The same ceiling—like being awake in the H&S restaurant again. Damn, I keep losing consciousness after pushing myself to the brink. This is dangerous.
"Mindy, are you sure about this? You'll die if you stay here. You can fight with us in Stage 2 since you have the constellation blessings."
"I know, but I can't leave the people here—they need me. And if we fight, we may die faster."
"No. If you fight, you have a higher chance to live and protect others. Look at us, Mortem and I passed the first Stage. You can't face incarnation without blessings and refuse to join Stage 2."
"I…"
"Sorry to interrupt you two," a voice cut through the tension.
"Tilus, you awake?" Mindy asked, coming closer.
"Ah, yes. Jasmine, how long until Stage 2?"
She sighed. "Strike to business, huh? That's so like you. Anyway, we've got three hours left."
"Three hours? Why didn't you wake me earlier?"
"Because these people still think they can stay here and survive, Tilus."
Tilus glanced at Mindy, whose eyes were turning away.
"Mindy, do me a favor and gather everyone."
"Now?"
"Yeah, now. Hurry."
"Ah, okay."
"Everyone here?"
"Everyone who can still walk, yes."
"Okay. Listen up, everyone. I'll say this once: we've barely got two and a half hours left before Stage 2 begins. Anyone who participates in Stage 2 will experience horrors beyond their dreams. The WTR doesn't affect you during the Stage, but out here, you'll face climate change, drastic environmental shifts, and monsters will hunt humans down like prey. I'm not convincing anyone to join me; I'm telling you that if you truly care about your life—and your family—you need to leave."
"Why should we believe you?"
"Yeah, Mortem, is it true what he says?"
Mortem, who hadn't been informed about any of this, frowned. Now in an indecisive spot, he knew that rejecting Tilus's idea could cost him Mindy and Cindy. He'd been this close to losing them today, and if he did, he couldn't face his parents. To him, siding with Tilus was better than backing people who only accepted things from him.
"Yes, what he says is true. We need to leave now."
A lot of people bickered back and forth, and only six decided to join us: Cindy, Mindy—who was reluctant—but since Mortem decided to go, they followed; Ethan, Harold, and Lila, which made six people in all. Surprisingly, that was enough to fill the van.
The van rumbled beneath them, tires humming against the cracked road. Inside, the cramped space was dim, lit only by the orange glow of passing streetlights slipping through the dusty windows.
Tilus drove, now knowing the way to the Citadel after upgrading his Eye of Truth. It could lead him to the destination he wanted. Harold leaned back in his seat with a chuckle, the old leather creaking under his weight. "Never thought I'd be going to war at my age."
"You should be thanking Cindy, Mindy, and Mortem that you're alive," Lila said from the passenger seat. "They took us in when they didn't have to."
Harold nodded. "That's true. You didn't just give us a place to rest—you gave us something to hold onto."
Mindy, wedged in the back among a tangle of supplies, began handing people some crackers, brushing off the gratitude. "Like we'd turn away people who needed help."
"You're risking your own lives," Lila pointed out.
Cindy, sitting cross-legged near the back doors, rested her chin on her hands. "And? If we start thinking like that, we've already lost."
Silence crept into the van like fog, wrapping around them between bumps in the road.
Then Ethan spoke, his voice barely louder than the tires. "That's why…I'm going to the Second Stage with you guys. I believe you can survive in this cursed world."
Harold exhaled. "Me too."
Lila smirked, pulling her jacket tighter. "Well, I can't let you two go without me, can I?"
The van kept moving, but the moment hung still—heavy with quiet resolution.
Cindy sighed dramatically, leaning her head back against the cold metal wall. "Guess that means we'll just have to make sure you come back in one piece."
Laughter rippled through the group, muffled by the insulation and steel, chasing away the lingering tension.
Mortem didn't laugh. He stared at the street, a dead body image flashing through his mind—a memory he'd buried under miles of denial.
Harold gazed at the van's ceiling, where a crack ran down the middle like a fault line. "When this is all over, I'm going home. I don't know if my kids are still out there, but if they are, I have to see them again."
Ethan hesitated, then muttered, "I just want my life back. School, friends… stupid stuff I used to take for granted. I miss it."
Lila tapped her fingers against the dashboard. "My sister. I keep thinking, if I survive long enough, I'll find her."
Their words lingered in the tight space, carried only by the vibration of the road and the quiet hum of their dreams.
Then Mortem snorted. "Tch. What's with all this sentimental crap?"
Lila grinned at him through the rearview mirror. "Oh, come on, old man. You love it."
Cindy chuckled. "You should tell them, Mortem."
He rolled his eyes, but the corner of his mouth twitched. "Fine. I'm gonna own this hunk of junk one day. Fix it up. Make it something worth remembering."
Harold grinned. "Then we'll have to come back, won't we?"
Ethan's eyes lit up. "Yeah. When this is all done, we'll visit."
Lila smirked. "Guess I'll have to make sure I don't die, then."
Laughter again, louder this time—louder than the bumps, louder than the fear. Promises of a future they couldn't see, yet still dared to believe in.
Tilus stayed silent, eyes fixed on the dark highway ahead through the windshield. Something about it all felt… distant. Like a memory that hadn't happened yet, or one already lost. But he didn't dwell on it. For now, he let their voices fill the van, warm and full of life. However, how naive he was to think there was hope in this cursed world.
Tilus's breath came ragged as his grip tightened on his weapon while he stared down the two elite monsters blocking his path.
[Beast of the Forgotten Dead]
Their twisted forms pulsed with energy; dark eyes locked onto him like predators on prey. Amid the chaos—clashing steel, panicked shouts, and the sickening crunch of bone and flesh—his focus split, fractured by too many things.
His allies had scattered, each fighting their own battles. The monsters advanced as the Citadel came into view. Cindy and Mindy guarded each other's backs while Mortem snarled curses as he struggled to push past the creatures keeping him away. But no one—no one—could reach them.
Lila, Ethan, and Harold were too far away.
Tilus's mind raced. Move. Now. You can still make it.
But the monsters shifted. Their grotesque forms slithered in tandem, cutting off his path. He stepped forward, ready to force his way through—
"You don't want to cut your life short."
A voice—a whisper curling around the edges of his thoughts. His own voice, yet not. It slithered in like poison, cold and calculating.
"They're not mentioned in the journal."
Tilus's chest tightened. His mind stuttered, hesitation sinking its claws deep into his bones.
And then—a scream.
His head snapped up just in time to see Harold swing his weapon wildly, desperately, before something sharp tore through his back. Blood sprayed. The old soldier crumpled, his mouth opening as if to speak, but no words came out.
Move!
His legs felt heavy. He forced himself to step forward, but the monsters in front shifted again, anticipating his movement. One claw lashed out at his side, forcing him to raise his blade in defense.
Another scream.
Ethan.
Tilus turned—he shouldn't have. The moment of distraction cost him. Claws raked across his shoulder, sending sharp pain lancing through his body. He stumbled, his vision shaking—
Lila was still standing, panting and bloodied. She had killed one of the creatures attacking them, but another was lunging. She turned, reaching for Ethan—
But she wasn't fast enough. The monster's claws tore through the boy's chest like paper.
Tilus heard Ethan's breath hitch—a soft, choked sound. He saw the way Ethan's fingers twitched, still gripping the broken dagger that meant so much to him. The boy's body swayed—then collapsed, lifeless.
Tilus's stomach lurched.
Too slow.
Lila screamed.
She ran toward Ethan's body—too reckless, too desperate—and that's when the second monster struck.
Tilus's body finally obeyed. He lunged forward, but the two elite creatures in front of him moved in tandem, blocking his path. A claw shot out, forcing him back.
"No—no, no, no—"
Lila fought, already injured and drained. The monster's maw closed around her midsection; she gasped as blood spilled from her lips.
Tilus's vision blurred. His pulse pounded against his skull, each beat screaming, too late, too late, too late.
And then—a blinding light. A streak of silver and violet tore through the battlefield.
Violet's blade.
William's power.
They crashed into the fight, their arrival sending shockwaves through the chaos. William's spear tore through one of the creatures clawing at Lila's limp body, while Violet moved like a phantom, her sword cutting down the monster looming over Ethan.
But it didn't matter.
They were already dead.
Silence.
Tilus stood there, the weight of the moment crushing him. His sword hung uselessly at his side, his breath shallow, his hands trembling—slick with sweat and blood.
William turned to him, panting. "Tilus—You okay?"
He couldn't answer.
Violet stared at the bodies, fingers tightening around her weapon. A muscle in her jaw twitched. "Damn it."
The battlefield still raged around them, yet for Tilus, it had gone eerily quiet. His mind replayed it over and over—his hesitation, his inaction that had cost them their lives.
They weren't in the journal.
And now, they never would be.