The sky is thick with clouds of smoke.
They glow red, like the sky at sunset, but from countless fires.
The ground is soaked with blood and scattered corpses.
Inside one of the shelters of Vingard Colony, a man with black hair stands at the doorway, staring into the distance.
Suddenly, among the scattered debris, he notices something approaching.
He crouches, holding a knife in his right hand and gripping the shelter door with his left.
As the distant figure comes closer, Anas' father realizes it is a human, and he stands upright, yet he doesn't lower the knife.
When the human arrives, Anas' father sees a bald, dark-skinned man with a scar over his left eye approaching, carrying a massive axe, a bag stained with black fluid behind his back, and two girls in his hands.
"Hey, stop and identify yourself," Anas' father says.
The man gently sets the two girls on the ground, raises his hands, and smiles: "I'm Max. I'm not your enemy." (He glances left and right, then continues.) "Can we continue this conversation inside? I don't want to be eaten while showing peace."
Anas' father narrows his eyes slightly as he studies the man. Before he can speak, he hears the distant roar of a monster. He looks at the man and says, "Alright, come in, and we'll continue inside." Then he approaches Bianca, placing his hand on the artery in her neck, feeling her pulse still strong.
Anas' father carries Bianca into the shelter, and the man follows behind, holding the girl with white hair.
Inside, Jason stands next to Lily, who shivers slightly from the cold. He removes his jacket and drapes it over her shoulders.
Lily, surprised, turns to look at Jason, noticing his muscular body and scars, and says, "Why are you so kind? Merchants like you are usually greedy and cruel."
Jason laughs softly: "Hehe, really? Well, let's just say I've suffered enough through life to understand the pain of others. In fact, I'm glad I didn't lose myself and become like the rest who hurt me. I now have a purpose. I want to change this world, even if just a little, for the better. Don't you agree?"
Lily smiles faintly: "You're truly a remarkable person. I wish I thought like you instead of letting others concern themselves with my problems… and with me."
Jason looks aside and says, "I… don't mind taking care of you."
Lily stares at him, mouth slightly open.
While they speak, Anas' father and Max enter the shelter from the long corridor.
Seeing her sister Bianca, Lily's eyes widen, and she rushes forward, embracing her and crying loudly, drawing the attention of everyone in the shelter.
Max sets the white-haired girl on the ground, leaning her against the wall, then turns to face Anas' father, noting that he hasn't taken his eyes off him even for a moment.
After a long stare, Anas' father finally speaks: "As far as I know, my son was looking for this girl. By any chance, did you see him?"
Max sighs, lowering his gaze for a moment: "Listen. Your son fought a dangerous monster. It was something new and strong. I couldn't help him. Somehow, he managed to inflict serious damage on the monster (he gestures toward the white-haired girl), and then Lyara finished it off with a poisoned dagger. The unfortunate part is that the monster made one final suicidal attack, and the explosion you likely heard was from that—"
"Cut to the chase. What happened to my son?" interrupts Anas' mother.
Max meets her sharp gaze, swallows, and continues: "He was already injured from fighting the monster. I don't know how he survived its blows without dying. The explosion was the finishing blow. All I found was his body, covered in blood, with the two girls."
Anas' mother approaches Max, staring at him.
Her face suddenly becomes expressionless, her eyes lifeless: "So… my son is dead?"
Max freezes as if a bucket of cold water were poured over him.
Even though she is shorter than him, every word she says feels crushing.
He opens his mouth, voice trembling: "N-no… but his head injury… the chance of survival was very slim—"
"And even if he survived, why didn't you bring him with you?" interrupts Anas' mother.
Anas' father steps forward, placing a hand on his wife's shoulder: "It's alright, Krista. We shouldn't blame anyone for our problems."
But Anas' mother ignores him and continues: "Alright? Are you joking with me? You saved the girls for fame and money, or at least to earn their favor, and that's something my injured son could never have done, isn't it? You're all the same, every last one of you. All you desire is fame, money, and the love of women. I carried him in my womb for nine months; he drew nourishment from me while I barely had enough to eat. I wished I hadn't given birth when labor came, but seeing his face, I told myself it was worth it—because my son is special to me. I fed him, cared for him, raised him, laughed with him. You stole his laughter, his innocence, and it wasn't enough? And you tell me it's alright?! And now you leave him to meet death there after he defeated something dangerous on his own?! You're nothing but filthy trash, civilized in comfort and animals in danger. There's no difference between you and the nobles except that nobles have money."
Silence falls over the shelter. The only sound is Anas' mother's heavy breathing.
Lily cries quietly, lowering her gaze. Everyone else bows their heads.
After a few seconds, Anas' mother turns and sits back in place silently, leaving no one daring to break the quiet.
Elsewhere in the colony,
where death has claimed nearly everything,
a small girl stares at the body she stumbled upon, thinking: 'Oh my god, he's just a boy, yet he carries all these injuries? Maybe I'm not the only one suffering in this world.'
She approaches him, examining his features, and continues thinking: 'Is he dead? How can I tell if he's alive or not?… Ah, I remember. I saw the doctor place his stethoscope on the chest to check the pulse. But I don't have one.'
She pauses, then suddenly speaks in a soft, childish voice, slightly high-pitched: "I found it! I'll put my ear on his chest!" She quickly covers her mouth, realizing her voice was too loud.
Slowly, she crawls toward Anas, resting her head on his chest, her eyes widening.
Dum, dum, dum, dum, dum
'His heart is still beating! What determination does this boy have? What will to survive?' she thinks.
Instead of moving away, she clings to Anas' shirt as if it were a lifeline in a raging sea, pressing her head closer to his chest to hear his heartbeat.
Tears stream down, soaking Anas' shirt.
She thinks: 'Is this really what I should do? Shouldn't I run and ignore a stranger I don't know? Isn't that what children are supposed to do?… (She suddenly lifts her head from Anas) But I'm not a little girl! I want to do something useful. I'm tired of being beaten and accused for the smallest things. Or… maybe I'm just searching for what I've lost?'
She shakes her head as if casting out those thoughts, tears a piece of Anas' black coat to bandage his head, and starts dragging him toward the sewers.
Reaching the sewer entrance, panting from exhaustion, she tries to open it, thinking: 'He's heavier than I expected. Maybe I really am still small physically in the end.'
She tries to lift the sewer cover with her thin, delicate hands, but only manages to shift it slightly.
She pants, sweat dripping from her forehead.
After several failed attempts, she rests her head on Anas' chest again, panting, muttering to herself: "I guess I remain just a small girl in the end. But no matter what comes, I won't let it devour you first."
Just as fatigue nearly closes her eyes, a voice pierces her ears: "Have you ever heard of something called personal space?"