Bryan had been watching Thomas after dinner. In his transformed form, Thomas looked almost cheerful, making gestures in the air and talking to himself as he explored the Interface. He seemed genuinely happy discovering new things. Bryan even smiled a little at the sight, but his mind was elsewhere.
Thomas was the only one in their group who could transform. And while he was willing to protect them, Bryan knew they couldn't keep depending on him alone. Weapons were useless in human hands. They had tried swords, bows, and arrows before. Against a half-transformed Fade they barely left a scratch. Against a fully transformed one, they would be nothing.
They couldn't just hide inside the Hammer truck forever. Earlier, the goblin had thrown a rock straight into their bubble. If they ran into a Fade with more brains, it could throw anything at them. And what if there were many of them at once? Thomas couldn't defend every direction at the same time.
Bryan clenched his fists. Could he really keep relying on Thomas for everything? That wasn't who he was. Back then he refused his parents' support because he wanted to live on his own. He wanted independence. Now, at the end of the world, was he really going to throw away the very thing he had fought for before and depend on someone else?
No. He wouldn't.
Right then, Bryan made his decision. He also needed to transform. He wouldn't walk behind Thomas. He would stand with him, side by side. If he could rely on Thomas, then Thomas could rely on him too, just like always.
Iris had been secretly watching Thomas as well. She still wasn't used to his transformed form. The horns, the glowing runes, and that deep, almost diabolic voice unsettled her. A part of her was still afraid. But she couldn't deny what she had seen. He had taken down three Fades with ease, turning the fight around in a moment when she was certain he would be injured.
And what about her?
Wasn't she just hiding in the back seat of the hammer truck? All she had done was watch. She hadn't lifted a finger to help.
She remembered her promise. She had told herself she would use this new life as a chance to rise again. But was she really doing that?
No. Not yet.
Iris drew in a breath. She would decide her own fate. Even if she was wrong, even if she failed, she would fail trying.
As she took a step forward, she noticed Bryan had already stepped ahead of her, just a few paces in front. A small smile formed on her lips.
Yes. She could do better this time. And she wasn't alone. She had friends now, people to walk with side by side.
Bryan stepped into the fog, and Iris followed close behind.
"Huh? Bryan… Iris, what are you doing?" Thomas's deep, diabolic voice rumbled with disbelief. He could not believe the two had stepped into the pink fog on their own.
"Have you both gone insane?!" Nevin shouted as he pushed open the hammer's passenger door.
"I've decided," Bryan declared firmly. "I will transform and help our group."
"I've decided too," Iris added. "I won't be a burden anymore."
"Do you remember it's not guaranteed? You could lose your minds!" Nevin reminded them, worry clear in his voice. "The chances are low!"
"It's fine, Nevin. If I go insane, just leave me behind." Bryan nodded, reaffirming his choice.
Unlike Thomas, neither of them transformed immediately upon entering the fog. They stayed near him for more than an hour, but nothing happened. It seemed their change would follow the one-to-two-day process the scientist had mentioned. Either way, there was no turning back. Once someone made contact with the fog, transformation was inevitable. Even if they returned to the safe zone afterward, it would still come.
Thomas had a limit on how long he could remain in the pink fog, and Bryan and Iris felt it too. They couldn't see a status screen, but their bodies told them enough. After about an hour, a dull ache spread through Bryan and Iris, weighing down their muscles until they could no longer bear it. They had no choice but to return to the safe zone and rest.
That night, the four decided to sleep where they had camped. Bryan slept in the driver's seat, Nevin in the passenger seat up front, and Iris stretched out across the backseat. Thomas laid out his futon just outside the hammer truck, still within the safe zone bubble but ready to respond if anything happened.
Fortunately, the night passed without incident. Maybe Bryan's theory about territories was right. Since they had killed the three Fades earlier, nothing else came near.
The next morning, before continuing their journey, they started with scouting. Thomas transformed into his Oni form, standing nearly nine feet tall, while Bryan climbed onto his shoulder with binoculars to check the area ahead. They had decided to make this part of their routine so they would not walk blindly into another trap like yesterday.
"Guys… we've got a problem." Bryan's voice was serious as he jumped down from Thomas's shoulder. This was already their third scouting check for the day, a few kilometers into the fog, but it was the first time he had spotted something unusual.
He motioned for the others to follow and led them quietly toward a broken wall not far from the road. They crouched low beside him as he pointed through a gap in the rubble.
Not far ahead, a skinny old man was pinned against a wall. His wide eyes darted between the two figures closing in on him. They weren't Fades. They were transformed humans who had kept their sanity, the kind the scientist had called Glints.
"Aren't they sane? What are they doing to that old man?" Iris whispered, confused. The old man hadn't transformed at all, but the two in front of him clearly had.
The first was a Minotaur. It had the head of a bull, complete with a heavy muzzle, flaring nostrils, and two thick horns curving out from its forehead. Its body was that of a man, broad and muscular, with gray leathery skin. The upper legs looked human, but the lower parts ended in solid hooves. It stood taller than most men, carrying a bent road sign pole shaped into a crude axe.
The second was a Troll. Its body was massive, its posture hunched but powerful. Its skin was mossy green, rough and uneven like stone, covered in patches and warts. A broad flat nose sat under heavy brows, and its mouth was filled with tusks and jagged fangs. Its arms were long and thick, reaching almost to its knees, and in its hands, it held a broken steel beam like a club.
"Guess we're crashing the party," Thomas muttered, narrowing his eyes at the Minotaur.
He cracked his knuckles as he walked forward.
"Hey," he called out, his deep voice echoing down the alley. "Pick on someone your own size."
The Minotaur turned first, snorting through his bull's nose. "Oh? And who exactly are you supposed to be?"
"The Justice League," Thomas said flatly.
"Tsk, did he forget the Hulk is in the Avengers, not the Justice League?" Bryan whispered to Iris, still hiding nearby.
This was a battle between Glints. Until they transformed, there was nothing the others could do but watch.
The Minotaur laughed, a low rumble that carried through the street. "You don't know what you're stepping into. We're with the Red Hands."
The Troll sneered, his wide mouth pulling into a grin. "Back off, or we'll make you regret it."
Thomas shrugged. "Okay. Make me regret it."
He grabbed a broken car door from the wreckage beside him and hurled it. The metal slammed into the Minotaur's face with a loud clang, knocking him back two steps. But instead of falling, the creature roared, ripping the dented door off his horns and flinging it aside.
"Well, well," the Minotaur bellowed, flexing his thick neck. "Looks like we've got ourselves some heroes."
"Yeah," the Troll added with a lazy swing of his steel beam. "One warning. Just this once."
Thomas didn't answer. He was already charging.
The Minotaur thundered forward to meet him. Thomas ducked under the first swing of the improvised road-sign and rammed his shoulder into the beast's stomach, sending the Minotaur skidding backward across the rubble.
Bryan's eyes widened as he spotted the Troll raising his steel beam to crush Thomas from behind. "Thomas! Duck!"
Thomas dropped into a roll, slipping to the side of the Troll just as the beam whooshed past and smashed into the pavement with a heavy crack. Chunks of cement flew into the air.
"Oh, now you've done it," Thomas muttered.
The Minotaur snorted. "It seems we have more company," he said, noticing the figures hiding at the edge of the fight.
Thomas ignored him. He grabbed a chunk of broken pavement, swung it like a bat, and slammed it into the Troll's stomach. The massive figure doubled over with a grunt. Before it could recover, Thomas hoisted the Troll up by one leg and hurled him into the side of a delivery truck. The impact left a crater-sized dent in the metal.
The Minotaur froze at the sight.