They didn't speak for a while after that.
The alley felt colder, even though the fires in the distance still burned. The air pressed in, thick and suffocating, like the city itself had heard what happened—and approved.
Kael walked ahead.
Not leading.
Just moving.
Ronan and Lyra followed a few steps behind. Ben stayed close to Kael, quieter than usual.
No one mentioned the NPC.
No one wanted to.
Kael's head throbbed.
Not sharp.
Not sudden.
Just… constant.
Like a second heartbeat that didn't belong to him.
"…I didn't make it…"
He stopped.
"…There it is again."
"Kael?" Ben asked.
"…You really don't hear anything?"
Ben shook his head.
"Nothing."
Kael exhaled slowly.
"Yeah. That figures."
They reached the end of the alley.
The city opened up into a wider street.
Buildings lined both sides, some still standing, others collapsed into piles of rubble. Burn marks crawled up the walls. The ground was cracked, uneven.
And quiet.
Too quiet.
Ronan stepped forward.
"We need a plan."
Kael glanced at him.
"Plan is simple."
Ronan waited.
"We don't die."
"…That's not a plan."
"It's a priority."
Lyra crossed her arms.
"You said there's something worse than monsters here."
Kael nodded.
"There is."
"What?"
Kael looked back toward the alley.
"…What's left of people."
Silence settled again.
A distant crash echoed through the street.
Something heavy falling.
Then—
A scream.
Short.
Cut off.
Ben flinched.
"…Someone's still alive."
Ronan tightened his grip on his weapon.
"We move."
Kael didn't argue.
But he didn't rush either.
They advanced carefully.
Step by step.
Watching every window.
Every shadow.
Kael focused again.
[Partial Sync Activated]
[Skill Copied: Enhanced Hearing]
The world sharpened.
Footsteps.
Dragging.
Breathing.
Not just one.
Multiple.
"…We're not alone," Kael said quietly.
"How many?" Lyra asked.
"…At least three."
A figure stumbled into view at the far end of the street.
A man.
Injured.
Covered in ash and blood.
"Help…" he rasped.
Ben immediately stepped forward.
"Wait—" Kael said.
Too late.
The man collapsed.
Then—
He twitched.
A sharp crack echoed.
His arm bent the wrong way.
Then snapped back.
"Something's wrong," Lyra said.
Kael's eyes narrowed.
"…Back up."
The man's head lifted slowly.
Too slowly.
Like something else was controlling it.
[NPC Detected: Corrupted Unit]
"…Not a player," Kael muttered.
The man's mouth opened.
But the voice that came out—
Wasn't his.
"…still… here…"
Kael froze.
That voice—
"…You again."
The figure jerked forward.
Then sprinted.
Too fast.
"Move!" Ronan shouted.
The creature lunged.
Ronan met it head-on.
Steel clashed against bone.
A heavy impact echoed.
THUD.
The creature didn't stop.
It twisted unnaturally, slipping past Ronan's guard.
Lyra raised her hand.
Fire ignited.
"Burn it!"
Kael grabbed her again.
"Wait—!"
Too late.
A burst of flame shot forward.
WHOOSH.
The creature screamed.
Not in pain.
In anger.
More movement in the shadows.
Kael's eyes widened.
"…You just rang the dinner bell."
Shapes emerged from the buildings.
One.
Two.
Five.
More corrupted figures.
"…We run," Kael said.
"No arguments," Ronan replied.
They turned—
And ran.
Footsteps pounded against broken stone.
Behind them—
Shrieks echoed.
Fast.
Getting closer.
Ben stumbled.
"Wait—!"
Kael turned—
Activated his skill.
[Partial Sync Activated]
[Skill Copied: Quick Step]
He moved instantly.
Grabbed Ben.
Pulled him forward.
"Keep moving!"
"I'm trying!"
Kael's vision flickered.
"…too many…"
"…don't leave…"
"…run…"
He clenched his teeth.
"Shut up."
They turned a corner.
Slid into another street.
Kael stopped suddenly.
"Stop."
"What?!" Lyra snapped.
"Hide."
They ducked behind a collapsed wall.
The creatures rushed past.
SCRAPE. SCRAPE. SCRAPE.
Then—
Silence.
No one moved.
Ben collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily.
"…We're going to die."
"Not yet," Kael said.
Ronan looked at him.
"…Those weren't monsters."
"No," Kael replied.
"…They were people."
Lyra's expression hardened.
"…What does that make this place?"
Kael looked down at his hands.
Then at the empty street.
"…A grinder."
A notification appeared.
[Hidden Progress Updated]
[Echo of the Fallen – 2/?? Resonances]
Kael stared at it.
"…Yeah."
"…I'm definitely not alone in my head anymore."
Far away—
Something shifted.
Watching.
Waiting.
And deeper within the city—
Something stronger stirred.