Chapter 7

When Miracle reached home, she slung her bag off her shoulders and marched toward the backyard, to the deeper barrier set within the house compound. She swiped her hand through the air, and within seconds, a shimmering aqueous layer materialized before her. She stepped in. With another wave of her arm, the barrier dissipated into thin air, leaving no trace of its existence.

Perfectly camouflaged. 

This was the innermost layer of the barrier Hayden created on the first day she arrived.

Inhaling a deep, long breath, she let it out—the beast she had held captive for days.

Right then, a pure white dragon engulfed the shape of the "human" goddess, taking over the black colors in her eyes. Gleaming carp scales manifested on her body, sending a soothing touch along her nerves. Deer-like horns, fangs, and claws emerged gracefully, refining themselves as they sensed powerful traces of divinity from the silver fronds—the external protections—responding to her presence. Thirsting to merge with the open sky, the dragon let out a resonant roar and soared upward.

'Fire, be with me,' she muttered inwardly. It had been a while since she stepped away from her world.

Heat surged through her body in an instant, igniting every fiber of her being. With a sudden jerk of her head, fiery swords erupted from her gaping maw, multiplying into hundreds as they slashed through the barrier with relentless ferocity.

The barrier held strong, repelling her weapons and reducing them to nothing but ashes upon contact with the small pond blanketed in water lilies. Writhing in the air, she conjured several fiery spheres on her eagle-like claws while releasing a steady stream of azure flames into the sky.

'No matter what the price is, I'll end this cycle once and for all.'

When she returned to her disguise and entered the living room through the sliding door again, she saw Hayden on the couch. 

"Miracle, do you have time?" he asked.

"What's the matter?" She wiped the beads of sweat on her forehead.

He flashed her a fatherly smile. "Let's go to the market."

"Now?"

"Yeah. Come on."

"All right. Give me a second to change my clothes."

***

They strolled along the bike path, Hayden folding his arms across his chest while Miracle gazed into the distance, her eyes fixed on the darkening sky ahead. Gray, knobby clouds rolled in, obscuring the warm orange sunlight and casting long shadows across the tar beneath their feet.

It was a gloomy evening.

"Let's see. What should we have tonight?" Hayden muttered, making his way through the small crowd gathered around the front stall.

"Raw meat," Miracle replied undertone.

Fortunately, Hayden didn't catch her words. He was busy flipping the prawns and checking their freshness using the shared spatula.

She walked away, leaving him to contend with the remaining customers for better pieces. The mundane groceries that mortals consumed daily—vegetables, dried herbs, processed meats—held little interest for her until her feet unexpectedly came to a halt in front of a butcher stall. The intriguing thuds of a knife striking the chopping board echoed in her ears. Miracle swallowed hard, watching as blood dripped onto the floor while fresh meat was sliced into smaller chunks.

Her favorite food was right before her eyes. 

"Yes? What do you want?" the butcher asked, meeting her gaze as he hung a sliced portion on a hook

Embarrassed, she shook her head and left. 

What was she supposed to say? 

The rawness of the meat was driving her crazy?

She was still frowning for failing to have the bloody piece when shivers suddenly swam down her spine as if somebody had just dumped her a bucket of ice water.

"What... was that?" she murmured to herself, letting the ripe tomato slip from her hand.

After casting a worried glance at Hayden, who was at the counter, she quickly ran into the darkness, following the pull of her instincts. She wasn't feeling good about it.

Hayden quickly pulled a bill from his pocket and shoved it at the counter without waiting for any change. The cashier looked confused, but he had no time to explain. He dashed out and quickly caught up with Miracle.

While the streets appeared ordinary, an insidious energy hung in the air, clouding Miracle's senses and heightening her unease. Time was slipping away, and her heart raced in her throat. When they passed a deserted alley behind the tombstones, a sudden suffocating dread settled over them.

Was it already too late?

The victim looked like he was struggling to stand upright, while the beast was enjoying its meal.

"Fire! Come to me!" she shouted at the malevolent glare.

Miracle rushed over and struck the opponent before it could defend itself. She unleashed a powerful beam of fire at the malevolent entity. Green slime splattered onto her face. But no, her attack wasn't working. She kneed the wicked creature to the ground and continued blasting flames into its chest. Within seconds, its body began to burn, yet the demonic soul within remained unscathed. Before her heterochromic eyes, she watched as the evil spirit transformed into a glaucous wisp and escaped with the wind.

"Not so fast." She hurled a hand forward. From her wrist, silver energy burst forth, snaring the escaping wisp. For a moment, she held it—just a moment.

But it thrashed wildly, spinning in defiance, and broke free.

"Ugh! Damn it!" She threw her punches into the brick wall. "DAMN IT!"

Hayden approached the lifeless body sprawled on the cold ground, while Miracle stood silently nearby, consumed by an overwhelming sense of defeat unlike anything she had felt before. A wave of guilt washed over her as her gaze fell upon the horrific wound carved into his chest—flesh torn open, ribcage dislocated—tightening her heart with a suffocating weight.

Crouching, she outstretched her trembling hand to the boy. "What are we going to do about this, Hayden?" She struggled to choke back tears. "I-Is he going to be all right?"

"Miracle..." He sighed. "Let's find a place..."

Right then, the slow yet familiar rhythm drifted to his ears. "Wait." Hayden's gaze snapped to the red organ within the wound, shock flashing across his face. "Miracle! Do something! He still has his heart with him!"

"W-What?"

"Fast!" he urged. 

They could save the boy from becoming the fourth victim!

Jerking out from her state of shock, she hissed to the air, "Be with me."

A warm breeze kissed past her, tingling the fine hairs behind her neck as she leaned closer to the boy and cupped her hand on his forehead.

Hints of white glow escaped through the gaps in between her bloody fingers, casting a faint, ethereal light against the darkness. "Oh, air. Please be kind to this boy and save his heart," she whispered.