The forest had swallowed them whole.
The moment they crossed the boundary of the ruined research facility, all sound from the city vanished. Only the whispers of leaves and the faint crackling of fire from their makeshift camp filled the stillness of the night.
Shadow sat slightly apart from the others, sharpening a small dagger under the dim orange light. His gaze flickered toward the cube resting beside him, its faint glow pulsing like a heartbeat. The same device that had saved them now seemed almost… alive.
Rena was the first to break the silence. "It's been three days," she murmured, stirring the pot above the campfire. "The search parties have stopped showing up around this area."
Sera leaned against a tree trunk, her crossbow on her lap. "That doesn't mean they've given up. They just can't find us. That cube of yours… what exactly is it, Shadow?"
He paused. "I don't know yet." His voice was low, calm, but even he could hear the uncertainty hidden behind it. "It reacts to my mana. It obeys my commands. And now it can use my skills. That shouldn't be possible."
Ryn let out a quiet laugh. "Maybe it likes you."
The assassin glanced at her — and for the briefest moment, his lips curved upward. "If it likes me, that makes two of us cursed things in one body."
The others chuckled softly, but the weight of their situation still hung heavy. Rena stared into the fire, her face illuminated by its glow. "Those files we found… the ones about class evolution and mana infusion. If that's true, then the government's been hiding something massive. Something tied to why monsters are getting stronger."
Sera nodded. "And those experiments—they were trying to create living weapons. People who could channel mana like artifacts."
Shadow's hands froze over his blade. "I saw it," he said quietly. "In the deeper section. Test subjects. Empty capsules. Notes about mana resonance. They were trying to recreate ego weapons artificially."
The group fell silent. The wind rustled above them, carrying the smell of pine and rain.
Ryn finally spoke, her voice trembling. "We can't just pretend none of this happened, can we?"
"No," Rena said firmly. Her eyes turned to Shadow. "But before anything else, we rest. Heal. Recover. Then we decide our next move."
He gave a slow nod, eyes narrowing slightly. "Agreed. But we can't go back to the city yet. It's crawling with spies. I'll set up detection barriers tonight. You all sleep first."
As the others settled in, the fire burned low. Shadow remained awake, the cube floating silently in front of him. Its light shimmered faintly, responding to his mana flow — almost as if it were breathing.
He whispered to it, a habit formed from long nights of solitude. "You've saved us once. Don't let me down again."
For a moment, a ripple of energy passed through the cube, and a faint voice echoed in his mind — distant, metallic, yet undeniably sentient.
Acknowledged.
Shadow froze, his heartbeat steadying after the initial shock. A small, knowing smile ghosted across his lips.
"Guess I'm not the only one awake tonight," he murmured, turning his gaze toward the sleeping group and the dark forest beyond.
The world was vast, full of secrets — and now, he had one more whispering beside him.