In every single instance Binara had fought supernatural entities in the past, she was the one to surprise them. She had the urn ready, runes drawn, and the hapless spirit didn't stand a chance. The universe appeared to test her of late, throwing everything it had at her. That was what flashed across her head as she watched the demon dashing at them—a swift shadow in the dim village garden.

Piumi recoiled while Binara's instincts kicked in. She grabbed the decanter of holy water in her bag and sent the water flying in an arc. The demon dodged, its reflexes lightning fast. Ectoplasm leaked from its form, like ripples in a pond, and particles shimmered in the reddish glow of twilight. Its aura was formidable. A sinking feeling in Binara's gut told her that this could very well be a Mara demon and certainly not in the lower end of the spectrum.

The monster released a guttural sound and shot out a hand. There was no time to think or react. An unseen force blasted them, ramming them against the trees. Piumi shrieked. The impact knocked the air out of Binara's lungs, and pain bloomed in her back. This was a dangerous setback that would cost her precious time. Her brain went into overdrive, coming up with ways to escape—except it also took into account the girl next to her. Why do I care? She made her own choice to come here. Not my fault if something happens. Despite logic and reason, a weight solidified inside, which she couldn't push aside. It compelled her to ensure Piumi's safety.

"The verses," Binara hissed, getting to her feet.

Piumi's eyes bulged. "W-what?"

"Verses. Then run."

The demon strode towards them, its old-fashioned attire streaming back. It was a gaunt male. The overcast sky cast shadows over its features, and red glinted from the puddles of black that were its eye sockets. It sped up, almost gliding over the ground. Piumi screamed out protective verses, halting its motion.

"Run!" Binara swerved sideways along the fence, just behind Piumi.

Their hurtling run knocked aside plants, but they barely made it a few meters before two pots soared up and sailed right at them. They veered away, avoiding collision by a hair's breadth. As the pots shattered, Binara tripped and sprawled on the ground.

A nanosecond later, a fist grabbed her hair and snapped her head back. Pure adrenaline made her spin around and swipe with her claw ring, but the demon dodged. She kicked it, her body breaking into the angampora moves she had learned. The demon released her but retaliated, making her roll away. The ground dented under the blow—where her head was a moment ago. She scrambled to her feet, panting, and backflipped to safety, though her foe covered the distance in a heartbeat.

Close combat was far from ideal, especially when her opponent was a six-foot demon using poltergeism. A volley of attacks made her dodge and parry—a dangerous dance that battered her with each passing second. Heliconias and jasmines slapped against them, tearing and flattening, while the relentless assault drove Binara back. A jumble of noises rocked her ears, vying with her frenzied heart. All it took was one miscalculated step for the demon to lunge at her throat. Its hands curled around her neck, and long nails tightened like pincers. Then it smacked her back to the ground. As she gasped, its eyes drilled into hers—a hellish scarlet that struck terror into her heart.

Suddenly, it straightened, head snapping to the right with unnatural speed. Piumi stood with a metal rod in her hand, chest heaving.

The demon leaped up and attacked her—a combination of physical blows and poltergeism. Piumi dodged and swiped, aiming for pressure points, but it made no impact. Binara jumped to her feet, barely avoiding a stray rock that whizzed past her head. She grabbed her half-empty decanter and flung the remaining holy water at the demon. A sizzling noise rose above the wind and the muted cacophony of unseen battles. Yet, it did nothing more than make it flinch. What the water did accomplish was anger the entity, judging by the gleam in its eyes and the slow, predatory half-smile.

With one flick of its hand, the rod twisted out of Piumi's grip. Another flick, and she flew a good meter away. She crumpled to the ground by the house's wall. Then the demon grabbed Binara by the arm, talons digging. With inhuman strength, its hand jerked, and something snapped with a sickening crunch.

White-hot pain consumed Binara, and her vision blackened. Her ears rang with her own scream. The hand raked down, nails tearing through her sleeve and leaving trails of crimson. As the world spun, she fell to the ground. Her heart beat as if it would hammer its way out of her ribcage.

The demon's hand gripped her hair again, and strange words emanated from its mouth as harsh as gravel. Her mind registered Piumi shouting verses, though it had little effect at a distance. Binara desperately tried to concentrate while pain blazed away in her arm. The fight in her reared its head. I'm not losing to you, you sick freak. I'm taking down the Black Prince.

She could try spitting her own verses at it, but she had a feeling it would throttle her. Her teeth clamped down on her lip while her eyes watered. Bending her good arm, she reached into her bag. When the demon peered closer, rot and blood saturated the air, making her gag.

In an instant, she pulled out a fistful of palingu and flung it at the cadaver of a face. The fine sand, crystalline white, shone bright as it spattered the monster. The demon drew back, its blood-curdling howl carrying in the air like a siren from hell. Its grip loosened from her hair, but its fingers pulled out the flower hairpin, crushing it—almost in slow-motion.

It might as well have plunged a blade into Binara's very soul. Her eyes widened, taking in the destroyed remnants of the hairpin, which fell to the ground in violet pieces. No, no, no, no. Memories surfaced—of her sister handing it to her in the garden.

The demon's body spasmed while burns appeared on its face. Binara staggered to her feet, grasping her injured arm. Then she pulled out fistfuls of palingu and hurled it again and again. The fresh howls satisfied her rage, but the wound within gnawed deeper. Pain wracked her from head to foot, and a hoarse cry escaped her lips.

Suddenly, Piumi's arm circled around her torso, dragging her into the grove of wilderness that was the backyard of the house. It was so dark that barely anything was visible. The anger swelled—a shockwave that spread out in all directions.

Binara whirled around and pushed Piumi, who winced, evidently suffering from her own cuts and bruises. "Get away from me. I don't need your help. Don't touch me. Don't—"

"Binnie, we have to get out of here," Piumi hissed. "Your arm. It's bad. We gotta—"

"There is no 'we'. How many times do I have to tell you that?" She paused to suck in breaths. "Just leave me alone. I'm going to do this. Me. I don't need the Yakadura or you or anyone else. I never did, and I don't now."

The other girl looked like she was slapped. "I know you're upset. I know you're hurt. But—"

"I got into this line of work knowing full well what it entailed. Do you think this is the first time I've been hurt? You wouldn't know, because every single one of you is incompetent. You can't do shit."

Piumi's brows drew together, and her whole face morphed into an expression that Binara had never seen before. "What is wrong with you? You would've been toast if I didn't whack that monster—"

"With that rod?" Binara scoffed and cradled her arm.

"Why is it so hard for you to work with me here?" Piumi's voice rose. "I've been trying to make this work for both of us!"

Binara shot back, "And why do you bother? What's in it for you?"

"Seriously? Is everything about benefits to you? This is—this is more than work. I've been going out of my way to be a friend. Because you seem to have no one. And I-I know what that feels like."

Binara's breath caught, and her head whirled, wrapping around the word. All those years ago, she had fantasized about someone calling her that, but all she had was Malki. She had waited year by year, until she was too old to talk to her doll. Then there was no one to talk to. Anger smothered her anew, making her bite her lip until she tasted blood. She wasn't a child anymore, pining and gullible, relying on others to help her—especially a Yakadura agent. It was so ironical that it was nothing short of ridiculous. Besides, Piumi had tailed her—there was no knowing that she was still spying on her. Binara swallowed the lump in her throat, though it only collected mass and grew to the size of a rice ball. She was a hunter on a mission—the biggest she had ever undertaken. The entire city depended on her success. She was past distractions and fairytales.

"Binnie," Piumi began to say.

"You know what 'friend' means to me?" Binara's heart throbbed louder than her arm, and her mind replayed the horrific experience with the demon in a loop, ending with the purple petals dropping to the ground. "It means liability."

"Oh, that's it?"

"No, that's not just it. If anything, you've come in useful to finish those dumb missions for the sake of staying with the Yakadura. I've used them too—to get here. It all led to this moment."

Silence greeted the words. The demon's howls receded while distant booms and cracks blustered with the wind.

"Yeah, that's right. This is me." Binara clutched her arm and bit back the whimper that almost escaped her. "So you know what you should do? Get the heck out of here."

With that, Binara made her way to the crude wooden fence and forced herself over it. She slunk past small gardens while the darkness crept into every house, crevice and her own brain. She would not rest until she obliterated the Black Prince. Her eyes stopped leaking, though the gashes on her arm did not. She realized that the pirith chants had ceased—to be replaced by moans that did not emanate from a human throat.

Finally, she came upon the temple—a white beacon in the gloaming, with a mini stupa sitting under a bo tree. The clouds undulated above, bathing the place in an eerie glow. Binara edged up to the wall that marked its perimeter and peeked over one of the cloud segments. Sandy ground stretched out, interrupted by iron racks full of clay lamps and incense sticks. Yet, there was no light and no sign of the Yakadura. Binara's breaths became labored, and a wave of dizziness swept over her. Her arm burned—each movement a fresh bout of agony. She had to staunch the bleeding, but her mind urged her to find out what was happening.

Binara forced her legs to move, following the sounds of chaos. She came upon toppled trees, their limbs splintered, and a house lay collapsed, its innards open to the dusk like a gaping wound. Then she spotted a figure in the distance.

It streaked into view—a demon that sent a fusillade of stones straight at a woman clad in an armored Yakadura outfit. Binara remembered her name as Akila. The woman ducked as the makeshift bullets pelted the wall of the nearest house and cratered it—with a clatter that quaked Binara's ears. Akila fought back by firing a holy water gun. Water jetted out at high power, though the demon drew back, disappearing into the foliage. As the woman turned, Binara dropped to a crouch behind a bush, shielding herself from view.

She followed a trail, slinking under the shadow of trees, and came upon five more agents fighting multiple demons, some of whom wielded clubs and battleaxes. It was so chaotic that it was hard to follow what was happening. Fire flashed, shockingly bright, as a vilaku cleaved the air. A crossbow unleashed arrow after arrow while a sword whistled at its target. The demons weaved around certain areas, which Binara assumed must be due to runes and palingu, though the Yakadura probably used the latter in moderation due to its rarity. Whips cracked, sending debris flying, and the racket vibrated her to the bone.

Binara stumbled on, and her foot wobbled on a rock. As she steadied herself, the jolt sent her arm into renewed throes of agony. A moan escaped her as she cradled her bloody arm, bent at an odd angle, and a wave of vertigo made her sway. The world tilted, the sky now darker than ever under the clotted clouds. She sank to the ground.

A hand touched her shoulder. She spun, heart thundering in her chest.

It was Piumi.

Binara's eyes goggled. "What are you—"

"Shuddup." She pulled out a bandage with excessive force, along with a piece of wood. "Can't leave you to bleed to death, can I?"

"I don't—"

"I don't want to look at your face either. I'm leaving after this."

Piumi got to work while Binara just watched. It was strange to sit there getting bandaged by this crazy girl while a battle raged in the backdrop. She couldn't sense the Black Prince, though her system was in shambles. A confusing array of stimuli bombarded her from all directions. All she could do was keep on staring at Piumi's face, scrunched up in a frown of concentration, while an unfamiliar warmth coursed inside.

Piumi barely finished when a body slapped the ground mere meters from them. Both of them stiffened. Binara slowly pushed away the scraggly twigs that obscured her view.

It was a Yakadura agent, writhing and moaning. His leg was mangled, and blood dripped down, soaking the weedy ground. Before she could wonder what befell him, a shadow fell over his body.

Binara's heart skipped a beat. It was a massive dog that looked more like a bear. Its aura pressed on her—even more than the Mara demon back at the villager's yard. Its eyes were as black as ink, glowing around the edges, and it bared its teeth, stained red with blood. A thought nagged at her, but before she could ponder it, the creature tore into the man's throat. Binara averted her eyes while Piumi clapped a hand to her mouth.

Without warning, the dog lifted its head and looked in their direction—as if it grew aware of an audience. Both of the girls froze. Time appeared to still as its eyes locked onto Binara. Chills raced down her whole body. There was something in the eyes that was more than what she saw in the leopard wraith—a shrewd intelligence that she would've associated with a possessed individual.

She also saw something else in its stare—the gleam of a hunter.

Binara's hand dived into her bag to grab the anti-demon sand. She threw a handful on the ground, just when the animal leaped sideways, obviously anticipating her move. There was no time to complete the protective circle. She yelled for Piumi to run and broke into a jog herself, one hand sprinkling palingu to prevent the dog from following them. They kept to the trail, though the monster wasn't far behind, its form hidden in the wilderness to their side.

Intense pain shot through her arm, making her eyes water, but it paled in comparison to the prospect of getting mauled to death. Piumi tried to help, but it only slowed them down. Leaves thwacked and rustled as the creature bounded after them, invisible in the night.

Amid the noises that vibrated her eardrums, a new sound wafted in. It was the gurgle of the river.

Sure enough, the trail ended at a cliff, and directly ahead was a hanging footbridge made of wood and rope. They sprinted to the flimsy structure, which dangled over the water. It swayed precariously as they crowded onto it.

When Binara struggled with the sack of palingu, Piumi grabbed it and emptied the last of the sand, cutting off the dog's pursuit. Crystalline grains glimmered in the meager light and slipped through the cracks, plunging down to the water below. The animal halted at the foot of the bridge, its form blending into the murky trees. Its baleful gaze focused on them. Strangely, Binara couldn't shake off the notion that it had singled her out. A strong gust made the bridge creak while she stood with bated breath. Then another fact sank in, making her stomach drop.

The wind had picked up speed, blowing away the protective line. It was a matter of time before all of the sand scattered, falling into the water below.

Everything that had happened crashed down on her, including the impossible odds that had prevented her from reaching her goal. She had not located the Black Prince, and instead, she was facing off against a demon beast of another kind, which was disturbingly powerful. On top of that, she was in bad shape.

Instinct made Binara reach for her hairpin before she remembered that it was no more. Her shaky hand clutched the rope, steadying herself, while her vision darkened. She hyperventilated, chest heaving convulsively. The haze of pain, fear and frustration slowly cleared to enable rational thought. It took her a moment to realize that Piumi was calling her name.

Binara blinked up at the other girl, who stared at her with big eyes. Then she looked at the demon dog that prowled just beyond the protective line, which would only hold for a few more seconds.

"We need to run!" Piumi held her by the shoulder. "We need to get to the other side."

Binara knew from the quaver of her voice that she knew that they couldn't make it in time. "Can you swim?"

"Yeah, why do you—"

"How well?"

"I'm pretty good at—"

Binara pushed Piumi off the bridge. She shrieked while her arms flailed.

The commotion made the bridge swing out of control, making Binara grab onto the rope. Pure agony blazed in her arm, making her whimper. An instant later, she heard the splash a dozen feet below.

She turned around to witness the dog taking a step back. Its stance wasn't as rigid as before, and its eyes looked different—more primal than calculating. Another entity emerged into view, taking the animal's place at the edge of the bridge.

It was a huge demon that dwarfed the monstrous dog by its side. The upper torso was exposed, laying bare hulking muscle tinged with red. On its shoulders was the head of a bear—too massive and grotesque to be real. Its eyes, including the sclera, glinted as black as obsidian.

Binara's heart stuttered in tandem with the aura that cranked up, ticking off her inbuilt alarm. Panic inundated her body and brain, rendering her motionless. Ectoplasm started to ooze from the giant's form, and the very atmosphere grew heavy, constricting her until it was hard to breathe.

The last of the palingu dissipated.

The bear demon opened its mouth, and its earthquake of a voice boomed out words she couldn't make out. Then it broke into a run that defied its build—a projectile barreling straight at her. Binara jerked back and fell, while the whole bridge sagged—groaning and swinging. As her mouth opened in an ear-splitting scream, she saw death before her. This was the end.

Three things happened at once.

The infernal abomination leaped at her, a second away from impact. The ropes snapped, and the bridge gave way—right when a leopard's mouth clamped down on her hood, pulling her back.