Only a short while had passed since Gilbert regained consciousness, and strength was gradually returning to his body.
He was in no condition to run or fight, but he could at least stand and walk with cautious steps.
Raymond, for his part, never strayed far from him. Caution colored his every movement—yet he did not seem afraid.
With brief gestures, they decided to explore the nearby area before darkness fully settled at sunset. Sitting and waiting without knowing their exact location was not an option, despite the danger that might lurk deeper within.
They agreed not to venture too far, especially given their current condition.
Beneath the entwined shadows of the trees, the place felt as though it was hoarding its secrets among branches and roots.
After a short distance, a quietly flowing river came into view.
The small clearing beside it was less densely forested, allowing the sky to appear clearly enough for them to estimate the time.
— Around five in the evening.
They decided to follow the riverbank a little further. The path seemed endless.
Just as despair threatened to settle in, something different appeared along the horizon.
There—
Amid climbing plants and overgrown grass, ruined concrete walls emerged, coated with moss and rust.
A torn metallic door lay half-buried in the earth, shattered windows yawning open.
Everything was clearly visible due to the unusually sparse trees in that specific area—as if they had been deliberately uprooted, either inviting visitors inside… or warning them away.
Raymond didn't understand why he froze in place, but something tightened painfully in his chest.
"This place…"
he whispered, only realizing he had spoken after the words echoed in his ears.
There was no explanation for the feeling.
Everything here felt… disturbingly familiar.
Gilbert said nothing.
Instead, they both stepped inside to examine the building.
Everything was in decay—grass and moss spread across every corner—but the interior made it clear this was no ordinary structure.
Old electrical wiring. Shattered glass tubes. Metallic devices.
Partially broken tables. Beds. White platforms that had turned gray from layers of dust.
Small metallic tools resembling knives—varying in size and shape, their edges dulled by corrosion—lay scattered across the floor and tables.
Anyone with a shred of reason would immediately understand what this place was.
It didn't resemble an abandoned hospital.
It was a place that screamed of something grotesque that had occurred here in the past.
— A biological research facility.
As the scattered fragments inside Gilbert's mind suddenly aligned, they came without warning.
A flash tore through his memory.
Cold white light. The scent of disinfectants. Smooth walls untouched by dust.
A glass capsule… and a small child standing behind it, staring from the other side.
Speaking. Smiling at him.
His heart jolted violently, and for a moment, the world around him faded away.
That child… again… Who was he?
He clutched his head as a sudden headache struck.
At the same moment, both of them turned toward each other.
A long, confused stare.
Each read the same unease—the same strangeness—in the other's expression.
Then, as though fate had stripped the words from them, they spoke at the same time.
"At that time… in the white room—"
The sentence never finished.
Crunch.
The abrupt sound shattered the silence.
It came from the shattered glass on the left side of the building—near the entrance they had passed through only minutes earlier.
Raymond snapped his gaze toward the noise and froze.
From between the rubble and weeds, a massive serpent slithered forth.
Its body twisted elegantly through the debris with eerie grace, exuding an awareness far beyond what any reptile should possess.
Its gray skin was cracked in several places, and through those fissures pulsed faint green lines—like veins that breathed, slow and alive.
Its pupils contracted and expanded incessantly, as though tracking the rhythm of their breathing.
Its length exceeded anything reason could comfortably comprehend.
It was not an anaconda—nor any known species.
It was something else entirely.
Something that should not even be called a snake.
This was not a random advance—but a living will.
Raymond spoke cautiously, eyes fixed on its movements.
"It looks like one wrong move will get us killed…"
Gilbert forced a tense smile as he watched it, then replied,
"I know what you mean. Venom isn't our only concern… We'd be crushed outright if we misjudge the distance."
The serpent did not attack immediately as they expected.
Instead, it crept toward them with murderous slowness, dragging debris behind it—crushing everything in its path, just as it would crush their bones if they remained within its sight too long.
Raymond stepped back two paces, gripping the long dagger strapped to his right thigh. He exhaled sharply.
The serpent wasn't fast—but its sheer size filled the space.
Each movement smashed against the walls, shattered pillars, overturned metal tables.
With every inch it advanced, the building trembled above them.
"We need to move—now," Gilbert whispered.
"This isn't a fight we can win by staying in one place."
Raymond nodded, then added,
"Do we split up now?
I hate saying it, but one of us needs to act as bait while the other attacks.
Do you have any other ideas?"
Gilbert shook his head.
"No. That's our only option. I doubt it'll let us escape once it's caught our scent.
We need to corner it in a narrow space to restrict its movement—but we must avoid the debris and its tail."
Raymond studied his companion's expression, then smiled awkwardly.
"Let's do it.
One more thing… try not to die this time. You haven't fully recovered yet."
Gilbert nodded, then added with a bitter, mocking smile,
"I won't die that easily."
Raymond's eyes widened for a brief moment.
He didn't understand the source of that confidence—nor the meaning behind that smile.
He turned away, pushing those thoughts aside as he refocused on their new enemy, muttering before sprinting off,
"I really hope that's not just empty talk."
Behind him, Gilbert hesitated for a heartbeat after Raymond's comment, then smiled—tinged with bitterness—and followed.
They moved in opposite directions.
The serpent's pupils dilated and contracted rapidly as it shifted its gaze between Raymond and Gilbert, tongue flicking out before it let out a piercing hiss and chose to pursue Raymond—the closer target.
A deafening crash erupted behind them as half its body coiled and smashed into a fragile stone pillar, reducing it to powder.
Then it struck.
Its massive body surged toward Raymond, attempting to coil around him.
Raymond dodged swiftly, but the colossal tail slammed into the wall behind him, sending debris hurtling his way and knocking him to the ground.
Through the choking dust, he heard Gilbert shout,
"Get down—!"
Gilbert leapt over him, sword dirtied with dust, and struck hard at the advancing head.
The blade barely scratched the cracked skin.
"It's too thick!"
he shouted, panting.
The serpent didn't retreat. It continued its assault, jaws spreading wide to swallow them whole.
They narrowly escaped at the last possible moment.
Its eyes glowed with a cold golden light.
Its tongue tasted the air around them… as it approached with deliberate slowness.
For a moment, it felt as though it wasn't hunting to kill—but to play.
"It's… not entirely beastlike," Raymond muttered as he forced himself upright.
"It's smarter than it should be… Is it mutated?"
Gilbert stood beside him, watching every subtle movement.
"Given the nature of this place—and the likelihood of exposure to its remnants—there's no doubt about it.
You can easily imagine what went on here."
Raymond nodded, then shouted as he moved away,
"Stick to the original plan—aim for its eyes this time!"
"I will!"
They charged again.
As before, the serpent targeted Raymond.
But this time, its attacks grew far more violent, smashing its head forward and obliterating walls and ancient furniture in a frenzy.
It was clear—the building wouldn't hold much longer.
After a series of devastating assaults, Gilbert climbed onto the serpent's back, exploiting the cracks in its skin to drive his sword in and hold on.
"Get away from there—the ceiling's about to collapse!"
he shouted at Raymond.
Raymond reacted instantly.
But Gilbert didn't anticipate the tail.
It rose suddenly in defense and smashed into him head-on, hurling him toward the crumbling stone pillars.
His bloodied body crashed into the rubble as heavy rocks collapsed over him.
Raymond gasped and rushed toward him.
The blow had been severe—and Gilbert hadn't fully recovered.
His condition was likely critical.
Raymond began tearing away the rocks in frantic motions, his thoughts spiraling, worst-case scenarios gnawing at him—
—when suddenly, the serpent's enormous open maw loomed before him.
Raymond steadied himself.
He leapt at the precise moment, lunged toward its face, and drove his dagger into its left eye.
The serpent screamed and thrashed wildly, destroying what little remained of the pillars behind it.
Raymond ran back toward the rubble—
—but before he could act, the rocks shifted on their own, as if pushed aside by something.
Gilbert emerged, standing.
Blood covered the side of his face and neck.
His breathing was heavy. Shards of glass had torn his coat and embedded into his skin.
Yet his eyes remained steady.
Raymond stared at him in disbelief—then smiled in relief.
Moments ago, he had been convinced Gilbert was dead.
And yet—here he was.
Raymond stepped closer, grabbed his arm to support him, and said,
"If we stay here, we'll be buried alive. Let's use this chance to escape."
Gilbert nodded, watching the serpent thrash in the distance as it demolished the opposite side of the building.
He wiped blood from his right eye and replied hoarsely,
"That's if we leave in time…
Listen carefully. Run now—you can survive if you move immediately.
I'll only slow you down if I stay with you."
Raymond froze, staring at him in disbelief.
"What kind of nonsense is that?! Leave you behind—like this?! What kind of bastard do you take me for?!
Maybe that hit knocked some sense out of your head!"
Gilbert sighed, suppressing the pounding headache.
"You're stupider than I thought… You'll die with me at this rate."
Raymond looked away, eyeing the collapsing, debris-filled path.
"My conscience won't let me leave someone behind to die.
If we're going to survive… then we do it together."
"So you plan on dying with me."
"I don't plan on dying, so don't worry."
"What kind of logic is that?!"
"The same logic as yours—saying you won't die."
"That's completely different!"
"What's different between us?! Humans die easily, in case you didn't know!"
Their argument continued—
Until a sharp, thunderous hiss echoed from the serpent, shaking the building's walls.
It stopped moving.
Slowly, it turned its gaze toward them.
At that moment, both Gilbert and Raymond froze, exchanging a brief look charged with anticipation.
They both thought the same thing.
If it attacks now… we're finished.
But it didn't.
It merely watched them in silence.
In its uninjured eye, their reflections wavered.
It lowered its head slowly, tongue extending as if sensing something in the air around them.
Gilbert whispered as he pushed Raymond's arm away, forcing himself to stand properly,
"I think I'll manage on my own. If it attacks—run the other way. Get out immediately."
Raymond stared at him, veins bulging at his temple, anger nearly boiling over.
But he restrained himself, exhaled, and replied irritably,
"Are we back to the same nonsense again?"
"That's not what I mean," Gilbert said, adjusting his stance.
"Look carefully… It isn't attacking. I only mentioned it as a possibility."
Raymond sighed once more—his patience worn thin—and turned his gaze to the serpent.
His rationality slowly returned.
He was now exchanging stares with a serpent over two meters thick.
There was no time left for shivers.
The situation was simply… baffling.
A terrifying moment of silence followed—brief, yet unbearably heavy, as though time itself had stopped.
No one moved.
Only silence.
Then—after several seconds—the serpent drew closer to Gilbert, its tongue nearly brushing the blood flowing from the wound on his neck.
Suddenly, its pupil expanded… then shrank.
But instead of attacking—it retreated.
It slithered away between the ruins, leaving behind nothing but silence and confusion.
Neither of them understood what had just happened.
But they could breathe easy now, right?
No… not yet.
They needed to run—now—or they'd be buried alive.
They nodded at each other without speaking, as if their minds had reached the same decision.
They ran—staggering through debris, dodging shattered pillars.
Moments later, the sky appeared between the trees. Sunset was close.
As soon as they were far enough away, the remaining walls and pillars of the laboratory collapsed with a thunderous roar.
They collapsed beneath a nearby tree, breathing heavily—bodies exhausted, minds weighed down.
Raymond broke the silence between gasps.
"…It stopped."
Gilbert replied, resting his head against the tree trunk as he stared upward.
"It seemed to retreat because of something…
But that retreat is what saved us."
Raymond nodded, thinking silently as he watched him with wary eyes.
[It seems that 'something' was you…
Its last gaze was fixed on you.
I don't know if it was the blood—or something else—but perhaps it sensed, by instinct, that you're different…]
After a moment of silence, Gilbert spoke first, recalling something important.
"A moment ago… back there… you were about to say something."
Raymond exchanged a brief look with him, then lowered his head in thought.
After a while, he answered in a low voice, as though his mind drifted to a distant scene.
"I know this place… or one like it.
I can't remember clearly—my childhood memories are hazy.
But still… I felt like I had been there. In a cold, white room."
Gilbert's eyes widened slightly—but he soon looked away, staring at the ground, lost in thought.
He didn't reply immediately, as though the answer was too heavy to voice.
Yet inside, a whisper echoed.
If we saw the same place… if we were there together…
Then that dream might be a missing fragment of my memory after all…
Which means that… no—maybe I'm wrong. That child had black hair.
I can't act without certainty. I need more information.
Before either of them could speak again, a sharp sound pierced the forest.
Fsssssh!
A smoke signal rose into the distant sky—from the direction they had originally fallen.
Raymond stood immediately and said calmly,
"They're here."
Gilbert replied as he rose slowly,
"Let's go back."
They walked off in silence.
Despite the absurd thoughts swirling in his mind, Raymond decided not to dwell on them—there would be no answers, no matter how long he tried.
But Gilbert couldn't stop thinking.
[There's one thing I'm certain of, at least…
Meeting this person wasn't meaningless.
Through him… I can learn more about myself.]