Chapter 54: Solo

Grace moved through the forest with her rapier drawn, constantly glancing over her shoulder. Every rustle made her jump. Every shadow looked like a plant-zombie ready to pounce.

[I can’t believe Diana abandoned me. ’Just scream if you’re about to die.’ Wow, thanks for the stellar advice.]

Despite her nervousness, there was something oddly familiar about traversing these woods alone. The dappled sunlight filtering through leaves, the soft earth beneath her feet, the smell of moss and bark and growing things. It reminded her of her old life.

Back when she was just Grace Lightsinger, humble turnip farmer, she’d spend hours in forests like this one. Hunting for herbs, digging up roots, gathering berries and mushrooms. She knew how to move quietly and which plants were safe to touch.

[Who would’ve thought all that foraging would be useful angel training?]

She ducked under a low-hanging branch, careful not to snag her wings. That was new, at least. Turnip Farmer Grace didn’t have to worry about wings getting caught on things.

The forest grew denser the further south she moved. The trees here seemed almost deliberately placed to block her path, forcing her to squeeze between trunks and climb over massive roots. The corruption was more visible too—patches of moss that glowed faintly purple, flowers with too many petals that seemed to turn to follow her movement.

[This is fine. Everything’s fine. Just a normal, slightly demonic forest. Nothing to—]

A twig snapped behind her.

Grace whirled around, rapier extended, and found herself face-to-face with… nothing. Just more trees.

[Get it together, Grace. You’re jumping at shadows.]

She lowered her weapon and turned back to her path—only to find her way blocked by a plant-person standing not three feet away.

“GYAAAH!” Grace scrambled backward, nearly falling over a root.

The creature tilted its head, vines shifting where its face should be. It wasn’t attacking. Yet.

Grace steadied herself, raising her rapier again. Her eyes locked onto the creature’s chest, where she could see the faint glow of a corruption core.

[One target. One core. I can do this.]

The creature took a step forward.

Then another.

Then three more emerged from the trees around her, surrounding Grace in a loose circle.

[Oh come ON!]

The first creature lunged. Grace sidestepped, letting its momentum carry it past her. Her rapier flashed out, slicing through vines but missing the core. The creature hardly noticed the damage, already turning back toward her.

A second creature grabbed for her wings. Grace ducked and rolled, coming up behind it. This time, her aim was true—her rapier plunged into its back, piercing straight through to the corruption core.

The creature went rigid. Then, like a puppet with cut strings, it collapsed into a pile of ordinary plants and dirt.

[One down. Three to go.]

The remaining creatures attacked together. Grace took to the air, using her wings to gain a few precious feet of height. The creatures couldn’t follow, but they could reach—vines extending upward like grasping fingers.

“Nope!” Grace slashed at the vines, severing them.

She swooped down, using her smaller size and agility to her advantage. Diana had drilled her mercilessly on moving through combat, on using her petite frame to dodge and weave rather than trying to match strength with stronger opponents.

For once, Grace was grateful for all those bruises.

She darted between two creatures, her rapier a blur of golden light. The blade found another core, and a second creature fell.

[Two down!]

The third creature caught her by the ankle. Grace yelped as it dragged her down, sending her crashing into the forest floor. Her rapier flew from her hand, landing several feet away.

“No no no!” She kicked frantically at the creature’s grip, but the vines only tightened.

It pulled her closer, its eyeless face leaning in. Grace’s fingers scrabbled in the dirt, searching for anything she could use as a weapon.

Her hand closed around a rock. Not ideal, but better than nothing. She smashed it into the creature’s face, buying herself just enough time to wrench free and scramble toward her fallen rapier.

The creature was right behind her. Grace grabbed her weapon and rolled onto her back, thrusting upward blindly.

By sheer luck, the blade found the creature’s core. It shuddered, then collapsed on top of her in a heap of suddenly lifeless vegetation.

“Ugh!” Grace pushed the pile off, spitting out leaves. “Gross gross gross!”

She staggered to her feet, checking for the final creature.

It stood at the edge of the small clearing, watching her. Unlike the others, this one wasn’t advancing. It just… stared. Or seemed to, despite having no eyes.

As Grace looked closer, she noticed something different about this one. The plants making up its body were less twisted, the vines thinner. Through gaps in the vegetation, she could see actual human skin.

[This one’s not fully corrupted yet.]

Grace remembered her Aura Cleanse skill. She’d barely used it since acquiring it, but maybe…

“Hey,” she called, keeping her voice gentle. “I’m not going to hurt you. I want to help.”

The creature tilted its head again but didn’t attack.

“I’m an angel. I can help get rid of the corruption.” Grace took a step forward, lowering her rapier slightly. “Just stay still, okay?”

The creature made no move to flee. Grace approached cautiously, ready to jump back at the first sign of aggression.

When she was within arm’s reach, she sheathed her rapier and raised her hands, palms forward.

“This might feel a little weird,” she warned, though she wasn’t sure the creature could understand her.

Grace closed her eyes, focusing on the warm energy in her chest. She’d practiced this with Mara—channeling purification energy rather than healing energy. It was trickier, requiring more precision.

[Focus. Like you’re pulling a single thread from a tangled skein.]

Golden light gathered in her palms. Grace placed her hands on either side of the creature’s chest, where the corruption core pulsed beneath layers of vine and skin.

“Aura Cleanse,” she whispered.

The light intensified, spreading from her hands into the creature’s body. Grace could feel the corruption resisting, trying to cling to its host. She pushed harder, pouring more energy into the purification.

The creature trembled under her touch. Vines began to fall away, disintegrating into dust. Bit by bit, a human form emerged—a young man with dark hair and pale skin, his clothes torn and dirty.

With one final pulse of energy, Grace destroyed the corruption core completely. The man gasped, his eyes flying open. They were clear and human, with no trace of the blue-purple corruption.

“You did it,” he whispered hoarsely, staring at Grace with a mixture of awe and exhaustion. “You actually did it.”

Then his knees buckled. Grace lunged forward to catch him before he hit the ground, though his weight nearly took her down with him.

“Hey, stay with me,” Grace urged, lowering him gently. “What’s your name?”

“Elias,” he managed, his voice barely audible. “Village… herbalist.”

“Elias, what happened to you? How did you get corrupted?”

His eyes were already closing, consciousness slipping away. “Tried to help… Ivy.”

Grace leaned closer.

“Ivy? The angel?”

“Not her fault,” Elias mumbled. “She tried to… stop it. But the root… too strong.”

“What root? Elias, stay awake!”

But it was too late. Elias had passed out, his breathing shallow but steady.

Grace sat back on her heels, processing what she’d heard.

[So Ivy was trying to help, not causing the corruption. But what’s this ’root’ he mentioned?]

She needed to get Elias back to the village. Mara could properly heal him, and maybe when he woke up, he could tell them more about what happened to Ivy.

Grace glanced around, realizing she had no idea which direction the village was. She’d gotten turned around during the fight.

[Great. Lost in a demon-corrupted forest with an unconscious man. Diana’s never going to let me hear the end of this.]

As if responding to her thoughts, a distant voice called through the trees.

“GRACE! Where are you, you disaster?”

Diana. Grace had never been so happy to hear that annoyed tone.

“Over here!” she shouted back. “And I could use some help!”

She looked down at Elias’s unconscious form, wondering what exactly had happened between him and Ivy.

Had he been with Ivy when she was corrupted? Or worse—had he been with Ivy when she did the corrupting?

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