With Ash resting on his shoulder, Raiden stood before Stanley and the others as they prepared to leave for the underground market, all under their watchful gaze.
Stanley looked down at the floor, then smiled. "I am very happy for you two. I mean, not only did we get to see your incredible strength, but you’ve helped us survive another week, just like Jojo did."
Raiden’s eyes narrowed slightly as he observed Noelle approaching the elderly women who stood behind the others. Her head was bowed submissively, yet she smiled warmly.
"This place may not be the abyss, but it’s still dangerous, so you guys have to be careful," one of the men added.
Raiden raised an eyebrow. He’d been concerned they might want to tag along—there would still be sand worms to deal with on the way to the underground market. But judging by their expressions, they had no desire to join them.
"We wish we could go with you guys, but none of us are strong enough to make it through the abyss."
Raiden gave them a subtle nod with a smile. He admired their courage. They knew from the moment they arrived at Drake’s Shell that it was their end, yet they had all accepted their fate.
Staying in the desert meant they would be devoured by sand worms sooner or later, and leaving for the underground market meant they wouldn’t have the strength to survive the journey. To accept such a fate required courage and self-awareness, and he respected that.
After finishing her conversation with the elderly women, Noelle walked toward them.
"We have to leave now. The sun will come out soon," Noelle said, taking her position behind Raiden.
Before Raiden could take a step, Stanley wrapped him in a hug. Raiden could feel the man’s rapid heartbeat through their clothes, his body trembling against him.
"Don’t die, okay?" he said, his voice cracking. "I know you’re strong, but the things in the abyss are monsters."
He sniffled. "I want you to stay alive, Raven, and don’t forget me." A pause, then quieter: "Don’t forget us."
Raiden let out a sigh. He didn’t plan on dying, but he hesitated to make any promises. Yet Stanley and the others were staring down inevitable death, and the least he could do was give them something to believe in.
"You won’t be forgotten, Stanley."
"Can we leave now?" Noelle asked. She began walking away before Raiden could respond, leaving him to turn after her with a perplexed expression.
"Okay, Raven." Stanley smiled, "Bye then."
They all waved as he turned to follow Noelle, quickening his pace to catch up. He needed to understand her behavior. Either he was reading too much into it, or Noelle showed compassion toward women while harboring disdain for men.
"Hey, what was that for?"
Noelle didn’t respond, continuing to walk forward without acknowledgement.
"I know you can be a bitch sometimes, but that wasn’t called for, Noelle."
She paused, turning back to him. "Didn’t you start speaking with them before I did?" With an eye roll, she continued walking. "You were supposed to be done first, not me waiting on you."
Raiden slapped his forehead in frustration. The stark contrast between her current fury and the gentleness she’d shown those women was striking. This wasn’t the first time either—back in Persia at the Astro Society, she’d displayed the same tender behavior toward women.
"Do you only respect women because your kingdom is almost entirely women?"
She rolled her eyes at him. "Can’t you just drop it?" She shook her head in disbelief. "And what’s wrong with respecting women more than men? Women are superior in everything."
Raiden chuckled, starting to tease her. "But when you needed someone for this journey, you chose me."
He relaxed his posture, watching as Noelle’s face began twitching with barely contained irritation.
"I don’t really think either gender is better than the other. It depends on the individual person."
His expression grew somber as he thought beyond his casual words. He rarely showed authentic emotion unless he was manipulating someone, but Stanley had been so genuine with him. A man who knew neither his real name nor anything about his true nature, yet had allowed himself to be utterly vulnerable.
He smiled. "When needed, even a cat can serve as a watchdog, despite lacking a dog’s natural instincts."
Noelle turned slightly toward him. His head was tilted back, a gentle smile playing across his features. With a quiet sigh, she followed his gaze to the sky.
Raiden had been emotionally hollowed out since childhood, a condition that persisted even now. Yet he couldn’t help but admire what he’d witnessed from his comrades—their vulnerability, their willingness to navigate conflict through genuine feeling. Still, he believed such emotional openness could become a liability when circumstances demanded strength.
Soon enough, his expression darkened. He started scanning the area with heightened alertness. They had traveled roughly three miles, yet not a single sand worm had appeared. Even his danger detection ability remained completely quiet.
"Can’t you feel that something’s off?" Noelle turned to him and nodded. "The worms. They should be more active around here, especially this close to the abyss."
"Don’t tell me you don’t know why..." Raiden didn’t need to reply—his face gave him away.
Noelle released a heavy sigh. "They’re attracted to moisture. The reason we encountered so many during training was our sweat drawing them in." She kept her eyes focused straight ahead.
Raiden nodded, his eyes drifting skyward again. The mystery of yesterday’s worm encounter now made perfect sense. But other questions lingered—why did the sand worms always surface in predictable patterns? It was as though they were confined to certain routes. Before he could voice these concerns to Noelle, however, another realization hit him.
"Tell me you told the old ladies about this..."
"I’m not as heartless as you, bookkeeper." She kept her eyes forward, not bothering to look at him.
Relief flooded through Raiden, though he couldn’t explain why it felt so appropriate. His logical mind suggested a swift death would be more humane than the prolonged suffering ahead—after all, this knowledge couldn’t alter their final outcome. Yet despite this reasoning, he felt genuinely pleased that Stanley would have some additional time.
Relief washed over him, but it brought with it thoughts of his dead twin brother, Jobe. Jobe had been everything Raiden wasn’t—perfect in every way. Whether his thoughts were driven by emotion or logic, they all seemed to circle back to his brother.
After a moment, both stopped dead in their tracks, staring at a massive dark aura that dominated the distant horizon. The energy was far too immense for a single source, and its spherical boundary seemed to have swallowed Drake’s Shell entirely.
Raiden’s throat tightened as he swallowed his fear. "Do you think that’s the abyss?"
Noelle couldn’t look away, sweat forming on her brow. "Definitely."