Chapter 248: The Despair of Abandoned Rescue and the Dawn

Hayato ran through the muddy path, clutching Usagi tightly in his arms. Blood dripped from his torn clothes, painting a crimson trail behind him. Suddenly, a faint light appeared in the distance—a small, shabby village, its scattered lanterns shimmering like beacons of hope in the dark night. His eyes lit up, and his legs pushed harder against the earth.

"Light! People! Help! Help us!" Hayato roared as he charged into the village, his voice raw and cracked with desperation. His footsteps were heavy but swift, like a wounded beast driven by survival instinct.

Villagers who had been tidying up their homes turned their heads toward the commotion. Their faces paled at the sight: a blood-soaked man with wild, frenzied eyes and a broken, grotesque smile, cradling a dying woman in his arms. The air around him crackled with a suffocating, violent aura.

"Save her! Please! Help her!" Hayato's scream tore through the night like jagged metal grinding against stone.

Panic seized the villagers. Some grabbed their children and fled indoors. Others abandoned their chores and scattered like startled prey. One man fumbled with a door latch, his hands trembling so violently that he tripped over his own feet.

"Why are you running?!" Hayato roared, his eyes bloodshot. "If you don't help her, I'll tear you apart!"

His voice, guttural and animalistic, made those nearby freeze in terror. Like a predator pouncing on cornered prey, Hayato lunged toward a villager trying to escape. With one powerful leap, he slammed his foot into the man's back, driving him face-first into the dirt.

"Help her! Save her!" Hayato bellowed, dragging the man up by his collar before hurling him to the ground.

"P-please, don't kill me..." the man whimpered, his face streaked with tears and mud.

Hayato couldn't hear him. His world had narrowed to the fragile body in his arms and the deafening thrum of his own desperation. He stomped down on the man's chest with a sickening crack. The villager convulsed once, then went still.

The sound of splintering ribs jolted Hayato's senses. He stared blankly at the lifeless body beneath his foot. Slowly, mechanically, he nudged the corpse with his toe. No response.

He lifted his head and looked around the village. Empty. Silent.

"Gone... all gone..." he muttered. "She'll die... Usagi will die..."

The warmth in his arms was fading. Usagi's breathing was shallow, barely perceptible against his blood-soaked chest. Hayato collapsed to his knees, pressing his forehead to her shoulder. His tears mingled with the blood on her torn clothes.

"Usagi, baby... don't die. Please... someone tell me... what do I do..."

His voice dissolved into broken sobs. His fists pounded the ground until his knuckles split. Pain, fear, and helplessness wracked his body as he wailed to the unfeeling sky.

"Save her! Somebody! Anyone, save her!"

Then came the footsteps.

Steady. Calm. Unyielding.

Hayato froze, his head snapping toward the sound. His pupils contracted as he saw the figure emerging from the shadows.

Long crimson hair glowed like blood in the moonlight. A woman stood there, slender and cold, her gaze sharp as winter steel. The oppressive aura she exuded made the air feel brittle.

Tsubasa.

Hayato's breath caught in his throat. "Help her! Please, help her!"

Tsubasa's eyes flicked over him and Usagi without the faintest ripple of emotion. "Quiet," she said.

The word sliced through the chaos like a blade. Hayato's mouth opened to protest but no sound came out. His body, driven by instinct, obeyed. His breath slowed, his trembling stilled.

Tsubasa knelt beside him and gently took Usagi from his arms. Her movements were delicate, reverent—like someone cradling a shattered treasure.

Hayato watched in silence, confusion and fear wrestling within him. He saw something flicker across Tsubasa's face as she gazed down at Usagi. A softness. Sadness?

"Wait outside," Tsubasa said, voice devoid of warmth but heavy with exhaustion.

Hayato scrambled to his feet. "Okay. Okay! I'll go!" He staggered backward, nearly tripping over himself in his haste to comply.

Standing in the chilly night air, he paced like a caged animal. His bloodied hands raked through his hair. His lips moved without sound: "She can save her. She can save Usagi..."

Time blurred. Finally, the barn door creaked open.

Tsubasa stepped out. Her face was pale as ash, her breath labored. Sweat beaded her forehead. She gripped the doorframe for support, legs trembling as though they could give out any moment.

Hayato rushed forward. "How is she?!"

Tsubasa's gaze pinned him in place. "She'll recover," she said. "But it'll take time."

The relief crashed over Hayato like a wave. "She'll be okay... she's safe..." He laughed, tears spilling freely. "Thank you! Thank you so much!"

Tsubasa turned away without acknowledging his gratitude. She took a step, faltered, then steadied herself against the wall. Before disappearing into the night, she glanced back.

"Don't talk about this," she said. "To anyone."

Then she was gone.

Hayato hesitated only a moment before diving into the barn. There, on a bed of straw, Usagi lay breathing softly, her face serene despite her pallor.

"Usagi, baby... you're safe now," Hayato whispered, sinking to the ground beside her. He clutched his head and began to laugh—a cracked, broken sound.

Outside, the wind stirred the fallen leaves. His laughter lingered in the night like the echo of a nightmare.