The first night outside the dome felt like a never-ending nightmare.
Rin and Akira hid beneath the roots of a giant mushroom tree. Their bodies trembled, not just from the cold, but from the fear creeping in slowly.
Strange sounds echoed in the darkness. Movement within the fog. The breath of something large in the distance.
Akira sat with his back against a root, his electric staff held ready. His eyes moved quickly, tracking every shadow.
Rin sat beside him, hugging her knees. Her face was pale. Her breath was shallow.
She hadn't slept since leaving the dome.
She didn't dare to sleep.
Because every time she closed her eyes, that voice came.
Not a whisper anymore.
But a calling.
"You shouldn't have run, you should have accepted…"
Rin shook her head slowly, trying to suppress the voice.
Akira glanced at Rin with worry. "Rin, are you sure you're okay?"
Rin didn't answer immediately. She just stared at her trembling hands.
"I don't know," she finally answered. Her voice was hoarse. "I don't know what I feel anymore."
Akira fell silent, then spoke in a softer tone.
"Do you want to talk?"
Rin looked at Akira, then let out a long sigh.
"Every moment, I hear a voice. Not a real sound. But like… a vibration. Like something is speaking directly into my head." She paused for a moment. "And the scariest part is, sometimes I almost want to listen to it."
Akira tensed. "What do you mean?"
"Earlier. In the truck. When the officers almost caught us." Rin stared at her hands with an empty gaze. "The voice said, it could help. It could make that officer not see us. And for a moment, I almost said yes."
A brief silence.
"But you didn't," Akira said softly.
"Because I was afraid," Rin answered. Her voice trembled. "I was afraid that if I used that voice even once more, I wouldn't be able to stop."
Akira looked at Rin for a long time, then carefully took Rin's hand, the one not covered in green patterns.
"Listen, Rin. I don't understand what you're feeling. But I know one thing." He looked directly at Rin. "You're still here. You're still fighting. That means you haven't lost yet."
Rin felt something warm in her chest. But also something bitter.
"How much longer, Akira?" she asked softly. "How much longer before I'm no longer me?"
Akira couldn't answer.
Because he himself didn't know.
Morning came with a fog thicker than usual.
Rin woke up. She didn't realize when she had fallen asleep. Her body ached everywhere. Her head throbbed hard.
Akira was already awake, sitting a few meters away, checking their equipment.
"We have food for three days," Akira said without turning. "Water for two days. But that's not the biggest problem."
"What is it?" asked Rin, getting up with difficulty.
"We don't know where the others are," answered Akira, looking at a small digital map in his hand, the map Mei had given them before they were separated. "Mei said she would try to gather Jian and Shun. But she didn't say where our meeting point is."
Rin looked at the map, confused. "Why didn't she give coordinates?"
"Maybe because she didn't want those coordinates to fall into the wrong hands," answered Akira. "If the Dome Council captures one of us and takes this map, they'll know where we're going."
Rin nodded slowly. That made sense.
"So… what should we do?"
Akira looked at the map longer, then pointed to a spot at the edge of the Yellow Zone, near the border of the Red Zone.
"This is the only logical place," he said. "The Old Observation Post. A place that's been abandoned for five years. If Mei wants to gather us without being detected, she'd choose this place."
Rin looked at the point. It was about twenty kilometers from their current position.
"How long to get there?"
"If we walk fast without stopping, one day. But with monsters and spore fog," Akira paused briefly. "Maybe two days."
Rin sighed. "Okay. We need to start now."
Akira nodded. He quickly packed their equipment, then stood up.
"Rin," he said seriously. "If we meet monsters on the way, we run. Don't fight unless we have to. We don't have a team now. We can't take risks."
Rin nodded. "I understand."
They started walking.
Going deeper into the Yellow Zone.
The first three hours went smoothly.
They moved in silence, only the sound of their footsteps on the soggy ground and the faint rustle of the wind.
The fog grew thicker. Visibility was only about five meters.
Rin felt the green pattern on her arm vibrating faster. As if responding to something out there.
"Akira," Rin whispered. "There's something ahead."
Akira immediately stopped, his staff raised. "Monster?"
"I don't know," Rin answered. "But… there's a vibration. Like something big."
They stood still, listening.
Silence for a moment.
Then.
THUD. THUD. THUD.
Heavy footsteps. Very heavy.
Something moved within the fog.
Akira pulled Rin behind a large mushroom tree. Both of them hid, holding their breath.
From the fog, a giant creature emerged.
A Mycelian Goliath. Class-B.
Its body was like a gorilla, but larger. It stood four meters tall. Its arms were long with fungal muscles hard as stone. Its face had no eyes, only a large hole emitting thick green spore fog.
The creature walked slowly, as if patrolling.
Rin and Akira didn't dare move.
The Goliath stopped. Its head moved left and right, as if searching for something.
Then it sniffed the air.
Rin felt her chest tighten.
It knows we're here.
The Goliath stepped closer. Each step made the ground tremble.
Five meters.
Four meters.
Three meters.
Rin closed her eyes tightly. Her hands trembled.
And the voice came again. This time clearer.
"Are you sure this is how you survive?"
Rin shook her head slightly. Be quiet.
"He will find you. He will kill you. Unless…"
Unless what?
"Unless you let me out."
No.
"Just for a moment. Just long enough to make him go away."
Rin opened her eyes. Stared at her hand. The green pattern glowed faintly.
The Goliath was very close now. Only two meters away.
Akira looked at Rin with a gaze full of fear. As if he knew what Rin was thinking.
"Rin… don't," he whispered very softly.
But Rin felt something strange.
For the first time in a long while, she wasn't afraid of the voice.
She was afraid of herself.
Because a part of her… wanted to use that voice.
A part of her wanted to feel that power again.
And that scared her more than anything.
The Goliath raised its hand, ready to smash the tree they were hiding behind.
Rin closed her eyes. Her breath stopped.
Then.
WHIIIIIIIR, WHIIIIIIIR, WHIIIIIIIR.
The loud sound of a siren echoed from the distance.
The Goliath stopped. Its head turned towards the sound.
Then it turned and ran quickly in that direction.
Rin and Akira remained still. Not moving.
A few seconds later, the Goliath disappeared into the fog.
Akira let out a long, relieved sigh. "Damn… we almost died."
But Rin didn't feel relieved.
She felt something cold creeping into her chest.
I almost used that voice.
I almost gave in.
And the most terrifying part.
A part of me wanted to use it.
Akira looked at Rin with concern. "Rin?"
Rin didn't answer. She just stared at her hands with an empty gaze.
"Rin, can you hear me?"
Rin finally turned. Her face was pale.
"Akira… I almost used that voice earlier."
Akira tensed. "But you didn't."
"Because that siren came just in time," Rin answered. Her voice trembled. "If that siren hadn't come, I don't know what would have happened."
A brief silence.
Then Rin spoke again, this time in a weaker tone.
"Akira… I'm not sure I can last another two weeks."
Akira looked at Rin for a long time, then grabbed Rin's shoulders with both hands.
"Listen. You've made it this far. You're still here. And we'll find a way." He looked directly at Rin. "But you have to promise me one thing."
"What?"
"If you feel like you're about to lose control, tell me. Don't keep it to yourself. Okay?"
Rin looked at Akira for a long time, then nodded slowly.
"Okay. I promise."
Akira gave a faint smile. "Good. Now come on. We have to keep moving."
They continued their journey.
But Rin knew.
That promise might be one she couldn't keep.
Because the voice was getting stronger.
And she was getting weaker.
Midnight.
Rin woke up gasping for breath.
Another nightmare.
But this time it was different.
She dreamed about Mei.
Mei being tortured. Mei in a dark room. Mei screaming her name.
Rin sat up quickly, her body drenched in sweat.
Akira woke up. "Rin? What's wrong?"
"Mei," Rin whispered. Her voice trembled. "Mei is in danger."
"You had a dream?"
"Not just a dream," Rin answered. She looked at her hand. The green pattern was glowing brighter than usual. "I… I felt something. Like there's a connection. Like I could sense her there."
Akira tensed. "What do you mean?"
Rin couldn't explain.
But she knew one thing.
Mei wasn't coming.
Because Mei had been captured.
And she was paying the price for saving Rin.
Midnight.
Rin woke up gasping for breath.
Another nightmare.
But this time it was different.
She dreamed about Mei.
Mei being tortured. Mei in a dark room. Mei screaming her name.
Rin sat up quickly, her body drenched in sweat.
Akira woke up. "Rin? What's wrong?"
"Mei," Rin whispered. Her voice trembled. "Mei is in danger."
"You had a dream?"
"Not just a dream," Rin answered. She looked at her hand. The green pattern was glowing brighter than usual. "I, I felt something. Like there's a connection. Like I could sense her there."
Akira tensed. "What do you mean?"
Rin couldn't explain.
But she knew one thing.
Mei wasn't coming.
Because Mei had been captured.
And she was paying the price for saving Rin.