It sounded wet, like a wet knife slicing raw meat.
The blade cut straight through the monster's chest. The creature froze. For a moment, it just stood there, confused.
Then its top half slowly slid off the bottom and hit the ground with a sick, heavy sound. Its legs twitched... then fell too.
Silence returned.
Thick, deep silence.
Sakudara stood there, calm and still. His sword dripped black goo onto the broken road. He didn't even look at the monster's body.
He turned slowly just his head and stared down at Sharmitha.
She was still on the ground, surrounded by the broken parts of her rifle. Her breath was fast, eyes wide.
Sakudara said nothing.
He didn't need to.
His sword had already spoken.
The yellow fog slowly swallowed the dead monster and its twitching, cut-up body. Sakudara gave his sword a quick flick, sending dark, sticky monster blood flying onto the broken road. He didn't put the sword away. Instead, he turned slowly, his sharp eyes still glowing faintly under his hood – landing on Sharmitha.
She was still on the ground, her school uniform dirty and torn, her bow tie hanging crooked at her neck.
His voice came low and rough, like rocks scraping together.
"How many times do I have to tell you?"
He took a slow step toward her.
"Don't. Go. Hunting. Without. Me."
Each word hit like a hammer. He was angry clearly. But it wasn't just anger.
It was fear.
The kind that comes from nearly losing the only person left in your world.
He'd already lost too many people. Two years of death, monsters, betrayal... and now this stubborn girl was the only good thing left in the ruins of Jaya. He couldn't lose her too.
They had just argued earlier that morning. She had called him reckless. He had said she was too stubborn. Neither of them backed down. Now here they were again same fight, same fear.
Sharmitha slowly sat up, wincing a little. She looked right at him.
But instead of saying sorry... she tilted her head slightly, brushing dust out of her ponytail like nothing had happened. Her bow tie bounced a little.
A tiny smile crept onto her lips.
That again? Really?
She didn't answer. She just grabbed the broken piece of her rifle the part that used to work and turned her back to him. Without a word, she started walking down the ruined street, her boots crunching over shattered glass and bits of metal. She looked brave... but her shoulders shook just a little. The fight had left her tired, scared, and maybe even a little ashamed.
Sakudara let out a sharp breath, fogging up the inside of his hood.
He finally sheathed his sword with a soft snick and walked after her. His long legs made it easy to catch up, and soon he was right beside her. They didn't speak for a while.
The only sound was the broken city around them far-off monster growls, the wind through empty buildings, and the soft clang of metal beneath their boots.
Then, Sharmitha spoke.
Her voice was cheerful too cheerful. The kind of fake happy tone she used when she wanted to hide something.
"So…" she said, kicking a bent metal can across the road, "did you find the medicine? Or were you too busy playing hero somewhere else again?"
She gave him a sideways look.
Gone was the fake smile. Now it was a real challenge.