Everyone went silent for a moment. The abrupt blast had shattered the fragile moment of respite, turning it into dust.

Vesta's eyes flicked between Sezel and Shiki.

A silent, tensed gaze passing between the three.

Suddenly, a secondary sound followed, a high, metallic shriek of stressed iron giving way, followed by the deafening clang of something massive crashing against another metal object. It wasn't too far, nor was it too close.

Guess our rest time is over.

He pushed himself upright. His gaze locked on Vesta, who stood calm amid the brewing storm, her eyes closed as if listening to the wild cacophony and trying to deduce the source of the blast.

"I have a better idea," Sezel murmured, voice low and steady. Vesta opened her eyes slowly and locked them on Sezel.

Before Sezel even spoke the words, the black and purple misty energy that had been dormant within him escaped his body, swirling and coalescing into the towering form of the Spectral Flesh Reaper.

"This one is taller than the dry grass outside," Sezel declared, his voice confident.

Vesta stayed silent for a moment, her gaze fixed on the imposing figure of the puppet, and then she nodded.

Shiki, on the other hand, was shocked, his eyes wide with a mixture of awe and confusion. "How did your puppet grow taller… and get both its arms back?" he asked, his voice low.

Sezel looked at him. Wasn't he there when I converted the core into the puppet? But then he remembered the strange, hollow look in his eyes. Guess the memories of that time, and the latter part, were wiped clean.

He sighed. "This is another one."

Shiki was even more dumbfounded. "You had more than one of them?" he asked, his curiosity almost childlike.

Sezel looked at him, his eyes squinting. Either he is just that dumb, or he's trying to play with me. Either way, I am not telling.

Mari, who had been silent up until now, let out a small, nervous laugh, breaking the tension of their strange interaction. Shiki retreated, scratching his head with a embarrassed grin.

"Oh, from that," Shiki said, his head bowed down, his voice hesitant. "I and Vesta have already absorbed two beast cores each. You can have the rest." He paused, his gaze fixed on the ground. "And… sorry for the trouble I caused."

Sezel was silent for a moment, his mind chaotic because of social anxiety. He was not good with this kind of thing, with apologies, with forgiveness. His mind raced. What do I say now? Do I just go and smack him on the back? 'No problem, buddy.' Something like that?

He looked at Shiki, blinking his eyes, the absurdity of the situation almost making him laugh. Okay, hell nah. That feels so awkward.

At last, Sezel just said a casual "sorry" as a reply, a single, simple word that stunned both Vesta and Shiki into a brief, bewildered silence. But that was just that.

They didn't have much time to waste. He sent the puppet out to investigate, the scene that it witnessed through its eyes playing like a video in the back of his mind.

The puppet was taller than the dry grass stacks that covered the vast area of this walled-off place, and it was too large to check from a single point.

The other problem was the rain, which continued to lash down, the dark, heavy clouds obstructing the vision. The spectral Flesh Reaper continued forward, its long, insectile legs carrying it towards the wall.

But it wouldn't be a great idea to cover the fifteen kilometers just in one direction. So, Sezel made it move diagonally, a methodical sentinel covering more area, its senses on high alert.

After a bit of walking around, Sezel found nothing unusual. Everything seems fine. Just what could have been that blast? Was it even inside the walls, or outside?

Just as he was about to order his puppet to retreat, to come back, he saw something that made him clench his jaw.

"We immediately need to get away from here," Sezel spoke, his voice sharp, urgent command.

"What?" Shiki and Vesta spoke in unison.

Vesta took a slight breath and then raised the question. "What did you see exactly?"

Sezel replied, his own body already in motion. "We don't have time. Pack the bags. Take anything that seems useful around. I will tell you on the way. My puppet is currently coming back."

"I am mostly done. All the cores are in one bag," Shiki commented, his movements swift and efficient.

Vesta nodded and started packing up the bag she was taking care of. Sezel, too, packed up the things in his bag, his hands moving with almost frantic, speed. He gave a pained, sorrowful look to his broken katana.

First the scabbard, and now even the blade is gone. But thanks to you, I survived up until now.

Suddenly, as he was adrift in his thoughts, a new window appeared in front of him. Sezel read it, his lips curling into a strange smile. This is just perfect.

-

-

-

Some time later, the four of them were moving through the wilderness, the long, dried-up stalks of grass now bowed down due to the heavy, relentless rain. They walked through them carefully, not making even the slightest of sounds.

After they had covered enough space from the metallic tower and the gaping hole in the earth, they finally stopped.

"Now, tell us. What did you see?" Vesta demanded, her voice just a small whisper against the relentless pitter-patter of the rain.

"The gate to this place has been torn apart," Sezel said as he continued walking. "Something has made its way inside the walls already."

Vesta stopped for a second, her face a mask of realization. "What… exactly do you mean by 'torn apart'?" she asked.

Sezel stopped and looked at her, his crimson eyes locking into hers. "Those humungous metal doors were ripped from their place and thrown around like they were some toys."

Vesta's expression turned dark. She looked at Shiki, who seemed to be lost in his own dark calculations, and then at Sezel, who was eager, almost desperate, to just run away from here.

"Let's move," Sezel urged, his voice dropping to a fearsome warning. "We are running on extra time. There is no guarantee what that thing is, and when it will find us." He paused, his gaze sweeping across the desolate, rain-swept landscape. "And there is no telling how many more will come, thanks to the scent that bastard released."