The night was silent.
Far too silent.
Only the endless sound of waves crashing against the cliff echoed through the darkness.
Moonlight bathed the rocky shoreline below.
Silver light reflected across the sea.
Ancient.
Calm.
Timeless.
And amidst that ancient silence stood two figures.
One was a boy.
The other—
A monster born from centuries of grief.
The creature stood motionless.
Her distorted body trembled.
Monstrous claws dug into stone.
Dark scales covered skin that had long forgotten humanity.
Yet tears still flowed from her eyes.
Human tears.
The sight was strangely heartbreaking.
The woman looked toward Kel.
Then suddenly stepped backward.
"No."
Her voice trembled.
"Don't come near me."
Another step backward.
"Please."
The monster shook her head.
"I might kill you."
The words carried genuine fear.
Not fear for herself.
Fear for him.
The monstrous woman understood her condition better than anyone.
For centuries.
She had struggled.
Fought.
Resisted.
Yet every year.
The corruption grew stronger.
The hunger grew stronger.
The instincts grew stronger.
And the human part of her slowly disappeared.
Inside his mind.
Seiren observed quietly.
The Guardian understood.
This creature had not survived centuries through malice.
She survived through suffering.
Kel continued walking.
One step.
Then another.
The woman panicked.
"STOP!"
Her distorted voice echoed through the shoreline.
"I SAID STOP!"
The silver-haired youth ignored her.
His golden eyes remained calm.
Steady.
Without fear.
Inside his mind.
Seiren finally spoke.
"You already decided."
Kel nodded.
"Yes."
The Guardian sighed.
"I knew it."
Several seconds passed.
Then Kel spoke again.
Not to the woman.
To Seiren.
"Seiren."
"Hm?"
"Give me temporary control."
The Guardian immediately understood.
Her eyes widened slightly.
"You want Scarder Water?"
"Yes."
Silence followed.
The sacred waters of Scarder Lake.
The purest waters beneath the authority of the Guardian.
Ancient waters.
Waters capable of healing.
Purification.
Restoration.
Waters that existed before countless kingdoms.
The Guardian stared at him.
Then smiled softly.
"Be careful."
Kel nodded.
Then the connection between them deepened.
Far beyond ordinary soul contracts.
Ancient divine authority flowed through their bond.
Not all of it.
Only a fraction.
Yet even that fraction felt immense.
The sea around them reacted instantly.
Waves slowed.
Currents shifted.
The ocean itself seemed to recognize something ancient.
Something sacred.
The woman noticed.
Her eyes widened.
"What are you—"
She never finished.
Because the smell reached her.
Fresh blood.
Living flesh.
Human vitality.
For centuries.
She had consumed monster cores.
Leviathan young.
Sea creatures.
Anything powerful enough to sustain her existence.
Her mind screamed.
Run.
Escape.
Stay away.
But her body...
Her body betrayed her.
The corruption won.
For a brief moment.
Monster instincts overwhelmed reason.
The creature lunged.
Like a beast.
Like a predator.
Like something that had forgotten humanity.
Her claws shattered stone.
Her jaws opened.
Then—
Crunch.
Her fangs sank into Kel's shoulder.
Blood erupted.
Warm crimson blood stained the moonlit rocks.
The impact alone would have killed an ordinary person.
Even Kel staggered slightly.
Pain shot through his body.
His vision blurred momentarily.
The creature froze.
Immediately.
Her monstrous eyes widened.
Then horror appeared.
Pure horror.
Tears flowed uncontrollably.
"No..."
The words escaped weakly.
"No..."
She tried pulling away.
Her body refused.
The hunger remained.
The corruption remained.
The instincts remained.
And despite crying.
Despite begging.
Despite hating herself—
She continued feeding.
Kel remained silent.
Blood flowed endlessly.
His cloak darkened.
The rocky shoreline became stained red.
Inside his mind.
Seiren appeared ready to explode.
"KEL!"
"Calm down."
"CALM DOWN?"
The Guardian looked furious.
"YOU ARE LOSING BLOOD!"
"Necessary."
"THIS IS INSANE!"
Kel smiled faintly.
"Probably."
Then he raised his hand.
And began the ritual.
Scarder Water appeared.
Not ordinary water.
Not ocean water.
Sacred water.
Pure water.
Water touched by ancient authority.
The liquid floated around them.
Glowing softly beneath moonlight.
Like liquid stars.
Like fragments of the night sky.
The woman trembled.
Her monster instincts immediately recoiled.
Because corruption feared purity.
Darkness feared cleansing.
The sacred waters surrounded her.
Then entered her body.
The purification began.
Slowly.
Painfully.
Violently.
The woman screamed.
The scream echoed across the coastline.
Ancient grief.
Ancient hatred.
Ancient corruption.
Everything hidden within her body began surfacing.
Black mist emerged.
Dark mana leaked from countless wounds.
The corruption resisted desperately.
For centuries.
It had ruled her.
Now.
For the first time.
Something challenged it.
Minutes passed.
Then hours.
One hour.
Then another.
The ritual continued relentlessly.
Throughout the process.
The woman continued feeding upon Kel's blood.
Not because she wanted to.
Because her body desperately sought survival.
Her body fought against purification.
Fought against change.
Fought against death.
Kel endured everything silently.
His wounds remained severe.
His skin pale.
His breathing slower.
Yet his eyes remained calm.
Steady.
Focused.
Inside his mind.
Seiren watched quietly.
The Guardian finally understood.
Kel never intended to kill the monster.
From the beginning.
He intended to save the woman.
Eventually.
The darkness weakened.
The corruption cracked.
Then shattered.
The black mist exploded outward.
The night wind carried it away.
Gone.
Finally gone.
The shoreline fell silent.
The woman collapsed.
Her monstrous body began changing.
The scales cracked.
The claws shattered.
The distorted flesh peeled away.
Like old skin being shed.
The process continued slowly.
Painfully.
Until eventually—
The monster disappeared.
And beneath it remained someone else.
A woman.
A human woman.
The original woman.
The woman she once was.
The transformation left nothing behind.
No scales.
No monstrous armor.
No corruption.
Nothing.
Only bare skin beneath moonlight.
Kel immediately turned away.
Then removed his cloak.
Without a word.
He gently placed it over her.
Covering her body completely.
The woman remained unconscious.
Peaceful.
For the first time in centuries.
Peaceful.
Inside his mind.
Seiren smiled softly.
"You saved her."
Kel looked toward the ocean.
Then finally sat down.
His body felt exhausted.
The blood loss had been substantial.
Enough to concern most people.
The Guardian crossed her arms.
"Now heal yourself."
The silver-haired youth laughed weakly.
"That was the plan."
Scarder Water appeared again.
This time surrounding him.
The sacred waters entered his wounds.
Healing.
Restoring.
Closing torn flesh.
Returning vitality.
The bloodstained shoreline slowly recovered its silence.
The waves continued crashing against the rocks.
The moon continued watching from above.
And beneath the ancient cliff.
A monster disappeared.
While a woman finally returned.