In a dimly lit room.
Jin and his companions were all gathered there.
"So what do we do now?"
Ximo leaned against the wall and asked helplessly.
Aimeme was crouched in a corner, with Zaharut lying in front of her.
Zaharut's muscular body had grown thin, his muscles shrinking considerably. His face was pale as he lay there unconscious.
"Wait."
Facing the wall, Jin picked at it with his fingers as he examined it and gave his answer.
Tewashi felt a little helpless at that. He stood beside the window and looked outside.
"How long have we been waiting here already?"
Through the window, all they could see was darkness stretching beyond sight, with utter desolation below.
There were no plants, no boulders, only a barren wasteland.
Thick clouds seemed to veil the sky, and lightning struck down from time to time.
Just as that thought crossed his mind, rain began pouring down, making the already dim sky even gloomier.
The scenery outside had remained like this for a very, very long time.
"It's been about sixty-three days since we woke up."
Tuk tapped the Mechanical Bird on his shoulder as he spoke. He had been keeping track of the time all along.
Remembering how they had lost consciousness only left them feeling helpless.
They had been exploring along the boundary between the two realms. It was relatively safe there, though somewhat barren. Their luck had been fairly good: they had discovered plenty of interesting things and fought a few battles, but nothing they couldn't handle.
Then, without warning, a pack of snow wolves had attacked them. Though the wolves were strong, they hadn't been enough to inflict any serious casualties. The group had naturally dealt with them after paying a small price.
But that had only been the beginning