"Hello?"
Asylia whispered softly, raising her eyes just slightly to look at them both.
She had a phone-like device over her mouth — the same thing Serein had used back in the room earlier.
The group had stopped behind a large pillar with a small bench beside it. Over the top, a bunch of colorful flowers and small vines hung in the air, draping down along the pillar and shading everything below in a serene kind of stillness.
They swayed just slightly as he passed by.
*This looks like somewhere you'd want to lie down.*
Ren thought to himself, looking around with vigilance.
Earlier, while on the way, they had spotted a phone lying on the ground. Asylia picked it up — it had a signal. Surprised, she took out her own phone and saw that the signal was back too, though weak.
"I have a call to make. Let's stop here for a second."
So they paused here, tucked away in the corner.
As for Serein — she was standing before the flowering vines in silence, occasionally raising her head or touching them with her slender fingers.
"What is she doing?"
As if sensing a gaze on her, she turned her head slightly.
"Hmm?"
A faint sound. Then she continued on with what she was doing.
I didn't bother her. Instead I took the moment to rest. I wanted to rub my head to ease the pain but I didn't want to take the helmet off.
I still remembered those spores in the air.
Meanwhile, Asylia's call finished quickly.
"Okay."
I watched her nod slightly before slipping the phone back into her bag.
She took a breath and approached them.
"You finished?"
Serein turned around and asked calmly.
Asylia replied lightly. "It was my father."
She told them what was said.
---
*"It's me."*
Her father's familiar voice came through.
*"I've tried to contact you but it couldn't get through. Fortunately it can now."*
*"Father..."*
Asylia looked at the missed calls and unread messages piling up on the screen.
*"Asylia. Have you tried to evacuate? Where are you right now?"*
Her father's calm, solemn voice cut through the silence.
Asylia answered quickly. *"I'm already on the 2nd floor. On my way to the first floor to evacuate through the underwater train platform."*
*"2nd floor... are you with anyone?"*
*"I'm with Serein and... someone else."*
*"Serein...? Paleires?"*
Her father seemed to be turning the name over, placing it.
*"It's her."*
She confirmed his guess. He seemed to relax when he heard who it was.
*"I see. ...About the team I sent to you — they've run into a problem on the way. But don't worry. I'll make sure they reach your location as soon as possible."*
His words were calm, but beneath them was an unmistakable weight — like he was certain of it.
*"Something like that..."*
Asylia frowned but didn't dwell on it.
*"Also — how's the water looking on your end?"*
*"Why do you ask? It's pretty calm up here. Hmm... almost too calm, I guess."*
Asylia lifted her gaze and glanced toward the section where she could see the ocean outside.
*"There's a storm building toward your location. It may not have reached you yet, but be careful."*
His voice dropped lower.
*"That stretch of sea is going to get rough."*
---
That was all.
Asylia finished and looked at them both.
"This won't affect our route to the train, will it? Or will the train not be able to handle rough conditions?"
Ren asked, worry creeping into his voice. If they couldn't get out because of a storm... trapped in here with those creatures... he couldn't bring himself to think about what that would mean. Not to mention food. They'd starve if they couldn't get out soon.
"Don't worry, the train is built to withstand rough sea conditions."
Serein explained calmly from the side.
"Hehe — you're such a scaredy cat."
Asylia smiled at his reaction, her laugh like a soft breeze drifting past someone's ear.
"I'm just being realistic. You know how bad things are right now."
Ren said quickly, not wanting to look pathetic. He was pretty sure his concern was valid.
"You're too serious~"
Pat!
Asylia tapped his shoulder playfully. "I'm just messing with you. I'm worried too — but that's exactly why we can't stop."
It lightened the air between them. The coiled tension in their shoulders loosened without anyone noticing.
Ren let out a quiet breath, speechless.
He glanced over at Serein only to find her smiling slightly. Sensing his gaze, she just blinked and raised her eyebrows the smallest amount.
"Alright. Now that that's settled — shall we?"
Asylia brought the focus back, taking the first step out of the corner.
Then she stopped.
Her figure stiffened and she jerked sharply to one side.
"Someone's there!"
*My heart dropped.*
I snapped my gaze in that direction.
*Where?*
Pillars. Railings. Screens. Plants. Nothing else — no people in sight.
Just as I was puzzling over it, something shifted. Between the gap of two pillars, a silhouette became visible, like camouflage coming undone.
A middle-aged man. Upright posture, calm expression, looking directly at us.
"Nice to meet you." He smiled warmly, closing the distance between us. "Where are you all headed? Shouldn't you be in a safe room?"
Genuine concern in his voice — or something that sounded like it.
"Tell me. Maybe I can help."
At that, the group paused.
They looked at each other.
Serein replied first, voice even and neutral. "We're just waiting for our teacher. He'll be back shortly."
She hoped the stranger would take the hint and leave them alone. They were close to their goal now — the last thing they wanted was an unpredictable encounter.
"I see..."
The man slowed his steps. She thought he would stop — but he kept coming, a slightly sheepish look crossing his face.
*It's just... guys...*
He drew it out slowly.
"You see — I need your help."
The way he carried himself, he really did look like someone about to ask a simple favor.
Unfortunately.
"Don't come any closer!"
Asylia snapped, throwing her hand up in front of her.
Her expression was rigid, eyes locked on the stranger like he was something diseased. Since childhood she had carried a strong intuition. It wasn't always right — but when it fired, she trusted it.
Right now it was screaming.
This man was dangerous.
And he had no protection over his face whatsoever. Was he breathing in the infection?
As for his request for help — they had no time for that. She was certain the others felt the same.
The middle-aged man startled at her reaction, his brow creasing.
"Why?"
His voice roughened before he could help it.
*"This guy..."*
That reaction alone made their impression of him worse.
Asylia steadied her voice and reasoned with him calmly, sweetening the end with a light apology. "We're in the middle of something. You understand how it is right now. So sorry — maybe another time?"
Then she grabbed Serein's wrist and turned around quickly.
She didn't want to be near this man a second longer.
*It's making me anxious.*
She thought, glancing back — only to find him pointing at them.
!
Then she felt it. A strange weight settling over her legs.
She looked down.
"What?!"
A wind-like substance was coiled around her ankles, gripping them firmly in place. Not just her — Serein too.
Anger flashed across her face.
"What do you think you're doing?!"
She struggled to lift her feet. It felt like thick glue — stubborn and unyielding.
*This is bad,* she thought darkly.
The stranger didn't answer. Only the sound of his calm footsteps.
Tap. Tap.
He was already in front of them.
His tall frame cast them in shadow. He looked down at them, tilting his chin, completely indifferent. The warmth from before was gone — just a mask he'd already set aside.
"Honestly, I'm not very good at playing the nice guy."
He murmured it almost to himself, looking faintly put out.
He slowly extended a hand toward them.
"Kids — please help me. I promise what I'm asking is very, very simple."
Asylia tilted her head just slightly, eyes cutting to Serein, then Ren.
No words needed. They all knew.
"What do you think you're doing? When our teacher finds out about this, you're finished!"
She knew it was a stretch — but she said it anyway. Just in case.
The man paused for a moment, then smiled.
"He won't." Said with complete certainty.
He kept advancing.
With each step the air grew heavier, thicker — a pressure that settled over the skin and didn't let go. In his bare eyes, the air twisted faintly, a visible trace of whatever he was exerting.
Asylia, as if making peace with the situation, asked through her teeth.
"What do you want us to do?"
At that —
*Heh.*
His smile stretched wider, pulling his skin taut. It made his otherwise serious face look wrong. Something about it felt off — inhuman.
"Nothing much."
He said it slowly.
"I just need you to come with me somewhere and retrieve something. That's all."
Casual. Light. Like it was nothing.
"After that, I'll let you go."
His tone eased at the end, but the heaviness in the air pressed down harder than before.
*She had to decide quickly.*
The group fell silent, exchanging glances.
Ren's mood had sunk low. He stared at the man in front of them, the weight of it all pressing down — the constant threat on their lives, the ticking clock, and now this. Anger rose in his chest like heat building under stone.
This man was blocking their path to survival. Pushing them deeper into danger.
He'd be an idiot to believe this was some simple errand.
*Whatever it is...*
He wanted to stop holding back. Wanted to let his talent loose and be done with it. But he still had a head on his shoulders — so instead he held himself and watched his companions.
*Whatever they decide.*
*Fight or lay low.*
He was in.
Asylia hesitated, then nodded.
Ren frowned slightly. Serein just lowered her lids, gaze forward, expression unreadable.
The strange man flicked his thumb coolly.
The binding around their feet loosened — not fully, just enough to move. The pressure still clung at the edges, a quiet reminder not to get any ideas.
Ren shifted his weight, testing his feet. A little freer.
He looked up.
The man had already turned, speaking as he moved. "Follow me. It's just around—!"
The words cut off as blinding light exploded across his face.
A sharp arc of energy crackled from Asylia's hands. She shouted back at her companions, her voice snapping them to attention.
*Now!*
Beneath her glove, the small bracelet she always wore split apart with a quiet crack.
Like a dam giving way, white energy surged forward in a wave — pouring through the air in the direction her fingers were pointing.
It was one of her last protective measures. She'd been holding onto them carefully; she hadn't even used one earlier when she probably should have.
It looked slow — but only for a breath.
The man's expression went cold. He crossed his arms in front of him fast, wind gathering around him, trying to shape into a shield.
But the white energy was already there.
*Thud.*
A dense, hollow sound — like striking an empty coconut — and his figure was swallowed whole by the surge of white.