Hisano's troops moved swiftly through the ruined outskirts, carrying the injured members of Noa's crew far from the battlefield. By the time dawn faded into afternoon, they had already set up a hidden camp deep within the forest—far enough that no enemy scouts would stumble upon it easily.
Tents were raised, fires lit, and healers went to work.
Noa drifted in and out of consciousness for hours.
When his eyes finally opened, the first thing he saw was smoke curling above a fire and unfamiliar banners hanging between trees.
"So," a cold voice said nearby, "you finally woke up, huh."
Noa slowly pushed himself up, his body screaming in protest. His vision blurred before settling on Hisano standing beside the fire, arms crossed, gaze sharp and judging.
"Why am I here?" Noa asked, his voice hoarse. "And where is Cameron?"
Hisano frowned slightly. "Cameron? What are you talking about?"
Before Noa could respond, Rose stepped forward, her tone calm but firm.
"Cameron is in the central plaza. He's planning for the upcoming war with Sovereign."
Noa froze.
The pieces clicked together in his mind like a blade snapping into place.
"…So I was right," he muttered. "That wasn't Cameron. It was someone in disguise."
Hisano scoffed. "You're not thinking straight. Your head's probably damaged."
Noa pressed a hand to his temple, exhaling slowly. "Yeah… maybe my mind's not working."
Hisano didn't let it go.
"What even happened to you people?" she said, her voice laced with disdain. "Such weak soldiers. You couldn't even complete a single mission for this long. We had to come save you."
Rose shot her a warning look. "Hisano, don't say that."
Too late.
Noa stood up in one sudden motion and grabbed Hisano by the collar, yanking her forward. The camp went dead silent.
"Listen to me," Noa growled, eyes burning. "You know nothing about what happened to us. We fought a monster—an opponent that would shatter you into pieces without even trying. So don't talk shit to me."
His grip tightened.
"And remember this," he continued. "You were part of a nation that tried to run when things got bad. Three against one—and you still lost to us."
Hisano slapped his hand away with a sharp motion. "Tsch. Whatever."
Rose quickly stepped between them. "Please—enough. Mr. Noa, you need rest right now."
Noa stared at Hisano for a long moment, then turned away.
"…Fine."
Night fell quietly.
The camp settled, but sleep didn't come easily.
Noa sat awake, staring into the fire, his thoughts fixed on one thing—the man wearing Cameron's face. He replayed every movement, every word, every unnatural feeling from that encounter.
He would kill him.
"I'm going after him," Noa said suddenly.
Hisano looked up from across the fire. "You're a fool. You'd risk the lives of people who were already inches from death."
"I don't care," Noa replied.
"And I do," Hisano snapped. "You won't drag my troops into suicide."
Noa didn't respond.
Before the argument could escalate, frantic footsteps echoed through the trees.
A soldier burst into the camp, stumbling forward before collapsing to his knees.
It was Gusvein.
He was skeletal, injured, breathing heavily—his eyes sunken, his clothes torn and filthy.
"Help… please…" he gasped.
Food was rushed to him immediately. Gusvein devoured it like someone who hadn't eaten in ages, barely stopping to breathe. Everyone around him watched in disbelief.
Lunnaux knelt beside him. "Gusvein… what happened to you?"
Gusvein didn't answer. He kept eating.
When he finally finished, he stood up shakily and asked where he could wash his hands. A few minutes later, he returned to the camp.
Lunnaux asked again. "Tell us. How are you still alive?"
This time, Gusvein spoke.
"After the battle… you all thought I died," he said quietly. "You left."
His voice trembled, but he didn't stop.
"I was still alive. Buried. Trapped. I didn't die."
The fire crackled as his words sank in.
The fire hissed softly as a piece of damp wood collapsed inward. Gusvein's shadow stretched long across the ground, shaking with him.
"I was pinned under stone and twisted metal," he continued. "Couldn't move my legs. Could barely move my arms. I don't know how many days passed—time stopped making sense. Hunger burned worse than the wounds."
Noa's fists slowly clenched.
"But something else was there," Gusvein said. "Watching."
Everyone looked up.
"At first, I thought it was death," he went on. "Then I heard footsteps. Calm. Unhurried. He stood just outside the rubble and spoke to me… using Cameron's voice."
Noa's breath hitched.
"He asked me if I wanted to live," Gusvein said bitterly. "Said survival was a choice. Then he laughed and walked away."
Hisano's expression hardened. "So he let you live on purpose."
"Yes," Gusvein replied. "He wanted me to crawl back. Wanted me to tell you he exists."
Silence fell like a blade.
Noa stood slowly. "He's playing with us."
"And that makes him dangerous," Hisano said. She turned sharply toward her troops. "Form search units. Full perimeter sweep. I want every trace, every energy residue mapped."
Her soldiers moved instantly.
Noa grabbed his weapon. "I'm coming."
Hisano glanced at him. "Try to keep up this time."
They split into groups, pushing out into the ruins beyond the forest. The night air was thick, heavy with leftover power from earlier battles. Broken roads, collapsed buildings, and scorched ground told stories of violence that hadn't fully faded.
Noa felt it again.
That pressure.
"Stop," he said suddenly.
The group halted.
The air ahead shimmered faintly, like heat rising from stone. Footprints appeared in the dust—then vanished mid-step.
"He was here," Noa muttered.
One of Hisano's scouts knelt. "No supplies taken. No blood. He wasn't injured."
Hisano straightened. "He wants to be followed—but not caught."
A low chuckle echoed from somewhere unseen.
Everyone snapped into defensive stances.
"Still chasing ghosts?" a familiar voice called out.
Noa's heart slammed.
From the shadow of a half-destroyed structure, a figure stepped forward.
Cameron's face.
Cameron's posture.
But the eyes were wrong—too calm, too empty.
"Show your real face," Noa growled.
The man smiled.
"Not yet," he said. "But soon."
The pressure spiked. The ground cracked beneath his feet as he stepped back into the darkness, his body dissolving into mist-like energy.
In a second 15 soldiers had died
Gone.
Hisano slammed her fist into the wall beside her. "Damn it."
Noa stared into the shadows, teeth clenched.
"He's testing us. Measuring how broken we are."
"And next time," Gusvein said quietly, "he won't leave."
Far away, hidden beyond sight, the mysterious man watched from above the ruins, his smile widening.
The hunt had begun—and this time, he intended to finish it.