After their heavy conversation, Arou, Nova, Nora, Rei, and Feeth continued moving deeper into the ruined city.
Near the remains of several collapsed buildings, one structure still stood almost intact compared to the others around it. A large entrance with cracked glass doors hinted that the place had once been active, though now it sat abandoned and covered in dust.
"This looks like… some kind of laboratory," Nova said while staring at the building.
Feeth raised an eyebrow.
"A laboratory? In the middle of a destroyed city like this?"
Rei carefully scanned the surroundings, remaining alert.
"I don't know," he replied calmly.
"But we should move carefully. There could be something inside."
Arou took a slow breath before stepping forward first.
"Alright… let's see what's in there. Stay together."
Nora followed behind them, quietly observing every corner.
"Be careful," she warned softly.
"Don't trip over the debris."
They entered through the half-open door.
Dust swirled into the air as they crossed the entrance, and the cold damp atmosphere inside immediately wrapped around them. Broken laboratory equipment covered the tables. Cracked glass tubes lay scattered across the floor, while dead monitor screens flickered faintly with dying light.
"It feels like nobody's been here in years," Feeth muttered while brushing dust off a nearby table.
Nova stepped closer to one of the dimly glowing monitors.
"This place still has power somehow… even if most of it's damaged."
He pointed toward several scattered papers nearby.
"There are experiment records here."
Arou's expression hardened.
"What kind of experiments?" he asked.
"Do they have something to do with Zata?"
Nora walked toward a row of empty glass chambers.
"It looks like they were trying to create something massive here," she whispered.
"Maybe this is connected to what happened to the city."
Suddenly—
Rei froze.
A faint sound echoed from one of the dark hallways.
"We're not alone," he said quietly.
"Something's moving."
Feeth immediately prepared himself.
"Then let's find out what it is," he said with a grin.
"But stay sharp."
Arou glanced at everyone before looking toward Nova.
"We have to be ready for anything in this place."
Nova nodded slowly, his eyes fixed on the darkness ahead.
"I want to know what really happened inside this laboratory…"
"…and who's behind all of it."
Together, they continued deeper into the facility.
Every step felt dangerous.
The cracked floors groaned beneath their feet while broken machinery and fallen debris turned the corridors into a maze.
"Wait…" Nova suddenly said, staring downward.
"The floor looks unstable."
Before Arou could respond—
the ground violently shook.
CRAAACK!
The cracks beneath them spread instantly.
"WATCH OUT!" Arou shouted, but his voice was swallowed by the roaring collapse.
The floor beneath them gave way.
Debris exploded into the air as glass and metal shattered around them. Before anyone could react, the group was thrown apart in different directions.
Arou landed safely, though far away from the others.
He quickly stood up and looked around.
"Feeth! Rei! Nora! Nova!" he shouted.
Only echoes answered him.
A few meters away, Feeth slammed into the ground beside several broken machines. He steadied himself, trying not to panic.
"Great… we got separated," he muttered under his breath.
In another corridor, Rei slowly rose to his feet.
"I need to find the others," he whispered while carefully moving through the darkness.
Nora found herself inside a room filled with shattered tubes and hanging wires. Though her heart pounded nervously, she forced herself to stay calm.
"It's okay…" she murmured softly.
"Stay calm."
Meanwhile, Nova stood among broken desks and dead monitors, staring at the massive crack dividing the laboratory.
"Arou…" he whispered quietly,
"we need to stay focused."
Arou swallowed hard as he stared into the dark hallway before him.
Every step now felt far more dangerous than before.
"Alright…" he muttered to himself.
"Don't panic. Stay alert… and find everyone."
Another tremor shook the laboratory.
Dust rained down from the ceiling as the cracks widened further.
One by one, they carefully moved through the collapsing facility, trying to reunite.
But the anxiety and uncertainty hanging over them made every step feel like a test—
not just of survival,
but of their resolve.
Arou slowly walked through the silent laboratory.
Dust floated through the air while dim monitor screens cast shifting shadows across the walls. His eyes drifted toward the cracked floor that had separated them earlier.
His chest tightened.
And then he realized something important.
He had no weapon.
"This place is way too quiet…" he whispered while staring into the dark corridors ahead.
"I need to be careful…"
Somewhere in the distance, Feeth's voice faintly echoed through the halls.
"Arou! Are you okay?!"
Arou exhaled slowly.
"I'm fine…" he called back.
"But I'll have to rely on my body and my head this time."
He quickly searched the surroundings for anything useful—
broken glass tubes,
metal pipes,
fallen cables,
anything he could use to survive.
Suddenly—
a shadow darted across the hallway.
Arou immediately ducked aside.
Without a weapon, his movements became sharper and more instinctive. He quickly hid behind a pile of rubble, using the environment itself as cover.
Elsewhere, Nova struggled to move around a collapsed section of the corridor.
"Arou… be careful!" he shouted.
Though Nova couldn't see him, Arou nodded instinctively.
In another room, Nora carefully moved between shattered containers and tangled wires.
"If we keep going…" she whispered to herself,
"we'll find each other again."
Meanwhile, Feeth activated several damaged light tubes, creating faint trails of light through the darkness.
"Arou! Over here!"
Arou spotted the faint glow in the distance and smiled slightly.
Even without a weapon, his determination only grew stronger.
He moved carefully but quickly, using every shadow, every opening, and every piece of debris to avoid danger.
Every step felt like a challenge.
Every shadow could hide an enemy.
Every crack beneath his feet threatened to collapse.
But Arou knew one thing for certain—
he could not give up.
His friends were still out there.
And he would find them.
The laboratory that once felt silent had now become a dangerous maze.
Yet strangely…
Arou began realizing something.
Facing danger without a sword forced him to become more alert.
More adaptable.
More aware of his surroundings.
Slowly, carefully, Arou continued through the dark corridors.
Dust drifted through the air while flickering lights caused moving shadows to dance along the walls.
Every step demanded caution.
"Feeth… Rei… Nora… Nova…" he whispered quietly.
"I have to find all of you."
Then—
a low growl echoed from behind the rubble.
Arou immediately straightened.
Several small creatures crawled out from the darkness.
They weren't very large—
only about knee-height—
but their appearance was disturbing.
Their bodies looked like living mixtures of smoke and shadow, with glowing crimson eyes staring directly at him.
"…What are those things?" Arou muttered.
Without a sword, he had no real way to fight them head-on.
The creatures slowly approached him.
There weren't many—
maybe five or six—
but their growls sounded threatening, almost as if they were testing his courage.
Arou quickly analyzed the environment around him.
Broken glass.
Metal pipes.
Collapsed tables.
Scattered cables.
One of the creatures suddenly lunged toward him.
Arou instantly dodged sideways, pressing himself against the wall before grabbing a broken glass tube and throwing it.
The creature stumbled backward.
Arou gained a few precious seconds.
The others began surrounding him.
But he stayed calm.
Jumping from debris to debris, he used the narrow corridors and shadows to avoid being cornered. Whenever one came too close, he struck it away with whatever he could find—
glass tubes,
metal rods,
broken machinery—
not to kill them,
only to push them back long enough to survive.
"This is harder than I expected…" he muttered while leaping across another collapsed section of the hallway.
"But I can't stop now…"
Finally, the creatures attacked all at once.
Arou reacted instinctively.
His movements became faster.
Sharper.
More controlled.
Using the environment to his advantage, he slipped past them one by one, breathing heavily but refusing to lose focus.
After several exhausting minutes, the creatures finally retreated into the darkness.
Maybe they lost interest.
Maybe Arou had successfully outsmarted them.
Either way—
he survived.
Arou stared toward the deeper corridors ahead.
His body was tired.
But his spirit remained strong.
"Alright…" he whispered while taking a deep breath.
"Now I need to find the others."
He stepped forward once again into the darkness ahead—
without a sword,
without weapons,
armed only with his instincts,
his reflexes,
and his courage.