"AAAAA!! RUN, EVERYONE RUN!! THERE'S A MONSTER GOING CRAZY!"
An old man, probably around 35 or more, was screaming at the top of his lungs right in front of the main market gate. His voice was hoarse, full of panic, while he tried to guide the civilians to get the hell out of the market and as far away as possible.
Hearing the scream, Marilyn instantly picked up her pace. Her right hand gripped her Wheellock tight, eyes locked on where the sound came from.
But the panicked crowd running everywhere blocked her path. People were pushing, yelling, and there was barely any space to pass through.
"Tch! What a pain," Marilyn muttered in annoyance.
Without a second thought, she leapt onto the roof of a parked horse carriage. From there, she hopped to the next, then the next—running quick and light across the tops of the carriages like she was doing acrobatics, dodging the chaos below.
Step after step, fast but light, until she finally reached the main market gate—the source of the scream.
"Finally made it... but damn, so much dust." Marilyn stood on top of a carriage roof, lowering her left hand to shield her face from the thick dust cloud swirling in the air.
She tried to peer through the haze that covered the inside of the market.
From below, the old man who'd been screaming at everyone now looked up at Marilyn, who stood out so clearly on the carriage roof.
"HEY, YOUNG LADY! GET OUT OF THERE! THERE'S A MONSTER GOING WILD! THE ARTIFICERS ENFORCER ARE HANDLING IT—YOU GOTTA STAY AWAY!"
Marilyn glanced down with a flat expression and sharp eyes. "You should go, old man. I'm also part of the Artificers Enforcer. You don't need to worry about me."
"W-w-what!?" the old man's eyes went wide, his face instantly changing.
"I said—you should go! The people are already evacuated, now it's your turn! Get out of here, now!" Marilyn's voice was sharp and firm.
Her eyes turned back to the market's interior, still shrouded in heavy dust.
The old man froze for a few seconds, glancing at the market entrance before quickly nodding.
"A-alright then! Be careful out there, young lady!" he said before running off with the others.
Once he disappeared into the crowd, Marilyn let out a long breath, trying to calm herself.
But right at that moment—
RAAAGHHHHH!!
A roar exploded so loud it shook the air. The wind suddenly whipped violently, scattering dust and trash all over the ruined market.
The shockwave slammed into Marilyn's ears like a hammer. She dropped to her knees on the carriage roof, clutching her head with both hands.
"Ughh! What the hell was that!? Damn it... my ears—it hurts so bad...!" she groaned, breathing heavy.
Before she could recover, her fedora was snatched up by the blast of wind that came with the roar.
"Shit—almost lost it!" Quickly, Marilyn grabbed the hat before it could fly further. Her left hand clutched the brim tight while her eyes squinted against the pain and the storm of dust.
After staying crouched for about a minute, Marilyn's instincts started screaming in her head. "Something's wrong!!!" She clutched her hat tighter and reached for the Wheellock at her side.
That roar... it was way too clear.
That wasn't from some random Echofiend—it was from one of the most dangerous and terrifying types.
Her mind flashed back to the research files she'd studied in the Artificers Enforcer's archive room. Thousands of documents, reports, and records from all over the world—every one of them talking about the same nightmare.
"Echofiends," that's what the researchers called them.
They were once living beings—human, animal, or even plants—contaminated by Divine Resonance.
Divine Resonance wasn't something you could see, touch, or even really understand. It was residue—an echo of destruction—left behind after every thousand-year cycle disaster. That resonance didn't just change physical form, it tore at emotions, even the essence of life itself.
Stay exposed too long, and you'd lose your mind, your body, your very self—
And become a monster.
A mindless thing called an Echofiend.
She also remembered the classifications listed in those files.
Floralfiend.
Formed from plants affected by resonance. The most common type, especially near cities and borders. Weak durability, but fast and deadly.
Bestialfiend.
Animals twisted by resonance. Known for nearly impenetrable bodies and extreme aggression. Often the cause of ecosystem collapse, requiring special squads to deal with them.
The Lament.
The rarest, deadliest kind. Formed from humans.
They weren't just monsters—they were walking disasters.
According to global data, The Lament had only ever appeared 152 times in recorded history—and every single time, it ended with the destruction of an entire nation.
Marilyn tightened her grip on her Wheellock. Her mind was on full alert now. She slowly stood up, setting her fedora back on.
"If that roar came from a Lament... then this place, Ramna City—it could become number 153."
She bit her lip hard. The hand holding her Wheellock was shaking now. That roar—that terrifyingly clear scream—it matched too well with what the reports described about The Lament.
"God... please let me be wrong." Her feelings tangled between fear, her duty to finish this, and her desire to still see Caius.
Marilyn leapt down from the carriage roof, landing on the ground with Wheellock in one hand and her fedora in the other. She sprinted straight into the market—unaware that someone was standing above, on the beams holding up the market roof.
Their face was painted with layers of clown makeup in pastel colors.
"Ahahahaha~ Honestly, I didn't really mind it, but still... Don't worry, I'll protect you, Marilyn."