The dust hadn't even settled when Wakari turned around.
She didn't need to look to know—
She was surrounded.
Shadows slithered out from the thick smoke, distorted shapes gradually revealing themselves beneath the flickering streetlights. Their bodies were covered in dark, charred-looking skin, limbs uneven and grotesque. Some crawled low to the ground on long, spindly legs. Others hovered in the air, tattered wings screeching as they flapped.
They were sniffing.
Wakari instinctively took a step back, tightening her hold on the child.
"Don't look," she said quickly, pressing the girl's head against her chest. "Close your eyes."
She glanced around for an escape.
To the left—a narrow alley cluttered with trash and overturned vehicles.
To the right—an open street, completely exposed.
Straight ahead—the collapsed building blocked everything.
Behind her—the monsters.
A low growl echoed.
There was no time to think.
Wakari turned and dashed into the alley on the left.
She ran.
Her footsteps slammed against the slick concrete, breath ragged. The child in her arms was heavier than she had expected, but Wakari didn't dare slow down even for a second.
BOOM!
Something slammed into the entrance of the alley behind them. The ground shook violently, cracks spreading along the brick walls.
They were chasing her.
The sound of wings beat overhead. Wakari instinctively ducked—a dark shadow swept past, claws tearing into the wall and leaving deep gashes behind.
She turned sharply.
Too late.
A monster lunged at her from the front, its body twisted as if broken at multiple joints, its mouth gaping wide to reveal rows of jagged teeth.
Wakari stopped short.
Her foot slipped on a puddle of filthy water.
She fell.
Her back hit the ground hard, the air forced out of her lungs. The child in her arms burst into louder sobs, the sound ripping through the brief silence.
The monster roared and charged.
Wakari twisted her body, clutching the child tightly as she rolled aside by a hair's breadth. Claws slammed into the spot she'd just been lying in, concrete shattering.
She scrambled to her feet. Her legs trembled with pain, but she forced herself to keep running.
Dead end.
A tall wall loomed in front of her.
Behind her—heavy footsteps, overlapping growls. Not just one.
Wakari turned around.
Three of them.
No way out.
Her heart pounded wildly. Her throat was dry. The arm holding the child trembled so badly she could feel it herself.
She backed up until her spine hit the wall.
No escape.
Her breathing grew shallow. Her ears rang as the growls closed in from all sides. Distorted shadows blocked every possible route, claws scraping against the concrete with a chilling sound.
Wakari crouched down, wrapping the child tightly in her arms.
Her grip tightened instinctively, as if letting go even slightly would cause everything to collapse.
"Don't be afraid…" Her voice came out hoarse. "I'm here."
The child trembled, clutching at Wakari's clothes.
The largest monster stepped forward. Its misshapen head lowered, a foul stench washing over Wakari's face.
She closed her eyes.
No more running.
No more thinking.
Just hold on.
—
Slice.
There was no pain—nothing like she had imagined.
No impact.
No tearing.
No sensation of being ripped apart.
Only… a strange silence.
Wakari opened her eyes.
The monster that had been in front of her stood frozen—its head no longer attached to its neck.
The body collapsed onto the ground with a heavy thud.
Black blood splattered everywhere.
Before she could even process what had happened, the two monsters behind it fell as well—dropping like lifeless lumps of flesh, their bodies cut with terrifying precision.
Not torn apart.
Not crushed.
Cleanly sliced.
The air trembled as a cold pressure swept through the alley.
Wakari slowly lifted her head.
Reo.
His coat was splattered with streaks of blood. The blade in his hand had already lowered, but his expression hadn't changed at all—as if what had just happened was nothing more than routine.
He stopped in front of her.
His gaze flicked briefly to the scrape on her arm.
Then to the child in her arms.
And he asked—
"Are you hurt?"
Just four words.
No follow-up.
No explanation.
No reassurance.
It took Wakari a few seconds to realize—
He was asking her.
Her throat burned.
"…No."
The answer slipped out weakly.
Reo nodded. Just slightly—barely enough to be called a reaction.
He turned away.
"Move."
That was all.
At that moment, a new roar echoed from the distance—deeper, heavier. The ground vibrated in short pulses.
Reo stepped forward, placing himself between Wakari and the direction of the sound.
He said nothing more.
But even so, Wakari understood—
Behind this man's back, she didn't need to be afraid yet.
---
Wakari clutched the child and followed behind Reo.
As they exited the ruined area, the scene before her made her stop short.
Defense forces had already arrived.
Rows of soldiers in tactical armor deployed in formation, heavy weapons aimed skyward. Above them, the remaining monsters were shot down one by one, falling like lifeless carcasses.
Explosions still echoed, but there was order now.
Control.
Wakari didn't realize she had been holding her breath until her chest began to ache, forcing her to inhale shakily.
…It's over.
It really is.
At that moment, a hoarse voice rang out from behind the security line.
"My child—!"
A woman broke free from the restrained crowd, her face deathly pale, hair disheveled, eyes filled with desperate fear.
The child in Wakari's arms stiffened.
Then she turned.
"Mom!"
The cry rang out clear and bright, freezing Wakari in place.
The girl slipped from Wakari's arms and ran unsteadily toward the woman. The two collapsed into each other, sobbing amid the lingering chaos.
Wakari stood there, her hands empty.
A cold sensation crept up from her fingertips.
She watched the scene for a few seconds—a brief moment, yet enough for all the tension in her body to unravel like a loosened string.
Her knees suddenly weakened.
Just as she was about to lose her balance—
A hand caught her arm.
Not tight. Not rushed.
Reo.
"Stay upright."
Two words.
He released her immediately, as if touching another person was never meant to last longer than necessary.
Wakari lowered her head and took a deep breath.
"…Thank you."
Reo didn't reply.
He turned instead, looking toward the defense forces sealing off the area.
A soldier ran over and reported something. Reo listened for a few seconds, then nodded.
That was it.
Wakari watched his back.
Amid the smoke, the cries, the sirens—he stood apart. Not because he was cold.
But because he had never truly belonged to this place in the first place.
---
END OF CHAPTER 2
---