Launda's corpse was dragged away; upon Sandra's orders, she would be tossed into the rugged districts and fed to animals.

The assassin retreated with his life intact, a fortunate event. He may not have achieved anything significant, but the intel he gained was worth much value.

Gothel was a bit stunned that the insignificant fragments of power she had left were still so effective.

She stood at the center, chest forward with a bold stance as she spoke with discipline and order. "Dear people of Sant Flores, I, Gothel, have taken all of you as my responsibility!"

"I see you all as my children, and as a mother, I will not sit by and watch my children be hurt or suffer." Her voice hummed; the intensity of her words resonated with her gestures. "From now on, I'll be working closely with the authorities to serve the people as an Indulger! If you have any objections..."

"Please keep them to yourselves! Thank you!" she resolved.

The people's silence spoke louder than any words could; some reeked of uncertainty, while others exchanged reluctant gestures and stretched fake smiles.

Gothel noticed them but didn't care. To her, each action and every word that escaped her mouth were all instigated by her brother's orders. If she saw Cole's statement as a request, she'd be tempted to refuse, so instead, she viewed it as a command.

Deep down, she didn't have a lick of care for the people. To her, they were the reason her life flew by trapped inside a tree. Sant Flores' people felt like her natural enemy, but she refrained from harming them in any way.

"My atonement is due," she spoke, barely above a whistle.

Sandra studied Gothel from behind, her lips flickering between a proud grin and a cautious face.

Gothel searched for Cole amongst the reducing crowd once more. 'Where is my brother?'

During the stir, Cole used the moment when the majority of the citizens would gather in one place to make his move. Cole took a clean bath and changed his clothes to a black and grey T-shirt, cargo jeans, and palm sandals to boot.

He knew he wouldn't get another chance to leave Sant Flores quietly, especially with the subtle increase of people who saw him as "Divinity."

Before leaving, Cole paid the Red Caps investigation unit a visit. There, he stealthily overheard the Red Cap General and other officers discuss the case. He had to squeeze through the tightest of corners for the information he got, but in the end, Cole yielded good results.

According to what he gathered, the corpses weren't exactly murdered, per se. More accurately, they were driven to the point of death and died of either shock or immense blood loss. Simply put, the Guiding Tree's loophole was becoming widespread.

A breach unknown for generations slowly made its way to public ears—a recipe for cooking up chaos from all sides. Reasons like these were also why Cole had to leave as quickly as possible.

The mental gymnastics he'd start playing on himself just to stay would weaken his self-resolution. All the necessary matters were left in the hands of Gothel and the city authorities as he intended; getting involved further was unneeded.

'The Guiding Tree is an equality thing...' Cole speculated as he navigated the quiet streets and vacant alleys; even the horrid stench of rotting matter was a bit comforting at that point. 'It exchanges fatal damage inflicted on the people of Sant Flores by outsiders. If they don't die by the outsider's hands, the exchange won't take effect.'

'Considering how Indulger research has expanded over the passage of time, I'm not surprised this was discovered.' He furrowed his brow with clenched lips. 'But was any of this instigated by my arrival? The coincidence baffles me so.'

Cole introspected as he went, taking in a final glance of the rusty, littered view Sant Flores had to offer before stepping out of the Set. In the backpack he carried was a long cloak to protect him from the dastardly sandstorm clashing outside.

The deity hadn't spoken a word to him either. Normally, in an event like this, she'd be ranting like a broken record in Cole's ears, yet it wasn't the case. Maybe she was respecting his final moments with the city or mocking him in the solitude of her space in True Earth.

'I might not like it, but this is how things will be from now on. Since I landed Mortimer in a hospital bed, I should have been more keen on this!' A bitter taste polluted his tongue. 'As long as I'm an accomplice, I need to refrain from having any close bonds with people.'

BADUMP!

'I seem to keep inflicting the consequences of my actions upon others, getting entangled with strangers.' Cole fell on his knees and clenched his fists until his knuckles reddened.

"I'm not supposed to be like this, damn it!" He roared with a ferocious burst of anger. "What the hell is going on with me!"

"Me... me.... me.... me..." The town's structure mocked him, letting his words reverberate and echo through every corner and alley, all the way to Homes where the people gathered.

Gothel heard his cry. Turning her head to the distant source, tears filled her eyes as she failed to stretch a decent smile. "Good luck. I won't let you down this time, brother," she spoke softly.

"So stay strong, you hear me!" she burst out, equally tenacious!

BADUMP!

Her voice's pitch scared off the flock of birds residing at the very top of the poles, lines, and roofs of the district. As though Sant Flores understood her emotions, the stagnant city carried her words and the feelings attached all the way to where Cole knelt.

One could consider the exchange of fading echoes a sort of final conversation between siblings, or rather a short goodbye. Though difficult, both of them had paths set out for them to pursue.

Cole understood this from the start. His delusion of a good life flashed like a blinking light in his mind. He steeled himself and stomped the floor like he was caught in a snowstorm.

"My little sister's cheering me on. It'd suck if I disappointed her twice."

BADUMP!

'Did I just say that?' Cole froze in shock.

His heart revved up like a starting engine. Cole gripped his chest and scowled at the floor. "All is well."

As Cole raised his head, he saw two somewhat familiar silhouettes standing right in front of the Set. As usual, the Red Caps were vacant from their posts.

"Cole, sir!" Snider stood rigidly outside; a soft, concerned look shone in his eye.

Behind him was Antadisma, who crossed her arms and watched.

Snider went forward. "Are you okay, sir?"

Cole switched to his usual chill and composed act. "It's been a while since I've seen you, Snider."

"I know... if you don't mind, I'd like to talk to you."

Cole looked at Antadisma, noticing how she held herself back from speaking, and smirked audaciously. "Make it quick. I'm in a hurry."

"I'm here for a simple reason, sir."

"That being?"

"I'd like to invite you to join the Eerie Gothel."

"Hmm..." Cole stroked his chin. "I see, but why should I join?"

"He's acting way too cocky..." Antadisma uttered in a low grumble.

Snider shot her a commanding gesture and hushed her with relative ease.

"Because we have much to offer you as a faction, from a good salary to benefits in the supernatural world and knowledge to satisfy your incessant intrigue."

Cole rolled his eyes to the side. "I'm not interested."

Antadisma's face was turning red from rage; as she clenched her fists, her nails dug so deep into her skin it began to bleed.

Cole took great pleasure from watching her try to contain herself and fail so bluntly. He was basically adding water to her filled tank on purpose.

"What do I have to do to convince you, sir?"

Cole tucked in both hands and shrugged. "There's nothing you can do. Give it up."

"You leave me no choice then..." Snider pulled out a photo from his pocket and showed it to Cole. In it was a clear depiction of Mortimer's unconscious state on the hospital bed.

"I'm sorry, sir..."

Cole smiled. "So you did a little digging around and found Mortimer." He chuckled. "Unfortunately for you, he and I aren't that close."

"So we can kill him?" Antadisma asked, her tone serious.

Cole shut his eyes. "Do what you want; it won't change my mind."

Snider was perplexed on what to use next; Cole exuded a level-headed demeanor which bothered him greatly.

"Well..." Snider's lips parted. "We have a small lead on who made you an accomplice."

Cole flung his eyes open. "I'm listening..."

"At least come to our gathering; from there you can decide the next steps." Snider faked a decent smile. "All I'll say is this agreement will benefit you and us."

Cole tilted his body a bit. "Hmm..." He wore a calculating expression.

He sniggered, then answered, "Sigh, you win. But if this is a trap, it won't end lightly."

"I'm not worried about that." Snider grinned confidently.

'Did they forget me?' Antadisma thought.

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