Extra's POV: My Obsessive Villainous Fiancee Is The Game's Final Boss

The settlement was a hive of activity.

Everywhere Ren looked, people moved with purpose. Tents were being collapsed, carts were loaded, children ushered along with tired but determined urgency.

The sound of quiet voices and the clatter of belongings filled the air. Spears were packed, armor was strapped. There was no panic, but urgency clung to the camp like a fog.

The sun was already trying to set, casting orange streaked light over the valley as if trying to offer comfort.

Ren stood near the edge of what had once been their corner of the settlement. Beside him, Lilith remained silent, watching as two teenage boys wrestled with the ropes of their tent, finally managing to bring it down with a triumphant grunt.

Her white cloak fluttered slightly in the evening breeze. "They're moving fast." She murmured, her eyes narrowing. "Faster than I expected."

"They should be." Ren said softly. "They know now. The infected know there are survivors near them. Who knows if they'll come in a horde. To them, it's safer to come with us, who have the power to protect them, than to be surrounded by intelligent infected and no way out."

Before Lilith could respond, Elias jogged up the small slope, breath steady, armor half-fastened, hair damp with sweat.

"I've spoken with Halwen's second." Elias said, nodding a greeting to them both. "They've packed nearly everything. Two wagons are already packed and ready to go. The rest are almost ready to leave."

"They're not taking chances." Ren remarked.

Elias wiped the back of his neck with a cloth. "They're afraid the infected might bring an even bigger horde with them. After all, no one knows how many infected are sleeping and hiding nearby."

Lilith frowned. "Do you think the infected would really find us?"

"No." Ren said. "Valen wouldn't let that happen."

Elias glanced at him sideways. "And what if Valen didn't have a choice?"

Ren looked at Elias for a long moment, then shook his head.

"Even if Valen were captured," he said quietly, "he'd still find his way back. Without the infected."

The certainty in his voice left no room for argument.

A dry chuckle came from behind them.

Thorn, still leaning heavily on a makeshift walking stick, limped toward the trio. Elias moved immediately to his side, supporting him with one arm and steadying his steps.

"I see you three haven't learned how to start a morning with a good breakfast." Thorn said, his voice raspy but alive with its usual sarcasm. "Happy day, team."

Ren turned with a smile. "Thorn. It's evening."

"It is?" The man chuckled, checking the sky with a mischievous expression. "My bad."

Lilith gave him a nod. "You look better."

Thorn shrugged as Elias helped him over to a stone block. He sat with a groan, but there was color in his face again. His eyes were clear.

"Physically, I'm fine." He said. "Just need time to regain strength. Maybe ten more bowls of that soup." He grinned at Elias. "You wouldn't happen to have three more on you, would you?"

"Maybe when we stop next." Elias smirked.

A commotion near the gates made them all turn.

Dust kicked up. Riders shouted. The guards at the front lowered their weapons… and then slowly raised them again in salute.

A single figure rode into the settlement. His coat whipped in the wind. His twin swords glimmered at his back. He dismounted without a word, handing the reins to one of the camp children before walking directly toward the group.

Valen.

Ren felt a breath leave his chest. Lilith's shoulders relaxed.

Valen walked straight to them, expression neutral as always. His gaze met Ren's first.

"I did my job." He said. "The infected won't be coming for us."

Elias let out a low whistle of relief. "You're insane, you know that?"

Valen said nothing, only raising an eyebrow.

Ren stepped forward, clapping a hand to Valen's shoulder. "You did well."

Valen didn't smile. "I learnt… something else."

Ren's hand dropped. "What is it?"

Valen turned slightly, scanning the camp. "The Red Prophet. He's alive."

The words fell like a hammer.

Lilith's eyes widened.

Elias blinked. "No. That's not possible."

"I saw him." Valen said. "He spoke to me. Same eyes. Same voice. Same power."

Ren's mind reeled. He'd felt the strike. He'd severed Vesper with Freedom, body and soul. The building had collapsed. The ground had shattered. Vesper should have died.

"Valen." Ren said slowly. "Are you sure it was him?"

"Yes."

Ren clenched his fists. Then, like a thunderbolt, he remembered.

"You can't kill me, Ross. I'm the Red Tree itself."

Vesper's words echoed in his skull. He'd said something to that effect. Does that mean…

Ren turned to the group, face pale. "I didn't kill Vesper. I killed his physical body, because his soul is tied in something greater. Because if he's the Red Tree causing the plague…"

"Then you didn't kill the source." Lilith finished. "Just a branch."

They all stood in silence for a moment, processing it.

"How does one kill a Tree of Power?" Elias finally asked, his voice grim.

The question hung in the air.

No one answered.

Because no one knew.

[][][][][]

Later, as the caravan began to move, Ren walked alone for a while, hands deep in his coat pockets, his thoughts churning.

The infected had been sleeping. Dreaming. Vesper was not dead. Were they saving energy that had been used to revive Vesper? Or were they changing? Adapting?

That was something to think about, but something else troubled him more.

The Tree.

Vesper hadn't been bluffing. Somehow, he'd merged with the Red Tree that created the plague, becoming its extension. A conduit. A seed, perhaps. And trees…

Trees could regrow.

Could spread.

Could root themselves where no one noticed.

Ren glanced at the line of wagons snaking across the hills behind him.

Thorn sat upright now, talking animatedly with the guards around him. Elias rode up and down the column, checking packs. Lilith trailed behind him, checking for any sign of sabotage.

They were alive.

They were together.

But for how long?

If the Red Prophet was alive, if the Tree itself was awake, then everything they'd seen in Rainhold was only the beginning.

Ren turned his gaze to the horizon. Toward the next city.

Toward where the clues to the prisons were.

And the man who held the power to kill the plague once and for all.

They needed to find the Blood Chosen.

Because the Tree was growing.

And it was only a matter of time before it reached them again.