Tom, Bahmos, and the two other men’s vision finally returned after about an hour and a half.


    Bahmos had been standing by the lizard corpse for quite some time. I couldn’t read his expression, but he looked like a teacher lost in thought.


    He was silent for a moment before randomly instructing the men to assist him in burying the creature. Jim offered to dispose of it, but Bahmos declined.


    Together, the four of them dragged the body to a grassy field, densely packed with trees and bushes. They didn’t go far, exhaustion quickly setting in, their heavy breaths betraying their lack of strength.


    Tom asked, “Want me to ask one of the villagers for a shovel?”


    Bahmos shook his head. “After what they just went through? No.”


    Julun, confused, inquired, “How’re you going to bury it without a shovel?”


    “There’s a small one in the carriage. Bring it.”


    Julun retrieved it, and Bahmos started digging. I didn’t watch much of it. My thoughts were elsewhere, boiling with anger at the lack of transportation and the looming threat of the monster returning at any moment.


    We should stick close to the adventurers—the monster seemed to fear them.


    From atop Jim''s shoulders, Jer-kel spoke, his gaze fixed on Natasha. “I need to talk to you in private. It’s about that boy of yours.”


    “Ulah? What is it?” I asked, anxiety gnawing at me.


    Jer-kel didn’t answer directly, instead saying, “Your mother will tell you if she thinks you should know.”


    Is he… dying?


    I couldn’t hold it in. “Please, tell me,” I urged.


    Natasha gently touched my shoulder. “Vernisha, I’m sure it’s nothing—”


    “I’m not stupid. Don’t treat me like I am.” My voice was sharp, louder than I intended.


    Natasha hesitated, clearly conflicted, before turning to Jer-kel. “Just tell us both. She can handle it.”


    There’s no way Ulah is dying... We’re not even at the damn capital yet. He was just sleep talking... I was with him the entire time, keeping a close watch. There was nothing out of the ordinary. He hadn’t seized, hadn’t grown cold. Nothing.


    Jer-kel spoke slowly, his words heavy. “I didn’t have enough time to heal him, but I managed to analyze his body for a few seconds. It’s... strange. Too strange. My monster’s and traditional healing won’t work on him. I thought you should know.”


    What?


    I almost shouted, “That doesn’t make sense! What do you mean he can’t be healed?”


    Jer-kel''s voice remained calm. “I didn’t say he can’t be healed. I said normal healing won’t work on him. He’d need something more... advanced, like gene editing surgery.”


    Jesus Christ.


    I was shaking now. “But why? Why can’t he be healed normally? What’s happening to him?”


    Natasha’s eyes shifted, as if searching for the right words. She seemed unsure of how to explain, her gaze darting around like she was preparing to speak in front of a large crowd.


    “It’s hard to explain. His body... it thinks it’s something else. Healing won’t restore his original form.”


    Her eyes widened as a thought seemed to strike her. She tapped Jim’s eyebrow and said, “His hair is black. If I pull one out, another black strand replaces it. But if he were born with white hair, a white strand would replace it. It’s not damage. His body is changing.”


    I get it. He’s becoming someone else.


    Shit. The more time we wasted, the more irreversible changes he would undergo. The changes... they wouldn’t be easy to reverse.


    Natasha reached into her pocket and pulled out the same bread roll I had given her earlier.


    She asked Jer-kel, “Have you seen this before?”


    Jer-kel raised an eyebrow. “Isn’t that just a bread roll?”


    Jim squinted at it. “Yeah, looks like a stale one to me.”


    “It’s kind of a bread roll,” Natasha corrected, her voice serious. “It’s what these two ate... and what’s causing them to be so... ‘different.’”


    She turned to me. “Where did you get this?”


    “In front of a Balash temple, on the Hill of Vaera.”


    Jim glanced at it, then said, “Jer-kel probably wouldn’t know, but Lo might. He used to study Balash history and all that.”


    Relief washed over me. I called Lo over.


    “What is it?” he asked, coming closer.


    Jim explained the situation, mentioning the bread''s role in what was happening to us. Natasha handed it to Lo, who twirled it in his hands, examining it carefully.


    He stroked his chin, deep in thought. “But why didn’t you ask one of the scholars at the temple? They’d know more than anyone else.”


    I had thought of that, but we were rushing to Sundawn for immediate help. Those scholars might have knowledge, but they didn’t have the power to do anything miraculous.


    Besides, a darker thought nagged at me: What if what happened to Ulah wasn’t supposed to happen? What if they wanted to kill him?


    Maybe the bread wasn’t meant to be eaten at all, and it was forbidden.


    “I did think of that,” Natasha said, “but I figured a temple that kept something so suspicious wouldn’t be entirely honest with me.”


    She broke the bread in half, dropping it to the ground.


    The two pieces hit the paved road and tried to roll away. The three of them stood in confusion as Natasha stared at it.


    “Give it a minute,” she said.


    I watched, my heart pounding. The bread... it moved. Just slightly, like a wilting plant shifting its leaves.


    What the hell is going on?


    Lo picked it up and, after a pause, asked, “Can I keep it?”


    Jim asked, “Are you suicidal?”


    “No. I just want to see how my monster would react to it.”


    Natasha gave him the heads-up. He thanked her and threw half of the bread high into the sky for his monster, which snapped at it, caught it, and sniffed it. The creature chewed but didn’t swallow immediately. It chewed some more before finally swallowing. The three of them were slightly surprised.


    Jer-kel asked, “You made it eat it…?”


    Lo shook his head. “No. I only wanted it to taste it.” He grimaced as if he''d just eaten spoiled meat. “It tastes like monster flesh.”This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ...What the hell?


    Natasha didn’t show much of a reaction.


    Jim asked Natasha, “You’re sure you found this at a Balash temple, not a Darsean congregation?”


    Natasha responded, “Yes.”


    “And how are you sure about that?”


    “Because I’m not stupid.”


    Lo looked at her, his expression suddenly filled with anger. He shook his head, as if dealing with an ignorant elder. “I’m just saying, they like to take over Balash temples to mock them. It’s easy to be fooled by them. I’ve been tricked before.”


    “I understand what you’re saying, but I’m certain it wasn’t one.”


    Lo sighed, giving up. “Sure, whatever. When you get into the capital, go to a Vlanods doctor and a Balash scholar. The scholars may know something.”


    She nodded.


    He took a deep breath and said, “I hope it works out well. Losing a kid and a partner hurts like hell.”


    Natasha glanced at me before answering. “I imagine so.”


    Jer-kel clapped her hands, breaking the tension. “Anyway, we still have a monster to catch, so we can’t be here talking about your family issues.”


    Lo responded, “You want to take a more direct approach?”


    “I think so. If we stick with your method, we’ll be waiting for hours.”


    Lo clicked his tongue. “I’ll switch monsters. I want to get the hell out of here in an hour.”


    Jer-kel responded, “I think you should just tell your wife you’ll be late.”


    “Or I could just say, ‘K chertu etu missiyu.’”


    Jer-kel shrugged. “Nub’ol wouldn’t want you going to jail. Not over a date.”


    “But I wouldn’t mind.” He smiled, earning an eye roll from her.


    <hr>


    I was told what had happened here by Jim.


    A monster had left one of the monster zones for an unknown reason, running toward the area with the most life to kill and consume. The three of them were sent to deal with it two days ago. At first, they gave up, assuming it had returned to the monster zone after failing to find it.


    But then, this happened.


    The monster attacked a couple of houses, forcing the inhabitants to flee, only to be hunted down. They believed the monster knew they were trailing it, so it focused on killing and eating, growing stronger as fast as possible.


    He didn’t tell me this part, but with the monster having been on the loose for so long, it most likely ‘mated’ with many creatures to produce offspring. So, sooner or later, they might have to deal with more than just one of its kind.


    Fortunately, all the offspring would start at level 1, making them easy targets, but annoying nonetheless.


    I sat in the grass, waiting for good news, though it didn’t seem like any would be coming soon.


    Lo reached his time and stamina limit with his monster and called it back. The others weren’t as trained in tracking as he was, so he had to use other methods to search for the monster.


    Jer-kel and Jim were guarding the villagers and helping them as best as they could.


    Jer-kel had been carrying many of them to a single house—though not inside, just outside, on the dry grass. But many of them were being a pain.


    “That’s not my house! Take me to my home!” a middle-aged woman, being carried by Jer-kel, complained.


    Jer-kel was clearly fed up with her since she had been repeating the same thing: “Once it’s safe to, I will.”


    If he returned them to their homes, protecting them from another monster attack would be difficult.


    Of course, many tried to flee as soon as he set them down. Jim made sure that wouldn’t happen, moving ridiculously fast and blocking their escape with his chest.


    Naturally, that only pissed them off even more.


    People hated being forced to do something. Combined with their disdain for Vlandos... yeah.


    “This isn’t fucking right!” a skinny man in ragged clothes shouted. “If the monster comes back, we’ll be easier targets! You know that. You fucking know that!”


    Jim shook his head. “You all being in one area means we wouldn’t need to worry about everyone being scattered everywhere.”


    I also thought it was probably meant to be bait. Like, ‘Monster, here’s a massive plate of food and easy levels for you.’


    “And you don’t think that being in one place means it’ll be more eager to come back to kill us?”


    “If we’re here, no.”


    A woman glared at him. “When the guild hears about this, I hope you know you’ll suffer for it.”


    Jim’s lips curled into a sneer, and I saw his fist clench. He took a deep breath before asking, “Would you like me to inform my operator about this?”


    “Yes!”


    He pulled out his pyramid communicator and did as she asked. Once finished, he told her, “He said to make sure you’re all safe.”


    “That’s bullshit. Let me talk to him!” She stepped forward.


    He put a hand out, making it clear that her approach was unwelcome. “No.”


    “You fucking valuzaaa.”


    Jer-kel, who had been moving about, came to a sudden stop, and Jim started staring at the woman.


    He asked her, “Can you repeat that?”


    “Rarthar,” a young man, perhaps her son, tried to calm her down. “She didn’t mean that, sir. It just…”


    “No, no. She definitely meant that.” Jim stepped forward, his expression firm. “I just want to make sure I heard it properly.”


    Unfortunately, the woman, clearly lacking any sense of restraint, started screaming, “Valuzaa! Go meet Valuzaa! Die like Valuzaa!”


    Valuzaa was one of the most infamous figures in Vlandos history. A Vlandos who hadn''t made any mark during his life, he had simply supported Yer-oli-pon, along with other Vlandos who sought a better life under human rule. He was seen as an easy target, tricked by a couple of humans, tortured, killed, and his body was paraded around as a message to all Vlandos.


    That wasn’t even his real name. It was a twisted, mocked version of it, one that had been forgotten over time. Calling someone a "Valuzaa," especially to someone who knew the history, was more than just an insult; it was a threat. The name conveyed a clear message: You and all your kind will meet the same fate as Valuzaa.


    Jim stood directly in front of her, and she stared at him in fear. He gently touched her shoulder, offering a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Please, be careful with your words.”


    He kept his hand on her shoulder a moment longer than necessary before letting go. I couldn''t help but wonder what he would have done to her if his communicator hadn’t been on.


    Meanwhile, Natasha continued to observe the people around her, particularly the couples and those with children. Some complained bitterly about their loss of freedom, while others clung desperately to the bodies of their children, crying and begging Jer-kel to somehow bring them back to life.


    It reminded me of the sick and the poor begging a god for food and medicine.


    “Please, just heal him again! Just try again!” One woman, her face streaked with tears, held a boy no older than five. The child’s body was horribly mangled, the left side missing, including his heart.


    Jer-kel''s face softened with sympathy, but all she could do was shake her head. She could do nothing more than apologize and try to move away. However, the people surrounding her wouldn’t let her pass, nearly blocking her path.


    There were easily thirty people around her, and the one clutching the dead child looked elderly.


    “Please try again! You saved so many people here! You can try again, please!” The boy’s father cried, his voice desperate.


    Jer-kel shook her head again. “He’s dead. There’s literally nothing I can do.”


    The father’s voice cracked as he pleaded, “Can’t you exchange lives? Take mine for his!”


    “It doesn’t have that skill yet. I’m sorry,” Jer-kel replied, her voice tight with sorrow.


    “You just don’t want to!” he shouted, pointing at her in anger. “If you try—at least try—he can be healed! He can come back to us!”


    “It doesn’t work like that—”


    “Fucking hell… what does it take from you to try… huh?” His breath came in ragged gasps, like he had run a marathon. “Nothing. It takes nothing. But you probably enjoy this, don’t you? Seeing us humans suffer.”


    Jer-kel’s expression didn’t change, but her voice was unwavering. “I do not take joy in this.”


    “T-then... do you have a kid?” he stammered.


    “And what if I do?” she replied, her voice steady.


    “If something like this happens to him, wouldn’t you want the healer to try everything she can to save him?”


    “You don’t have to say that to make me understand your situation—”


    “Then how the hell are we supposed to make you sympathize?!” His voice cracked with desperation.


    “He’s already DEAD!” Jer-kel snapped, pointing at the missing half of the boy’s body. “I told you, I can’t bring back the dead. Why the hell wouldn’t you listen? Do you just want the other half back? Body intact, but without life?”


    “That would be better than nothing...” the father muttered, his voice trembling.


    Jer-kel shot a glance at Jim. He shook his head.


    “Regrowing half of that body would require too much ether,” she explained coldly. “My monster used up almost everything it had today. I can’t. Why do you think no one is fully healed? They only had their fatal or life-altering wounds fixed. It was all to ensure I could take care of everyone. Now, when the monster attacks again, I have no damn clue how I’ll heal anyone. So no, I can’t waste—I can’t use it on a dead kid.”


    The parents stared at her, their eyes filled with betrayal, as if she had promised them the world only to rip it away.


    The father’s voice was thick with rage. “I hope to the future that this happens to your fucking child.”


    Jer-kel gave him a mocking smile and continued walking forward, brushing them aside with ease.


    Natasha turned to me, her expression somber. “What do you think about all this?”


    “It’s sad,” I said, my mind drifting to Ulah’s death.


    “I think so too.”


    “Do you think you would react like that?”


    She hesitated, her voice quiet when she spoke again. “If Ulah died? Yeah, maybe. What mother wouldn’t?”


    She looked at him with a complex expression, then added softly, “And I’m afraid of how you would react.”


    “What about Caren?” I asked, unsure of where the conversation was headed.


    “If Caren dies, imagine how heartbroken Ulah would be.”


    “He would hate me...” I whispered.


    “Yeah. That boy only sees the good in his father. Perhaps I’m also at fault for telling him the same things I tell you about your father. Unlike you, he believes it.”


    “Just so you know, when he gets older, he’s going to treat the people in his life the same as Caren.”


    Her expression turned confused, as if my words had come out of nowhere. “What?”


    “He sees and learns that this behavior is acceptable. His father did this and that, and his mother never complained, so clearly, there was nothing wrong with it.”


    “I think you’re being... ridiculous.”


    “No. Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if all your learned behavior came from how your parents interacted.”


    She stared at me, clearly surprised by my words.


    “I never saw my father, so no. I just realized you and my mom are a tiny bit similar. You both would kill your fathers if given the chance.”


    “Why?” she asked, baffled.


    “He abandoned her in her time of need. At least Caren isn’t like that, I guess.”


    I twirled my left hand, dismissing my own thoughts. “I take that back.”


    Then I glanced at Ulah, his unconscious form resting not far from us. “I really hope we can save him. And when we do, please give him more attention. Please love him like you love me. Even if he loves you, I don’t want him to grow up and realize how much you favored me.”