The won had fallen asleep at so point, none of them stirring when Cyra returned—only Zane was awake.
He turned toward her, imdiately catching the satisfied glow radiating from her.
"I can sll the thick stench of blood on you… Did you go on a killing spree?"
Zane's brows furrowed as he leaned back, his nose wrinkling in disgust. No matter how well she cleaned up, the sll didn't fade.
Before he could retreat, Cyra wrapped her arms around his waist and tugged him close.
"Oh, so now you despise your wife?" Cyra sighed dramatically, eyes twinkling with laughter. "You don't love anymore."
Zane squird in her grasp, face scrunching like a squeezed bun.
"Wife, I still love you—but my nose is suffering. Next ti you go on a killing spree, please don't get blood on you. I won't co near you until the sll wears off," he warned with a straight face.
Back when he lived here, he could handle it—it was all he knew. But after spending ti on the island, his senses and standards had changed.
Fighting without wading through her opponent's blood was impossible in her cursed form—and this ti, Zane was serious.
"I can't promise that," Cyra muttered, loosening her grip as Zane darted to the side, gulping in fresh air.
His reaction almost made her self-conscious. She had washed up in her space, but the stench clung to her like a second skin.
"The monsters in the North Oasis are poisonous—that's why their blood reeks so much. I'll ask Viktor if he has any scented soap. And how are you coping with it?"
Zane pointed to her nose, knowing that ever since she'd shed her human skin, all her senses had beco painfully sharp.
Cyra's face twisted for a mont before smoothing out.
"I coped fine. Should we camp in the West Oasis—ho?" she asked, quickly shifting the topic. She didn't want to recall how the stench on her skin had nearly made her faint.
"That place is a safe zone for them. We should camp there," Zane replied calmly. He didn't dwell on the past—after a thousand years of sleep, even the mory of his heart crystal nearly being torn out felt distant.
"All right, get so sleep. Daybreak's close," Cyra murmured, running her fingers through Zane's hair.
She reached for the mattress in her ring, but Zane flopped back onto Viktor's wide bed instead.
Her hands hovered awkwardly in the air before she let them drop with a helpless smile.
She leaned in, pressing a kiss to both their heads, then quietly settled beside them against a nearby tree.
Her eyes open as the night sky slowly faded into dawn.
The won began to stir, their backs sore from sleeping on rough bark. So yawned, then froze—sitting upright with sudden alertness. It puzzled them how they could've slept so soundly in such a dangerous forest.
But their tension eased as they spotted Cyra by the tree. They didn't realize it yet, but they were already relying on her strength.
They quickly quieted down, careful not to wake what they thought was a sleeping Cyra.
But Cyra had been awake since the first one stirred—just too lazy to open her eyes. The desert sun was already rising, its heat draining her strength and making her uncomfortable.
The won sat where they were, sipping tree sap to fill their stomachs while waiting for their boss to wake.
Minutes passed before Viktor and Zane stirred. Viktor blinked up, disoriented by the unfamiliar scenery until yesterday's mories returned.
He sat up, eyes scanning for Cyra. When he spotted her leaning against the tree, he stood and stretched.
"Morning. You still want that bath? I'm about to have one—with a cold soda," he added with a dreamy sigh.
Zane nodded quickly.
"But not now," he added, subtly nodding toward the won nearby. It was one thing for objects to disappear—humans vanishing was another.
Viktor blinked, only just rembering the won. He rubbed his nose, embarrassed at his thoughtlessness.
Cyra opened her eyes, noticing everyone was ready. She stood, brushing dust from her shorts.
"Morning, Boss!" the won chorused, their unified voices nearly startling her.
She wasn't used to such enthusiastic greetings.
"Hm. Summon your beasts—we're travelling through the desert," Cyra ordered as she approached Viktor and Zane.
"Yes, Boss!" they replied again, their tone filled with gratitude. Deep down, they all knew they wouldn't have survived yesterday without Cyra and Zane.
"Morning," Cyra whispered, pressing a kiss to Zane's lips, then Viktor's.
"So, how was your first night in the Desolate Land?" she asked Viktor gently, letting him lean into her as they walked.
"It's insanely dangerous," he muttered. "How did you two survive here for years? I would've died on day one if I ca alone."
"It's only this bad in the forest," Zane explained, summoning Greed as they neared the exit. "Where we lived was safer—except for the monster attacks."
"We should take him to the East Oasis. It's a good place to train, if you're interested," Cyra offered, climbing onto Greed's back with Viktor in her arms.
Zane mounted on her other side, patting Greed's feathers in greeting.
"Damn, your beast is huge," Viktor said, crawling across the back with wide eyes. "What did you feed it? It's practically covering the sky!"
He stroked Greed's feathers, tempted to trade Pain for Zane's soul beast.
How can sothing this massive be so soft? he wondered, rolling around and forgetting his image entirely.
Zane and Cyra chuckled, rembering the past—when Cyra first climbed onto Greed and buried her face in his feathers without care. Back then, he hadn't been nearly this huge.
Cyra felt her heart grow lighter in this familiar, mory-soaked place—as if she'd stepped back into her younger self.
She hugged Zane close and whispered, "Thank you, love… for saving and coming into my life."
Warmth flooded Zane's chest at her heartfelt words, but he grew flustered from the public affection.
"Cough… um… we should get going," he said, giving her a shy peck on the lips and pulling away.
Cyra chuckled at his flushed expression, then turned toward the won mounted on their soul beasts, awaiting her orders.
"Let's set out," she commanded.
Greed launched into the sky with a powerful cry, its wings casting vast shadows below.
The others followed—those with flying beasts took to the air, while the rest rode across the land.
The hot desert wind blasted into their faces as they travelled through the desert.
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