Chapter 109: Spared

Alicarde dismounted the bicorn, its muscular form dissolving into the shadows with a dark grace. The sun hung low in the sky, casting long, slanted shadows over the city.

Today was meant to be one of his rare days off, a chance to let the weight of his burdens lift, if only for a moment. Malefica had even insisted on a therapeutic tour of the city's districts—a suggestion he had begrudgingly accepted.

As fate would have it, his path had led him back to the building of the Bureau of Intelligence, the very place where his first rampage had left a trail of devastation.

The memories clawed at the edges of his mind, a reminder that his past was always a breath away, ready to drag him back into the abyss. As he stood there, an unexpected sight caught his attention—a statue of Malefica.