Leon finally reached the surface.
The rusted hatch creaked open as he pulled himself up, and a warm breeze greeted him—the first fresh air he'd felt since the night before. Morning light spilled across the ruined landscape, casting long shadows over cracked pavement and broken structures. The building he had just escaped from stood like a half-buried skeleton of the old world, silent and crumbling.
Leon stepped forward cautiously, eyes scanning the surroundings. He didn't lower his guard.
Beside him, a flicker of light appeared, forming the holographic projection of a woman. Selphy—his Seraphim. Her golden hair flowed as if caught in the breeze, and her soft smile contrasted the ruined world around them.
"Wielder," she said, tilting her head with a gentle smile, "where are we going now?"
Leon flinched and spun around, startled.
"Argh—could you not do that?!" he snapped, hand instinctively reaching for his weapon.
Selphy floated calmly a few steps behind him, her glowing form flickering slightly in the sunlight. Since they'd escaped the facility, she'd only spoken through his mind—her sudden reappearance in full holographic form caught him off guard.
"I've been talking to you telepathically for the past hour," Leon muttered, his voice laced with irritation. "You could've warned me before just popping up like that."
Selphy giggled softly. "But it's more fun this way. Besides, I missed having a face-to-face conversation with my Wielder."
Leon stood in front of her, brow twitching in mild annoyance.
"Can you stop calling me 'Wielder'?"
Selphy tilted her head, looking genuinely puzzled.
"But… you are my Wielder. And Wielder is Wielder!"
Leon groaned. "Could you not make it sound so weird?"
Selphy blinked, then gave a cheeky grin. "Weird?"
He let out a sigh and rubbed the back of his neck. "Just… call me Leon , okay? That's my name."
Selphy floated closer, nodding brightly.
"Alright then, Leon . But only because you asked so nicely~"
Leon rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, sure. Let's just keep moving"
"Where are we heading? Currently, I don't have any post-collapse data on this region. Until I access the current network, navigating around here will be... challenging."
Leon raised an eyebrow.
"What do you mean? And how can I do that that?"
Selphy smiled.
"Don't worry, Leon. If you can find a communication tablet—or anything that can access to the modern web—I'll be able to update my system instantly."
She tilted her head. "Perhaps... do you have a smartphone?"
"Smartphone?!" Leon scoffed. "I can't even afford foods ?!"
"Hehe…it's alight ... LEON!"
As Selphy teased him with a mischievous grin, she suddenly pulled his body and yanked him sideways.
"Ah—what?!"
[CLACK!]
A sharp crack rang out. A bullet slammed into the metal pipe behind where he had just stood.
If Selphy hadn't moved him, it would've gone straight through his skull.
"Are you alright, Leon?!" Selphy asked, her tone suddenly serious.
"What just happened?"
Leon ducked down, eyes scanning the surroundings.
The band on his wrist shimmered, shifting with a metallic whisper as it transformed once more into the golden blade. Leon's grip tightened around the hilt as he crouched behind a nearby boulder.
Selphy rose gently into the air, eyes glowing faintly as she scanned the environment with pinpoint precision. Within moments, she turned back to Leon, her cheerful expression gone—replaced with a stern, focused look.
"I've detected two individuals equipped with long-range firearms. They're positioned to the north, approximately ten kilometres from here. One of them fired the shot just now."
She paused. "It seems that their target was you, Leon."
Leon clenched his jaw.
"Me…?"
Leon's eyes narrowed at Selphy's words.
"Can you describe them?" he asked quickly, voice sharp with tension.
Selphy floated above the boulder, scanning the horizon.
"The two individuals are equipped with unknown suits—likely post-Collapse technology. I can't fully identify their models, but the suits appear to enhance mobility and provide significant protection against impact."
She paused for a moment.
"One of them is carrying a long-range rifle. The other also has a firearm, though the exact model is unfamiliar to me. "
Leon's expression darkened.
"Did you say… suit?" he asked, a low growl in his voice.
"Yes. Sorry, but I don't have any database records on their equipment," Selphy replied, her tone apologetic.
"…Keepers," Leonmuttered under his breath, eyes narrowing.
Selphy tilted her head, confused.
"Keepers? What do you mean, Leon?"
Leon didn't answer right away. His grip tightened around the blade as memories surged through his mind.
"They're hunters from the Keeper Association," Leon finally said, his voice low and bitter.
"They're not directly under the government, but they're backed by it. Outside the city walls, they do whatever the hell they want. No rules. No consequences."
He clenched his jaw, the anger in his eyes burning.
"And now… it looks like they've spotted me. Just some stray slum rat to use as target practice."
Selphy's expression grew serious. Though she didn't fully understand the world she'd awakened into, she listened carefully—every word from Leon stored in her memory.
"I see," she said gently. "Then, what do you want to do, Leon? I'll assist you."
Leon's eyes locked onto the northern horizon where the snipers had taken position.
"I'll kill them," he growled, his voice deadly calm.
15 Minutes Earlier
"Why the hell are we out here so early in the morning?"
The man in the black combat suit grumbled, slinging his rifle over his shoulder. Late twenties, short-haired, dual pistols strapped to his hips, a bulky gear bag slung across his back.
He turned toward his companion, who was crouched nearby, grinning like a kid on his birthday as he admired a polished sniper rifle.
"Oh" the bald man replied, clearly proud, "I dropped all my savings on this beauty. Top-tier range, newest model. Took me years to finally get my hands on it."
He carefully wiped the scope with a cloth, every movement radiating excitement.
The first man—Simon—didn't look impressed. Instead, he scowled and tensed up.
"Come on, Rex. What's this mission even about? The Keeper Association gave us the request, sure, but you were the one who accepted it—right after burning all that cash on that thing."
Rex chuckled.
"What do you mean? It only cost me 50,000 Creds."
Simon froze.
"FIFTY-THOUSAND?! Are you out of your damn mind?!"
Rex just grinned, unbothered.
"Anyway, there was a report that a small pack of Spinehounds was roaming around this sector. Small fry. That's why I picked up the request."
Simon groaned, slumping back against the wall of the abandoned outpost.
"We've been out here for one hour and haven't seen a damn thing."
He pulled out his binoculars and scanned the landscape through the cracked window.
A moment passed before his posture stiffened.
"…Hey. There's a figure—south position."
Simon's voice sharpened.
"Looks like a kid. Judging by his clothes... probably a slum rat."
Upon hearing that, Rex stood up and grabbed his rifle, eyes gleaming with excitement.
"Finally... a test target for my new gun."
Simon glanced over in disbelief.
"You serious? You're gonna waste a bullet on that slum rat?"
"Do whatever you want," he added, dropping his binoculars and leaning back against the broken wall.
Meanwhile, Rex was thrilled. He knelt down by the shattered window, setting up his sleek sniper rifle on the ledge. With practiced hands, he loaded a single round, then buried his eye into the scope.
He took a deep breath, adjusting for distance and wind.
"…Alright. Target is roughly 10 kilometres out… Let's see if this baby can really hit that far."
Rex exhaled slowly, his finger tightening on the trigger.
[BANG]
A muffled shot rang out—barely a whisper thanks to the rifle's advanced sound suppression.
"Whoa… even the sound's dampened," Rex muttered in awe.
Simon raised an eyebrow.
"Huh. Not bad."
Rex remained focused, eyes glued to the scope as the round closed in on the distant figure.
But just before the bullet could make contact, the target suddenly darted to the side—diving behind a large chunk of debris.
"What the—?!"
Rex recoiled from the scope, stunned.
"That rat dodged it! He actually moved before the shot hit!"
Simon scoffed.
"You serious? Don't start making excuses already…"
"I'm telling you, Simon—it's true! That kid saw it coming!"
Rex's voice was laced with disbelief and something else—excitement.
"Are you sure?"
Simon stood up, brushing dust off his combat vest as he raised his binoculars for a second look.
Both men fell silent.
Through the hazy morning light, they saw the figure—still distant but now moving.
Walking.
Deliberately.
Straight toward them.
"…Shit."
Simon's voice dropped as realization hit him.
"He knows. That rat knows where we are."
He didn't lower the binoculars.
"Rex! Don't wait—take him out, now!"