Fang Cheng didn't leave with the others right away. He landed on the rooftop and walked over to Kamikawa Takumi.
He placed a hand on him, and a faint glow lit his palm.
"If you heal him..."
Isis's voice suddenly rang out. "I'll kill him—and everyone you care about."
She didn't care that Fang Cheng and Kamikawa Takumi had joined forces against her. But Kamikawa Takumi had just insulted her, so she had to teach him a lesson he wouldn't forget.
Fang Cheng had no doubt Isis could carry out her threat. He healed only a few of Kamikawa Takumi's fatal wounds, then stopped.
"Rin and the others are safe."
He reassured Kamikawa Takumi, then prepared to leave.
Kamikawa Takumi suddenly reached out and grabbed Fang Cheng by the collar.
His lips moved, but his words flowed silently into Fang Cheng's ears. No one else heard them.
Surprise flashed in Fang Cheng's eyes. At last, he patted Kamikawa Takumi's hand and said softly, "Thanks, brother-in-law!"
He stood and followed Isis as she left.
Kamikawa Takumi silently watched Fang Cheng's departing figure, then pulled a bloodstained portrait from his clothes.
Isis had been painted so vividly she seemed alive.
Fang Cheng followed Isis as they flew away from Machine City.
They didn't go far, only to the outskirts beyond the city, where an endless plain stretched between rolling hills.
Isis gazed at the sprawling fields and factories in the distance. "What a lovely place."
"Do you like it here?"
Fang Cheng stopped some distance away, keeping his distance. "If you die, I can find a spot nearby to bury you. I'll build you a gorgeous, luxurious tomb."
Isis turned around. "We immortals don't need graves."
Fang Cheng was silent for a moment before speaking slowly. "You've probably noticed by now