As Drone and Nero stepped into the forest, Drone suddenly stopped walking.
Nero looked at him. "Why did you stop?"
"There's another person joining us today," Drone said.
"Who?" Nero asked.
"Jaren," Drone replied.
Nero furrowed his brows. "Jaren?"
"Yeah. You remember him, right? The guy with the twins."
Nero shook his head. "Not quite."
Drone chuckled. "No worries. You'll remember when you see him." He then added, "Also… roll down your sleeves. He might freak out if he sees the cracks."
Nero nodded and rolled them down. "Good thing I had them rolled up earlier, when I walked into your death room."
Drone let out an awkward laugh. "Yeah… if your sleeves were down, they would've gotten sliced too. You'd have a shirt with one long sleeve and one short one."
Nero looked at him seriously. "We need to go to Dr. Anika as soon as possible."
Drone raised an eyebrow. "Dr. Anika? Using her first name so soon?"
"What else am I supposed to call her? I don't know her last name."
"Oh, right. That's on me—I haven't told you. It's Merrow. Anika Merrow."
"So, Dr. Merrow, then."
"You can still use her first name if you want," Drone said casually.
"I've only known her for a few hours," Nero said, deadpan. "Using her first name feels too familiar. And you were the one who said it caught you off-guard."
"Fair enough," Drone said, smirking. "Call her whatever feels right."
Before the conversation could go any further, a voice called out to them. Jaren was walking over.
Drone pointed. "Here comes our guy."
Nero looked at him and tilted his head. "Oh. That guy. Yeah—I remember seeing him when I first arrived in the town."
Jaren walked up to them and gave Drone a nod. "So, you brought the new guy today?"
Drone grinned. "Yep. You remember his name, right?"
Jaren gave Nero a playful grin. "Yeah. It was… Crackedface, wasn't it?"
Drone burst out laughing, and even Jaren chuckled at his own joke.
Nero gave them both a flat look. "Seriously?"
"Alright, alright," Jaren said. "Sorry. It's Nero, right?"
"It's Nero Angelo," Drone said, cutting in. "I gave him the 'Nero' part. Cool, huh?"
Jaren nodded. "Yeah, that is cool."
Nero sighed internally. He was now stuck with two Drones.
Jaren extended a hand. "I'm Jaren Vos. This time I'll try to remember your full name. Hope we get along, Nero Angelo."
Nero shook it. "Likewise."
Drone clapped his hands together. "Great. Now that we're all here, let's get moving."
The three headed deeper into the woods. After a while, Drone raised a hand and stopped.
Nero asked, "What now?"
Jaren whispered, "Is it the thing?"
Drone shook his head. "No. Just its footprints. Look—there."
They walked forward and found large prints embedded into the dirt.
Nero crouched down. "So this is what it leaves behind?"
"Yeah," Drone said. "It went northeast. Which means we're not going that way today."
Jaren nodded. "Let's head west. That area hasn't been checked in a while."
"Agreed," said Drone. "Let's hope we find something useful this time."
They turned and started westward, weaving through thick underbrush and scattered trees. The sun peeked through the canopy above, casting golden light that made everything feel strangely peaceful—despite what they were tracking.
After some time, Nero asked, "You said you scout later in the day to avoid the creature. But… didn't Dr. Merrow and her daughter go out early this morning? Isn't that dangerous?"
Drone shook his head. "Nah, don't worry about them. They went to a different part of the forest. That thing doesn't go there."
"Why not?" Nero asked.
Drone smirked. "I don't know. Ask the monster."
Jaren chuckled quietly.
Eventually, they came across a patch filled with mushrooms—of all shapes and colors.
Drone's eyes lit up. "Hell yes. Look at all those mushrooms, just waiting to be eaten."
Nero frowned. "Are you sure they're safe? What if they're poisonous?"
Jaren gave him a grin. "You worry too much, kid. That's why I'm here—to make sure you guys don't eat something that'll kill you."
Drone pointed to him. "Exactly. Jaren's the expert. Lead the way."
Jaren moved ahead, explaining the different kinds of mushrooms—what to avoid, what to pick.
They worked together, gathering a good amount. The air was cool, and for a moment, everything felt normal. Like a break from the strange.
After a while, Drone hoisted his backpack. "Alright. That's enough for today. Let's head back."
As they returned to the village, Anika spotted them. She walked over and smiled at Nero. "So, you joined them today. What did you three find?"
Drone held up the backpack. "A whole lot of mushrooms. There's more back there too."
Anika leaned in slightly and whispered, "Thom said you and Nero were looking for me earlier?"
"Yeah," Drone said quietly. "Something weird happened to Nero. You need to check him out as soon as possible."
Anika nodded. "Alright. Drop off the supplies and bring him to the house."
Once everything was in place, Nero and Drone headed to her home.
Drone knocked, and Anika opened the door.
They stepped inside and sat down. Then, piece by piece, they told her everything. From the tracker to the trap, to Nero's severed arm… and how it reattached itself.
Anika listened quietly, her expression darkening with every word.
When they finished, she looked at Nero. "Show me."
Nero rolled up his left sleeve. The faint black line around the forearm was still there—like a scar of shadow.
Anika gently touched the skin. "And there was no blood? No pain?"
Nero shook his head. "And inside—it wasn't flesh. Just void. Pitch black. When I touched it, I couldn't feel anything in there. It was like… it was empty."
Anika sat back in her chair and exhaled slowly. "I've never heard of anything like this. Not in all my years of studying. I'm sorry… I don't think I can solve this."
Nero's shoulders lowered slightly. The hope in his eyes flickered.
But Anika gave him a soft look. "Hey. You're regaining your memories, right? Piece by piece. Maybe when you remember everything, you'll find your answers.