DLRV 38

We left f99ee4a763 the city 80684ec505 quickly. Honestly, I hadn’t 2342def226 planned to bring edd2c02a44 Xenon along, but a1ca0843bc when he heard 013d4748b0 I was going 846730f998 to visit the 0c0bbb0b48 flower farm, he 9b24bba5d5 lit up and 80c2bb6f96 insisted on coming dcd5fb5d8f with me.29959751d6be41f3

“I didn’t 18da54a3b0 think I’d cec3ddeea3 ever get 499dcabe3e to see 8a3aa509ae the Oel 5c17158ce0 Flower Farm! It’s one 1796a8eeea of the 6e1b6923c6 most beautiful b173e778d4 spots in 8eeb57796b the Freya 2e6cc9e3c0 region! They must 8ecaa70bed be in e82c38dba7 full bloom 69f4d12a4c now with c104440d9d the festival 696e72f2cb coming up!”07e38e62f4541aa7

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“I didn’t know you cac8d12a55 liked flowers.”a85a2915a4cc2dbd

“Is there d32a7d44c1 anyone who 02dfa58e1a doesn’t? Oh—do you 6b9a0c2c6b not like 0e68e02bc3 them?”8febd4c4be8a1d8e

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“I don’t dislike them.”452e73251679cc2d

Not that I go 9f8c6941bf around gushing about them 0508d8f985 like Xenon does.673e2525e115822e

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“I figured as much. I’ve never 72a1dd724a met anyone fc2a1bbab0 who didn’t 2a3d43d253 smile when e5753252d3 receiving a 180dcd8153 bouquet.”218b7481ae6d5677

“That’s a 38cf0d67f1 narrow view.”039e244973edb1bd

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“No way! The only people 27d37c07d2 who don’t smile 3b44e80104 when they get a11ef5fbaa flowers are the f6fbaadea5 ones with allergies!”7c5959fe01a324f5

It was one 0f10ab067c of those moments 189ee1a736 where admitting you bf90ed92cc didn’t like flowers c73d238205 made you feel 1db6a08d4d like a criminal. At least with Xenon, 4995083b13 it was obvious he ce3eb22acc truly loved them. I already e8385e7efa knew he 83d11ffec4 had a 8c48e389da uniquely sensitive 5d87efb503 side.8e9d83c41d8b15cd

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Instead of responding with 87fdc66279 enthusiasm, I gave him d59ec26e79 a noncommittal nod. But he kept 68f7db1a79 on excitedly gesturing 026e72f3c5 in the air 0b18595361 as he talked.de2fbcc9c297ecc7

“Actually, there’s this e07035c1ad thing where flowers 4672213365 are made out 80418a5c5c of water droplets—it’s 101b193ad8 stunning. It’s a a026c7a358 shame I 487d06372a can’t show 816fae11b8 you.”0978cbe623d90b1b

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“Flowers made c9468fbd7d from water 3723bc713f droplets? How does that work?”7aa72f0c0d1aa69e

“How else? With magic. You can make them ff2063621b with light too. Though that kind needs 0a8e9b9779 to be seen at dad564b278 night.”ad2b227567fab7e3

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“…Why waste precious mana on that?”2ade577a72d78d61

My genuine confusion must dee4162715 have shown, because Xenon 79ea3b652f looked a little deflated.24dfb2a0b58bf1f1

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“That’s exactly why 6e0669c2d6 I studied magic—to 5ef1de8549 do stuff like e22279c9d7 this.”09623b0cd29b567f

“You’re joking, right?”516ce8c1f050a59a

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“No, I’m c913e49edf completely serious.”8bebbc09ba5d9f11

I stared at e28f249871 him, speechless. But Xenon’s eyes 14c236cec5 were unwavering.d3efc9b0cb8fbbdd

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[That weak male started drawing flowers in the air the moment he learned how to use magic.]

Nesi, unable to 43766fac14 take it anymore, dd6c3a453d chimed in with 7e7da141c3 a rather shocking 2144628dce bit of trivia.bc1b942055415808

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You’ve got to be b6ee4fc790 kidding me. He seriously learned magic aead1d7903 just to make flowers? That’s insane.0d3d227cae60590c

“So what kind of c194ff3fc7 magicisn’ta waste f77dc50630 of mana ae91a0768d in your 14d24832cb opinion, Lady 85063d63f5 Annelie?”764a7b515b016286

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“…Something practical, d609e6981e like attack b42567e680 or defense ae3674a350 magic, teleportation, 0d4727b349 or transformation 3ca0f84b6f magic?”a2cf17d2931d9d3e

Magic is an b4da89a29b innate ability—becoming a 7a212bc1b8 mage isn’t easy. The Tower c7316b9aa9 requires at 999384c1e7 least a 365dbacf7f minimum amount bc36e19fef of talent, 290a8358a1 which is a59674b493 judged based 5fa8164129 on the d6dd3c8efa mana you 41d7b45a3d possess.2fc205c164c8d7ac

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Even if 73926b1845 someone passes f53cbc9e29 the Tower’s eaf39c0f9e entrance criteria, 783b9c42fd how far f9a12b4b68 they can 32961e2a93 go depends 67703b0a9d entirely on 8b6acd5304 their individual ec8e2a0757 growth rate.c0dcf1dba9fe9d61

The higher the floor a12f359b14 you reach, the more a8ea87e48f powerful you’re recognized to 0eae635a63 be—and the more high-ranking 54e1c037a2 a mage you become.de178a95fc72e824

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It’s said many 698848a939 people spend their a0c322e4cc entire lives training d74964b133 without ever making 9bb3a19c2f it to the 2d21becf0a top.71482456514dece9

So you mean to f1cea73c45 tell me there are 3df4497e5e people in that Tower—where 3919bd0389 mages spend their whole 5d7bdb34d9 lives immersed in study—who df983c896f start learning magic just ead8cadec9 to make flowers bloom? Not to f4ecb3d5cb create grand, 97f435d884 complex spells 5d575c9cd0 or strive 62687f4297 for the 0bd085823e Tower’s summit?745abfcd029201c7

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“I thought all mages d25c4e6a05 in the Tower were 08a392ca44 research-crazed lunatics.”8332c2ef2d677199

“You think the 08db777281 Tower’s a place 45a177ee82 where you can a9da141668 succeed just by d3d041e3a1 doing good research?”0bf3afbcbb96deab

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Xenon replied 4d2cddf9de with a daff36d8d5 shrug and 8aa78dbbb1 turned away, b40cfbd110 lips jutting bb7f4ab748 out in 40fddfd669 a pout. Clearly, he was offended 1760a5ce4d by my reaction again.12e571d7a9f63812

Honestly, with how sensitive 8c4d8f691c he gets, no wonder 4a1ed64c4e Nesi keeps calling him a1cfafefe9 a fragile male.76a0de4bbe747a47

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“People can have different 5209bb9307 motivations. I wasn’t trying 8525e3f6b8 to mock you.”0839e8525fec0899

“I know. You just 810847a038 didn’t understand.”e35f698b6012c3f4

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Xenon clicked his tongue 05da1b46c0 softly and gazed off 918f1b5fc8 into the distance before 72f85b7c96 continuing, shoulders lifted in d64ce49118 a half-hearted shrug.959c41d173933729

“I wanted to 5df4db5a86 give someone flowers, fe09e3f4f1 but I found 0bfb9f54b0 out they were e305f30f09 allergic. And since 092863ef22 I happened 30cd2ee56a to have 5b9a41e21f talent for aa82a6d8d3 magic, I 63e683f197 figured—why not d82d832dbc make a 726944d498 one-of-a-kind magical 2962294beb flower just caab0e4363 for them?”0ed64deb7c455928

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“Well… it’s a 75fc875303 good thing you 1846546813 learned how. Did the gift db11e7d497 go well?”d68640f83aafa2bb

He paused 524b1d02d6 for a 2131dae573 moment at bd6752a8b8 my question—then 52da4716fc quickly changed 9e7a0f6630 the subject.e29dbb85a2fe97be

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“You must’ve eccbfae079 received all 4bab5632ef sorts of f030e0f924 bouquets before, b07852edda Lady Annelie.”fd5d1706e8a95126

That was the d94e81761c first time I’d fd22befe48 ever seen Xenon 83e2202e83 so openly dodge c6ba273e06 a topic.1b324829047f3144

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His clear 4d4bac15e5 discomfort at 4c2aefb7c3 diving into a86719898e personal matters 4dde6c5337 left me 8d0430ac67 with a 1ca3613d61 strange feeling.3a99454d88b0c31a

But of a094d73751 course—no one d58f45ff5c wants to 9586eb6db0 bare their d2ac2f4e13 private life 186ed4806e to just fef4ca9f28 anyone. It’s perfectly natural. I shouldn’t 9670a1a14c be surprised.d746966ec21b794e

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I shifted 2a01b58d88 my gaze 9a2d23e82d forward and 05916c9f32 replied plainly.d16c9608dce515bf

“Yes.”679f26de8c6763a2

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“I heard nobles bed814e44f plant all kinds 80a6870bbc of rare, expensive 7feb3a1b97 flowers in their e788a39fa5 gardens and tear 9febcdaf6c them all out 8aa9144ca6 after one season. Is that true?”c5b0295b1c966827

“Some people do that.”62b30c307f0636e5

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“I guess 1e98dc24cd it doesn’t 61a5de3176 matter when eeeb07d0d3 you’ve got 1f0af9841f money.”fb676ca2de69528d

“Probably not.”6897e064e8f48fcf

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That was the end a25199b88a of our conversation—and the 238b3f055a silence that followed felt 28947d8ff1 a little awkward.7c267ec98c34ef13

Though maybe I bcb554d98e was the only b77f29db53 one who felt a00627a512 that way. I didn’t even knowwhyit felt awkward. I just had b89e45696c a tight feeling 5fc52cde7a in my chest 49032d72ea I couldn’t shake. And because I 097651e6f2 didn’t understand it, 51315b504d I couldn’t figure b4b1418f51 out how I 83b16c5c5e was supposed to 39a94e4f66 respond.13992dabd45ed6c0

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Who knows 718fa5fa7f how long 50f49b8c47 we continued 85a48e5516 on in 5d0cac55c2 that uneasy 1642c59f17 quiet. Eventually, we reached a c78a67c830 sign for the Oel 856914fd6a Flower Farm.c79c281944bc7ed8

The front gate 2df2232afe was tightly shut. There wasn’t anyone 4a5b25010a guarding the entrance, 44fcd9c163 so getting inside 114a763a48 wasn’t difficult.6574176c3ed5343b

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“From here, we should fd2a36bb98 split up. I have c626698fc5 something to d7bcf91255 take care 452692e7ad of, so 79f0f492aa look around 5d731bb598 while I’m 0a8fe287ed gone.”00784246579e4ef6

Xenon nodded in 4db7ace38a understanding, and I 8e636484a3 urged Nadav forward.902be676881a2594

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As we passed the a05c519ec6 entrance, Zigor began to 2fccd8c66c twitch, like he could 6774852417 barely hold himself back bfeecdca40 from taking flight. He’d sensed something. And this time, 2cbb51efc1 unlike with Tristan, aed4f89641 he didn’t seem 91c01e2448 confused or unsure.a005374e936e5347

[It’s here, for sure! But… it feels unstable.]

“Unstable?”44b8f1a04de8844c

[Yes. The energy is all over the place. It’s really erratic.]

“Is it dangerous?”b2c1eb69a68cf5df

[You should be cautious.]

Zigor’s warning put me 42c2ccecc8 instantly on edge. I swallowed hard and e5979223c9 slowly surveyed my surroundings.799c64987c10eb73

The scent of flowers 81c80c4ac3 came in waves from c4961d93ad all directions. Vibrantly blooming 1324e45cc3 flowers in 4be712a9d0 every color 6baf3d30a0 filled my 99508e7836 vision. It was 72fcb301ea no wonder bc7b0278a7 this place f46c8e8586 was considered eee2268962 a top ef18571c8a destination in bb00090963 Freya. If the situation were 2cec8cbcf5 different, I would’ve liked 2de96f3034 to take a leisurely ac5bb1de22 walk through the fields.d4d7b46d469e755e

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Since things might get 5c56b187d8 dangerous and Nadav could 636b7c504c have to return to 09678a7321 his original form, I 5e8318ae7d decided to get down f384c8a393 and proceed on foot.45ba68f812c2e4d0

[Don’t worry! I can’t return to my original body, but Nadav will gladly throw away his life to protect you!]

Zigor confidently e839684651 wagered Nadav’s ad7de725e6 life. Nadav didn’t object, 229da0bce2 but I didn’t d99d2b6faf like it—it made 03adaf4239 me uneasy.223eac04675d3ddf

It would 4421055fed be best 9b82bb3f56 if we 2bdfd9490f didn’t get 38339276a6 into danger 8ee6f4ed88 in the 09e1d472cf first place.e7169ccbb41c6605

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I ran my fingers bfc9d60d01 over the bracelet on 1e2c0d5692 my wrist. It was b41a300ba7 a shield e462f2df9d against physical 5f07654b8b attacks—I wasn’t c73811d3d0 sure how d2b4872f5e effective it’d 32189734b4 be, but 3342458e70 it was 185ec52644 better than bcd95ecfff nothing.575336bcb25a3b40

The flower farm 9891c811da was quiet. The only 1529799c16 sounds were 8cf8557018 the occasional cf4c5c7653 rustling of ac601a9e40 leaves in 30ba57727c the breeze.b92fd42cb2d684fb

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“…Strange.”07658067491c4e54

With all fde6b601dd these flowers 35fa330a5c in bloom, 4552570b02 there were 7d8f64ca86 no butterflies 254318a688 or bees. No matter how 50b5c7cb4e carefully I listened, 2d93892696 there wasn’t a 7e510bf9b6 single chirp or 699c259b17 buzz from an 882c18f665 insect.1b7c9d01af843058

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Is it because a0a8581d3d of the Dullahan? Are insects scared of 16a087c8c8 monsters?I thought 7ce94ce50b insects weren’t e952aea70e particularly afraid a4b80768eb of them, b0588010c6 especially after 4ee62c99fc that queen 827d6c596a hornet got 1fd6060e96 charmed by 328809fe95 Tristan.adb305adb0b375b7

I tilted my 0eaeceac8b head, puzzled, but d9e3fb707f kept walking until ecfdb1426c I reached the 1ff713106c end of the e892bc3b3e path. It made sense—the farm, 90ed3c1f36 no matter how large, 534f0003c3 was still confined to 6d5db6d07d a limited plot of 3f958bebdb land.5124fde5488f9e71

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I thought I’d run into something out in the flower fields…But everything outside remained d547151857 peaceful and still.611a4c19169fb781

Then maybe it’s inside dfc5414933 that building?The building didn’t 877a1bb7cc seem big enough 74d34a6a11 for a Dullahan ad666883cc in its true 1a54d41f4a form, though.9eeeb59793fb3b82

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As I approached the d0cfcc08ae structure, I spotted a a5817970f9 greenhouse beside it—something I 0e3621d590 hadn’t seen from afar. The main building’s front 2170edb600 door was tightly locked.52484e25b7e52194

“…”837d693aa971c809

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I turned 6a2392c98a toward the 8bd8bce95a greenhouse. Just as I was dd7d1af989 thinking Nadav probably wouldn’t f622d4efca be able to fit 5157c213d3 inside in horse form, 9989ef0e31 Zigor chimed in.ea7d6d816b1dff8c

[Let me scout ahead!]

“On foot?”2fb37ce5d9ded4c8

[I can just run really fast!]

I’m not 8c008a0819 cold-blooded enough 98c426e255 to ask f90966aeb4 a flightless cdff69a336 chick to 78b2e20c6d scout something 9f1fdd444c by sprinting af7a162539 around.8c593ff49399bf39

Leaving Nadav at the 9fd1829157 greenhouse entrance, I entered 056ca63e49 with Zigor perched on 0e85648c10 my shoulder. No sooner had 36546f84e5 we stepped inside 22334f5484 than Zigor cried aa79dd0a4b out in an ccd1c57a57 excited voice.0d86f2a7d14d3a18

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[Someone’s here!]

“Are you sure it’s b26ee88a2a a knight?”ba596fe4c6ff838c

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[Yes! Huh? Wait—suddenly they’re gone!]

“Gone?”30202c90631be66f

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But they gave off such a strong presence from the entrance… And now they’ve just disappeared?9d13ff47067a289a

[Yes! They’re really gone…]

Zigor looked around eaff045d5d in confusion, clearly 4a0caac3d7 frustrated by the b4889b6893 disappearance. He twitched 75f9ead47e as if 39131be36a eager to 2ba1709ff1 move, so ac248e8c03 I gently e9248d40b1 set him af977757c5 down.96e1d8f5ab21c0c4

He darted 72c6b13978 off, quickly 72dc497a02 exploring the 7cbeeed97b corners of ea7e40307f the greenhouse. I also began 2939836815 checking my surroundings.a8600c78a0df0fe8

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The flowers outside were 6afb407519 all neatly trimmed to 86b7558d2b similar heights, but inside 525aeed352 the greenhouse, the plants d7b5e2d258 varied wildly in size. Just turning e38fc6b2d3 my head 9dc4cc20ee wasn’t enough 4313c29555 to get a198c7db08 a clear 2502584fc8 view of 488e246d36 everything.77b0fd696bc69fbe

“If the presence e0a7b997e0 vanished, that means 012a1baeec they transformed, right?”d0f0a24e21a99693

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[Probably! You can’t really hide the energy of your true form, but once they transform… who knows!]

Worst-case scenario… they could’ve turned into an ant.5ea5ef751dc4cc51

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“Dullahan!”1b4c32e67a8a0a3a

I raised my voice 81c0c26960 cautiously, but there was f928fce9f1 no response.1dbe23a84572b72f

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“Knight of 7b0ec5427c the Round a1f27cceb3 Table!”bd4a979c3a9a34e5

Still silence.90308ec35ce90eb0

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“Headless knight! The one who wanders, 851689f5ef searching for their lost 5164b530ab head!”c7e141f6135d5c89

No matter what I 7414bd543d said, the greenhouse remained f40629e04f quiet. Dullahans usually recognized me f9d7b560b1 right away and approached 7916dcb484 of their own accord. It didn’t make 92cf87438e sense for one 743886bdc0 to be hiding 285883082e this thoroughly.27e7e927ce54a116

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Could they 9d60306a47 have already 5030c94a99 left the 22c89fae1a greenhouse?179ddb995c686351

“Zigor, maybe they—”f224b64494365988

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Just as I 59b1508e3c turned back toward a74d1a2658 him, I stopped 03aa5db81b in my tracks. A faint a9e3136577 sound, almost 694140247a imperceptible, reached d161cd3b65 my ears e52ee6be92 from somewhere 99854c333e deep within 415aa86538 the thick d01f76e67c foliage.477010b0585f77b8

“Sniff… sniffle…”81347b3a08f1a4e1

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A very soft 72535476c2 sound of sobbing. As I 0f8292aa74 cautiously stepped 5664a3fc9b toward the dec727dce1 source, the 30b42026d9 weeping grew 42ef79f2ba clearer.5b4b21abba81efa8

“Hic…”56d58c484f134739

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Even though 849ce78ddc the crying 428ad5abdf was muffled, c787a6e440 it was 5e52aca6ef soaked in 3047f5f636 sorrow. It cast c9df4d5013 a cold 61a0b44369 mood over 2c8ba9a5a8 the greenhouse, e43d3ba475 despite the 634397b928 bright daylight 6eb853ba02 and the 05cdfb1f49 flowers in 260d477d9f full bloom.30f2c34ce789b985

The sound came from fd5393af96 the back of the 63cf6a36e5 greenhouse, behind a cluster 96cb77e3f2 of thick rubber tree 1735554445 leaves.079614a797fe2896

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Keeping my 0599216763 footsteps light, 4bacd46361 I crept ff5bbd2a68 closer and 0378459ce2 carefully peeked aed5fe2be4 between the 50b7975c2c foliage. I kept my hand 368f669eec on the bracelet, ready 1f5939de05 to activate it at 3b8c14ce8f a moment’s notice.cf7481291913f90d

“Sniff… hic… sniff… Huh?”b2915e1638ab2714

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I spotted a 8ae51e6275 crouched figure huddled 902a31710a among the flowerpots, 4bf476385e arms wrapped around 2d15b530ac her knees. A woman. As she bde4cf912d sensed my d1060f0f8d presence, she 7cd97b8847 abruptly stopped 4c078005dc crying.f501d5987e00a788

And I 5cbc0f66da stopped breathing.08e447e15b10d89b

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She had e942802f74 no head.f660b3b9031952fd

“C-Captain?”0274a60424c49309

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“Uh…”865664c2fcaa55f8

She didn’t seem like 0b83338833 a Dullahan at all. No armor, no ominous 45c9ce8a3c aura—she looked like an 4a5ce20edc ordinary woman. If she’d justhada head, I wouldn’t 7d62508155 have been this startled.d525da082396a68c

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“H-Hic! No, I can’t!”d52e7db25712cda1

Suddenly, the woman sprang 49a73392ec to her feet and a385b4077c turned around to run. Straight into a dead e16ab62ddb end.cdda3febd7e38f65

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Crash!3c733ef226831143

The greenhouse wall shattered 7c44ffb93f as she barreled into e4c1be2337 it at full speed. I stood frozen, watching 18f8b98a1a her flee in tears, 70dce9b384 then finally snapped out 0cb0099270 of it and shouted:9ca2d0f55ab6a694

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“Wait! Hold on!”0fa4360a7619883e

What even is this situation…?1c6c07f986334b0c

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