Craving Scarecrow

In a completely dark room, a soldier kneels before someone seated on a grand throne. The person on the throne, with long, beautiful blonde hair fluttering and glowing blue eyes piercing through the darkness, speaks.

"Damn, that girl is really looking awesome. I can't wait to torment her. Oh, by the way, this is a special mermaid statue. Don't break it, or you'll have to pay," the person says with a smirk, throwing the statue toward the soldier.

The soldier catches it and vanishes.

The scene shifts to the present, where the soldier is observing Mina.

"I can't believe the king is going to use Mina for his vile job. Can't blame him; he's just 26, after all. He got the title of king after becoming a top player, and now he rules this kingdom," the soldier mutters to himself.

"Guess it's time. Forgive me for what's about to happen," he says before vanishing again.

Nina returns from Draven's house. On her way back, her screen pops up with a message: The king's precious mermaid statue has been stolen. Anyone found guilty will suffer severe punishment.

When Nina reaches her house, she notices the door is closed. Smiling slightly, she opens the door to find Mina holding something.

"What are you playing with, Mina?" Nina asks, sitting next to her.

"Sister, I was playing with a doll that was kept above the table, but I broke it. Please forgive me," Mina says with teary eyes.

"Can you show me the doll?" Nina asks.

Mina hands her the doll. Nina takes one look at it and drops it. Her breathing becomes shallow, her eyes widen, and her head starts spinning.

"No, this can't be," she whispers, looking at Mina with a desperate expression.

Before anything else happens, soldiers storm into the house.

"Excuse me, miss," one of the soldiers says, standing behind Nina.

Nina is taken by the soldiers as Mina cries, watching helplessly.

Nina turns back. "Mina, don't worry. I'll be back, I promise," she says with a forced smile before being led away.

In the king's chamber, the young ruler lounges with a wine glass in hand.

"So, how are you going to pay for your sister's crime?" the king asks.

"Why are you doing this? I know I didn't have your statue. You framed us," Nina cries, kneeling before him.

The king vanishes from his throne and appears before her, lifting her chin with his index finger.

"You know, you can pay me back," he says, his voice laced with malice. "Or would you prefer your sister to be tortured?"

Nina cries out loud, her sobs echoing in the room.

Later that night, Nina returns home. Before entering, she puts on a fake smile to hide her pain from Mina.

As soon as she steps inside, Mina jumps into her arms.

"Sister, I'm sorry! I thought.....… I thought I'd never see you again," Mina sobs.

Nina smiles gently. "It's okay. Look, I'm completely fine. No need to worry," she reassures her.

Meanwhile, at Draven's house, he is startled by a soldier's sudden appearance.

"What? Why are you here?" Draven exclaims, dropping his food.

"Calm down. I just came to say hi," the soldier says casually, sitting down.

"Sit. I have something important to tell you," the soldier signals.

"What do you want to tell me?" Draven asks, clenching his fists.

"Do you have a girlfriend?" the soldier asks, looking directly into Draven's eyes.

"Why should I tell you that? Who do you think you are?" Draven shouts, slamming his palm onto the floor in frustration.

"Ah, you're right. I'm no one to ask. But I just saw a woman seducing the king. If you don't mind, watch this," the soldier says, projecting a screen in front of Draven.

Sweat drips from Draven's face as tears well up in his eyes. "This can't be true," he whispers before punching the screen, making it vanish.

He collapses to the floor, hitting it in despair. "No, this is a lie. She would never do that. She can't."

As Draven looks up at the soldier, the latter is already walking away.

"Wait, you bastard! Where do you think you're going?" Draven yells, charging toward him.

Draven throws a punch, but the soldier effortlessly dodges it and counters with a right hook, a left uppercut, and a chest kick. Draven crashes into the wall, vomiting blood.

"This isn't true. Nina's not like that," Draven mutters, glaring at the soldier.

"Why can't you accept it? Nina is a bitch. She used you and discarded you like a one-time-use object. Now she's with the king, doing something unforgivable," the soldier taunts, tossing two bottles to Draven.....one blue and one yellow.

"The blue spray makes someone sleep, but without the yellow one, it'll kill them in three hours. You know when to use it. Best of luck," the soldier says before vanishing.

Draven collapses in despair, staring blankly at the ceiling.

In the dark room, the soldier kneels before the king.

"Good. Now they will entertain me with their lives," the king says with a grin.

Draven and Nina sat in separate corners of the room, consumed by despair. Draven's knuckles were raw from punching the cold stone walls, his face streaked with tears. "How could I be so blind?" he muttered between ragged breaths. "She suffered… to save Mina, and I..... I believed the lies." He slammed his fists into the ground. "I let my doubts ruin everything! Nina trusted me, and I….... I failed her. I'm no better than the monster who did this."

Nina, meanwhile, sat cradling Mina's lifeless body, her mind unraveling. Her cries were broken by whispers. "Mina, wake up. Please, please come back to me." Her hands trembled as she touched Mina's face, her voice rising in desperation. "Draven, how could you let this happen?!" she screamed, but her anger quickly turned inward. "No….... I did this. I failed her. I couldn't protect her…... I promised!" Her breath hitched as she clenched the knife, her tears falling on Mina's face. "What's the point of living if I couldn't even save my own sister?"

Nina pleads with Draven to save Mina, who struggles to breathe. Draven uses the yellow spray.

Mina, in her final moments, stared at Nina, her small hands reaching for her sister's. "Sister, it's okay," she whispered with a faint smile. "Mom and Dad are here...… we're all going to eat together. I'm not hungry anymore." Her voice faded, and her eyes fluttered closed as her breathing stopped.

Mina whispers her last words before dying in Nina's lap.

Outside, the moon turned crimson, casting an eerie glow over the house. Inside, Draven dropped the yellow and blue sprays, his body slumping as the weight of everything crushed him. "Nina…" he whispered, his voice cracking.

In the king's chamber, he laughs, watching everything through a magical orb. His maid sobs silently in the corner.

"How are the new recruits?" the king asks, standing up.

"Everything is as ordered. No healers, no inventory items, just armor," a soldier reports.

"Good. The selection must be fair. No interference," the king says, gazing out of the window.

Elsewhere, Sebastian, Livio, and Nitin discuss life and perspectives, unaware of the turmoil unfolding elsewhere. Their conversation takes them to the gates of a magical blue palace.

After admiring the architecture, Livio glances at his healed finger once again.