Marsenno shifted his body, muttering incoherently in a feverish state. The boy tried to hear him, but only a few words.

"Drink." Vanis said, spilling a few drops of water on his chapped lips.

The young demon seeker reacted, his tongue meeting the droplets. He opened his eyes. Red specks appeared in the middle of the cloudy white.

"To ...... Is it so? Marsenno gasped for breath with every word.

Vanis glared at the boy. He knew he wasn't going to say a word. They are still far from rescue.

"Come on, brother." Vanis said.

"Why put ...... Lenwall ...... Built on a high mountain? ”

"It's just to make it hard for people to reach." Vanis smiled faintly.

Marseno closed his eyes and chuckled softly. It soon turned into a cough.

"Relax, man." Vanis looked at him for a moment, then turned to the boy. "Do you still have it?"

"Stayed."

The boy put his hand in his pocket and pulled out a straw pony, a smooth pebble, and a yellow flower. He smiled, knowing that the flower would help Marsenno.

Vanis snatched the flower from the boy's hand. "At least one thing you're doing right, kid."

This sentence made his heart tighten. Vanis was right. He hesitated at that time, and his friends paid for it.

Marsenno shook his head. "It's not...... His fault...... It's me...... Not careful enough. ”

The older demon seeker didn't speak, but plucked a few petals of the multi-sleeping ginseng.

"Chew repeatedly. It's unrefined, but it's pain-relieving. ”

"Magic...... What to do? Marsenno asked.

"The magic just accelerates growth and keeps it robust, and the plant itself isn't contaminated." Vanis said as he put the petals into Marsenno's mouth. He leaned close to the young man's ear and whispered to him, gently brushing his hair. Marsenno smiled, as if immersed in a memory.

The boy raised his water bladder and took a sip. A slight shiver crept down his spine. The tiny hairs on his arms stood on end.

He turned and walked towards the edge of the clearing—a lush coniferous canopy obscuring the lowlands below.

"What's wrong?" Vanis asked.

"I don't know......" he stared at the valley below. There was nothing out of the ordinary, even the feeling just now was gone.

"I thought—"

He stopped suddenly. A dark plume of smoke rises in the distance.

The boy looked at the blackened and smoking bones of the pasture. The smell of burning animal flesh lingered in the air. His stomach began to churn.

"What do you think is wrong?" He asked, looking after Marsenno. The young demon seeker lies on an improvised stretcher made of rolls and ropes.

"I don't know." Vanis said. "Stay here and stare at the point."

The older demon seeker stepped forward to inspect the dead livestock. They all had fist-sized puncture wounds on their thick skin. Vanis inserted one end of his long stick into the charred round hole to measure the depth of the piercing. A third of the long stick disappeared inside.

"Maybe we should get out of here." The boy said.

Vanis turned to look at him. "Do you feel something?"

The boy carefully examined the livestock on the ground. There were traces of magical light beneath the charred flesh. Whatever kills them, their power is enough to tear a giant creature into pieces. If the target is human, it will not be easy either. Having a long stick won't help either.

The boy turned his attention to the farm. The farm has a log cabin, a dilapidated barn, and an outdoor toilet in the distance. The farm is nestled on a hill and surrounded by dense forests. If it weren't for the smoke, they wouldn't have found it.

There was footsteps approaching.

Vanis quickly turned around and raised his long stick.

An old man walked around the corner of the barn. He saw the uninvited guest stop. His pants and coat were a little loose, and he carried an old halberd on his shoulder, the blade sharpened brightly and sharply.

"What are you doing on my farm?" The man asked, changing the grip of his weapon, always staying out of Vanis's range.

"My friend is hurt." The boy said. "Please, sir, he needs help."

Vanis glanced at the boy and said nothing.

The farmer looked down at Marsenno. The young demon seeker was terrified on the stretcher, still unconscious with a high fever.

"There are healers in Renwall." The farmer said.

"It was more than a day's journey. He couldn't have lived to that point. Vanis said.

"This forest is infested with wild beasts. You'd better leave. The old man said, pointing to the dead animals on the ground.

The boy looked out over the dense bushes. He didn't feel anything unusual now, but he remembered the shiver from earlier. Coming from that distance, it must have been a very large creature.

"What kind of beast? Is it a dragon? ”

"Slow down, boy." Vanis said as he took a step closer to the farmer. "You are obliged to provide accommodation for the soldiers of Demacia."

The farmer did not budge. "You're dressed in blue...... But a Demon Seeker is not the same as a soldier. ”

"Yes, but I was a soldier. Same with you. ”

The farmer narrowed his eyes suspiciously, and pointed the head of his halberd in Vanis's direction.

"It's from this broadsword." Vanis said. "If I'm not mistaken, this is the disemboweling weapon of the old thorn wall halberd soldiers. I dare say that neither the blade nor the veteran is rusty. ”

The farmer smiled faintly at the weapon. "That was a long time ago."

"Brothers are for life." Vanis's voice softened a lot. "Help us. We'll help you hunt the beast when we're done. ”

The boy glanced down at Marsenno. The Demon Seeker's eyes were closed, and his breath was shallow.

The farmer looked at Vanis, carefully considering his proposal. "No need." He concluded. "Bring your men in."

Vannis and the farmer carried Marceno into the hut. There was a small fire burning in the fireplace, and the smell of cedar and earth was in the modest house. The boy cleared the table in the middle of the room and placed a few wooden bowls and a few pieces of hard bread on the straw mat next to it. The farmer slowly lowered Marceno onto the wooden table.

"Who else is in the house?" Vanis asked, slicing Marsenno's coat open with a dagger.

"I've lived alone." The old man said as he checked the injury. The boy could see that the withering had spread. Dark tentacles grow towards Marsenno's neck and heart.

"We've got to cut it out." Vanis said.

Marsenno began to convulse and almost fell off the table.

"Hold him down." Vanis said. The boy pressed Malsenno's legs and pressed his full body weight against the table. But Marsenno resisted the restraint with his pedaling. A heavy boot broke free and kicked the boy in the mouth. He stumbled back and covered his chin with his hand.

"I'll let you hold him!" Vanis shouted as he wiped the blade of the dagger clean.

He reached for Marsenor's legs again, and the farmer intervened.

"It's okay, kid." The farmer said. "Go talk to him."

He walked around to the other end of the table. Marsenno's tremors had subsided, but his wheezing was extremely uneven, and a gurgling sound came from his chest.

"Marsenno?"

"Hold his hand and let him know you're there." The farmer said. "It works for animals. It's not bad for people. ”

The boy clasped Marsenno's hand. It was warm to the touch, and it was soaked in sweat at the same time. "It's going to be fine. We've got help. ”

Marsenno seemed to be listening intently to him, turning his head towards his voice, his cloudy white pupils turning crimson.

"Are we on Lenwall?"

The boy looked at Vanice, and the witch seeker nodded.

"Yes. The therapist is treating your wounds. The boy said.

"Sleeping ginseng...... Won for me...... Time. Marsenno said, squeezing his hand. Well done you...... Well done......"

The boy gritted his teeth, struggling to resist the grief that swelled up in his throat. He gripped Marsenno's hand tighter, reluctant to let go.

"I'm sorry, Marsenno. I should have been—"

"Don't ...... No...... Your fault. "Every word Marsenno says is laborious, painful. He struggled to straighten his head, searching the room with those unseen eyes.

"Vanis?"

"Yes, man."

"Tell them...... Tell them it's not his fault. ”

Vanis stared at the boy. "Yes, it's all unlucky." He concluded.

"Look......" Marsenno smiled weakly. You don't have to...... Kick oneself. ”

Vanis grabbed Marsenno by the shoulders and leaned closer to his ear. "We need to cut it out, man." Vanis said.

Marsenno nodded.

"He needs to bite something." The farmer said.

The boy drew his own dagger, and the carved wooden handle fitted perfectly. He placed the wooden handle in Marsenno's mouth.

"Okay," Vanis said, holding his own dagger and leaning closer to the injured arm.

The tentacles underneath the skin glide. From the boy's eyes, the tentacles glowed softly, pulsatingly, and no one else could see them.

"Stop." He said.

Vanis looked up at the boy. "What's wrong?"

Marsenno bit the wooden handle of the dagger and let out a muffled scream. He squeezed the boy's hand and flapped his legs against the table until the movement beneath his skin subsided.