The silence shattered.
It wasn't the kind of silence that faded with wind or voices. This was a silence that held the ruins in a cold grip, a silence so absolute that even footsteps felt like screams. And now, that silence cracked—by a howl.
Jun froze, every instinct in his body locking into place.
The creature was close.
Not just close. Here.
They had seen signs earlier—scratches in the stone, trails of crushed debris—but none of them had spoken it aloud. No one wanted to believe a Category 1 was nearby. The ruins were dangerous, yes, but that kind of monster wasn't supposed to appear this early.
It was towering, hunched beneath the arching remains of what once looked like a temple. Its limbs were long, its body skeletal yet massive. Empty eye sockets glowed with a pale blue light, like two lanterns trapped in a skull. The air around it bent slightly, like the heat of a forge—except colder.
Jun stepped forward, placing himself between the monster and the girls without a word.
Lina was already trembling.
Maya had gone pale.
Neither of them screamed, but he felt their panic behind him like a pressure on his spine. They weren't ready for this. Not physically. Not mentally.
He whispered without turning his head, "Don't move. Don't speak. Whatever happens… stay behind me."
They nodded, barely.
Then the beast roared again.
This time, it wasn't just noise. The sound struck the air like a blade. Dust fell from the ruined walls. Stones shifted. Jun felt it vibrate through his chest.
He didn't wait.
In one fluid motion, he grabbed a sharpened wooden spear they had crafted earlier. Primitive. Barely more than a stick with a stone tip. But it was all they had.
He rushed forward.
The monster didn't hesitate either. It lunged, one massive claw sweeping down. Jun dodged sideways, rolling over broken tiles, and stabbed upward.
The spear struck.
But it didn't pierce.
It scraped along bone. The beast howled again, and this time its claws found him. Pain exploded across his shoulder as he was thrown back, landing hard. He coughed, spat blood, and stood.
Behind him, the girls hadn't moved.
But he could hear Maya breathing hard, like she was about to hyperventilate. Lina had dropped to her knees, clutching her arms.
They were breaking.
Jun couldn't let them fall apart. Not now.
He roared—not a cry of pain, but a call to action. Something primal.
The beast turned again, charging with terrifying speed. Jun ducked beneath its legs, stabbing at the joints. This time, he felt something give—a tendon? A crack?
The monster stumbled.
He used the moment to retreat, dragging himself toward a small cluster of stones. He picked up a second spear.
"Think, damn it," he muttered to himself. "You've fought worse. Not bigger, but worse."
His mind raced.
He didn't have traps.
He didn't have weapons.
He didn't have time.
But he had survived the surface. He had survived alone.
That meant something.
The monster roared again and advanced. Jun ran—not away, but around. Circling. Keeping its attention. Drawing it from the girls.
They were still frozen.
He needed them to move.
"Lina!" he shouted between breaths. "Maya! I need you to get up! Run if you have to, but MOVE!"
Neither did.
He cursed, leaping up a fallen column and throwing a spear. It struck the monster's face, shattering one glowing eye.
The beast screamed.
Then something happened.
Behind him, Lina let out a sob. Maya covered her mouth with both hands, trembling.
Jun didn't see it, but he felt it.
They were cracking.
The fear was too much.
He clenched his teeth.
This wasn't just a fight anymore. This was survival—for all of them. And they had to learn that they couldn't just watch from the shadows. He needed them. Not as warriors. But as humans who wouldn't give up.
The monster lashed out again, claws tearing into a stone pillar where Jun had stood a second ago. Shards rained down.
Jun was bleeding now. Leg, side, shoulder. Nothing deep. Nothing fatal. But it was adding up.
He felt his body slowing.
But his mind was sharper than ever.
He lured the beast into a tighter space—an archway where it couldn't swing fully. There, he struck. Again. And again.
Stone tips broke.
Wood splintered.
But he kept pushing.
Then—behind him—a voice.
Weak. Cracked.
"I… I'm sorry," Lina whispered.
Jun didn't look.
Then another voice. Stronger. Maya.
"We're useless like this. We can't… just sit here."
Finally.
Jun shouted, "Good. Then help me survive."
Lina stood. Shaking. But upright.
Maya scanned the area, grabbing a broken piece of column.
Weapons.
Improvised. Desperate.
But they were learning.
Jun smiled through the blood.
He threw the last of his spear shafts, striking the creature's knee. It collapsed forward, and in that moment, he surged up, climbing its bony arm, reaching its head.
With every ounce of strength, he drove the jagged remains of the spear into the remaining eye.
The monster screamed.
Convulsed.
And finally… fell.
Silence returned.
But this one wasn't empty.
It was full of breathless shock. Of hearts beating too fast. Of victory earned by inches.
Jun dropped to his knees, panting.
Lina and Maya rushed to him.
He waved them off. "I'm fine."
"You're bleeding," Maya said.
"Better than dead."
Lina crouched beside him, her voice low. "I've never felt that afraid."
Jun nodded.
"That's how it starts."
She looked at him, confused.
He added, "But now you know what it takes to stay alive."
She didn't answer. She didn't need to.
Jun stared at the fallen monster. Its body was already beginning to dissolve into black dust, like all things in the Vestige.
He felt something stir in his chest.
Not pride.
Not even relief.
Something colder.
A whisper.
The Vestige was watching.
Judging.
And it had accepted this offering.
He didn't know what that meant.
But he knew this: they weren't safe yet. This was just one enemy. There would be more. Worse.
And next time, he might not be able to protect them alone.
He looked at Maya.
Then at Lina.
They were changed.
Still afraid. Still inexperienced.
But no longer frozen.
He stood, slowly, painfully.
"Next time," he said, "you won't need me to save you."
Neither answered.
But they both nodded.
And that was enough.
They moved forward, leaving behind the ashes of the monster, and stepped deeper into the heart of the Vestige.
Together.