The sky was just beginning to pale with the first light of dawn, and the smoke in the ruins had not yet fully dispersed. The smell of charred remains mixed with the stench of blood was so thick it was choking; taking a breath felt like swallowing sand. Furina crouched on the ground, watching Surintendante Chevalmarin use water bubbles to wrap up the few children floating over. The youngest one was curled into a ball, eyes wide open, empty and vacant, as if its soul had been scared away.
Huo Yuhao stood on the side, his lips pressed into a thin line, his gaze darting between the children and the burnt roof beams, his fists clenched tightly.
Furina did not make a sound. Her stomach was still churning; she had vomited until only bitter bile came out, and her throat felt like it was on fire. She reached out to wipe the face of the little one, but as soon as her fingertips touched the cold cheek, her mind went "buzz"—filled with the image of that intestine dangling from the eaves, and the giggling baby face on the Evil Soul Master's tentacles... She jerked her hand back, her fingertips trembling violently.
"Sister?" Huo Yuhao looked over with concern.
Furina took a deep breath, only to be choked into a coughing fit by the smell. She forced herself to look away, sweeping her gaze across the lifeless, charred earth. The houses had collapsed into unrecognizable heaps, the livestock shed was nothing but a blackened frame, and the ground was sticky, making it impossible to tell if it was mud or blood. As the wind blew, ash carrying sparks swirled up, like paper money burned for the dead.
Throw these little ones into an orphanage? She suddenly remembered the dark secrets of orphanages she had seen in the news in her past life—child abuse, trafficking... No, absolutely not. Besides, this was the Douluo Continent; she had no idea if there were any reliable welfare institutions, and most likely, being fed was the best one could hope for—who would care about psychological trauma?
"Take them with us," Furina said, her voice hoarse, her tone unexpectedly firm. "Return to Fontaine, go to the Axis Cult."
Huo Yuhao was stunned for a moment, then nodded heavily: "Yes! I will help you!"
Furina glanced at him, then looked at Huo Yuner sleeping in the bubble carriage in the distance: "Just take good care of your mother and yourself." She paused, remembering how the boy had run out on his own earlier, "Don't act on your own next time; it's very dangerous."
Huo Yuhao quickly promised: "I understand, there won't be a next time."
The road back felt exceptionally long. The moon hung in the sky, pale and sickly like a half-eaten flatbread. The night wind was chilly, and Furina felt as though the smell of charred remains and blood was stuck to her like a plaster, impossible to shake off.
She walked at the very front, her hand gripping the hilt of the radiance of the flowing still water tightly. The faint blue water patterns on the sword were dimmer than usual, quiet and still.
The few children remained silent all the way, wrapped in the water bubbles. Only the youngest one occasionally let out a sob, the sound as thin as a cat's mew.
Huo Yuhao followed beside the bubble carriage, occasionally glancing worriedly at his mother, then at Furina's straight, rigid back.
Furina's mind was a mess. One moment it was the Evil Soul Master's hideous face, the next it was the giggling baby on the tentacles, then it shifted to the bowl of meat porridge she had complained was too bland this morning... Her stomach began to churn again.
She forced herself to think of something else. The crooked tree in the backyard of the Axis Cult was quite comfortable for cooling off in the summer; the Fontaine flower tea brewed by Neuvillette, though strange in taste, was refreshing... She secretly looked back at the older child with the injury on his face; hmm, she could try using her Spirit Ability later to make sure it didn't leave a scar... And the youngest one, whose hair was all matted, needed a good wash...
When the sky was barely bright, the outline of Fontaine finally appeared in her field of vision. The city gates had just opened, and early-rising vendors were pushing their carts inside. Seeing Furina's group—especially the floating water bubbles and their disheveled appearance—passersby turned to look, pointing and whispering.
"Look over there... Is that the lady from the Axis Cult?"
"What's going on with those children? Wrapped in water?"
"Could they have run into an Evil Soul Master..."
Furina pretended not to hear anything; all she wanted now was to go back and take a hot bath.
Returning to the Axis Cult, just as she stepped into the front courtyard, she saw Neuvillette standing under that crooked tree, seemingly inspecting the leaves. Hearing the commotion, he turned around. His calm blue eyes paused for a moment the instant he saw Furina, then swept over the water bubbles and children behind her, finally landing on her pale face.
"Ms. Furina," Neuvillette's voice was as steady as always, "It seems your 'outing' did not go smoothly."
Furina twitched the corner of her mouth: "Don't ask... Ran into a mad dog." She pointed to the water bubbles, "A whole village... these are the only ones left."
Neuvillette's gaze lingered on the children for a moment, and he nodded slightly: "Understood." He didn't even ask further, turning directly to the attendants to make arrangements: "Prepare rooms, hot water, and clean clothes. Call a physician to check for external injuries and signs of shock. Prepare some light, easily digestible food."
The attendants immediately responded and moved into action.
Watching Neuvillette methodically arrange everything, the tight string in Furina's heart finally relaxed. An unspeakable sense of exhaustion swept over her entire body; she barely had the strength to stand.
Neuvillette's gaze fell back onto her face: "Ms. Furina, leave this to me. You need to rest."
Just that one sentence. Furina felt like a punctured balloon, instantly deflating. She nodded haphazardly and rushed back to her room as if fleeing.
She slammed the door shut with a "bang" and slid down to the floor with her back against the door panel. The sounds of the outside world were blocked out, leaving only her own heavy breathing. She looked down at her hands; black-red stains seemed to still remain under her fingernails. The smell of blood seemed to drill into her nostrils again.
She jumped up abruptly and rushed into the bathroom. She turned on the faucet, and cold water poured down. She stuck her hands under the stream and scrubbed desperately, scraping with her nails, wishing she could scrub off a layer of skin. Not enough! Shivering, she turned on the hot water, and scalding water poured down, turning her hands bright red. But she seemed unable to feel the pain, squeezing a handful of foam and continuing to scrub frantically—her arms, her cheeks... Especially the wound on her face scratched by the tentacles, she rubbed it hard until it burned with pain.
Steam filled the bathroom. Furina submerged herself completely in the bathtub filled with hot water, the water rising over her head. The scalding water enveloped her body, her skin turning red and painful, but only in this way could she slightly suppress the cold feeling of nausea in her heart.
She closed her eyes, sinking to the bottom, and scenes flashed through her mind: the burning village, the twisted head "Scythe," the giggling baby face, the sky full of blood spikes, and finally the massive blood sphere she had controlled... She burst out of the water, gasping for air, and hunched over the edge of the bathtub, retching again.
So those superheroes in movies always take a bath after a fight; it's not just to look cool... This absurd thought flashed through her mind.
Hot water might not wash away the blood in her memories, but at least it could give her tense nerves a moment of relief.
She didn't know how long she had been soaking; the water cooled and was reheated, and her skin had wrinkled. Only when she felt that the chill seeping from her bones had finally been mostly dispelled did she climb out, exhausted, and haphazardly wrapped herself in a bathrobe.
Pushing open the bathroom door, the outside was bright with daylight. Sunlight streamed in through the window, casting bright spots on the floor. The room was quiet enough to hear her own heartbeat. She walked to the window, looking at the orderly scene in the Axis Cult courtyard outside, where attendants moved quietly and flowers and plants stretched in the morning light.
Everything had returned to peace. It was as if the bloody nightmare of last night was just a hallucination caused by soaking in the bath for too long.
But she knew it wasn't. She raised her hand to touch the wound on her face that had been rubbed red and swollen, the lingering wisps of pain reminding her that everything had happened for real.
Furina looked at the dazzling sunlight outside the window and narrowed her eyes.
Evil Soul Masters truly deserve to be killed.