Inside the bunker, Isis, already awake, was having breakfast with her siblings before starting the day, except for Yuliya, who was still asleep.
"Come on! You have to eat!"
In truth, she was trying, as everyone was clearly still half-asleep.
Like puppets, they were all seated at the table, utterly limp, propped up against whatever they could find.
"Where's Seven?"
Leon, the most lively among them but still quite drowsy, looked around, searching for him.
"He went with Father somewhere."
Isis didn't know where, as it wasn't decided near her, nor had she seen them discuss it after dinner.
"Hmm…"
With that answer, he slowly lowered his head and fell back asleep on the table.
"Leon! Get your head out of the plate!"
"hmmm…"
Does Seven manage it?
When he woke everyone, even if they were tired at first, they quickly found their rhythm to start the day.
Anguished, she looked around at her siblings.
But with her, none of them were truly awake; they were all asleep at the table.
They had to finish soon, as there were several things to do in the city before Father and Seven returned, but nothing was moving forward.
"…"
"Seems like you're struggling…"
Startled, Isis looked back.
"Sister!"
Leaning against the bedroom doorframe, Yuliya stood watching them.
"Weren't you asleep?"
"Well…"
Looking to the side, she murmured with a complicated expression.
"You were talking pretty loudly…"
But Isis, who hadn't heard her, grew worried.
"Did something happen?!"
"…No, it's nothing, I just got up earlier, that's all…"
Isis approached Yuliya, helping her walk to her chair.
She's doing better.
Having helped her sister hundreds of times, Isis quickly noticed she was walking with less difficulty, feeling much lighter than usual.
Stopping near the table, she settled Yuliya in her place, where her food was already prepared.
It wasn't much—just a cup of tea and a kind of greenish soup with an unpleasant smell.
Beside these, there was a small mountain of pills and supplements.
Seeing that scene, Isis felt a pang of sadness.
She had seen this countless times, but she could never get used to it.
Yuliya's diet was completely different from theirs, as she couldn't handle the milder soups they ate, leaving her with only this to consume.
A blend of various medicinal herbs in water, alongside a dozen medications and supplements.
Last night, at dinner, all she could manage was a bit of the rabbit soup broth…
Even though it was her favorite food, she could only have that, as anything else her body wouldn't tolerate.
"…Your pitying look makes the food taste even worse…"
Realizing her expression was showing, Isis averted her gaze.
"I'm sorry…"
Yuliya didn't like being looked at that way, with pity.
"No need to apologize."
Taking some of the capsules and tablets, Yuliya swallowed them with a sip of tea.
Seems like she's drinking the usual…
It probably served some purpose, like providing a nutrient she needed or being a medicinal herb that helped her.
Reddish in color, it had a very pleasant, sweet aroma.
"Is that tea made from some medicinal herb?"
"No, it's just because I like it, so Father always makes it for me."
"Is it good?"
Pausing for a moment, Yuliya took a while to answer.
"…Yeah, want to try it?"
"Sure."
Taking the cup, Isis inhaled its aroma.
It smells sweet, but with a hint of iron…
After savoring the scent, she tilted the cup and drank normally.
"Urgh!"
Pulling the cup away, she stuck out her tongue.
"It's bitter!"
Looking at Yuliya's face after drinking, she realized it was a prank.
"You tricked me!"
With a cheerful but restrained laugh, Yuliya watched her.
Trying to clear her palate, Isis grabbed her own cup of tea and drank, but it had no effect.
"Why is it so strong!"
Beyond the taste, the tea left a strange sensation in her mouth, as if it were puckered and dry.
"How do you drink this?"
"Because only adults can handle it."
The age difference between them wasn't that big for her to say that.
"Seriously, how do you drink it?"
"I told you."
With just a year's difference, it didn't make sense for their tastes to differ so much.
"Then let me try again!"
Taking another sip, she tried to keep her expression composed, believing that enduring it for a while would let her palate adjust to the flavor.
But the taste, instead of fading, seemed to grow worse, defeating her.
Grimacing, she swallowed.
"Urgh!"
Still smiling, Yuliya watched her.
"As I said, only adults can handle it."
Taking the cup from Isis's hands, she took a sip with an unchanging expression.
"That's impossible… your taste buds must be broken…"
With a look of complete disbelief, she watched Yuliya drink the tea normally.
Lowering the cup, Yuliya's smile faded, her expression growing more serious as she turned to their siblings sleeping at the table.
"Why did you wake everyone at this hour?"
"Well… isn't this the usual time?"
It wasn't early; around this time, when Seven was in charge, everyone was already up, getting ready to leave, so she didn't quite understand Yuliya's question.
Noticing this, Yuliya continued.
"You all got back really late yesterday, so you ended up sleeping late too…"
That's true…
Isis hadn't stopped to think about it, perhaps because her mind was full, this being her first time leading.
"…"
"Don't you think it's better to let them sleep a bit more?"
"But if we leave later, we might not get everything done!? We have to visit several places today!"
Isis didn't want to take that risk, not finishing what they had to do today, not on her first day.
"…You don't need to worry. Today's tasks aren't time-consuming; they're simple, especially since winter's close. This time of year, we don't have much to do."
Even if she was right, Isis didn't want to do that. Leaving at the usual time would give her more time to complete the tasks if something went wrong.
I don't want to fail, not on my first day…
But looking at her siblings, it wasn't hard to see that pushing forward wouldn't yield good results.
"…"
Clenching her fists, she gave in.
"Alright…"
Clapping her hands, Yuliya dismissed their siblings.
"Come on, everyone back to bed."
Like zombies, one by one, they rose and shuffled back to the bedroom.
Watching them leave, Isis had a worried look but did nothing.
After they were all gone, Isis sank heavily into her chair.
"Aren't you going to sleep a bit too?"
"No, I won't leave you alone here, and I'm not sleepy either…"
Even if she were, she'd hardly be able to fall back asleep; she was too anxious about today.
If it weren't for yesterday's exhaustion, she wouldn't have slept at all last night…
Spoon in hand, she stirred her food but had no appetite to eat.
"…It's about your first day, isn't it?"
"Yeah…"
"You don't need to be anxious; things will go fine."
The tasks weren't difficult; being her first time in this role, the places she had to go weren't far from home and were in one of the city's safest areas.
But that was exactly why she was worried—she feared failing at something so easy.
If she could, to avoid that risk, she'd have prepared in advance, finding out exactly where those places were, as she was afraid of taking the wrong path or forgetting something, but it had all been so sudden.
I wish I were like Seven…
Her brother always knew what to do, handling sudden situations quickly and efficiently.
Or even like you…
Lifting her gaze from her plate, she glanced at Yuliya, who was also eating.
Even though she was ill, unable to lead, in the past, she and Seven had taken turns in that role. Though Isis didn't know much about that time, still recovering from what had happened, she knew her sister was as capable as Seven.
"Sister…"
"Yes?"
"What happened to you? I mean, how did you get sick?"
Isis wasn't sure what had happened, given the situation she was in, and later felt too awkward to ask, fearing it might be disrespectful or insensitive.
But now, with Yuliya recovering more each day, she felt it was okay to ask.
"I remember you were so energetic and lively, but…"
"…"
With a slightly melancholic look, Yuliya stopped eating, which Isis noticed.
"But if you don't want to, you don't have to say!"
"No, it's fine, it's just that your question caught me off guard."
Taking the cup, Yuliya sipped her tea before beginning.
"Well, one day I was leaving the house with Seven…"
…
Among dead trees, two young people walked.
The place was recovering, with faint vegetation forming over the bare soil, scattered with a few small bushes.
The one in front, a young woman with long blonde hair, stopped walking and turned, shouting.
"Come on, Seven!"
She wasn't carrying much, just a bow in hand and a quiver at her waist.
"It's not easy carrying this alone!"
A bit behind her, lugging two large empty jugs, Seven replied, stumbling awkwardly under the weight.
Ignoring his complaints, Yuliya continued in a teasing tone.
"Well, who told you to lose that bet?"
Exploding with anger, Seven retorted.
"You cheated in that!"
"Loser's excuses!"—she said, thumping her chest—"I won fair and square! You should've paid attention to the competition's terms!"
As she spoke, she flashed a mocking smile.
Fuming, Seven muttered.
"You'll get yours…"
Continuing their path, they began to hear the sound of moving water.
The closer they walked, the louder the sound grew, and the terrain changed more and more, with life gradually appearing in the surroundings.
From an area without plants, a few began to sprout, painting the landscape, until they became abundant, though still interspersed with the skeletons of dead trees.
Though not tall vegetation, it formed a denser thicket, forcing them to pass through a narrow trail.
Yuliya, walking ahead, neared the stream and, noticing something, crouched suddenly.
"What are you—"
Seven, right behind her, was pulled down as she covered his mouth to stop any sound.
Signaling for silence, Yuliya pointed ahead.
"There."
On the rocky banks of the stream, a small white rabbit was drinking water.
It was on their side but facing away, seemingly unaware of them.
"A rabbit!"
Covering his mouth again, Yuliya whispered.
"Shhh, keep it down!"
"…Sorry, are you going to shoot it with the bow?"
"No."
"What?"
With a mischievous grin, she turned to her brother.
"How about a bet?"
Hearing this, Seven grinned back, finishing her thought.
"Whoever catches the rabbit doesn't have to carry the full jugs back?"
Extending a hand with only her pinky raised, Yuliya nodded.
"Exactly what I was thinking."
Seven did the same, sealing the bet.
Setting the jugs, bow, and quiver aside, both were ready to begin.
Since they were competing, they chose different directions and split up. Yuliya went upstream, against the current, while Seven went downstream, with the flow.
Crouched, using the lush vegetation around the stream, they approached the animal.
They quickly advanced to surround it, moving silently through the plants and tree skeletons.
When they were both close to the rabbit, it, having quenched its thirst, began to hop in the direction of the current.
Damn!
Yuliya could see her brother stop moving, preparing to leap, as the animal was about to pass right by him.
I'm not losing!
Standing, she started running toward the animal.
Hearing the sudden movement, the rabbit turned back and saw her approaching.
Sensing danger, it bolted, dodging Seven at the last moment as he lunged to grab it.
Missing, he fell into the stream.
"Hahaha, not this time! The rabbit's mine!"
Rushing past her brother, Yuliya kept running.
"It's not over yet!"
Undeterred, Seven climbed out of the water and started running too, though far behind them.
Yuliya, keeping the rabbit in sight, followed closely, trying to find the right moment to pounce.
Even though the animal was, for some reason, slower, she couldn't find the chance to catch it.
Stop running like that!
The rabbit zigzagged.
Without a clear opening, all she could do was stay close behind, which led her farther and farther from the stream.
Entering an area of ruins, the vegetation gradually thinned until it vanished completely.
Seven, exhausted from trying to catch up, noticed the change in terrain and felt a chill run up his spine.
Near the ground, a faintly greenish mist hovered.
"YULIYA, STOP!"
Shouting to his sister, he tried to stop her, but she didn't hear.
***
In a tunnel, Seven began to see a light source in the distance.
They had been walking for hours, but after all that time, they finally reached the tunnel's end.
Since leaving home, Seven had wondered where this safe place for training would be, but he couldn't find an answer.
It turned out to be a passage I'd never used.
Though they had entered the same tunnel he used to reach the greenhouse the previous night, Father went to a gate near the stairs, unlocked it, and opened a new passage.
That surprised Seven greatly, as he hadn't expected padlocks to secure still-active passages.
Looking ahead, he admired his father.
It wasn't a simple path they had taken; it was, in fact, quite complex, with dozens of branches.
It's like he uses it regularly…
But that didn't hinder Father at all. Without hesitation, he chose a direction with complete ease.
This made Seven realize he knew little, very little, about that vast network of passages beneath the city, struggling to recall even the ones he knew due to their complexity.
But that wasn't the case for Father, who navigated the sprawling complex with ease.
Nearing the end, the tunnel began to change slightly.
Near the walls, there were still numerous pipes and valves, with underground chambers appearing periodically. Being the same type of tunnel as the one under the greenhouse, its appearance hadn't changed much—until now.
The many pipes along the walls were vanishing, exposing them. This revealed hundreds of cracks running from top to bottom.
Branching in various directions, the closer to the end, the more numerous and thicker they became, though none seemed to compromise the structure.
The spot with the most cracks was near the exit, a fissure with scattered pieces of concrete.
Passing through it, Seven was temporarily blinded.
Adjusting to the intense sunlight, he looked around.
Wow…
He was in a crater, not at the bottom, but close to it, where there was a lagoon. It was relatively large, with greenish water but no life or vegetation around.
Lost in the view, Seven snapped out of it when he noticed Father beginning to climb the crater's walls.
Running, he followed.
The climb wasn't difficult, as a path had been made to reach the top. It wasn't pretty but functional, with some blocks and stones positioned to form a narrow staircase.
The lack of vegetation wasn't just around the lagoon; it extended to the crater's walls, a mix of concrete, metal, and earth, with a few scattered pipes of various sizes.
Even basic plants, like lichen, were absent.
A dead zone.
If he had to describe the place in a few words, those would be it.
Though such places were once common in the city, things had changed significantly, but this place seemed frozen in time.
Reaching the top, Father extended a hand and helped Seven up the final stretch.
Looking around, Seven froze.
They were on the crater's edge, surrounded by a vast sea of gas.
It resembled a fog but was a dense greenish hue, blocking any view through it.
It almost seemed like a solid mass.
"How is this possible…"
No matter where he looked, the gas was there.
On the greenish horizon, he saw some buildings, but their details were impossible to discern due to the great distance.
That green mist wasn't new; in the past, it had covered the entire city, but he had never seen it in such quantity and concentration.
It wasn't just any gas—it was what had kept the city barren for so long.
"That's what the masks are for."
Turning to Father, he saw him gazing at that ocean.