Sera reached the bakery long before midnight, boots tapping lightly against the cobblestones as she slipped into the narrow street. Even if the shop was closed, its lingering smell of bread almost tempted her again.

But she must stay focused!

Ryn had tasked her to guard the bakery. Even if he didn't explain why, it was obvious.

The forces at play here were not simply just its residents, but foreign powers…and she was determined to get to the bottom of it.

She adjusted her cloak, letting her steps soften as she approached the storefront. The familiar window, normally glowing with warm light, was eerily dark.

Sera slowed.

Something's going on. The shop wouldn't close this early…

She took another step—and noticed movement.

Across the street, three men lingered beneath a lantern, speaking too quietly. Farther down, a slouched figure sat on a crate with his head bowed. The posture screamed "drunk," but the tension in his shoulders said otherwise.

Sera's brows knit.

"…Okay, that's suspicious."

This was far from the gambling district, a place to attract hungry customers, not suspicious ones in thick black coats.

Then she saw it.

From inside their coats, they produced three masks—black porcelain ones to be precise.

They were the same ones Ryn had warned her about.

Sera swallowed, her throat tightening as she angled toward the side entrance.

"Ryn," she breathed under her breath, her fingers curling around the dagger at her hip.

"You better be right about this. Because I think we have a problem."

She slipped into the back entrance. The moment her hand reached the doorknob, she heard something—someone being dragged.

The kids…

It clicked open.

Darkness greeted her.

Not the warm, flour-dusted dimness she expected from a late-night bakery.

The first thing she noticed was Jay.

He lay slumped against the flour sacks, head tilted, a smear of crimson across his temple. His apron was torn, and his breathing came in shallow, uneven pulls.

Sera's stomach dropped.

"…Jay?"

She took a step forward.

A quiet, unfamiliar voice answered her.

"No sudden movements."

Sera froze.

A figure knelt near the prep table, shrouded in a dark hood. He was tying a rope around two of the other children, binding their wrists and ankles.

The man tightened the knot.

"Almost done," he muttered, his tone disturbingly casual, like he was packing bread loaves instead of living children.

"Your timing is quite bad, I'm afraid."

The man stepped toward her, blade angled downward in a lazy, confident arc.

He read the fear in her eyes, saw the tremble in her breath, and mistook it for weakness.

"Little guardian…" he murmured, raising his dagger.

"You should've run."

Behind him, one of the kids whimpered, struggling uselessly against the rope digging into their wrists.

The man lunged…exactly what she wanted.

A soft golden light bloomed around her forearm as she raised it to defend herself.

[Sanctuary]

The dagger hit the plate of her glowing arm and froze—like time simply hadn't existed in that region.

The cultist blinked.

"…What?"

The blade trembled but did not break through.

She grinned, the same golden light accumulating in her fists.

"Charging a paladin? You really should've done your research."

[Divine Strike]

Her fist crashed into his jaw.

Light erupted.

The impact thundered through the bakery, shattering trays and rattling cupboards. The cultist's eyes went blank as his body launched backwards, as if struck by a battering ram.

He flew across the room, smashing through the display counter and rocketing out the front entrance in an explosion of flour and shattered wood.

Sera heard gasps from the street as the three lurking men ran toward their fallen ally.

But she didn't care.

She instantly dropped to her knees beside the children, tearing at the ropes with trembling hands.

"Hang on—hang on, I've got you—!"

Sera didn't even have time to finish untying the ropes.

A glint appeared from the corner of her eye. She turned and saw the same man, the one she just launched, cast a spell.

Fire swirled around his palm, growing larger and larger by the second.

Sera's heart flipped.

He's going to burn the entire shop down—

She moved.

"Hold on!"

Her voice broke as she swept the two children into her arms, fingers snagging the back of Jay's apron with her free hand.

Her muscles strained, three people was too much weight, too awkward, but adrenaline didn't care.

The mage finished his incantation.

[Fireball]

A blooming inferno of crimson heat barreled straight toward them.

Sera dove.

She threw herself, the kids, and Jay's limp body toward the back door, shoving it open with her shoulder just as the explosion hit.

BOOM—!

A detonation of flame swallowed the bakery behind them.

Heat slammed into her back like a dragon's breath. The whole shop went up in flames as glass shattered and wood split.

Sera hit the ground hard, skidding across the dirt with the kids clutched close. Jay's unconscious body landed beside her, coughing smoke.

She gasped, lungs burning.

The mage stepped into the alley a moment later, flames licking around his fingertips.

"We only need the children. You can still walk away."

Sera wiped blood from her lip, golden light flickering around her fists.

"Over my dead body."

He sighed.

"That can be arranged."

But Sera was prepared this time. From her Dimensional Ring, she pulled out her trusty sword and buckler, standard paladin equipment, but they fit her like a glove.

With a flick of his finger, the hooded man signalled the other three.

It was a 4v1, but a fight Sera had to win regardless.

The three masked men charged together.

One cultist swung high, an obvious attack as Sera deflected it with her buckler, slamming her shoulder into his chest and launching him into a nearby wall.

The next attack came from her left, blade sweeping toward her ribs. She didn't need to dodge, as the golden light burst forward, catching the man's blade.

She turned and kicked his wrist, the sword clattering uselessly to the floor before Sera jammed her knee into his gut. The man staggered and fell immediately.

But the third attack was faster.

Sera barely ducked a slash aimed at her neck. She stepped back, gaining distance before the man charged again.

It was clear that this one had training, as countless relentless attacks were thrown at Sera.

She was put on the back foot, using her buckler to block the attacks with no opportunities to strike of her own.

Then, he made a mistake. He tried to go for a leg sweep, against an armored opponent.

The kick came at her shin, but she simply shrugged it off.

Channeling holy power into her sword, she slashed at his abdomen.

[Divine Strike]

The force sent the man flying. Accompanied by the gash and the force of her slash, he dropped instantly, not getting back up.

Sera let herself breathe, a slight moment of relief washed over her face.

Until she felt it again. Heat.

She whipped around.

The mage stood at the other end of the alley, palm raised, the spell already fired.

A sphere of roaring flame tore through the air—not at her, but at the children.

Time slowed.

The kids stared at the incoming inferno, too shocked to move.

Sera didn't think, she just had to move.

She threw herself between the kids and the fireball, shield raised.

Sigh…this is gonna hurt.

BOOOOM—!

The blast hit her like a collapsing star.

Fire engulfed her, searing her lungs, exploding across her back in a wave of unbearable heat. Her legs almost buckled but she had to keep them still. If she fell now, it would kill the kids.

The fireball subsided, leaving smoke surrounding the alley.

Sera collapsed, her armaments clattering on the floor with a metallic tang.

The mage's footsteps approached slowly.

"Well," he murmured, "that's one problem solved."

Sera groaned, trying to push herself up—

A boot slammed into her ribs. She choked on a scream from the pain.

"You fought well," the mage said calmly, leaning down to seize her hair and lift her head. "But even a Holy Maiden has limits."

Behind him, one of the recovering men dragged the dazed children into a black-cloaked carriage.

Sera's vision went white with panic.

"N–no..! Let them— LET—!"

The mage kneed her in the stomach. Air left her body in a violent rush as her vision dimmed.

And the last thing she heard, before everything went black, was the mage shouting commands:

"Get them out the city, now!"

Her vision dimmed, a rush of dark trying to drag her into the abyss. The only thing she had on her mind was remorse, at the fact that she had failed her mission.

I'm sorry…Ryn. I couldn't…save them.

Then, the world faded to black.

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