Yin's eyes widened.
"No way... Is he really asking me to be friends? And he's also one of the top 4 in our class before!" Yin thought, heart racing. "I gotta act cool... Stay calm!"
"Ah, sure!" Yin replied, trying to sound casual.
"That was a good response, right?" Yin reassured himself.
"I see. I'm Zion, by the way. We were classmates back in Class A." Zion said with a smile.
"He seems pretty easy to work with. I guess he'll be my first ally." Zion thought.
"Do you... uh, want to share a room?" Yin asked awkwardly.
"Yes, please!" Zion answered a bit too excitedly.
The two grabbed their luggage and started walking together through the facility, looking for a room they liked. The silence between them grew heavier with each step.
"Shit... This is awkward as hell." Zion thought, his face stiffening into a forced serious expression.
"What do I say to break the ice?!"
Yin, glancing at Zion, saw his intense expression. "Why does he look so serious?! Did I do something wrong?" Yin panicked internally, his own face becoming tense.
Zion stole a quick glance at Yin. "Why does he look so scared? What's going on in his head?"
The awkward tension between them was thick enough to cut with a knife.
Just then, a figure stepped into their path — a familiar girl wearing a black t-shirt. Her tan skin, short hair, and lean muscular build made her instantly recognizable.
"Hey." Her tone was cocky, confident, and all business.
Zion raised an eyebrow. "Hm?"
"It's her again… Still cocky. Even though Master Zero isn't here, I swear my own cockiness is starting to wear off." Zion mused to himself.
"Join my team," the girl said firmly, no room for negotiation in her voice.
"Uh… sorry, but we don't even know who you are." Yin replied awkwardly.
At that, her demeanor completely shifted flames practically erupted around her, her frustration boiling over.
"Hey! I'm not talking to you! I'm talking to him!" She pointed directly at Zion. "And I'm not getting rejected for the 10th time!"
Zion sighed, raising his hand between Yin and the girl, cutting off the rising tension.
"Hey, cut it out," Zion said, his voice calm but serious.
"You didn't even properly introduce yourself. Why should we join your team?" Zion asked, his tone flat but firm.
The woman's temper flared instantly. "My name's Karina — and I want you to join my team," she said, her voice sharp.
"Why?" Zion pressed.
"Uh… because I've already been rejected ten times?" Karina admitted, her confidence cracking slightly.
"Nope." Zion turned on his heel and walked away, Yin following closely behind.
Before he could get far, Karina grabbed his wrist. "W-wait! I-I'm actually pretty smart! I may not look it, but I'm a good leader and strategist!" Karina blurted out, swallowing her pride.
Zion glanced back, eyeing her for a moment. "Hmm… maybe she's useful after all." His gaze briefly dropped to her chest before he gave a casual smirk.
"Alright, I'm in."
"Me too, since I'm sticking with Zion," Yin added.
Karina let out a relieved breath. "Great! Please move your bunk into our room."
Karina led them to her chosen room.
"Yin, you handle our stuff. I'll bring the bunk bed," Zion said. Yin gave a quick nod.
Zion wandered the hall until he found an empty room with a spare bunk. "This'll do." He grabbed the frame, dragging it with a grunt. "Heavier than I thought, but whatever."
He finally reached Karina and Yin's room. Just as he was about to enter, he spotted someone unfamiliar a small girl with short hair and glasses, peeking out nervously from behind Karina.
"Who's this?" Zion asked, tilting his head.
"Oh, that's my little sister, Sera," Karina said casually.
"Sera, this is Zion."
Sera gave a small, awkward wave. "H-hi…"
Zion smiled warmly at her. "Hello~" His tone was softer than usual, though his mind was already calculating. "She'll probably be useful too."
He carried the bunk inside, carefully positioning it in the corner. "Heavy… but it's fine," Zion muttered to himself. Once it was in place, he flopped onto the bottom bunk, staring at the ceiling.
"The system still hasn't returned… even though I already got Master's power." Zion's thoughts lingered as the weight of the day settled in.
Somewhere in an unknown, desolate place.
The ruins of a once-thriving city stretched endlessly, shrouded in thick darkness. Faint flickers of fire clung stubbornly to broken buildings, casting eerie shadows across the wreckage. All that remained was silence and devastation.
Twelve figures stood or sat in various positions, their forms barely visible against the gloom. They were waiting waiting for something, or perhaps someone.
Without warning, a figure emerged from the abyss a woman draped in a long, flowing black dress, her head adorned with a wide, dark straw sun hat. Her face was completely hidden within the shadows, swallowed by an unnatural darkness that seemed to pulse with life itself.
When she spoke, her voice was soft but chilling, every word laced with an unsettling calm.
"Remember in this plan, we will unleash the portals and drown the world in a tide of monsters. That is when we will all reveal our full strength."
She paused, inhaling slowly, her presence suffocating the air itself.
"My dear children… be careful~"
With those words, she stepped back, her form dissolving into the shadows as if she had never existed.
"Yes, Mother Nyx." The twelve figures spoke in unison, their reverence filling the empty ruins.
"You all may rest," the man said, the soft glow of the golden rings circling his forearms illuminating the dim air. The others gave silent nods before departing, leaving him alone in the quiet clearing.
With slow, deliberate steps, he approached a solitary tree the only living thing in this place of ruin and silence. Its bark was worn, yet carefully carved into it was a name: Lockerum.
Kneeling down, he pressed his hands together in prayer. His voice was low, heavy with the weight of memories.
"I wish you could see this, my friend… Even after all these years, they still don't know the truth five years of silence, five years of lies."
He inhaled deeply, the breath trembling slightly before he spoke again.
"Amitabha… May your soul find peace in the endless cycle of rebirth."
With a gentle touch, his fingertips brushed the rough carving of the name, lingering for a moment before he stood and walked away, leaving the lone tree to stand vigil over the name it bore.