It's Raining...

The hope on Silence's face gradually froze, turning rigid.

She understood.

The people in the vehicle—her colleagues—after witnessing that world-ending scene—

Even though the Flame Demon had shrunk and shown no aggression, they still did not dare step into its attack range, much less approach it.

She took a deep breath and contacted them directly through the communicator:

"Medical support team, this is Silence! Director Saria urgently needs to be moved. Requesting immediate assistance!"

Only a faint electrical hiss came from the communicator. Though she could see shadows moving inside the vehicle, she received no response.

Silence silently lowered the communicator, a trace of bitterness touching her lips.

Fear had completely crushed their courage.

Silence did not give up. She raised her head toward the tightly shut buildings lining both sides of the street and shouted into the deathly darkness with all her strength:

"Please! Is anyone there?! Please help us! Someone here is seriously injured! She needs to be taken to the hospital immediately! Please! Help us!"

Her voice echoed down the empty street, carrying an urgency that was nearly pleading.

"..."

The only answer was the same deathly silence.

It was as though everyone on the entire street had vanished in an instant. Not a single door opened, nor did any reply come from behind a window.

Only the cold wind wailed as it swept through the ruins, as if mocking this pitiful naivety.

Ifrit watched the indifferent surroundings and tightly clutched the hem of Silence's clothes.

Silence stood in the cold night wind, a profound sense of helplessness nearly drowning her.

Was she really supposed to just watch?

"Creak—"

The faint sound of hinges turning came from a half-collapsed residence on the corner.

Silence turned toward it in delight, only to freeze in surprise.

The person who emerged from that half-collapsed house was not the strong adult helper she had imagined, but a wrinkled, hunched elderly Pelo man.

Wrapped in a loose robe, he shuffled along, seeming to exhaust all his strength with every step.

"Sir..."

Silence opened her mouth, wanting to say something—

But the old man gently waved a hand to stop her. His cloudy eyes calmly looked at Saria on the ground, then swept over the silent Lava Giant nearby.

"Come on, girl... don't you need help...?"

Silence closed her mouth and carefully lifted Saria together with him.

The old man clearly was not very strong, and his movements were unsteady, but he supported her with everything he had as he and Silence slowly moved toward the off-road vehicle.

Big Brother watched this strangely. He had assumed no one would lend a hand and had even prepared to step forward himself.

But the old man's appearance had caught him by surprise.

Just then, a gust of night wind lifted one corner of the old man's loose robe.

Big Brother clearly caught sight of the old man's exposed ankle—and the black crystals embedded in his flesh, seeming to grow from it, giving off a faint and ominous gleam.

[Mental Chat Group]

[Fourth Brother: Well, well. It's Oripathy.]

[Big Brother: Oripathy? What's that?]

[Fourth Brother: It's a little complicated to explain... Just think of it as a terminal illness in this world, basically contagious cancer.]

[People with this disease are called "Infected," and they're discriminated against and excluded.]

[Judging by that old man, he probably doesn't have much time left. That's why he isn't afraid of you, Big Brother. After all, he has nothing left to lose.]

The link fell into brief silence.

Contagious cancer...

[Second Brother: Can it infect us? Fourth Brother! Answer me!]

[Fourth Brother: Uh... probably not? This thing is a special mechanism targeting Terra natives. Strictly speaking, we aren't Terrans, and our body structures are different, so maybe... we're fine?]

[Second Brother: Maybe? Probably? Since you aren't sure either, add this to our operational guidelines: avoid close contact with known Infected whenever possible, especially contact with bodily fluids or wounds!]

[Until the risk is clear, treat it as a potential threat!]

[Third Brother: I agree.]

[Fourth Brother: Huh? No... Third Brother, why are you too... This disease isn't that scary. A lot of Infected can live for a long time...]

[Second Brother: Fourth Brother!]

[Fourth Brother: ...Huh?]

[Second Brother: This isn't a game.]

[Fourth Brother: ...]

[Second Brother: We have no save files and no resurrection coins. One wrong judgment could doom us beyond recovery.]

[Here, every potential risk must be treated with the utmost caution. Do you understand?]

[Fourth Brother: ...Yeah.]

The discussion in the link temporarily came to an end, but vigilance toward the dangers of this world had already been deeply planted in everyone's hearts.

In reality, Silence and the old man had already carried Saria to the side of the vehicle with great difficulty.

The people inside finally opened the door and hurriedly helped settle Saria inside.

Silence supported the panting old man and solemnly thanked him:

"Thank you! Thank you so much!"

The old man merely waved a hand. His cloudy gaze passed over the Lava Giant in the distance once more before he trembled his way back toward the ruined house he had come from.

"Um! I'm Silence from Rhine Lab! If you need any help, I can..."

"No need..."

The old man interrupted Silence. When he looked back, his eyes were like stagnant water.

"You should worry about your colleague first. Oripathy isn't easy to endure..."

The logistics worker tending to Saria stiffened, and the hand reaching out quietly pulled back a little.

Silence's face turned pale. She had deliberately covered the wound with gauze.

The old man said nothing more. His figure vanished into the shadows, as though he had never appeared at all.

"..."

Watching the ironic scene before him, Big Brother felt inexplicably irritated.

That woman had clearly saved them earlier...

Big Brother turned and walked away step by step in the direction opposite Rhine Lab.

Ifrit lowered her head and silently followed behind him, her small figure looking especially lonely against the backdrop of the ruins.

"Ifrit! Come over here!"

When Silence motioned for Ifrit to get in the vehicle, she discovered that the girl had stopped several steps away and was not moving.

"Ifrit? Come on!" Silence urged anxiously. Seeing Big Brother stop as well, sweat formed on her forehead.

"Get in the vehicle! Saria is in danger right now. We have to go back immediately!"

Ifrit still kept her head lowered, her hands tightly gripping the corners of her clothes. Her voice was weak and broken.

"...I can't go back, Silence."

Silence froze, then her tone became somewhat stern:

"Ifrit! I don't have time for this right now! Saria needs surgery immediately! Come here!"

"I CAN'T GO BACK ANYMORE!!!"

Ifrit suddenly lifted her head, tears rolling down like beads from a broken string.

"It was me! I brought the Flame Demon here! He's a big monster! I'm a little monster! Everyone's scared of him... I'm scared of him too... But... but..." She choked up, nearly unable to continue.

"The way everyone looks at me... is the same way they look at him! I can't go back... I can't go anywhere anymore!"

Silence felt as though her heart had been fiercely clenched. She immediately refuted her. "You're not a monster! Ifrit! Listen to me..."

She stepped forward, intending to grab Ifrit's hand and forcefully take her away.

However, at the instant she touched Ifrit and tried to pull her toward the vehicle—

"Bzzzt—!"

The off-road vehicle suddenly started and immediately reversed more than ten meters without hesitation, widening the distance from them!

"What!?" Silence stared at the suddenly retreating vehicle in shock, unable to believe her eyes.

Ifrit was also stunned by the sudden turn of events. Watching the vehicle flee as though avoiding a plague, the last trace of hope in her heart shattered completely.

She violently shook off Silence's hand, crying as she backed away and ran back to where she had been standing before.

Only then did the vehicle slowly come to a stop.

Watching this scene, Silence's shock instantly turned into overwhelming fury. She screamed in the vehicle's direction:

"How dare you?!"

From the communicator that had remained silent all this time finally came a suppressed voice filled with undisguised fear and rejection:

"Director Silence... do you intend to bring that monster back with you?!"

"She isn't a monster!" Silence sharply corrected through the communicator.

"She's a Flame Demon!" The voice in the communicator suddenly rose, carrying a hysterical certainty.

"We all saw it! That enormous Flame Demon didn't attack her! That's the best proof!"

"They're the same kind! Who knows whether she'll suddenly lose control? Who knows whether she'll bring that big one back again?!"

"We can't take that risk! For Rhine Lab, for everyone!"

"I can guarantee—" Silence tried to argue, but all that came from the other end of the communicator was a cold busy signal.

The communication had been cut off unilaterally.

Silence stood frozen in place. Looking at the vehicle in the distance that refused to open its doors, then at Ifrit standing alone amid the ruins, a tremendous sense of helplessness and grief nearly swallowed her whole.

The cold night wind swept past, stirring up dust from the ground and chilling Silence's heart.

Silence turned back to look at Ifrit. That small figure seemed as though it might be swallowed by the ruins at any moment.

Then she abruptly looked toward Saria, barely clinging to life in the vehicle. Every faint breath tugged at her nerves.

On one side was a child she treated as her own, now isolated because of fear and prejudice.

On the other was her dear friend and companion, hovering between life and death and needing immediate treatment.

Time seemed to stretch at this moment. Every second came with Saria's life force fading away and the hope in Ifrit's heart collapsing.

Silence bit down hard on her lower lip until the rusty taste of blood spread through her mouth.

She had to go back. Saria had become Infected, and she had to accompany her to ensure Saria's safety.

Taking a deep breath, Silence forced out a smile uglier than tears. She turned toward Ifrit and spoke in the gentlest voice she could manage:

"Ifrit... will you wait here for me?" She pointed toward the vehicle.

"Wait for me... I'll take Saria back, get her treated immediately... I promise I'll come back for you right away! Soon! Very soon!"

Ifrit did not raise her head or reply. She merely maintained her bowed posture, like a frozen statue.

Silence's heart sank sharply, panic winding around her like vines.

"Ifrit?"

She called again, her voice carrying a nearly imperceptible plea.

Finally, Ifrit nodded once, incredibly slowly, so faintly it was almost imperceptible.

It felt as though Silence's heart had been viciously stabbed, but she had no time left to hesitate.

She looked deeply at Ifrit, as though trying to carve that figure into her heart.

"Bang!"

The sound of the vehicle door closing was especially piercing in the silent street.

The off-road vehicle did not pause for even a moment. It started at once, turned around, and quickly vanished at the end of the street.

Ifrit quietly watched them leave, then silently found a stone slab, wiped it clean, and sat down.

"..."

Drip... drip...

Ifrit buried her head in her knees and tightly hugged herself.

...How strange.

It clearly wasn't raining, so why could she hear rain...

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