After Renas joined the Nameless, a few quiet days passed. Their numbers had grown to 160 — though of course, not all were human. Most wore masks.
Farah was one of those masked ones, and Renas often found himself hanging around with him.
Still, the masked people were… different. Renas couldn't quite put it into words, but they definitely weren't human. The exact difference was hard to describe.
Out of the Nameless, only thirty-four were unmasked. One of the most notable among them was Jurae, who dug out the caverns below the base. Jurae's ability had nothing to do with fighting — it was about digging. Thanks to him, they'd discovered an ancient dungeon chamber beneath the village, one said to hold a legendary sword.
Excavations were still going on around that room, since many of the unmasked members didn't have proper quarters yet. The humans had their own rooms, while the masked ones were housed in large shared dormitories.
Why Thea organized things that way, Renas wasn't sure. But one thing stood out — Thea didn't send masked ones to the front lines. Only humans fought there. The masked acted as scouts and sentries instead — Farah, for example, was a lookout.
When Renas asked why, Thea said it was due to "suspicion." He claimed that in a true war, both he and the masked would fight side by side, but for minor conflicts, no masked would participate.
Renas suspected this had to do with a flaw in Thea's ability. Anyone could tell he controlled the masked. But where they came from — and how that power could fail — he still didn't know.
Even though he'd been assigned to the front lines, Renas avoided actual fighting when he could. Not out of weakness — he was searching for something.
The caves and dungeon rooms they used as their base hadn't been made by them originally. The caves were the work of Julian, one of the Nameless. The constant breeze that kept the torches from filling the tunnels with carbon dioxide was thanks to Hurios.
Those two had joined Thea's group on the first day. Thea protected them, Julian dug the caves, and Hurios kept them ventilated with his wind. Their goal: to uncover the dungeon below.
They hadn't told Renas how they knew about its existence, only that it was part of a "hidden mission." Inside, there was said to be a boss — and a sword. The same sword Thea wielded.
The boss itself… was classified. So classified that Thea had told Renas outright he didn't trust him enough yet to reveal it.
That only made Renas more certain there was another hidden mission somewhere out there. It stuck in his mind — so much that every day of peace he spent combing through the forest, searching for traces of one.
Things seemed to be heading toward chaos again. Kael had clashed with the "Latecomers" and the "Onlookers" groups shortly after day one, and that war was still ongoing.
Renas wasn't keeping track. He'd been spending most of his time in the kitchen making pies. Cooking had been his hobby before the apocalypse — or at least trying to cook. For some reason, things always came out burnt. Like a curse.
He didn't think too hard about it. Just kept walking through the forest, alone, hunting for any clue to a hidden quest.
Then — a rustle. Not from him. From behind.
"!!!!!"
Renas spun around. A young man with short purple hair stood there, dagger in hand, wearing a grin only a lunatic could manage.
The purple-haired man lunged forward, aiming to stab him. How had he gotten this close without being noticed? What kind of ability was that?
Renas had survived five years in the apocalypse — one of only two survivors left in his world. How could someone like this sneak up on him?
Still, fighting now was too dangerous. Renas activated his signature ability — his eyes glowed green.
Time stopped.
Everything around him dulled into shades of grey-green. The world frozen, he knew it wouldn't last long.
He was smart enough to recognize it: anyone who could close that distance was dangerous.
He couldn't win head-on.
Renas bolted, crashing through bushes and trees, running with everything he had.
Then — a deep, thunderous bell rang out. The grass rippled, bushes swayed, and leaves scattered in every direction as color returned to the world.
His hair fell over his eyes, and without his glasses, his vision blurred. "Damn it," he thought, pushing himself to keep running.
And then —
"After all the trouble I went through to find you, you think I'll let you run? Really?"
His foot caught on something. He fell hard.
When he turned, he saw him.
The purple-haired man's bangs parted, revealing bright blue eyes. Above his head, faint letters glowed: Kael.
Renas froze. That Kael? The strongest in Village A? Why was he after him?
"You plan to kill me?" Renas asked, voice edged with mockery.
Kael's face was expressionless, his voice slow and cold.
"Kill you? No, no. There's just something about you I can't understand. Something I've never seen before. To figure out what it is… I need to catch you."
His face twisted into a grin.
"...and here we are."
Insane. Completely. But it didn't matter — Renas had already bought enough time.
Just as the bell was about to toll a second time, time froze again. This time, only nine seconds — less than before.
Running hadn't worked last time. He needed help.
Renas jumped to his feet, tore open the small pack on his back — too roughly, costing him precious seconds. He pulled out a flare gun.
Then he started climbing the nearest tree. Big one, too — but he was used to this. In seconds, he was high above the ground.
Color returned. A violent wind howled from the direction he'd been running from, the bell's roar crashing through the air.
Clinging to a branch, Renas barely kept from falling.
Kael, below, looked around in confusion. The man had vanished the instant the bell rang. He wasn't dead — Kael would've felt it if he were.
He slowly turned his head, scanning — then spotted him.
"There you are," Kael said, smiling wickedly.
That damned smile. It didn't make him stronger — it just made him look like an idiot. Creepy, sure, but mostly annoying. Renas hated it.
He raised an arm and fired the flare.
A burst of purple light streaked into the sky — the color used by the Nameless. Since all flares were distributed under their authority, it was only a matter of time before some of them arrived. And if they realized Kael was the enemy, they'd send strong ones.
Then — a sound. Instinct kicked in. Renas jerked his head to the side. A bullet whizzed past his left ear.
That bastard. He'd tricked him — pretending to be a dagger fighter, when he also carried a pistol.
Renas leapt from tree to tree, but his foot caught again, and he tumbled down. What the hell was Kael's power?
As Kael approached, the bell tolled again — and Renas vanished.
A second later, Kael heard running behind him. He turned, and yes — Renas was there. Not to fight, but to run. Again.
Kael fired. Renas changed direction the instant he heard it.
Would Kael have to chase him now? He'd never met anyone this troublesome. The guy didn't even seem to have a combat-oriented ability — just one for running. And yet—
A sudden gunshot.
Pain bloomed in Kael's chest.
Renas wasn't stupid. The reason he hadn't used his gun earlier was to make Kael believe he was unarmed.
He hadn't hit the heart, though. Strange. First the knight, now Kael — his aim wasn't what it used to be. Maybe he just needed more practice.
Kael, distracted by Renas's constant retreating, hadn't even noticed the rifle on his back.
Now, thinking Kael was pinned down, Renas stepped out from behind the tree, moving slowly toward him.
Kael was sitting on the ground, clutching his chest.
Renas drew closer, dagger in hand — the same blade he'd taken from that knight.
When he got close enough, Kael suddenly stood, raised the pistol, and fired.
There was no wound on his chest.