Telling Riley goodbye, I headed towards Lice's house in my shitbox car. The moment I parked in front of his house, I didn't even bother stepping out. I pulled out my phone and called him, telling him to meet me outside.

There was no way I was letting Mira see me. Not today. Not with everything piling up. And honestly, even though part of me wished I could see them both—Mira and Mina, just to check up on them, to know everything was fine, I shoved that thought aside. Time wasn't on my side, and I needed to keep moving if I didn't want this entire day spiraling into an even bigger mess.

Several minutes passed before I finally heard a light knock on my door window. I pressed the button, unlocking the door, and Lice opened it before sliding in. The moment he dropped into the passenger seat, I froze.

The dude looked… bad.

He looked like someone fast-forwarded him through a month of stress, slapped him back into yesterday, and told him to pretend everything was fine.

He'd lost several pounds. His cheeks were slightly sunken, his shoulders narrower, and his skin sagged just a bit like it didn't know how to adjust to the sudden drop in weight.

"Bro… what the hell happened to you?" I asked, staring at him like he was a puzzle that came missing half the pieces.

Lice forced a weak laugh. "Don't look at me like that. I know I look like a forty-year-old father of five."

"No, you look like you've been fasting for months," I shot back. "Seriously, what happened?"

He sighed and leaned back against the seat. "I just… couldn't eat after that Areg incident."

I blinked. "What? Her name doesn't even sound bad. Areg sounds kinda okay."

Lice groaned and rubbed his face. "There's nothing okay about anything involving that girl."

That reaction alone told me there was a lot more going on than he was willing to say.

I exhaled, letting the silence stretch before finally asking, "So what are we doing now? You told me to come urgently, so what's up? Something happened?"

Lice swallowed, then looked at me with an expression that made my stomach tighten. "Areg called."

I stared at him. "...And?"

"She, uh… she wants me to come and see her parents."

I jerked so hard my seatbelt locked against my chest. "What?! Why the hell, how the hell—does she expect us to go to the Beastkin continent so casually like that?!"

Lice raised both hands. "Calm down, calm down, listen, we're not going to the Beastkin continent."

I frowned. "Then what?"

"Areg race has a pretty huge clan in the outskirts of Zubris."

I stared at him for a long while, my eye twitching so hard it hurt. "Lice… do you even hear yourself? The outskirts of Zubris is thousands of miles away. There is no way we can get there by car."

He winced but didn't look surprised, meaning he already knew how insane this sounded. "I know, I know. But I thought maybe… we just pick her up, and then we use the teleportation station in the city."

I paused.

Teleportation station.

That… actually wasn't a terrible idea.

Lice continued, "There are different stations located in all the major places across the human continent. They're maintained by mages who handle the circle and all the stabilization stuff. And the good thing is—they can teleport big items too. Which means… your car can go through."

I rubbed my chin. "Teleport my car?"

He nodded.

I sighed slowly, letting the practicality of the idea sink in. "Okay… okay, that's actually smart. So we pick her up, teleport to the closest station near the border, and return. Quick trip."

"Exactly." He smiled weakly. "So just drive. Let's pick her up."

"Fine," I muttered, starting the engine again. "But if this goes south, I'm blaming you."

---

The drive took us toward the outskirts of Epathe, one of the rougher sides. The buildings grew scruffier, the roads narrower, and the atmosphere thicker with desperation. The slum wasn't quiet; it was alive in all the wrong ways. Kids darted around barefoot, adults leaned against broken walls smoking things, and stray dogs circled looking for scraps.

Just as we turned into one of the inner streets, a kid no older than ten dashed up, ripped a part off my car, and sprinted away like he trained for that exact moment.

"HEY!" I slammed the horn uselessly. "Are you kidding me?! Lice, did you see that?!"

"He's fast," Lice muttered with empty admiration. "You could recruit him."

"Recruit him to what? To return my car part?!"

He ignored my suffering and pointed ahead. "Look, there."

And sure enough, through the car window, I spotted Areg.

She wasn't alone. Several other beastkins surrounded her under a shade tree—wolfmen, satyrs, and a pair of cat girls and rabbit girls. They were gambling, judging by the makeshift table and scattered items that looked suspiciously like copper coins and random belongings.

But Areg was losing.

I could tell, because she looked one second away from throwing a full-blown tantrum. A cat girl slammed her hand on the table and shouted, "Pay up, Areg! Don't play if you can't handle the heat!"

Areg clicked her tongue. "I told you I don't have money again! And if you threaten me one more time, I'll beat all of you up!"

The wolfman sitting across from her leaned back, amused. "You said that last time, and yet here you still are. Pay your debt."

Areg's nostrils flared.

But then, she froze.

Her eyes shifted… then widened. She stared directly through our windshield.

"Uh oh," Lice muttered, attempting to slide down in his seat.

Areg shot to her feet so suddenly that the entire group flinched. Then, with the loudest voice I've ever heard come out of her, she shouted:

"HUSBAND!"

Lice slammed his head into the dashboard. "I hate my life," he whispered.

I just stared forward, unable to process the insanity unfolding.

"HUSBAND!!" she repeated, waving both arms flailingly . "COME AND PAY MY DEBT!"

And with absolutely no shame, she jogged—no, she sprinted towards our vehicle, leaving the others stunned in silence.

Lice covered his face with both hands. "Please drive away. Please, please—"

But it was too late.

Areg was already almost at the door.

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