Ash rose from the ground, sliding his blade into its sheath with a faint click.
He turned away from the fire and walked toward Max.
The group from the meeting had scattered, their faces unreadable. There was no relief in their eyes—just a quiet tension that didn’t belong there.
Max sat on a nearby bench, hunched forward like the weight of something unseen had settled on his back. Ash sat beside him.
"What is it? You all look like death is knocking already."
Max didn’t answer right away. He raised his hand toward the sky, palm open like he wanted to catch something that wasn’t there.
"Because it is. And we don’t have the strength to stop it."
"What about the military? Aren’t they supposed to back us up?"
Max let out a slow breath, not looking at him.
"They’re not coming."
Ash’s voice was sharper than he meant it to be.
"Something hit their base. Another wave. Just as strong as this one. Maybe stronger. They recalled all their forces."
Ash clenched his jaw. His fists curled on his knees.
"So they’re leaving this place behind... Just like they did Dunehaven. Let us die, bury the truth, and make up a lie for what happened here."
Max gave him a glance.
"So, you heard that."
"Yeah. I’ve never liked the military much. Dad didn’t either. Same with Mom. Even Old Man Mark couldn’t stand them. There’s gotta be a reason."
Max stared into the fire. The flames flickered in his eyes.
"All I know is... the military and HQ don’t trust each other. Maybe it’s about who controls what. Recruiting. Territory. Doesn’t matter. We’re all out here killing the same monsters, but they still fight over scraps."
Ash scanned the settlement. People still clung to the moment, dancing, drinking, pretending the world wasn’t ending tomorrow.
"Let them fight, We’ve got our own mess. You think we’re actually going to fight this next wave?"
Max didn’t answer right away. Then he looked down at his hands.
"We don’t have a choice."
Max blinked, surprised.
"Wasn’t he with you?"
"No. He left with you guys. I saw him go."
Max frowned, then turned his head left and right, scanning the crowd.
"He did come with us. But just before we entered the meeting, he stopped. Said it sounded boring... then walked off."
"You think he’s back at the room?"
"Knowing him? Either that, or somewhere even dumber."
He looked down at his band. A soft tap on the surface made a faint blue glow rise from his wrist. A screen appeared, flickering as he scrolled through it with practiced fingers.
Ash watched for a moment, then turned back to the fire.
"So... what’s the plan?"
Ash shifted a little closer.
"The military isn’t coming. There has to be something. You guys have something right."
Max finally met his eyes.
"Not this time. Eir was pissed after the announcement. He called off the rest of the meeting."
Ash clenched his jaw and looked around.
Mia and the others from Team RISE were gathered nearby. They were talking, laughing. From the sound of it, they were already convinced the next wave would fall like the last one.
Too loud. Too confident.
Ash turned his head. Team Galeforce sat huddled around a small crate near the far edge. Their faces were drawn tight. Whispers passed between them, low and sharp. Ash focused, tuning into their voices.
"...so we’re really going to do it?"
The other girl in the group whispered. Her eyes were darting, as if expecting someone to overhear.
Osric’s voice came next, louder than hers.
"No. I’m not running from a fight. Not like that. You with me, Horthgar?"
Horthgar gave a small grunt and nodded once.
Then the shorter man—Ash still didn’t know his name—scoffed.
"So we die here? That’s the plan? They said the military was coming. That was the deal. No backup, no reason to stay."
"If we leave now, word will reach the base. They’ll call us cowards. Say we abandoned a settlement."
Hunter turned toward him, face shadowed by the firelight.
"I’d rather be called a coward than become one of those people who dies in the next wave. We need to move. While we still can."
Kaius didn’t speak right away. He stared at the fire, his eyes narrowing slightly as if weighing something heavy.
"I don’t know. But... I think we might actually survive tomorrow."
The group turned to him.
"I hate saying this. but Kael... he’s strong. Stronger than I thought. Maybe even stronger than Kevin from RISE."
"He’s just Stage Five. That’s not enough."
The girl beside him glanced over.
"A Stage Five with a Tier Six Vessel. And according to Kaius, he killed two Tier Fours without breaking a sweat."
Kaius leaned back, arms crossed.
"Yeah. I saw it with my own eyes."
A pause settled over them.
"Let’s vote," kaius said.
"If you want to leave, raise your hand."
Hunter’s hand went up instantly. The short one followed, no hesitation.
Hunter turned to the girl.
"Kael’s strong, yeah. But this wave has Tier Fours... maybe Tier Fives. You really think one guy can carry all of us through that?"
She hesitated. Her eyes flicked to Kaius, then to the shadows beyond the firelight. Slowly, her hand went up.
Kaius looked at the three raised hands... then let out a slow breath.
"Guess it’s settled. We’re staying."
Hunter’s eyes widened.
He turned sharply toward Osric, Horthgar, and Julia—none of them had raised their hands.
"What are you thinking?"
"You’re not even Tier Five. You’ll die out there."
Julia’s gaze dropped. Her fingers curled on her lap.
"The people here... they’ll die if no one stands with them. I can’t just watch."
Osric nodded once. Horthgar gave a grunt that sounded close enough to agreement.
Hunter clenched his jaw, the muscles twitching beneath his skin. He dropped onto the bench with a thud.
"You’re going to get us killed."
No one argued. The silence between them stretched.
Julia glanced past her team—just for a second. Her eyes met Ash’s. She turned away just as fast, like she hadn’t meant for it to happen.
Ash’s hand stopped moving.
Max didn’t look up from the glowing band on his wrist, fingers flicking through the data.
Ash kept his voice low.
"Why don’t we just leave?"