[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-dawn-walker":3,"chapter-dawn-walker-dawn-walker-chapter-122":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Dawn Walker",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1836779,2443,"Chapter 122: The Blood That Obeys IV","dawn-walker-chapter-122",122,"\u003Cp>---\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sekhmet stood, walked to the bed, and adjusted the blanket over Bat Bat’s small body. She muttered something half asleep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Master sexy...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sekhmet stared at her for a moment. He still did not know where she learned the meaning of sexy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He suspected Lily. He feared the truth. He returned to the chair, sat, and listened to the house for a while.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The subtle creaks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The distant footsteps of night servants.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The faint rustle of curtains.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The small city noises beyond the window.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The hunger eased into a manageable quiet. Not gone. Never gone. But quiet enough to think.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His body felt heavier in a tired way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His mind finally stopped sprinting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sekhmet removed his coat and placed it neatly on the chair. He lay down carefully, leaving space so he would not crush Bat Bat’s small sleeping form.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stared at the ceiling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One step at a time, he reminded himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then his eyes closed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sleep took him, not gently, but like a hand pressing his head down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hours passed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Sekhmet woke, the air had changed. The deep night silence had faded into the quiet pre-dawn rhythm of a city preparing to breathe again. He sat up slowly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bat Bat was still asleep, hugging the blanket like it was her favorite victim.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sekhmet’s lips twitched faintly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He washed his face with cold water, a simple habit that anchored him. He changed into practical merchant clothing. Not noble fancy. Not beggar rags. Clothes that made him look like what he was supposed to be: the heir of a merchant house, not a blood creature from the wild.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stepped into the hallway. Dawn House at this hour belonged to servants and ghosts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He found Elena already awake, as if she had never slept in her entire life and simply rotated between forms of tiredness. She stood near a table, organizing cloth and schedules like a commander arranging troops.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her eyes lifted instantly when she saw him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You are awake early,\" Elena said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sekhmet nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I am going out,\" he replied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elena’s gaze sharpened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Where,\" she asked, not as curiosity, but as responsibility.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sekhmet kept his voice controlled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Contract market,\" he said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elena paused. Her expression tightened just slightly, disapproval flickering under discipline.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That place is not clean,\" Elena said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sekhmet did not argue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I know,\" he replied. \"But I need something there.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elena studied him, reading his tone. She did not ask what. Because Elena was wise enough to know when questions were knives.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instead, she nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Will you bring Auri,\" she asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sekhmet nodded again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes,\" he said. \"I already summoned her. She is waiting outside the house.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elena inhaled slowly, then spoke again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And Bat Bat,\" she asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sekhmet’s eyes flicked toward the corridor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No,\" he replied immediately. \"She stays.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elena’s lips twitched faintly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Good,\" she said. \"She has to study.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if summoned by the word study, a tiny voice shouted from the hallway like a curse made into language.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Nooooo!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bat Bat appeared, already awake now, in her small human form, hair messy, wings half open, eyes wide with betrayal. She pointed at Sekhmet like he had committed a crime against nature.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Master go,\" Bat Bat said dramatically. \"Bat Bat go!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sekhmet stared at her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No,\" he said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bat Bat’s face twisted into pure offended tragedy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why,\" she demanded. \"Bat Bat is strong now! Bat Bat is genius! Bat Bat protect!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elena folded her arms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Bat Bat has letters,\" Elena said calmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bat Bat froze. Her eyes widened as if Elena had said the word execution.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No,\" she whispered in horror.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elena’s voice remained perfectly steady.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes,\" she replied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bat Bat turned to Sekhmet, desperate now, wings trembling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Master,\" she pleaded. \"Letters is evil.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sekhmet’s voice stayed flat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You are not coming,\" he said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bat Bat puffed her cheeks and tried a different tactic. She spread her wings and placed one hand on her chest like a tragic actress who had never seen a stage but believed she deserved applause.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If master go,\" Bat Bat said, \"the master disappears.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sekhmet stared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elena stared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bat Bat nodded solemnly as if she had just given the most logical prophecy in the world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sekhmet rubbed his forehead slowly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That is not how things work,\" he said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bat Bat pointed at Elena.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Elena will eat master,\" Bat Bat accused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elena’s eyes narrowed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bat Bat immediately shut up again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sekhmet exhaled slowly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Bat Bat,\" he said, voice calm but firm, \"you will study today. You will grow stronger here. If you follow me everywhere, you learn nothing.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bat Bat pouted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But Bat Bat want fun,\" she muttered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sekhmet looked at her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You had fun yesterday,\" he said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bat Bat perked up slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes,\" she said. \"Underground war.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sekhmet’s eyelid twitched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elena cleared her throat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I will handle her,\" Elena said. She knew Sekhmet was going outside at night. But she won’t ask unless Sekhmet told her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bat Bat’s face fell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Handle in Elena language meant war.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sekhmet nodded once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Do it,\" he replied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bat Bat gasped, betrayed again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Master is cruel,\" she whispered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sekhmet turned away before his face softened. If he looked at her too long, he would feel guilt, and guilt made decisions weakly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He walked toward the main hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Auri was already waiting there, cloak simple, wings concealed, posture calm and ready. She bowed when she saw him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Master,\" she said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sekhmet nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We go,\" he replied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Auri fell into step beside him instantly, silent as a shadow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind them, Bat Bat shouted one last dramatic threat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Master! If you disappear, Bat Bat will eat Elena!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elena’s voice answered calmly from the corridor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Try it,\" Elena said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bat Bat went silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sekhmet’s lips twitched faintly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stepped out of Dawn House into the early morning air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The city felt different at dawn. Less arrogant. Less loud. As if even Slik City needed a moment to wake up and remember how to pretend.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sekhmet and Auri moved through streets where humans walked beside beastkin, where a tall lizard man argued with a merchant about fish price, where a horned woman carried a basket of vegetables, where two short goblin children chased each other and screamed like the world was ending.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The city was alive. And it was dangerous.\u003C\u002Fp>",1041,"2026-06-09T06:31:32.937Z",1,"novelbin.me","01e99a267570677d78b896ca9467c7c35faaa3f09930fa5b00b2b7f2e0da3eff","dawn-walker-chapter-123","dawn-walker-chapter-121",359,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fdawn-walker-cover.jpg"]