Merik and Cora finally teamed up together against this hideous psychic monster.

  The creature swiped its hand in desperate attempt to ward off Merik but it was nothing more than a futile effort of a cornered monster.

  Without even showing a slight movement, Merik unceasingly expired the bullets from his gun which caused multiple fatal wounds to form all over the creature’s body.

  Dark red bloods gushed out like a river before slowly oozing beneath its body. The creature uncontrollably fell onto its back – the cold and cruel ground with its only ever companion to hold dearly onto.

  Cora, for the first time in a while, let the flames die off – though not completely yet. The spherical flame in her hand was much smaller compared to before. It was around the size of an orange, which she could manage easily without any risk of hurting herself physically or mentally.

  The previous attempt was her in a panic state full of fear and desperation, which of course, hurt her irreversibly. Her hand was almost completely charred by the flames and while it was aching like hell, she was holding on; just barely.

  Neither of them let down their guard, nor the dying creature. Cora noticed that some remnants of blackish flame were still lingering on several visible wounds but they died off in an instant. But from those blackish wounds, she saw that the wounds were much bigger as if the fleshes consumed themselves all on their own.

  It was a scarily creepy sight.

  Is that what caused it to sever its hand?

  The merged children on “her” wore expressions of sadness, worry and worst of all, fear. Their cries and pleas for help came out as incomprehensible noises but it nonetheless made Cora’s heart tightened so much.

  However, for Merik, his cold and imposing eyes seemed to say otherwise. Moreover, she didn’t know what they meant, even.

  While tightly gripping the lantern, he was just staring intently at this ominous yet tragic creature which almost just turned them into godforsaken Soulesses and also seemed to possess some form of intelligence.

  She had some doubts if it was still the same woman inside of it, with the way it was glaring with burning hatred towards Merik.

  It looked insanely humane.

  Now, Cora noticed that the irregularly twinkling eye was completely shut off like the rest. Only one eye was still functioning like before, but with a lot more anger behind it.

  “PLEASE HELP ME. SCREECHHH. PLEASE HELP US.”

  Cora felt an intense, flashing headache that overwhelmed her in an instant but it disappeared like it wasn’t even there in the first place.

  Slowly, opening her eyes, she saw that Merik walked up to her with the lantern while still holding the gun towards the monster.

  “Don’t look at her eyes.”

  Merik warned her in a steady tone.

  “No, not just look at her, don’t make any contact with her, at all. I’ve cornered her here. She can no longer move. She uses some sort of psychic powers to deceives our mind but her real powers lie in those claws of hers. Stay close to the lantern and be on guard. I'll deal with her.”

  The creature snarled at both of them, still unable to get back up from the ground. It was glaring at the lantern in Merik’s hand, clearly weakened by it just as he said.

  Cora couldn’t help but feel a sense of relief and strength, having this reliable senior officer with her, even more than the lantern.

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  However, noticing that a few considerable moments had already passed, Cora wondered what Merik’s plan actually was.

  Glancing sideways at her said senior, she surprisingly noticed some traces of hesitation and trouble over Merik’s stoic face. And his hand was… shaking ever so slightly. It only appeared momentarily but with loading the trigger of his gun and furrowing of his brows, Cora’s doubts evaporated.

  Greyish fogs were still thick as ever but some rays of the pale moonlight pierced this depressing veil covering the whole landscape.

  The invading pale moonlights sarcastically shone upon them, drowning them in a remarkably illustrious spotlight.

  It was extremely and deafeningly silent for a short while and the first to break this silence was none other than Merik, himself.

  “I have never been in an encounter like this before but we’re lucky the lantern still weakens her.”

  Merik pondered for a moment once again then calmly said:

  “Change of plan. Our plan is to take back her to the headquarters. With its extremely rare power, it’s too much of a waste to just murder her. I know it’s a bit of a stretch but that’s what I have decided. I will make sure she won’t move again.”

  Taken back by his sudden, cruel plan, Cora shouted,

  “No, Merik. Our mission is to save her. No, save them!”

  Merik was surprised first and his eyes slowly softened hesitantly at her words.

  “How are you going to save her, Cora? She’s mostly... gone now but researching her would give us tremendous benefits that will even help our kingdom.”

  Cora’s tone turned to that of a begging one and she persuaded Merik through suppressed tears.

  “Isn’t it too cruel, Merik? Overseers... we’re the protectors of peace... right? If there’s a slight chance we might save helpless civilians, save them... we have to give it our all!”

  Merik went silent for a short moment, nonetheless, said with a determined tone.

  “Still, this is an order, Cora. Stay out of the way. It’s how we deal with things.”

  “What do you mean the way you deal with things? We have to save them. It’s our job, Merik. If we don’t save them, who would?”

  Cora shifted slightly towards Merik which hardened his already cold expression thousand times more.

  “Cora, how long before you’re going to realize it? We can no longer save them. At least, not like this. Just look at it. Do you want to take the risk of it harming others? You know that, Cora.”

  “But...”

  ““They” are already long gone. We are giving them mercy this way.”

  Cora’s heart skipped a beat and she glanced at the creature…, no, the tragic mother and her children.

  The creature was lying in its own pool of blood. It was barely breathing with ragged movements all over its heavily injured body. No signs of attacks nor animosity could be felt from it. It already surrendered, clearly wanting to survive. No, it probably wanted to save its children.

  So, why not?

  Cora shook her head, gritted her teeth and firmly stood her ground.

  “Mercy, what mercy, Merik? They are not gone. Not completely yet. Look at their eyes and their desperate will to survive and don’t tell me you don’t see it.”

  Merik sighed.

  “I see it. Still, I must do it.”

  “You don’t have to. Also, considering the situation, you need my help in subduing this monster safely.”

  Merik hesitating eyes flashed with a cold glint once he heard Cora.

  Now, he said it in a ruthless tone, every single bit of his reluctance now, gone.

  “Me, need your help? Don’t make me laugh.”

  In these moments which felt like eternity for them, Merik seemed like a still statue, the intensity in his eyes ever-growing.

  Merik said in a firmer tone while slowly pulling the trigger.

  “All I need is myself and no one else.”

  Cora’s forehead was suddenly filled with cold sweats over her own poor word choices.

  “Wait, please, Merik, please.”

  The creature’s chest was shaking up and down clearly in terror, seeing Merik slowly walking up to it.

  “I didn’t mean that way, Merik. All I meant was if we want to get this woman back to the headquarters, and I mean intact, we both need each other’s strength because right now, each one’s back is all the other has.”

  Cora continued in desperation.

  “There has to be some way. I mean surely our higher-ups definitely must have some means to save them. Look at them. They are clearly suffering. It already lost its strength to fight back. With me and you both, I’m sure we can find a way, a better way than just killing them. So, please, don’t hurt them anymore. Please. I beg you, Merik.”

  A few hard moments passed and seeing how Merik was unmoving. Cora felt that her words finally convinced him.

  “I know... that they are suffering. Out of all, I know the most. That’s precisely why...”

  He nonetheless, pulled his trigger, pointing sharply straight at its head.

  “No! Merik!”

  BANG!

  It missed!