.
"What is it? Do you see something?"
Through the thickening fog, a mysterious figure on a white horse appeared, clad in an Exile uniform—the soldiers of Eden are known as Exiles. The soldiers aimed their rifles as the figure approached with hands raised. "Don't shoot!" the man shouted. Javier immediately recognized the voice.
"Hold your fire, it's Rand!" he commanded.
Rand emerged from the fog, his white horse trotting up to us. His face was smooth, looking about the same age as mine, with short, dark hair. His once-silken cloak was now drenched in blood. "Javier, Felizch, help me..." His voice was strained.
Javier eyed him carefully and asked, "What does tomorrow bring?"
Rand responded with a grave expression, "Death."
Javier nodded to me, signaling that it was safe. I lowered my rifle but couldn't shake the tension.
"What's the situation in Switzen?" I asked.
Rand let out a heavy sigh, as if the weight of his mission had worn him down, and replied, "There's something... unusual there."
Curiosity piqued, I pressed him, "What do you mean by unusual?"
Rand sheathed his saber, his voice steady yet grim. "It's no ordinary caine... it has no arms, no eyes... but fully grown wings."
Javier's eyes widened in shock.
"Fully grown...?" Javier echoed, disbelief tinged in his voice. Rand nodded.
"Yes, in an instant, it killed six of my men." My grip tightened on my rifle. "If it slaughtered six of your men so quickly... how did you survive?" I asked, my voice almost a whisper. Rand's gaze locked onto mine, an intensity in his eyes that sent a chill down my spine. My ears started to ring, my pulse hammering like a drumbeat.
In a heartbeat, Rand's appearance twisted—eyes sprouted grotesquely from his once-handsome face, his hair melted away like wax near a flame. His back tore open, bones interlinking with his spine, forming wings. The creature screeched, lunging at me, sinking its teeth into my shoulder. Pain seared through me as I fumbled to aim my rifle at its abdomen, but the creature struck again with a second mouth.
Javier sprang into action, stabbing the creature in its main mouth—the caines are a grotesque breed, their bodies riddled with eyes, and their mouths positioned in unnatural places, their ribs acting as teeth for the mouth on their back. The creature wailed in agony as Javier drove his blade deeper. It tried to retaliate, a rib jutting out to impale Javier, but he dodged just in time, the rib only grazing his ear.
With a final effort, I managed to fire a shot into one of the creature's chest eyes, ending its life. I pushed the lifeless form aside, clutching my bleeding shoulder. Javier was at my side in an instant, pressing an apple into my hand.
"Bite this, hard!" he ordered. I bit down, my teeth sinking into the fruit as Javier wrapped his belt around my shoulder, tightening it to perform a tourniquet. The pain was excruciating; I nearly bit through the apple.
Javier barked orders at a timid soldier nearby, "Ride back to the Fort and get a medic—tell Captain Luna what's happened!" The soldier nodded and spurred his horse into a gallop, disappearing into the fog.
My vision began to blur, darkness creeping in at the edges. Javier slapped me hard on the cheek, forcing my eyes open. He held up his hand in a phone gesture.
"What number is this?!" he demanded.
"That's... a phone, dumbass..." I croaked, struggling to stay conscious.
"Good, stay with me," Javier urged. "We're going to find Rand. If that caine could still copy his body, it means he's still alive!" He carefully helped me drink some water before lowering my head to the ground.
"Rand... wasn't he just here..." I mumbled, but Javier was already moving to the driver's seat, his focus sharp.
"We're moving on," he told the coachman. "Tell the others to stay alert." The coachman signaled the carriage ahead, and we began to move again.
As we continued down the road, a shadowy figure watched from the trees. A voice crackled through the radio transmitter in the figure's ear, "Hey Az, stay calm."
The figure responded in a low voice, "I know, General... I'm calm. I almost got rid of that nuisance. The kid's instincts aren't fully developed yet. But if he recovers quickly and awakens his sight, it could be a problem."
The General's voice crackled back, "That's why you need to be aware of the—" The signal began to break up.
"General, I'm losing you, do you copy?" The figure asked, but only static answered.
Frustrated, he switched off the transmitter, pulled a cigarette from his pocket, and lit it with a flick of his lighter. Taking a deep drag, he exhaled slowly, the smoke curling around his face. With a final flick, he tossed the cigarette aside and leaped from tree to tree, silently pursuing the carriage.