After the helicopter had dropped off Eden and Alya, they continued their way into a forest. Eden then said to Alya:
— With everything that just happened to us, it's wise for you to keep this with you, Alya.
He then handed her a compass whose needle always pointed to a precise place.
— I connected this compass to the location Lamar indicated to me. So keep it with you. Because, whatever destiny throws at us, you'll always be able to count on them.
Alya shook her head and said:
— No.
Then she slapped Eden's hand, making the compass fall to the side. Eden, seeing it on the ground, was about to pick it up and said:
— No, Alya, not that...
But in a breath, Alya ran to him and hugged him tightly, refusing to be separated from him. Recognizing her affection, Eden placed a hand on her head and said:
— Don't worry, Alya. I had no intention of abandoning you, far from it. It's just that along our journey, we may encounter stronger enemies, or unexpected situations. So, in case something happens to me, or our paths are split, we could always meet back there.
— Then promise me you'll always reach me there, and help me until the end of our adventure.
— And I promise not to kick the bucket, to always stay by your side and protect you.
And then he smiled. Eden handed her the compass again and added:
— Deal.
She took the compass and, nodding, said:
— Yes.
Then they resumed their path. Eden declared:
— We're almost at the place that weird guy told us about.
And with a sharp look, he added:
— We're almost there, where we'll get information about my past.
Immersed in his memories, he recalled:
— One day, while looking for information about that Anita who had written to me, I was camping in a clearing for the night. Suddenly, we heard screams. Alya and I hurried toward the source of the noise. That's when we saw a Calamity attacking someone. I shot its legs and shouted:
— Alya!
She propelled herself toward the Calamity, pushing it away, and I rushed toward the attacked person. It was a man, injured. I tried giving him first aid, while talking to him and letting my guard down. Alya, after killing the Calamity, quietly returned, holding her sword.
When I asked the man:
— What's your name?
Alya was standing behind me, him in front. But as soon as he caught sight of Alya, his gaze darkened, and he generated an energy arrow to kill her, and I—feeling his murderous aura—immediately neutralized him with a martial arts hold.
He shouted:
— Let me go! Don't you see she's a Calamity?! Let me go, or she'll kill us both!
I calmly replied:
— That's how you thank the one who just saved your life?
He growled, because my words were true.
I continued:
— Do you promise not to jump us if I release you?
But just as the man was about to answer, Alya and I sensed presences.
Inside, I thought:
"They must be four... No... they're three. Two in the trees, and one... one..."
And behind him stood another man, pointing a sword in Eden's direction. Alya, seeing this, began to growl, and the man said:
— Hey you, you've got five seconds to state your identity, or I'll kill you and your Calamity!
Eden replied:
— Whoa, whoa, whoa… not so fast, let's calm down for a second.
— Let's inhale and exhale.
The two perched in the trees did so, and Eden added:
— There, see, they got it.
— Because honestly, I'm more shocked than you. Me and my Calamity, as you call her, we just saved your friend, and you're acting like we shouldn't have.
The man then asked his colleague:
— Is that true, scout?
And the scout replied:
— Yes, captain. Everything he says is true.
Eden then released the scout.
The captain signaled to the two archers perched in the trees to lower their weapons and come down, while sheathing his sword.
— Sorry about that. But who are you, and what are you looking for in this abandoned clearing?
Eden answered:
— We're Eden and Alya, travelers. Sometimes we fight the Calamities we encounter along the way.
The captain then said:
— Alright. We are agents of the Order of Doctors, sent here on a mission.
— So if you don't want to get devoured by Calamities, you'd better leave this place as soon as possible.
Eden whispered:
— Looking at you, you must not be that strong…
The captain then pulled a furious face and replied:
— Since you're so strong, why don't you take the lead on this mission!
Eden wondered:
"That quickly? But why aren't the others saying anything?"
In the minds of the two archers, who had raised no objection, echoed:
"The captain, or Eden Lin, or someone else, we really don't care. But if we had to choose, we'd choose Eden.
The captain is good, but not in every field. Even coming here, we got lost several times before reaching this place. It's even a miracle all the members of the group are still present today. So, without discussion, we would choose Eden. He must have more experience in this kind of thing. Even without knowing him, you can feel it."
Eden then said:
— All right.
And the captain answered:
— Perfect.
— Then, scout, enlighten us on the situation.
The scout, devastated because he had failed, said:
— As for the situation…
— While I was looking for their hideout, I was spotted by the enemy and attacked.
All I know is that they must be in that direction.
Eeden replied to him:
— Don't worry. Everyone makes mistakes. Even the most perfect man will always make a mistake.
— So, our objective today is simply to make fewer of them.
The captain looked at him with an impressed expression.
Eden added:
— Since we don't know if the place is near, let's take every possibility into account and assume there are still inhabitants. So, as a first impression, let's move slowly so we don't get noticed.
— To do this: captain, you'll go with one of the archers, take the west side.
— Alya and the other archer, take the east side.
— And I, with the scout, will take straight ahead.
Everyone answered:
— All right.
They got into position, and everything began.
Eden found himself alone with the scout, whom he sent up a tree to get more visibility. The scout obeyed without discussion. Eden thought to himself:
"Good, obedient subordinate… I must go through here to take one down."
Eden asked the scout:
— So, what do you see?
But the scout, petrified by what he saw, replied:
— I… I… see…
Eden quickly went to see for himself by stepping out of the clearing. What he saw was too horrible: an immense crater. Some inhabitants were hung and whipped with blades, others plunged into lava, others into acid, some were torn apart, and others were having their entrails devoured alive. Their cries and screams filled the air. This place no longer looked like a city, but like hell. The Calamities were the executioners.
At the sight of this, my blood boiled, but I held myself back. In the distance, I noticed Alya's and the captain's teams starting the hostilities and rushing into the fray, which was not part of the plan. I immediately came out, and the scout overtook me, rushing toward the crater too.
Once there, Calamities surged from everywhere, making the fight harder and harder. When I saw one of the archers in trouble, I fired a bullet at the Calamity threatening him and said:
— Wait…
— We need to move as a team…
But I didn't even have time to finish my sentence before he had already gone back.
He was fighting with no one covering his back.
Lowering my guard, a Calamity raised its fist, ready to crush me, but Alya stopped it by cutting off its arm and destroying its core. We went back into the fight.
The captain's group, meanwhile, faced formidable Calamities. The captain cut one down, but another confronted the archer, who shot an arrow. An inhabitant stepped in and was pierced. The Calamity behind him then ripped his skin entirely with its claws and spat acid on him. The archer then shot an arrow at the Calamity to end the inhabitant's torture, but another one appeared behind him and smashed him with both fists, fracturing several bones.
The captain cut down the Calamity and rushed to his injured comrade's side. Eden and Alya immediately came to give first aid, then placed him aside before returning to the fight.
The captain declared:
— Wait! I'll get rid of these Calamities bothering us once and for all!
He charged toward them, shouting:
— After this attack, I'll be completely drained of energy, so you'll have to handle the rest without me!
Then he leapt at the Calamities, yelling:
— ENERGY EMANATIONS: SEVERING!
All the Calamities were exterminated by the captain, who immediately collapsed, out of energy. But the threat was now behind them.
The other archer and the scout ran to him to congratulate him.
Eden then said:
— Mission failed. We couldn't save even a single inhabitant.
And that's when people came out: from the lava, from the acid, and others from grinders. They staggered toward the group, groaning as if to speak. Then the other archer said:
— More Calamities!
And he shot an arrow at one of them. The arrow pierced through its skull, but nothing… it kept moving toward them. And one of them said:
— Kill us! Kill us! Kill us!
And as they regenerated into humans, Eden cried out:
— Stop! They are the inhabitants!
And one of the inhabitants pleaded:
— Kill us, quiiiiick!
And a massive Calamity formed from the blood of the others… It was a Platinum Calamity.
It charged first toward the inhabitants, crushing and burning them with flames shooting from its mouth. It was sheer torture for them, as they could regenerate. Then it charged toward the captain, the scout, and the archer. The last two fired arrows to stop it, but nothing… Their arrows bounced off the Calamity's skin, which regenerated at insane speed.
Me and Alya rushed at it to slow it down. I gouged out its eyes, allowing Alya to slash its legs. But every time it saw an inhabitant, it smashed them to pulp with its fists. So I shouted:
— Alya, try to buy us some time! I think I have a solution!
Alya complied. Then I told the archer and the scout to aim at its legs and elbows. They obeyed. Alya had managed to climb onto its arm and sever it. The scout, meanwhile, started to lose it, firing bigger and bigger arrows while screaming:
— Die! Die! Die!
But unfortunately, the Calamity was too strong. It regenerated its limbs and struck Alya, hurling her violently to the ground. It then aimed its fist at the captain and the other two, who were already dazed. But Alya, with her last breath, severed its arm again before collapsing, murmuring:
— Eden…
Then Eden, holding his weapon shining with a bright glow, cried out:
— ENERGY EMANATIONS!
— STRIKE BULLET ERADICATOR!
A beam shot from his weapon, pierced the Calamity, and vaporized its core. The Calamity was destroyed. Eden then collapsed and sat on the ground, scratching his head and murmuring to himself:
— I think I just forgot something… So that must be the price of this power.
And after some time, Alya joined him.
But, in an unknown place, a man sitting on a throne in the dark said with a smile:
— I expected nothing less from you, Eden…
And the inhabitants regenerated again, repeating:
— Kill us…
— Please…
Eden, knowing there was nothing else to do since these inhabitants looked more like Calamities than humans, said:
— Okay… but before, tell us why these Calamities tortured you.
And one replied:
— All this happened since we killed and burned that woman…
Eden asked coldly:
— What woman?
And another replied:
— The devil's wife, by the name of Anita.
Eden's face froze, because this Anita had lived here. She was the only person who could have given him information about his past. The way the inhabitants explained how they killed her was too grave to go unpunished. Then one added:
— It's since that day the devil came here. He implanted cores in us. But no matter what, even with the Calamities here, we couldn't destroy them…
Before he could finish his sentence, an arrow pierced all the inhabitants' cores, who thanked us. There was a strange guy there, holding a bizarre book. He said:
— Good evening. Please, could you keep my book for a moment? I fought to protect it, so I value it more than my own life. If you accept, I'll give you a map where you can find answers about your past.
Who was he? I had no idea. But he was covered in wounds, his face hidden, and his words intrigued me. So I accepted, just for a moment. He gave me the book and the map. I handed the map to Alya for her to keep. But when I turned around to give his book back… he had vanished.
When I opened the book, my gaze froze. And then the scout, still under the effect of adrenaline, stepped forward and said:
— We were paid for this. We live off this work. We and our families. So ally or not, a Calamity is still a Calamity. And I, a Calamity exterminator, have the duty to wipe out all Calamities!
He drew his arrow to kill Alya. But as he was about to shoot, the captain knocked him out, lifted him onto his shoulder, and said:
— Sorry about all this. He's suffered all his life because of Calamities. Having to team up with one must have disturbed him. But thank you, Eden. You've taught me a lot. Tha
nks to you, we'll be much better recruits for the Order of Doctors.
And they left.
Eden ended the memory by saying to Alya:
— We've now arrived at the place indicated by that strange man…
It was a city. And as we walked a bit toward the place, someone said:
— Is that you, my little Eden?