Three full days had passed since the horrible tragedy in the red mist. Leon slowly regained consciousness in a daze, his eyelids still heavy with exhaustion. His final memories remained a blur of chaos, flashing lights, and the darkness that had swallowed everything...
He was still lying on the bed in the same infirmary, but his physical condition had improved remarkably. The pain that had once torn through his arm... now it was gone as if it had never happened. Only a lingering weakness remained.
Soft voices drifted from outside the room, making Leon furrow his brow slightly as he strained to listen.
"...so where exactly are you planning to take him... Master Xiao Yan?" The deep voice filled with worry... Leon recognized it as Barton's.
He gathered what strength he had, slowly propping himself up from the bed and shuffling outside.
What he saw was Xiao Yan, Cyrus, Raven, and Barton standing in tense conversation, the atmosphere thick with palpable tension.
"What... what are you all talking about?" Leon asked, his voice still hoarse.
Everyone turned to look at him in unison.
"Hey! You're awake, kid!" Cyrus was the first to greet him, his tone trying to sound cheerful but still tinged with worry.
"You..." Leon looked confused, glancing at Xiao Yan—the stranger he'd seen last before losing consciousness. "Who exactly are you?"
Barton quickly interrupted. "Finally awake, huh Leon. You've been out cold for three whole days."
"Three days?!" Leon's eyes widened in surprise. He hadn't felt like he'd slept that long at all. The memories of that day's events remained vivid as if they'd happened yesterday.
Xiao Yan cleared his throat softly, drawing everyone's attention back to him. "Ahem." He spoke in a level but authoritative tone. "My name is Xiao Yan, from the Witherborn organization, and I'm the leader of the Fourth Unit."
Leon grew even more confused. "Fourth Unit? What about... what about Genus? And the townspeople... how are they?"
His eyes showed clear concern. He wasn't particularly worried about himself right now, but immediately asked about the overall situation.
"Don't worry about that, Leon." Cyrus interjected with a gentler tone, trying to comfort him. "Genus... she's at peace now. As for the other townspeople who died... we already held proper funeral rites for all of them."
Leon hung his head, guilt and sorrow flooding back. "And... what about that Vine-born? The one that..."
"Chief..." Raven, who had been silent, was about to speak, but Xiao Yan raised his hand to stop him.
"No need, Raven. I'll handle this." Xiao Yan turned to look at Leon with an unreadable expression, his face growing slightly more tense. "It's because of you... Leon. That Vine-born became so weakened that I was able to deal with it."
Leon looked shocked and disbelieving. "Me?"
"Yes." Xiao Yan confirmed. "After you used that power to send it flying, you collapsed immediately. And I was the one who finished the job." He paused for a moment, his sharp indigo eyes boring deep into Leon's. "But that's exactly what makes me suspicious of you... Leon... are you the same kind of thing as that Vine-born?!"
The question hit Leon like a sledgehammer to the skull. "The same as that thing?! How is that even possible?! It killed Genus! And Eva...!" When he mentioned Eva's name, Leon stopped short again, his voice trembling. He quickly turned away, swallowing the lump of guilt lodged in his chest. *I could never tell them... that I was... the one who killed Eva...* The thought circled endlessly in his head.
"And for this reason," Xiao Yan continued, his voice cold, "we can't allow you to stay here any longer."
"No way, Master Xiao Yan!" Barton immediately protested with urgent gesturing. "You can't make him leave! Leon isn't..."
Xiao Yan glanced at Barton briefly before shaking his head with firm resolve. "It's not happening, Barton. I know you're attached to this kid, but we absolutely cannot let him stay in River Bend. Even though you and I have known each other for a long time, I can't let this slide."
"Why not?! He's human! You can all see that, can't you?!" Barton argued back stubbornly, turning to look at Cyrus and Raven for sympathy. But both men averted their gazes—they didn't dare contradict Xiao Yan's orders in the slightest.
Xiao Yan said nothing more. He drew the spear from his side, and in the blink of an eye it extended to match his full height. The razor-sharp spearpoint gleamed with cold light as it caught the fire's glow. He pointed it directly at Leon.
"You have two choices, Leon." Xiao Yan's voice was sharp and merciless. "Die here... or prove to me that you're still human."
The atmosphere in the room reached maximum tension. Leon could feel the tremendous pressure radiating from Xiao Yan's form.
But suddenly Raven, who had been silent throughout, spoke up. "Chief... maybe... maybe he could be one of The Awakened?"
Xiao Yan turned to look at Raven with mild surprise before frowning in thought for a moment. The Awakened, huh?
Images from that day flashed through his mind... before he'd arrived at the scene... he'd seen it from a distance... that hideous flesh-colored energy aura radiating from this young man's body. That energy had coated his arm and the iron hammer he was holding. It was the same type of energy that emanated from Vine-born... not pure energy or elemental power like Genus used to wield. And it definitely wasn't energy from merging with Life's Flesh attached to a weapon...
Xiao Yan slowly shook his head, his decision made. "No... that's not it, Raven." He said. "The energy I sensed from him is the same type as the Vine-born... not the power of The Awakened. Maybe it's a Vine-born disguised in human form, or maybe it's some special ability they have that we've never encountered before."
He paused for a moment, looking directly at Leon again. "And even if that energy came from merging with some object... it shouldn't be violent enough to have that level of destructive power." He drew in a deep breath before shouting with absolute finality.
"Will you die here... or will you prove who you are! Leon!!"
Leon stared down at the floor, countless thoughts racing through his head. He felt confused, angry, sad, and afraid. But above all else... he felt the injustice of it all. He wasn't a Vine-born! He didn't want to be like that!
He raised his head, his eyes showing determination like never before. "Fine..." he answered in a steady voice. "I'll prove it to you myself... What do you want me to do?"
Xiao Yan studied Leon silently for a moment before the corner of his mouth lifted in a thin, unreadable smile. "Heh... excellent." He lowered his spearpoint slightly. "Then follow us to a certain place... it will decide everything."