The night was thick with the scent of blood and damp earth. The forest swallowed the last echoes of death, leaving only the soft rustling of leaves and the distant cries of nocturnal creatures. Mikhail and Makayla stood in the midst of the bodies they had left behind, their chests rising and falling in tandem as the weight of their actions settled upon them.
For a moment, there was nothing but silence. A stillness that stretched between them, heavy with unspoken words.
Then Makayla exhaled. "He’s going to come after us harder now."
Mikhail nodded, his grip tightening around the hilt of his blade. "Good."
Her golden eyes flickered in the moonlight as she studied him. "We need to be ready."
"We are ready," he murmured. But even as he said it, the words felt like an attempt to convince h
