—So? Is this your decision? —Alexander asked, sitting across from Zein.
Zein kept his gaze lowered. His fingers interlaced slowly, as if he were searching for the right words between them.
—Joining the liquidators can be very dangerous —Alexander continued in a more serious tone—. Personally, I wouldn't recommend it. You don't need to get a job right now; you can stay here and wait for the supervisors to leave, you know?
—I… —Zein murmured, but he didn't manage to finish.
—Exactly —Kiomi intervened, crossing her arms—. It's better for you and for everyone if you don't work there. If people already have enough trouble trying to survive, imagine with someone like you, who attracts chaos wherever he goes.
Her voice was hard, cutting.
—Kiomi! —Kio reprimanded her immediately.
Kiomi didn't respond. She simply spun on her heels and headed to her room, closing the door behind her with a sharp thud.
—Ah… —Kio sighed while scratching the back of her neck—. Well, if this is what you really want to do, then I'll support you.
Zein looked up.
—Don't you think it's too dangerous for me?
—Of course it is —Kio responded bluntly—. But I don't think you're as weak as you think you are. Trust yourself a bit more —she added with a quiet smile—. Besides, I think it will do you good to see a bit more of the world.
Zein then turned toward Lyra.
—What do you say, Lyra?
She hesitated. She lowered her gaze and tightly gripped the edge of her dress.
—I'll accept it… only if you promise you'll stay away from any challenges —she said in a low voice—. And if you promise to come back safe and sound to my side… I don't want to be left alone.
Zein didn't respond immediately. He stepped closer and wrapped her in a firm, warm hug.
—I promise.
Alexander watched them in silence for a few seconds.
—If you need anything, I want you to know we're here for you —he said at last, with a sincere smile.
A while later, Zein was standing in front of the liquidators' facilities.
Just then, Zein noticed three soldiers walking aimlessly in front of him. Upon seeing him, the three stopped and greeted him almost at the same time.
—Hello! You did come in the end —one of them said, raising a hand.
—Wow, we're really glad you're here —another added.
Zein blinked a couple of times.
—Sorry, but… who are you? —he asked, somewhat confused.
—Ah, right —the third responded—. It's hard to tell us apart with these uniforms. We're the ones who brought you here the other day.
—Ah…
In that instant, everything clicked.
—My name is Bret —one said, pointing to himself—. He's Mival, and the other one is Saul. We're triplets.
Even though he pointed them out one by one, they still looked exactly the same to Zein.
—Nice to meet you, I'm Zein —he said with an awkward smile—, but… truthfully, I can't tell who is who.
—Hahaha, that happens to us a lot —they responded almost in unison.
—Hey! Stop idling and get to work! —a firm voice shouted from afar.
The three tensed immediately.
—Sorry, Captain! —they said before practically running off.
—Ah… what am I going to do with them? —the captain murmured as she approached Zein—. Come.
They began walking through the facilities. Zein observed everything closely. The place had a clearly military structure, but at the same time, it felt like an active pier, with constant movement and the smell of salt in the air.
—I'm glad you came —the captain said without stopping—. First, I'll explain how things work here. We are almost a branch of the Imperial army, though we operate more by our own rules.
—That explains why everything looks so… militarized and orderly —Zein commented, looking around.
—Here we are divided into companies, each under the command of a captain —she continued—. I lead Company 172. Each company is divided into two shifts: one in the morning and one in the afternoon. For health reasons, no one works twenty-four hours straight.
Zein nodded in silence, processing every word as they moved forward.
Then they reached what appeared to be a metal ticket window, with grates and documents piled behind it.
—Hello —the captain said to the man stationed there—. I'm here to register the new recruit.
The guy took a quick look at Zein, scanning him from head to toe, and then looked back at her.
—You found a replacement fast. Well? Are you really going to put him in your company? —he asked, raising an eyebrow.
—Of course —she responded without hesitation.
—Fine.
The man began filling out some documents and then passed others to Zein. While he filled them out carefully, the man stepped away and returned with a folded uniform under his arm.
When Zein finished, he put it on. The fabric felt firm and heavy, different from the clothes he was used to.
—It looks good on you —the captain said, giving him a thumbs up.
—Thanks… though it's the same as everyone else's —Zein responded, looking over his sleeves and chest.
—Well, shall we go? —she said, turning around.
—Already? So fast? —Zein asked, surprised.
—Of course. Otherwise, we don't get paid —she replied without stopping.
They both arrived at the pier, where several people were already lined up in a standing-at-attention position. Upon arrival, everyone began boarding several boats, including Zein.
They weren't massive ships, but they weren't small either. They were just the right size to transport the crew and carry the extracted material without issues.
—How many people are in the company in total?! —Zein asked, raising his voice as the wind whipped against their faces.
—Close to eighty! Right now forty of us are going for this extraction! —the captain responded.
—Wow…
—I'll explain how we do the extraction in the blast zone! —she said, pointing toward the contaminated area that was already becoming visible in the distance—. First, we cast a spell to make the radiation visible! Then we condense it with nets! Not common nets, mana nets! We close them as if we were fishing! And once it's concentrated, we seal it in these containers!
Zein followed the direction of her hand, watching the horizon as the boat surged forward.
Then the captain pulled out a metal container. There were several identical ones inside the vessel, all currently empty.
—Everyone does different tasks! —the captain shouted so everyone could hear—. We divide into small zones to spread the nets! Those who venture directly into the radiation to hook them are assigned a puller! The puller pulls them out the instant the net connects!
—And what am I going to be doing?! —Zein asked.
—You're going to be a puller! —she responded without hesitation—. For now, the triplets will teach you how to form the mana rope!
As they approached the blast zone, the triplets began explaining to him how to mold the rope. Zein followed the instructions carefully… and when he tried it, the rope emerged with an unsettling ease. It was long, firm, and stable.
The three of them looked at each other.
—Hey… —one murmured—. This isn't normal.
Usually, a person could barely generate two or three meters before becoming exhausted. Zein kept producing it without his breathing even faltering.
They said nothing more. They simply set to work.
Zein adapted quickly to the rhythm. He pulled, held, and extracted. His hands burned slightly every time the mana tensed the rope, but he didn't stop. As time passed, the containers began to fill.
By the time they looked up, they had already completed nearly half.
—Good! We're doing great on time! Keep it up! —the captain shouted while coordinating the company.
Then someone ran up to her, their face pale and their breath broken.
—Captain, this is bad! —they said, almost out of air—. We just got word that the facilities are under attack!
—Monsters? —she asked, her tone still controlled.
—Y-yes…
—Then there shouldn't be a problem —she responded—. This happens often. One or two wild monsters won't—
—It's not one or two! —the person interrupted, raising their voice—. It's two entire clans!
Silence fell abruptly.
—Immediate retreat —she ordered—. Everyone through purification right now!
The operation dismantled in seconds.
When Zein returned to the surface, he knew instantly that something was wrong. Not just because of the hurried retreat, but because of the tension in the captain's face, and the way her hands trembled slightly as she gave orders.
—Quick! We have to go! —she shouted as she hurried them along.
The boats set off as soon as everyone was on board. Magic propelled them violently, pushing them out to sea toward the coast.
Zein looked back.
In the distance, over the island, a column of dark smoke was beginning to rise.