The first person to regain consciousness was Yeonji. She supported herself on her arm, blinking rapidly to take in her surrounding. They were still at the forest, but it was deadly silent for once. Even when the battle had been ongoing, at least they knew the wendigos were still there. But in stark contrast to this stillness, she had no idea where the wendigos even were.   A small squeak appeared from her side, and she turned to meet Bacon’s glimmering eyes of ebony. Joy settled through her as she hugged the white dragon, glad they had both made it. It looked like things were left midway during battle. Hoya was beside her, and Baekhyun was somewhat further away. But where was Jihye?   As Yeonji tried to move, the pain on her thigh amplified. She had forgotten all about her dramatic thigh stabbing act, and the 24 hours span didn’t do anything to reduce the agony. She looked through the small bag she carried, remembering she had a pain relieving cream for mythical creatures. It was worth a shot.   “He kept his promise.”   Yeonji and Bacon both flinched, glancing to the direction of the voice. Hoya finally came by. The effect of the red pill lasted for exactly 24 hours. She offered him the small vial of cream, seeing the red blood mark coming from his arm. Seemed he was just as dramatic as she was.   “I suppose some wendigos can be trusted,” Hoya said. As he was about to take a second scoop of the cream, Yeonji immediately retracted her hand and put away the cream as a strong sign of opposition.   “It could be an act. Do not trust them that easily. They are master deceivers,” she spoke, her tone snappier than usual.   Hoya stood perplexed and scoffed. “I thought goblins were master deceivers.” He got up on his feet, feeling better already, and offered her a hand.   “Well, that too,” Yeonji mumbled, not exactly thrilled having to share a trait with the species she despised the most. She took his hand and lifted herself up. Then they both went over to Baekhyun as he supported her limping form.   They had no idea what had happened to Baekhyun since their memories out after consuming the red pill. He seemed to be in a worser state, having several scratches and markings all over his body from the battle with Namjoon.   Yeonji stared at him ambiguously, like she was trying her hardest not to show any worries. “He’s such a show off,” she exhaled, dropping down besides Baekhyun. She took out the same vial again, gently applying the cream on his wounds while waiting for him to wake up. This way, the pain would’ve already reduced when he came to his senses.   The image was all too familiar for Hoya, and he couldn’t help but smile at the sight. Biah had been a nurse. Even without her Adamas staff, she had always been a healer. Whenever he returned from war or a battle, she’d always wait for him, ready to treat his scars. She always knew how to make him feel better, both physically and mentally. She did it with such care and precision because she loved him, and he loved her.   “You should admit your affections for him,” Hoya bluntly spoke.   Yeonji froze, and she quickly turned to him like she had been wronged, or had been busted. The usual cold and collected look on her face was all scattered over the place, and he detected a faint red blush.   “S-s-shut up. It’s nothing like that at all,” she stuttered, clearly meaning the opposite of her statement. Bacon tried to defend her by chirping along, but even a dragon knew the truth.   “Like what?”   The sudden voice made Yeonji jump as she turned to see Baekhyun regaining his consciousness. He was sitting with ease, staring at them with confusion. Then, he poked his finger against her cheek.   “Hey, you’re all red.” He grinned.   Yeonji gritted her teeth, feeling nauseous by whatever he was doing to her heart. She instantly got up and started walking, or limping.   “Did I say something wrong?” Baekhyun questioned, looking at Hoya quizzically.   “When do you ever say something right?” Hoya grinned at the goblin, then turned around to follow Yeonji.   It didn’t take long before Baekhyun pulled himself up, soon trailing beside them. “Where’s Jihye? What happened?”   “We have no idea. We lost our consciousness before you did,” Yeonji answered, back to her cold replies. She cleared a little, trying to sound as normal as possible without any hint of worries when she posed the next question. “W-What happened to you?”   Hoya shot her a look, and she ignored it completely.   “I was battling Namjoon and he nearly killed me. He asked me to join Code 11-23,” Baekhyun recalled, scratching his head a little.   “Join the code? Is it like a cult?” Hoya asked, raising his brows.   “Jongdae did say everyone was involved. Perhaps the code or pact is open to anyone of any race,” Yeonji recalled. She turned to Baekhyun, cueing him to continue the story.   “I refused of course, and Namjoon was about to kill me. I actually didn’t think I would make it. But from the corner of my eyes, I saw Jangmun pointing his gun at my direction, but he was actually pointing at the space behind me. When he fired, I went by instinct and acted like I was shot. Then he approached me and quickly slipped the red pill in my mouth. Last thing I heard was him telling Namjoon I was dead. He saved me!”   Yeonji turned to him with her jaw dropped. She began to hit him, unable to maintain her cold act. “You almost died! You could’ve died! What if I had lost—” she trailed off, quickly shutting . Luckily, Baekhyun was dumb enough not to finish that sentence in his head.   “It seems Jangmun was truly trustworthy,” Hoya spoke, smiling as he fished for a reaction from Yeonji, but she kept her lips pressed together.   “So now that we have all faked our death, did the wendigos win? Are we able to escape this dreaded place?” Baekhyun questioned.   Right as he spoke, they arrived at the entrance of Mirage Forest. They had only seen it from the other side on the day they entered the forest for the first time. Now, they could see the green hills of Ephemerus from this side. They could see the city in the far distance, and it was in chaos.   They exchanged looks with each other, unable to speak when the devastating sight was all that occupied their mind. Hoya was the first one to walk through the opening in between the trees, moving out of Mirage Forest with ease. The others soon followed through, feeling the absence of a magical barricade that used to keep them trapped inside. The spell would only be lifted once a winner was announced.   However, what greeted on the other side was not the same land they had left several weeks ago. It used to uphold a peaceful idealism, but now, it was a havoc of mass destruction. A blazing flame engulfed the entire city where townhomes and stores used to be. Buildings were being destroyed, and even from the distance they saw the walls collapsing to the floor. Smoke raised up, mixing into the already darkened clouds, forming circles of grey pollution above the fire. And screams… Screams of terror haunted them from their distance.   “You guys made it!”   The voice was all too familiar, and four heads turned sideways to see Jihye running to them. Sweatdrops covered her entire forehead, which could be caused by her excessive running, or the blazing heat from the fiery town reaching them. The wolf girl stopped in front of them, bending down to rest her hands on her knees.   “Where have you been? We thought something happened to you,” Baekhyun spoke.   “I don’t know what happened. When I woke up, I thought all three of you had died. I tried to look for help or something, but realized the spell to keep us in Mirage Forest was lifted. So I went out to find an explanation, and saw… This.”