It had been three weeks since Nevin's transformation and when Iris was injured. Her wounds were long healed, and the remaining payment for their white fragment sale had come in a week ago. Life had settled into a routine. Nothing much had changed, except for Nevin's Glint form. His orb-like body had started to grow faint, glowing hands.
Iris, though, found herself restless. On the surface, everything was fine. She was getting stronger each day by absorbing pink fragments and joining the others to hunt stray fades. But was that all this new world had to offer?
They were still in Hope City. The safe zone was large, with nearly everything they needed to live in these end times. Yet no matter how wide the streets stretched, it still felt like a cage. They had never gone beyond the city's limits. She felt like a bird with wings clipped, unable to fly.
When was the last time she truly felt alive? She remembered clearly, the day they first stepped into the fog after leaving their old base behind. She remembered the surge of courage when she decided to transform, and the rush of their first real battle together against a pack of fades. She had been injured, yes, but she had contributed. She had fought side by side with them.
Now she understood her dissatisfaction. It wasn't fear, or weakness. It was the monotony. Their lives had slipped into routine again, just like back at the first base. No change. No growth.
And there was only one thing that could change it, traveling.
Dinner was quiet, the four of them crowded around the table. Iris leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand as she watched the others. Thomas leaned back with both hands on his stomach, looking satisfied. Bryan wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, equally stuffed.
"So," Iris said at last, breaking the silence. "What exactly are you two planning to do now?"
Nevin perked up, curious, his eyes shifting between Thomas and Bryan.
Thomas blinked. "Do?"
"Yeah. You know… plans. Goals. Future."
Thomas scratched the back of his head like the word itself was foreign. "Uhm, Check on Grandpa sometimes. Find food when I'm hungry."
Bryan sighed, dragging a hand down his face. "So that's it. Eat, sleep, and do the same again tomorrow." He shook his head, realizing the last few weeks had slipped into a dull routine.
Iris stared at them, waiting for something more. But that was all.
She almost laughed in disbelief. "That's all you've got? That's your plan for the end of the world?"
Thomas shrugged. "What else is there?"
"Hey, surviving is surviving," Bryan said, leaning back in his chair.
Iris leaned back too, but her eyes sharpened. She thought of Bryan and Thomas fighting the Lizardfolk pack, moving like they'd trained together for years. Two people that strong, wasting away in the safe zone between meals, made no sense. Strength like theirs was meant for more. Thomas alone was already beyond most Glints, a class S.
To Iris, they weren't just two guys who could walk through the fog. They were her chance. Maybe her only one. The old world had already buried her once, with scandal, shame, and doors slammed shut before she even had the chance to prove herself. No matter how hard she tried to stand again, her past always came back to crush her.
But this new world was different. Here, none of that mattered. Here, strength decided who you were. The end of the world was terrifying, but to her it was also an opportunity. A chance to start again, to make a life where no one could judge her for a past she couldn't change.
She knew she was still weak, nowhere near strong enough to reach that dream on her own. That was why she needed Thomas and Bryan. With them, the chance she was chasing could become real. I need them. Especially Thomas. Ugh, what am I thinking… She blushed at the thought, and she quickly looked away, flustered.
Her fingers tapped against the table as she made up her mind. Then she leaned forward, her voice steady.
"Fine. If you won't think of anything, I will. How about we go on a trip?"
Thomas looked at her. "A trip?"
"To my parents," Iris said. "I haven't heard from them since the meteor. They're in another district, not far from Hope City. I've wanted to go, but it means crossing fog zones and facing whatever's in them. It's not something I can do alone."
Bryan's eyes narrowed, already suspicious, while Nevin stayed quiet, listening.
Iris smiled. "Since your grandfather is safe here, how about you all come with me? Let's check on my family, see how they're doing after the calamity."
Thomas sat up straighter, as if something else was on his mind. "You still cook?"
Iris smirked. "Yeah. You've tasted my cooking. You like stew, right? I've still got recipes I haven't made yet."
Thomas nodded. "Alright. I'm in."
Bryan nearly fell out of his chair. "Wait, that's it? That's all it takes? Food and you're sold?"
"I'm in too," Nevin said, breaking his silence. He had been thinking the same as Iris. He didn't risk his life to transform just to hide in a city bubble.
Thomas shrugged. "If we're going far, someone's gotta cook." He glanced at Bryan. "And you can't."
Bryan pointed at himself. "Excuse me?"
Thomas tilted his head. "When's the last time you made anything that wasn't an online order?"
"…That's fair."
Iris blinked. "That's… really all you needed?"
Thomas stood, stretching his arms. "Yeah. Sounds good. You cook and we eat. And check on your parents while we're at it."
Bryan groaned. "Man, we're really doing this, huh?"
Iris couldn't hold back the smile tugging at her lips. She thought the world had taken everything from her, but maybe this was her chance to finally take something back.
And just like that, the four decided to travel again, this time to the district where Iris's parents lived.
In Iris's mind, one thought echoed louder than the rest.
I won't lose what I build this time. Not again.
The next morning, Thomas said only a few words to his grandfather before leaving. It was not that the old man was not concerned, he simply trusted Thomas. Over the weeks they had stayed in Hope City, he had seen with his own eyes how strong his grandson was. Thomas could handle himself in the fog. And as he watched the four depart, he could not help but smile at the silly thought that this trip was for his future granddaughter in law.
On the road, the hammer truck rumbled forward. Around them, other cars and trucks headed in different directions. It looked like the city had already put the fragments they sold to use. Each vehicle was surrounded by Glints acting as escorts, their presence turning the journeys into mobile safe zones. Now people could travel further without rushing back before their fog exposure ran out.
It was the same for them. Thomas can transform instantly, but the others needed time, so they had worked out a system. To keep him from fighting alone, at least one of them would always be outside in Glint form, escorting the truck. When someone reached their limit, another rotated out to replace them. Bryan, Iris, and Nevin took turns, while Thomas stayed at the wheel, steady hands guiding them forward.
It had been a few days since they left Hope City. Travel was slow. They had to stop often, either to fight stray fades or to wait for someone to finish transforming.
"We done here yet?" Thomas muttered as they rested near the street. He leaned back against the hammer truck. "This place is boring."
Iris paused from sharpening her blade. "Nevin, are you ready?"
Nevin waved lazily, still in his human form. "Hey, don't blame me. Keeping up with you guys isn't exactly easy."
He always took longer to transform. Iris and Bryan had cut their time down to forty minutes, thanks to constant fragment absorption. Nevin was still at an hour, always lagging behind. Until the others learned to transform instantly, he would never catch up.
Worse, he was the weakest among them. His Glint was rated D, and in every fight he struggled to keep their pace. For now, the only thing they relied on him for was healing. But what would happen when Bryan and Iris advanced to Stage 1 like Thomas? Would he still have a place with them?
If he was ever going to stand beside them as an equal, he had to be stronger. He had to break through Stage 0, no matter what it took. And he already had an idea.
"Alright," Thomas said, cracking his neck as Nevin finally transformed. "Let's move."
They climbed back into the hammer truck with Nevin escorting outside.
As they traveled, some roads were still intact, but most were blocked with wrecked cars, collapsed buildings, and debris. Every house they passed inside the fog was damaged, either ruined during the calamity or wrecked later by fades.
Nevin drifted up near the driver's window, glowing as he flew in line with Thomas's seat. Bryan and Iris leaned forward to look too.
"Alright," Nevin called, his voice sharp with determination. "Watch this. I'm gonna skip the fog power stages!"