The world was falling apart. Before the last sunset sank below the horizon, soone had to step forward—soone had to light the torch and guide the lost through the darkness, waiting for the dawn.
Yes, Amiya would lead the people of this world to build a tower that reached for the heavens.
But.
All things cycle between creation and destruction. Civilizations rise, and inevitably, they fall. An era will always et its end, and in its destruction, the seeds of rebirth are sown.
Tallulah must have understood this.
It was entirely possible that her goal wasn't so different from Amiya's. The only difference was how she chose to achieve it.
She wanted to be a creator, but to do so, she had to be a destroyer. She wanted to tear down this world where the infected were trampled beneath the boots of the privileged. And when everything was reduced to ash—only then could sothing new be born.
—
"Yoren. Yoren!"
A sharp pain jolted him back to reality.
Indra had kicked him in the backside, her expression unimpressed.
"What the hell are you daydreaming about? Didn't you hear Vina calling you?"
"Oh—uh, sorry. Got lost in thought."
Vina placed a steaming bowl of noodles on the table, the aroma rich and inviting.
"It's ready. Co eat."
Yoren didn't need to be told twice. "Thanks."
Indra stood off to the side, arms crossed. "Tch. You're damn lucky, kid. Vina's cooked for maybe three tis in all these years."
Yoren just grinned. "Heh."
Vina poured two glasses of wine, handing one to Indra before lifting hers in a casual toast.
"When we get back to Victoria, we'll throw a party at my place. I'll cook for everyone."
Indra smirked. "Now that I'll look forward to."
Vina glanced at Yoren, who was shoveling noodles into his mouth like he hadn't eaten in days.
"You too. You're coming."
Yoren gave her a thumbs-up between bites.
She wasn't normally this generous to newcors. Hell, she wasn't even this nice to most of her own gang mbers. But there was sothing about Yoren that felt different—sothing she couldn't quite put into words.
Like a candle burning in a storm. Small. Fragile. But still... there.
She still didn't fully understand what he had ant by the Integration Movent, but when he said that three years from now, Tallulah's uprising would shake the world to its core—
She believed him.
Because if an army of infected, united under a single cause, truly rose up against the world...
It wouldn't just be war. It would be cataclysmic.
The world saw Oripathy as a death sentence. Once infected, the Originium fused into the bloodstream, corroding the body, shutting down organs one by one. Without proper treatnt, the infected would die within years, and even their corpses would beco a source of further contamination.
But few people knew the other side of the disease.
For a rare few, Oripathy wasn't just destruction.
It was power.
Those whose bodies reached a high degree of fusion with Originium gained abilities beyond human limits—abilities so potent they could rival an entire army.
If the Integration Movent gathered enough of these infected, and Tallulah led them to war—
It would change the world forever.
Vina clenched her fists beneath the table.
She loved her holand. She had vowed to protect it. And she would not let the darkness swallow Londinium whole.
The gears of fate had already begun to turn.
And she was determined to stand in their way.
—
"Yoren."
He looked up from his empty bowl, eting Vina's gaze.
"...Will there really be a rabbit in three years? Soone whose ideal is to save everyone?"
He swallowed his last bite and grinned.
"Yeah. And she'll prove it—not with words, but with actions. She'll build sothing to carry people through the darkness—an ark that will sail toward the future."
Vina closed her eyes for a mont. Then, slowly, she exhaled.
"...If that's true." Her voice was quiet but steady. "Then I, Vina, swear to be one of her knights. I'll protect that Ark with my life."
Yoren nodded. "Good."
Indra, who had been listening, finally scoffed. "Alright, what the hell are you two talking about? Rabbits? Arks? I feel like I just walked into a cult."
Yoren pointed his chopsticks at her. "You'll get it eventually. And you too—three years from now, you'll be standing on that Ark, whether you believe it or not."
Indra rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. I ain't no knight, though. I just know how to punch things."
"Tsk, and you wonder why you're single, Indra-chan."
Indra cracked her knuckles. "You tired of living?"
"...I take it back."
Vina stretched, setting down her glass. "Alright, enough. Finish up and get so rest. We've got a lot to do tomorrow."
Yoren slurped down the last of his broth and let out a satisfied sigh.
And then—
Knock. Knock. Knock.
The room fell into sudden silence.
The casual atmosphere vanished.
Vina's expression darkened. Indra narrowed her eyes.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
The gang mbers who had already gone to bed imdiately reappeared, weapons in hand, their bodies tense.
The location of this villa was remote—no one outside of the Glasgow Gang should even know about it. And it was already late.
Whoever was at the door...
They weren't here for a friendly visit.
Vina's ponytail bristled. "That bitch Winter—did she sell us out?"
Yoren imdiately held up his hands. "Wait, no way. Winter wouldn't do that. I know her."
"You sure?"
"I'll vouch for her."
Indra scoffed. "How much is your word worth?" She picked up a chair and lifted it like a weapon. "If it's trouble, it's trouble. No point in overthinking it. Vina, we've only got one choice."
She cracked her knuckles. "We fight."
A chorus of voices rose behind her.
"Yeah!!"
Weapons were drawn. Knives. Pipes. Brass knuckles. The tension in the room thickened, a killing aura spreading through the air.
Vina stuffed a lollipop into her mouth, grabbed her Contract Victory Hamr, and spat out the stick.
"Get ready."
"KILL!!"
Yoren, sensing impending disaster, quickly stepped in front of the door. "Wait, wait, WAIT—think for a second!"
Indra raised a brow. "What, you scared?"
"No, I'm thinking. If it were the military police, do you really think they'd be polite enough to knock first?"
Silence.
The gang mbers exchanged glances.
"...Shit."
"...That's a good point."
Yoren sighed, rubbing his temples. "Okay, finally. Now, just stay put. I'll open it."
Vina folded her arms. "You sure about this?"
Yoren smirked. "What if it's just soone collecting the water bill?"
No one laughed.
Slowly, he reached for the handle, bracing himself.
And then, with a deep breath, he opened the door.
Yoren's optimism was shining at full force.
Compared to standing barefoot in the street on the day he arrived in this world, he now had shelter, food, and—most importantly—reliable allies. With Vina and Indra here, he wasn't worried. No matter what happened, they'd find a way through.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
The sound was soft but strangely deliberate.
Yoren leaned in, pressing his ear against the door. "Who is it?"
Knock. Knock. Knock.
No answer. Just the sa steady rhythm.
Yoren frowned but didn't hesitate. He reached for the handle and swung the door open.
And then—
He froze.
Standing there was a petite girl, barely 1.5 ters tall, with light blue hair and round bear-like ears poking out from her head. She wore a monocle over one eye and cradled a book in her arms, her school uniform slightly too big for her small fra.
She looked up at him, eyes calm and unreadable.
"I am—"
BANG!
Yoren slamd the door shut.
Oh, hell no.
The gang mbers in the living room tensed, hands gripping their weapons. Vina narrowed her eyes, hamr at the ready. "Who was it?"
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Yoren groaned. There was no getting out of this.
With great reluctance, he reopened the door.
The girl had not moved. She simply blinked up at him, completely unfazed.
"Why are you here?" he demanded.
"I was passing by."
"...At this hour?"
She tilted her head slightly. "I sensed unusual electromagnetic waves. I wanted to investigate."
Yoren felt a migraine forming. "Truth, I advise you to leave."
"How do you know my na?"
There it was—the question he'd been dreading.
Because the little girl standing in front of him, the one who looked like a harmless middle schooler, was Truth—one of the mbers of the Ursus Student Autonomous Group.
She might have been young, but that didn't make her any less dangerous. Unlike Winter, who was all brute force and instinct, Truth was a genius. She was well-versed in literature, war history, cryptology, and even advanced Originium research. A prodigy with a razor-sharp mind.
Yoren knew for a fact that dealing with her would be more exhausting than any fistfight with Winter.
He forced a casual shrug. "I know Winter. She ntioned you."
Truth adjusted her monocle. "Winter may have told you my na, but how did you recognize ?"
"Uh—she showed a picture."
"I don't recall ever posing for a photograph. Describe it to ."
Oh my god.
Yoren braced himself against the doorfra, exhaling sharply. "Look, just take my word for it and go ho."
"Why?"
"This isn't the place for you."
"Is this your ho?"
"...Sort of."
"Then why isn't it a place for ?"
"It's—dangerous."
Truth's expression remained neutral. "That is an unusual answer. I am a legal citizen of Chernobog. My safety is protected under city law. If you claim this place is dangerous, it would be appropriate for to call the authorities to ensure public safety."
Yoren clenched his teeth.
He was this close to picking her up and launching her into the night like a football.
He tried one last ti. "Truth, I'm warning you. If you co in, things might not end well for you."
"Why?"
"Because—"
"What do you intend to do to ? What are you hiding?"
"AHHHH!"
Yoren's patience snapped like a twig.
There was no reasoning with her.
No.
Reasoning with her was impossible.
She wasn't scared of threats. She wasn't swayed by intimidation. She was pure logic, and if sothing didn't add up, she would chase the answer down like a bloodhound.
Yoren was not equipped to handle this level of ntal warfare.
In a last-ditch effort, he scowled and growled, "Listen, you little brat, get lost before I—"
Before he could finish, Truth pulled a phone from her bag.
"If my doubts are not answered, I will be unable to sleep tonight. If I cannot sleep, it will affect my productivity. As such, I believe it is necessary to report this situation to the military police."
SHE DIALED THE NUMBER.
A voice picked up almost imdiately. "Hello, this is the Qiecheng Security Office. What's the situation?"
"Hello, I am currently located at—mmmf!"
Yoren lunged.
One hand clamped over her mouth, the other grabbed her phone. He yanked it away and spoke quickly into the receiver.
"Ahaha, hi, officers! Tough job working so late! On behalf of Chernobog's citizens, I just wanna say—thank you! Rember to stay warm and drink lots of hot tea! Okay, goodnight, bye!"
He hung up and wiped the sweat off his forehead.
Then he turned to Truth, his eye twitching.
"...What the hell is wrong with you?"
Truth calmly adjusted her uniform. "Give back my phone."
Vina's voice cut through the air from inside the villa.
"Yoren. Who are you talking to?"
His stomach dropped.
Damn it.
There was no avoiding it now.
Gritting his teeth, he handed Truth's phone back to her and sighed. "Fine. You wanna see what's inside? Then don't say I didn't warn you."
Truth blinked at him. Then, without a word, she stepped inside.
—
One minute later.
Truth stood in the center of the living room, still as a statue.
Surrounding her was a wall of gangsters.
Burly, scarred n, all gripping weapons, their expressions murderous. Indra stood with her arms crossed, radiating nace. Vina leaned against the wall, her Contract Victory Hamr resting on her shoulder, the lollipop in her mouth clicking against her teeth.
She stared at Truth like a lion eyeing a particularly annoying rabbit.
Her voice was dangerously low.
"Yoren."
Yoren stiffened.
"...Explain to why you let her in."
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