They trained for two hours.

By the end, Michael’s shoulder was protesting the decision in language that Dr. Kang would likely have opinions about, and his footwork had improved slightly since the start. Sera described it as "less bad," which he chose to interpret as a compliment.

Yuna entered halfway through and trained alone in the corner, her movements precise and controlled.

Though her eight years of taekwondo were rusty after a two-year break, her muscle memory remained intact.

Sera observed her for ten minutes silently, then made a single adjustment to Yuna’s guard position before returning to Michael, indicating that this was the only correction needed.

They emerged from the training room into the hallway, and Maya was already discussing a different topic—the greenhouse blueprint she wanted to examine, along with structural considerations for the roof level if Michael ever decided to expand upward.

Michael listened, responded, and thought that Maya’s mind flowed like water, constantly shifting to the next idea and never remaining still.

Shin stayed quiet beside him, as she usually was—present, calm, and not demanding anything from the silence.

Yuna fell into step on his other side, glancing at the hallway and the surrounding building with her keen, inventory-like eyes that reflected how she saw the world.

She mentioned that the building offers more space than you are currently utilizing.

"I know," he said. "Tier 3 is still in progress."

"The floor below this one," she said. "The cleared apartments. Some of them have south facing windows with direct sightlines to the main street." She paused. "Good observation positions."

He gazed at her. "You’re contemplating defense."

She said plainly, "I’m always thinking about defense." She explained that eight years of competitive sport and thirty-three days of this experience make her do that.

He considered Cole’s evaluation of the southeast signature, the two-block movement, and the shifted timeline, then looked at Yuna walking beside him, her eyes still scanning the building’s structure.

He said, "Come up to the watchtower this afternoon; I need another pair of eyes on something."

She looked at him. "What something?"

"Something southeast," he said.

She held his gaze for a moment, then nodded. He went to find Cole, and the day continued to pass around him, much like days that always have something to be done and never enough time to complete everything.

---

The watchtower at three in the afternoon had four people on it, more than it had ever hosted at once, and the platform was crowded enough that the railing provided support.

Michael, Sera, Cole, and Yuna stood gazing southeast. Michael pointed out the signature’s direction and explained what he knew—details about the horde night, its appearance, the silence, the two-block movement from yesterday morning, and how the remaining Rotter scattered, avoiding the area.

Cole listened silently without interrupting. Sera had already heard most of it but still listened attentively, her eyes fixed southeast and her jaw slightly clenched.

Yuna watched, her gaze shifting between Michael’s face and the southeast, absorbing and processing everything as it happened.

When he finished, there was a brief silence.

"It moved once," Yuna said. "Two blocks. Then it stopped."

"Yes," Michael replied.

"That’s not like a primal behavior," she said. "Monsters don’t walk two blocks then stop and wait. They keep moving until they find what they’re seeking or they stop moving." She looked southeast. "That’s intentional."

"That’s what Cole said," Michael said.

Yuna looked at Cole, and Cole looked at Yuna, a moment passing between two people who had independently reached the same point and recognized each other.

"It’s testing the wall," Yuna said.

"That’s what I think," Cole said.

"It moved when the wall finished," Michael said.

Two blocks closer, Yuna instructed. "Not all the way, not a charge—just close enough to reassess." She glanced at the building below, then at the wall, and then southeast once more. "That’s smart."

The watchtower was silent for a moment, overlooking the city stretched out below in all directions, with the grey afternoon light making everything appear the same colour as concrete.

"How do we prepare for something smart," Sera asked. She wasn’t speaking rhetorically; she was asking practically, just as she did with everything.

Michael checked the Tier 3 progress bar in his vision: thirty-one percent. He reviewed the remaining items on the list andconsidered timelines, assessing what could be shifted and what couldn’t.

"We will just build faster," he said.

"And if faster isn’t fast enough," Sera said.

He looked at her, and she met his gaze with steady, direct eyes that were never soft about what mattered, because Sera was never soft about the things that mattered.

Then we handle it with what we’ve got," he said.

She held his gaze for a moment, then turned to the city, nodded once, and that was it.

Cole looked at Michael. "I want to send a team outside the wall tomorrow," he said. "To the eastern district, four blocks away. Get a clear view of the area around the signature position. Ground-level observation."

Michael said, "Two people, not a team."

Cole looked at him.

"If something goes wrong I need your group here," Michael said. "Take one person."

Cole considered it and then said, "Alright, two."

"Take Yuna," Yuna said.

They all looked at her.

She looked back evenly. "I said I’m always thinking about defense," she said. "I want to see what we’re defending against."

Cole glanced at Michael, who then looked at Yuna.

He asked, "Can you move quietly through the open street?"

I arrived here, didn’t I?" she said.

Cole almost smiled. It was the first time Michael had seen any expression resembling that on Cole’s face, and although it happened quickly and faded just as fast, it was definitely there.

Tomorrow morning, Cole told Yuna, "Five thirty."

"I’ll be at the gate," she said, then turned her sharp, dark eyes southeast, her focused expression revealing she was already planning the route.

[Bond Event — She’s Going Out There: Yuna. +1 Bond Point. Current BP: 4 — Yuna.]

---

That evening, Michael sat in his usual spot on the floor, while the apartment was filled with the quiet sounds of people winding down.

Outside, the city was dark, with the wall surrounding the building on all four sides. The pulse of the evening rhythmically moved through the space.

The southeast signature was still two blocks closer than it had been three days earlier.

He remained patient. Dr. Kang approached and sat opposite him, offering two cups of instant coffee that Maya kept discovering in cleaned apartments. He accepted one, and they sat in silence, drinking together.

"The training room," she said after a moment.

"What about it?" he asked.

"It was the right call," she replied. "Earlier would have been better, but now is the right time."

He looked at her. "You’ve been thinking about it." "I think about everything," she replied calmly. "That’s just what I do." She glanced at her cup. "Sera is excellent—more than just good.

But she can’t train everyone by herself, and she’s about to attempt it." She hesitated. "Yuna might be able to assist—her taekwondo background could be useful if she’s willing."

Michael said, "She’s willing to do nearly anything."

"Yes," Dr. Kang acknowledged. "I noticed that." She examined him carefully. "She’s going outside the wall tomorrow."

"With Cole," he said.

"I know." She paused. "Be careful with who you send out there."

"Alright" He replied with a nod.

---

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