Ren noticed sothing was going on near the gate of the safe zone.
Even from a distance, it was obvious. Too many military personnel. Too many vehicles. Too much noise for it to be a normal inspection day.
He crouched behind a broken concrete slab and narrowed his eyes.
"This is my best shot," he muttered.
Normally, getting inside the safe zone as a man was close to impossible. If you were lucky, you got dragged in as cheap labor. If you were unlucky, you never got in at all. The only n who entered without problems were cooks or prostitutes.
Ren grimaced.
"My cooking is absolute garbage," he whispered.
That left only one option, and he was not desperate enough for that. Yet.
He adjusted his torn jacket and slowly made his way closer to the gate, blending into the movent of refugees and workers. Soldiers shouted orders. tal gates creaked open and shut. People were searched, questioned, sotis dragged away.
Ren waited.
He always waited.
Then he saw her.
She was sitting on a crate near the outer checkpoint. Her face was completely covered by a dark cloth, but what caught Ren's attention was the cage she held casually on her lap.
Inside it buzzed a hornet.
Ren froze.
"…No way," he murmured.
Only one person he knew carried insects like that. Especially dangerous ones.
Several soldiers surrounded the woman, all won in military uniform. They were clearly suspicious.
"Remove the mask," one of them ordered.
The woman tilted her head slightly but did not move.
"We asked you a question," another soldier said, her hand resting near her rifle.
Ren clicked his tongue.
"Damn it, Drain," he muttered.
He did not hesitate.
Ren stepped forward, straight into their line of sight.
The three soldiers imdiately noticed him.
"Hey," one of them said sharply. "Who are you?"
Ren stopped a few steps away and raised his hands slightly.
"I am lost," he said in an innocent tone. "Can you help , miss soldier?"
The soldiers blinked.
They looked at each other, then back at Ren.
He was dirty, injured but healed, clearly not a threat. A man alone near the gate was unusual, but not unheard of.
Their expressions softened.
"Oh?" one of them said, her voice suddenly gentle. "What happened, boy?"
Ren swallowed and lowered his eyes.
"I was attacked," he muttered. "Two won tried to drag away. They said… they said they would have fun with ."
The atmosphere changed instantly.
"What?" one soldier snapped.
"Where?" another demanded.
Their caring tone turned into pure fury.
"Those junkies again," the third muttered. "They never learn."
Ren pointed vaguely behind him.
"It was that direction," he said softly. "I barely escaped."
The soldiers clenched their fists.
"You should go to that tent," the first soldier said firmly, pointing toward a large dical tent. "That is our dical center. You will be safe there."
"Yes," another added. "We will deal with those trash."
They turned away without another word, rifles fully loaded, expressions murderous.
Ren watched them leave, then slowly turned his gaze back to the masked woman.
She was still sitting there, perfectly calm.
"You know," Ren muttered quietly, "that wasp is a dead giveaway."
The woman paused.
Then she chuckled.
A soft, amused sound.
She reached up and removed her mask.
"Hello, Ren," she said. "What a surprise seeing you here."
Ren sighed.
"Drain," he muttered. "You look exactly as troubleso as ever."
Drain smiled faintly, her sharp eyes studying him.
"And you look alive," she replied. "I suppose that is a good thing."
Later, they sat beside a storage wall, away from the main crowd. Each of them held a piece of hard bread.
Ren took a bite and winced.
"This tastes awful."
Drain shrugged.
"Food is food."
Ren glanced at her.
"Why did you leave back there?" he asked. "Did you want to die?"
Drain chewed slowly before answering.
"It is the opposite," she said calmly. "I knew you would not die."
Ren frowned.
"That makes no sense."
"You are too much trouble to die easily," Drain replied. "I already have enough problems. I do not need more."
Ren snorted.
"So you abandoned ."
"I trusted you after being with you." she corrected.
Ren looked away.
"…Still annoying."
Drain smiled faintly.
After a mont, Ren spoke again.
"So," he said. "Did you get your reward for helping ?"
Drain nodded.
"I did."
"That is why you are here?"
"Yes."
Ren studied her closely.
She looked thinner. More alert. Like soone constantly ready to run.
"Well," Ren said, "it looks like you are on a journey. Good luck with whatever you are up to."
Drain raised an eyebrow.
"That is all?"
Ren shrugged.
"I do not plan to chase you."
Drain watched him carefully.
"Then why are you here?" she asked. "You just got healed. Are you looking for trouble?"
Ren hesitated, then smirked slightly.
"Sothing like that."
Drain followed his gaze toward the massive gate of the safe zone.
"Oh," she said. "So you want in."
Ren nodded.
"I imagine you are loitering around the gate for the sa reason."
Drain humd thoughtfully.
"Well, you have to pay well if you want to enter," she said. "Or find another way."
She looked at him sideways.
"And I think I have a thod."
Ren imdiately sighed.
"Cut it out," he said. "I will not act like a slut."
Drain laughed.
"And even if I did," Ren continued, "there is no reason for them to let you inside."
Drain leaned back against the wall.
"You are surprisingly confident."
"I am realistic," Ren replied.
There was a brief silence.
Then Ren spoke again.
"I have a better way," he said.
Drain looked at him.
"Oh?"
"We can get inside," Ren continued. "But it is going to take so ti."
Drain's eyes narrowed slightly.
"I am listening."
Ren leaned closer and lowered his voice.
"The chaos near the gate will not last forever," he said. "But while it does, people will move in and out. Supplies, injured soldiers, ssengers."
Drain nodded slowly.
"You want to blend in."
"Yes," Ren said. "But not as refugees."
Drain smiled faintly.
"Then as what?"
Ren tapped the bread in his hand.
"As Soldiers," he replied.
Drain stared at him for a long mont.
Then she laughed softly.
"You really are trouble," she said.
Ren smirked.
"You knew that already."
Drain stood up and adjusted the cage in her hands.
"Fine," she said. "I will hear your plan."
Ren rose to his feet.
"Good," he said. "Because once we start, there is no turning back."
Drain's smile sharpened.
"I never planned to turn back."
***
The ocean was dark, endless, and crushing.
Lan iling swam through the cold water, her breaths short and uneven as bubbles escaped her lips. The light from above barely reached this depth. Strange plants swayed like fingers, and massive shadows moved far away, slow and heavy.
Golden threads wrapped around her body, shaped like twisting dragon scales. They glowed faintly, protecting her from the pressure, but they could not protect her heart.
"I just need to get back," iling whispered to herself. "Back to the clan. That's all."
Sothing moved.
She froze mid-swim.
The water vibrated, as if sothing large had passed nearby. A low sound echoed through the deep, not quite a roar, not quite a growl.
iling's breathing grew faster.
"No," she muttered. "Not now. Please."
The sound circled her.
She turned slowly, eyes wide, golden threads tightening around her arms like they sensed danger. The darkness shifted, and two pale lights opened in front of her.
Eyes.
Before she could react, a massive fish burst from the shadows. Its body was covered in jagged plates, and its face was a nightmare. Sharp mandibles clicked together, rows of teeth folding and unfolding like blades.
"Get away from !" iling shouted.
She thrust her hands forward, and the golden threads shot out, wrapping around the creature's head. The fish screeched, thrashing violently, water exploding around them.
It lunged.
iling twisted aside, barely avoiding its jaws. One mandible grazed her side, and pain shot through her body.
"Agh!"
She spun and kicked off its scales, pulling distance between them.
"Why won't you leave alone?" she cried.
The fish charged again.
iling clenched her teeth. "Ren," she whispered. "Give strength. Just like always."
The golden threads flared brighter.
They ford spears and slamd into the fish's body. The creature shrieked, twisting in agony, but it did not fall. It snapped its jaws and tore through several threads, rushing her once more.
"I can't hold it," iling gasped. "I can't…"
Suddenly, the water shook violently.
A shadow far larger than the first fish moved above them.
The attacking fish froze.
A colossal shape descended, its presence suffocating. A giant fish, many tis larger, crashed into the smaller one with terrifying force.
The impact sent iling spinning.
The smaller fish scread and fled into the darkness, its fear overwhelming even its hunger.
iling looked up.
The giant fish opened its mouth.
Too big. Too close.
"No… wait—!"
Darkness swallowed her.
She felt herself being crushed, pulled inward. The water vanished. The pressure stopped.
Then, silence.
"Am I… dead?" iling whispered.
She opened her eyes.
There was no water.
She stood on soft ground, warm and pulsing, like living flesh. The walls around her moved slowly, breathing. A golden light shone ahead, calm and inviting.
She took a shaky step forward.
"Ren…" a voice whispered.
iling froze.
Her heart skipped. "That voice…?"
"Ren…"
Tears filled her eyes. "Why… why are you here?"
She walked toward the light, each step echoing softly. The whisper grew clearer, repeating the na she had clung to through fear and despair.
As she got closer, she noticed shapes along the walls.
Chains.
She stopped.
A man was bound to the fleshy wall, black chains piercing into him. His head hung low, his body still, as if lifeless.
iling swallowed hard. "What the hell is this…?"
Her voice trembled. "I just wanted to get back to my clan. Why is it always like this?"
The man slowly lifted his head.
His eyes opened.
Without moving his mouth, a voice echoed directly into her mind.
"Take to him."
iling staggered back. "W-what?"
"He is the only one who can save this world."
The man's gaze locked onto hers.
"She will destroy everything," the voice continued. "She cursed this world. She cursed all of us."
iling shook her head. "Who are you talking about?"
"She needs to be stopped."
The light behind the man pulsed brighter.
iling clenched her fists, golden threads trembling around her as she started to notice sothing famillar about this man in front of her.
"WHAT THE! YOU ARE HIM...YOU ARE REN!" iling took few steps back, as she felt like she had seen a ghost.
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