Chapter 13 – Campfire and Echoes
The forest of Terra was silent in that sacred way only the oldest lands could manage. Moonlight filtered through the twisted branches of elderwood trees, casting silver halos on the soft moss below. A faint mana hum shimmered in the air, as if the world itself whispered lullabies too ancient to translate.
Kuro stood by the firepit, slowly feeding small, dry twigs into the dancing flames. Sparks rose into the air like fireflies. Yumi sat on a nearby log, blanket draped over her shoulders, her cheeks still pale from the battle just hours ago. Alice leaned against a tree, arms crossed, silent and sharp-eyed—but her expression wasn't closed. It was curious.
It was the first time they weren't running, fighting, or plotting.
Just breathing.
Kuro broke the silence first.
"Funny," he said, stirring the fire with a stick, "I used to hate the quiet. Back when I first woke up in this world… I thought silence meant danger was about to hit me in the face."
Alice raised an eyebrow. "And now?"
He shrugged. "Now it means I survived long enough to enjoy it."
Yumi smiled faintly, clutching a warm tin cup between her palms. "The air here is different. It feels… softer."
"It's mana," Kuro explained. "Terra's full of it. In the wind, the trees, even the soil."
Alice tilted her head. "You've really been here a while, huh."
"Feels like a lifetime," he admitted. "But technically… I've only been gone from here for a few days."
Yumi blinked. "Time moves differently?"
"Not exactly. More like… I was living so hard and fast in Raccoon City, it aged me. Even if the days were short."
Alice pushed off the tree and walked closer, finally accepting a cup of warmed tea Yumi had brewed. "You were already a fighter before that place. I could see it in how you moved. But Raccoon made you sharper."
Kuro chuckled softly. "Yeah. And it gave me you two."
That surprised them both.
Yumi looked down, hiding a tiny smile.
Alice looked straight at him, unreadable. Then sat down beside the fire. "I was a soldier long before Umbrella made me a project. But I never had people I fought with. Only people I had to protect… or bury."
"That's going to change," Kuro said quietly.
Alice didn't reply. But she didn't move away either.
A long silence followed. Only the crackle of the fire and the soft whisper of wind through leaves.
Yumi broke it with a quiet question.
"Kuro… before all of this. Before Terra. Who were you?"
He didn't answer immediately. Instead, he leaned back, eyes turned toward the stars overhead. Twin moons. A thousand constellations that Earth had never seen.
"I don't remember everything," he admitted. "Bits and pieces. I think I was just… ordinary. I know I didn't have powers. I wasn't born into greatness. But… I was good at hiding. At sneaking. At ending threats before they saw me."
Alice nodded slowly. "An assassin?"
"Maybe. Maybe not," Kuro replied. "But I think I chose this name—Kuro—because I wanted to be more than that. Not just someone who ends stories. Someone who writes them."
Yumi looked at him softly, her voice almost a whisper. "You already are."
Alice sipped her tea and smirked. "Could've picked a name that sounds less like 'edgy teenager,' though."
Kuro laughed—a real, hearty laugh.
And it felt good.
The fire warmed more than just their skin.
Later, after Yumi had dozed off near the fire, her breathing gentle, Alice spoke again.
"I've seen a lot of people break. You didn't."
He glanced at her. "Neither did you."
"No," she agreed. "But I came close."
They sat in silence for a long while.
Finally, Alice asked, "So what now?"
"Now," Kuro said, "we find out what Terra has become in my absence. We train. We get stronger. And we wait for the next signal."
Alice nodded slowly. "And when it comes?"
"We answer."
[Status Update – Kuro]Level: 34Phase: 3Current Title:Hero of the AshesActive Bonuses: +10% EXP gain, +5% passive regen, +5% fire/explosion resistanceInventory Points (IP): 90,000Ability Points (AP): 58,500Equipment Points (EP): 21,000Summon Points (SP): 90,000Summons:• Yumi (Support Type – Healing/Barrier, Phase 2)• Alice (Independent Ally – Hybrid Specialist)