Lira gave a small nod. "Mira. Alright."
Behind her, Rhett, Kellan, Bram, and Doran had quietly gathered inside the room. No one interrupted. No one pushed.
Lira leaned forward slightly, her voice calm.
"Mira... can you tell us what happened in your town?"
Mira’s breathing hitched.
For a mont, it looked like she might shut down again.
Then—
"...They ca," she said, her voice trembling. "We... we didn’t even know at first..."
Her eyes grew distant, like she was seeing it all over again.
"There was shouting... guards yelling... people running..."
Kellan shifted slightly against the wall, his expression serious.
"...Bandits?" he asked.
Mira shook her head imdiately.
"No..."
Her voice cracked.
"Not people..."
The room went quiet.
"...What do you an?" Rhett asked, his tone low.
Mira swallowed hard.
"...Skeletons."
No one reacted at first.
Not because they accepted it, but because their minds didn’t quite process the word.
"...What?" Bram frowned.
"S-Skeletons..." Mira repeated, her voice shaking more now. "Bones... walking... holding weapons..."
Doran let out a quiet scoff, but it wasn’t mocking, just disbelief. "That’s..."
He trailed off, unable to finish.
Mira’s hands began to tremble again.
"They broke through the gates... they didn’t stop... even when the guards cut them down..."
Her breathing quickened.
"I saw it... I saw them fall... and then—then they stood back up...!"
A heavy silence filled the room.
Kellan straightened slightly. "...Stood back up?"
Mira nodded rapidly, tears forming again.
"Yes...! Even when they were broken, they kept moving...!"
Lira reached out, placing a hand on her shoulder to steady her.
"It’s okay," she said softly. "Keep going."
Mira clenched her eyes shut for a mont before continuing.
"...And then... the people who died..."
Her voice dropped into a whisper.
"They... they got back up too..."
This ti, the reaction was imdiate.
"...What?" Bram said, louder than before.
"That’s impossible," Doran added, frowning deeply.
Mira shook her head again, more frantic now.
"I saw it! I saw them!" she cried. "The guards... my neighbors... they were dead! And then they stood up and—"
Her voice broke.
"—and they started attacking everyone..."
No one spoke.
Not this ti.
Because the way she said it... the way her whole body shook...
She wasn’t lying.
She couldn’t be.
Kellan ran a hand through his hair, exhaling slowly. "...That’s..."
"New," Rhett finished quietly.
Lira kept her gaze on Mira, her expression soft but serious.
"They attacked alongside the skeletons?" she asked.
Mira nodded weakly.
"They... they weren’t people anymore..."
Her fingers dug into the blanket.
"They moved wrong... their eyes... they didn’t look at anything..."
She looked up at them, her face pale.
"They were monsters too..."
Silence swallowed the room again.
No one knew what to say.
Bandits? No.
Rival towns? No.
This was sothing else entirely.
Sothing none of them had ever heard of before.
Doran crossed his arms, his brow furrowed. "...Walking bones... and dead people coming back..."
Kellan let out a quiet breath. "...First ti I’ve heard anything like that."
Bram shook his head slowly. "...Yeah. Sa."
Rhett didn’t speak.
He just stood there, his expression unreadable, but his eyes had sharpened.
Lira gently squeezed Mira’s shoulder.
"You did well," she said softly.
After that, they didn’t ask Mira anything else.
She was already at her limit.
Lira guided her back onto the bed, pulling the blanket up gently. This ti, Mira didn’t resist. Her body sank into the mattress, exhaustion taking over now that her stomach was full and her mind had spilled everything it could.
"...Rest," Lira said softly.
Mira nodded weakly, her eyes already closing.
Within minutes, her breathing evened out.
The room grew quiet again.
Rhett stood near the door, arms crossed, his gaze lingering on the girl for a mont longer before he turned away.
"...We’re not keeping this to ourselves," he said.
Kellan glanced at him. "Yeah. Thought so."
Rhett opened the door and stepped out into the hallway. "Kellan. Co with ."
The others didn’t ask where.
They already knew.
----
The streets of Virel City were just as busy as yesterday, but Rhett barely paid attention to any of it. His pace was steady, purposeful.
Kellan walked beside him, hands in his pockets.
"You really think it’s worth reporting?" Kellan asked. "Could just be a traumatized kid seeing things."
Rhett didn’t slow down.
"No."
Kellan raised a brow. "That certain?"
Rhett glanced at him briefly. "You saw her."
"...Yeah," Kellan admitted.
"That wasn’t soone making things up," Rhett continued. "And even if it was—"
He looked ahead, eyes narrowing slightly.
"—a wiped-out town is still a problem."
Kellan let out a quiet breath. "...Fair enough."
They walked in silence after that.
It didn’t take long before the buildings around them began to change, larger, more refined, more guarded. The noise of the marketplace faded, replaced by a heavier, more controlled atmosphere.
Then they saw it.
The Zephyr Clan estate.
Tall gates reinforced with iron stood at the entrance, flanked by ard guards in uniform. Behind it, a wide compound stretched inward, filled with structured halls and training grounds.
Kellan let out a low whistle. "Still as flashy as ever."
Rhett walked straight up to the gate.
The guards imdiately tensed, then their expressions shifted the mont they recognized him.
"...Rhett?" one of them said.
"And Kellan," the other added, straightening up. "Didn’t expect to see you here."
"We need to speak with your clan leader," Rhett said plainly.
The guards exchanged a glance, then nodded without hesitation.
"Of course. Co in."
The gates opened.
They were led inside without delay.
Word spread fast.
By the ti they reached the main hall, a few clan mbers had already gathered along the sides, whispering quietly among themselves.
"The Wrecking Eagles..."
"They’re here?"
"Did sothing happen?"
Kellan scratched the back of his head. "...We’re getting attention."
"Let them look," Rhett replied.
The doors to the inner hall opened.
Inside, a spacious chamber welcod them, polished floors, high pillars, and at the far end, a man seated calmly on a raised seat.
The clan leader of the Zephyr Clan.
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