Adam and his group were desperately searching for the children. One of the kids had been found crying, while their parents were in utter agony—the screaming, the weeping—it pierced through the air like a relentless ringing in the ears.
Why did I bring them along if I can't handle the responsibility? The weight of protecting them… Why? Why…?
Yoku rushed to the group of children. "Hey… where are Mino and Kineki?!" His heart pounded, close to bursting from fear. I don't want them to die. Please, no. He had never raised anyone before, and now, the thought of losing them felt like his very soul was being torn apart.
The short-haired boy, Hokki, sniffled. "They're still at the outskirts…" He pointed toward the horizon, where night was beginning to fall. The outskirts—so far from safety.
The group felt like they were standing at death's door. Their duty to protect had failed. Without hesitation, they sprinted toward the edge of the town.
Meanwhile, the kids sat huddled together. It was getting cold—night always brought a sudden drop in temperature. Kineki stood beside Mino, staring down at the ground. Hunger had long since turned to pain. Everything felt dull, strange, and unreal.
Mino: "Hey… are we in the afterlife?"
Kineki: "No. I don't think so. Isn't the afterlife supposed to happen after you die?"
Mino: "Then… who created it?"
Kineki: "I don't know."
Mino: "Was it people?"
Kineki: "I think it would hurt to imagine an afterlife… if it was something I made up."
Because lying to yourself… hurts the most.
Mino giggled faintly. "I had a weird thought. Do we die first before we can no longer wear our own clothes—like those old men from Nordlich? Or do we die before we even get to wear them again?"
Kineki lowered his face into his knees, eyes locked onto the cockroaches crawling nearby. Why are they still alive? So small, so fragile—one poke and they'd die. He tossed a rock, crushing one. Life disappeared in an instant.
Back with Adam and the group, they were still running.
[Initiating Wide Search]
The search drone in Adam's bag activated on its own—as if it shared a mind with him.
Why do I always keep hope alive when everything feels hopeless? I hate it—I hate hope. Please, let them be alive…
Yoku sprinted ahead of the others, fueled by sheer desperation. He scanned the endless field of towering windmills. Nothing—until he saw it.
A battleground.
Windmills toppled over one another in the distance.
"Hey! Over here!" Yoku shouted.
The group ran toward him and found a child unconscious on the ground. Yoku knelt down. "Is she… dead?"
Adam rushed over, checked her neck, and felt a pulse. "No! Yoku—you're the fastest. Carry her back, now!"
Yoku didn't hesitate. He scooped her up and ran. I didn't want any of this to happen… Suddenly, a windmill tower collapsed toward them. In a split-second reflex, Yoku slid beneath it, barely avoiding the impact, and continued running.
Adam turned—his eyes narrowed.
Automatons.
They were back. What are they searching for this time?
Before he could think further:
[Move left]
Adam followed the prompt, dodging twin laser blasts. The automatons were closing in.
Yuri fired a handgun, aiming at their heads—the emergency weapon Adam and Yoku had picked up at the market.
Adam had no choice but to trust the AI that guided him, even if it carried a goal he didn't fully understand. It reminded him of his own past… the part he still felt ashamed of.
Suddenly, two heavy-built automatons and three flying drones descended from the sky.
[Initiating Auto-Battle Mode]
A surge of electricity pulsed through Adam's muscles, amplifying every nerve fiber. His reflexes exploded in speed, guided by electric signals in the air. His body screamed from the strain—but he ran. Fast. Ducking behind a collapsing tower.
A flying drone descended toward his head. He grabbed a pipe and struck it down, smashing it into the ground.
The automatons dodged Yuri's bullets and countered, firing in sync. The ground trembled. Yuri narrowly dodged, breath ragged.
Adam fired his handgun—shattering the drone's camera lens before it could attack again.
Another drone flanked him. He raised the pipe—but too slow—a second one lunged from behind. He twisted his neck just in time as it exploded against his shoulder.
Yuri continued her assault, bashing the disabled droids.
"Die! Die! Die!" she screamed, disgusted. How could something be made just to kill?
[Adam, the kids have been found.]
His drone hovered above a shattered windmill, where the ground had split open into a crater.
"There! Yuri, the kids!"
Hope surged through them again. They raced to the broken structure, clearing debris until they spotted movement in the cracked earth—two small figures inside.
Yuri pulled a rope from her bag. They tied it around the kids' waists.
"3… 2… 1—Pull!"
Together, they hoisted Kineki and Mino out. Both children clung to them, crying.
"We're sorry… please forgive us…" Mino whispered. "If only we had realized sooner…"
Adam said nothing for a moment, the weight of failure resting heavy on his shoulders. I'm the adult. I should have been more careful…
"It's our fault too," he finally said. "But this time…"
Yuri gave a tired smile, raising an eyebrow. "You're gonna have to be punished."
As she bandaged Adam's burned shoulder, he smiled faintly—finally, peace.