The escape tunnel beneath the Western Hospital was dark and suffocating.
The air was thick with residual magic, settled like mist, glowing faintly green.
Behind the worn stone walls—abandoned since the last war—three souls breathed in silence.
Jainal lit a small flame—not too bright, not too hot.
Just enough to warm.
He sat cross-legged, eyes fixed on the silver-eyed girl now resting against a makeshift pillow crafted from his folded cloak.
The girl was still pale. Her breaths were shallow, trembling softly—but steady.
Omega, the quiet boy with eyes calm and cold like a frozen river, sat nearby.
His hands examined the remnants of the rune that once pulsed inside the capsule they'd left behind in the hospital.
Jainal stirred a bowl of herbal brew slowly.
Soft white steam rose toward the low ceiling of the tunnel.
"Drinkthis," he said gently, offering a small metal cup.
"It will calm your body."
The girl reached out with trembling hands.
It took her two tries before the liquid touched her lips.
Her silver eyes glanced at Omega, then returned to Jainal.
"…Ruu… is he… really still alive?" she asked, voice fragile, as if begging for certainty.
Jainal nodded.
" Yes. He survived. I found him in a village when I came down from the mountain. He safe now… at the White Monastery."
A tear slid from the corner of her eye.
But it wasn't loud weeping. Not pain-filled sobs.
It was the kind of crying that felt like autumn—quiet, and without sound.
"…Thank the stars… I… I thought she was gone… when everything burned…"
Omega turned.
There was something unfamiliar in his eyes—confusion.
He spoke flatly, "You're crying. But you're not hurt. Why?"
The girl turned to him slowly and smiled weakly.
"You've never missed someone you thought was dead… have you?"
Omega fell silent.
Then, he stared at his own fingers, as if questioning whether he'd ever known the feeling of longing.
"What's your name?" Jainal asked softly.
The girl lifted her face just a little.
"…My name is July."
Jainal nodded.
"Alright, July. From now on, you're not alone."
He pulled out a piece of parchment, writing a few lines to send later to the White Monastery.
July watched him, then sat a bit straighter.
"he loves to sing," Julymurmured. "Ruu. When we were locked up, he used to make up strange songs. Sometimes just hums. But it was enough… enough to keep us from being afraid."
Omega turned again—more intently this time.
"What is… a song? Is it magic?"
July let out a soft laugh.
It was nearly silent, but honest.
"No. A song is… a sound you use to make someone else's heart feel less alone."
Omega nodded slowly, absorbing a meaning he couldn't fully understand.
Jainal stood up, arranging a small leather satchel and pulling out a hidden coin pouch from beneath his robe.
"I'll send both of you to the White Monastery. Just like I did with Ruu and Unit 5."
Omega replied flatly, "I can survive on my own."
Jainal stared at him—not with anger, but with unspoken sorrow.
"You can. But that doesn't mean you have to."
"July needs someone. And you… you need a place to start learning how to be human—not just someone's experiment."
Omega lowered his gaze.
July gently reached for his hand.
And for the first time, he didn't pull away.
The silence between them felt like a warm blanket.
No threats. No experiments.
Just the soft glow of firelight, the scent of herbs,
and the breath of three souls quietly rebuilding the pieces of lives once broken.
---
The next morning, before dawn brushed the ruins of Karsinium with light, Jainal walked alone out of the escape tunnel.
He carried a small bag filled with emergency supplies, magic protection, and a letter addressed to the head of the White Monastery.
July slept, leaning against Omega—who watched over her in silence.
The fire had gone out. Only a trace of warmth remained.
Jainal looked back at them for a moment,
then stepped forward—toward a new path that would take him once again into the world's darkest corners.To map out the safest route to the White Monastery.
Behind him, two young souls carried a spark still alive.