Yuto noticed immediately.

The summon rarely displayed visible emotion, which made even subtle changes easy to spot.

Shiny’s eyes narrowed slightly.

His attention shifted away from the hill itself and toward the surrounding terrain.

The hand resting on his sword tightened.

The leather wrapping around the hilt creaked softly beneath his grip.

At the same time, his pace slowed.

Not enough to stop entirely.

Just enough to signal caution.

Yuto’s own senses sharpened.

"What is it?" he asked quietly.

The words barely disturbed the silence surrounding them.

Shiny did not answer.

Instead, he continued scanning the wasteland.

His gaze moved from one rocky outcropping to another.

Listening.

Watching.

Feeling

Several moments passed before Shiny finally came to a complete stop.

His posture stiffened.

His gaze fixed on something beyond the hill.

Then, without looking away, he spoke.

"Something’s nearby."

Yuto’s attention sharpened immediately.

Creature?" Yuto asked, his voice low enough that it barely carried beyond them.

Shiny remained motionless for a moment, his eyes fixed somewhere beyond the rise ahead.

"I don’t know."

The answer sent a ripple of unease through Yuto’s chest.

In some ways, it was more concerning than a direct warning.

Shiny’s instincts had proven themselves repeatedly. Time and again, the summon had detected threats before they revealed themselves

If Shiny had identified the presence as a creature, Yuto would have known what to expect.

A monster could be fought.

A beast could be understood.

But uncertainty was harder to prepare for.

Yuto rested a hand on his hilt.

The familiar weight of the weapon steadied him.

The two of them began moving forward slowly.

Every step became deliberate.

The hill concealed whatever lay

Yuto lowered his center of gravity, eyes scanning every rock and shadow.

Nothing moved.

Nothing breathed.

Yet the feeling remained.

Something was there.

They moved in silence along the edge of the hill, keeping close to a protruding section of dark stone that rose from the ground like a broken spine, its rough surface offering just enough cover to conceal their approach as they circled toward the unseen side.

Then, without warning, both of them stopped.

The world seemed to tighten around that moment, as though even the wind had decided to halt.

Ahead of them, standing near the base of the hill, was a figure.

Its back was turned toward them.

For a brief instant, Yuto’s mind resisted what his eyes were reporting, as if the wasteland itself had finally decided to distort reality in a more subtle and personal way. This place had already defied expectation at every turn, and something as simple as a solitary figure standing alone in this desolate expanse felt almost too convenient, too precise, like a manufactured illusion meant to mislead.

But the doubt did not last long.

There was no ambiguity in the form before him.

It was not a beast.

Not a distortion of stone or shadow.

It was human.

And unmistakably female.

The woman stood completely motionless near the base of the hill

She wore fitted grey leather armor that looked untouched by dust or wear.

Not a scratch.

Not a stain.

Nothing.

Her blonde hair flowed down her back, pristine despite the harsh winds that swept across the wasteland.

There was an elegance to her posture.

A quiet grace.

Everything about her seemed strangely out of place among the broken rocks and dead landscape.

Yuto frowned.

His heartbeat slowed.

Then quickened.

It couldn’t be.

Could it?

He took another careful step forward.

The figure remained still.

Another step.

Closer.

The wind shifted.

The woman turned.

Yuto felt his breath catch.

Beautiful.

Emotionless.

Familiar.

Those eyes met his without the slightest hint of surprise.

"Maya."

The name escaped him before he could stop it.

For the first time since arriving in this nightmare world, Yuto forgot about monsters.

Forgot about danger.

Forgot about everything.

Just for a second.

Just then, Movement exploded behind them.

Fast.

Shiny reacted instantly.

Steel flashed.

A boy burst from behind a cluster of rocks, swinging a weapon directly toward Shiny’s side.

CLANG!

The impact rang through the air.

Shiny intercepted the strike at the last possible moment.

The force pushed him back half a step.

Yuto’s sword was already out of its sheath.

The metallic hiss echoed sharply.

The attacker was quick.

But not quick enough.

With a sharp twist of his body, Shiny redirected the incoming force and grabbed the boy’s arm.

The next moment he hurled him backward.

The boy tumbled across the rocky ground before rolling to his feet.

Yuto shifted into a fighting stance immediately, his body reacting before conscious thought could fully catch up with the situation unfolding before him, the blade in his hand rising into position as his weight settled into a stable posture designed for both offense and defense.

The stranger, now fully visible, could not have been much younger than Yuto.

He was short in stature, slightly chubby, with a soft build that made him look more approachable than intimidating.

His face carried a roundness to it that still lingered with youth, softened further by a faint pink flush across his cheeks, giving him an expression that contrasted sharply with the tension in the air.

Brown hair stuck out in every direction, unkempt and unruly, as though he had long since abandoned any attempt to keep it under control, each strand catching faint light as it shifted slightly with his movements.

Despite the earlier impact that had sent him skidding across the terrain, he recovered with surprising speed, far quicker than Yuto would have expected from someone who had just been thrown several meters through unforgiving ground. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

The boy planted his feet firmly against the cracked earth, grounding himself with visible effort as he steadied his balance.

Then he lifted his weapon.

Then he squared his stance.

And just like that, he positioned himself against both Yuto and Shiny, refusing to yield even after what had already happened.

Determination burned in his eyes, sharp and unwavering, a stubborn intensity that clashed with his otherwise unthreatening appearance, as though his resolve alone was trying to compensate for everything else that made him seem outmatched.

Yuto did not lower his sword, though confusion began to creep in beneath the surface of his caution, replacing the immediate instinct for combat with a growing uncertainty about what exactly they were dealing with.

The boy looked ready to charge again at any moment, muscles tensed, weight balanced, every part of him coiled like a spring waiting to release.

Shiny, still beside Yuto, looked equally prepared, his posture angled forward in a way that suggested he was already deciding how far he would need to send the boy this time.

Then a calm voice cut cleanly through the tension, smooth and steady in a way that felt almost out of place in the harsh silence of the wasteland.

"Stop it guys."