On a small jagged hill rising out of the endless wasteland, four figures stood locked in a standoff, the space between them thick with a tension that seemed to press down on the cracked stone beneath their feet.

Yuto stood slightly ahead of the others, his posture rigid, hand hovering near the hilt of his sword more out of ingrained readiness than immediate intent to strike. Every muscle in his body remained coiled, prepared for sudden movement, his attention fixed on the stranger across from him.

Shiny stood just behind and to the side, perfectly still in a way that felt almost unnatural, his gaze moving in quiet assessment between the opposing figures, tracking shifts in stance and intent with the precision of something built for combat rather than hesitation.

At the center of it all stood Maya, composed and steady despite the charged atmosphere, her presence forming a fragile point of balance in a situation that threatened to tip at any moment, as though she alone was holding the moment from collapsing into violence.

Opposite them was the boy Yuto had not known moments earlier, short in stature with a slightly chubby build and an unexpectedly soft presence that contrasted sharply with the way he held himself now, his stance rigid and defensive as though expecting another strike at any instant.

Wind moved steadily across the hilltop, dragging fine dust across the uneven rock surface, lifting it briefly into thin spirals before letting it settle again in scattered patterns around their boots. The silence that followed was not calm or serene, but tense and expectant, like something restrained only by a thread that could snap without warning.

Maya raised a hand.

"Stop guys."

The simple motion was enough to interrupt the rising pressure between them, drawing all three of the males’ attention toward her at once.

Yuto spoke first, frustration breaking through his restraint. "He started it."

The boy reacted immediately, voice sharp with indignation. "That’s what you get for creeping up on people!"

Yuto’s eyes narrowed. "I wasn’t creeping up on them, I was creeping up on her alone."

The words left his mouth before he fully registered their implication, the realization following almost instantly as the situation’s awkwardness settled in.

Maya stepped forward slightly, easing into the space between them as if physically reinforcing the boundary she was trying to create. "I am surprised to see you again, Yuto."

Yuto exhaled a short, almost amused breath. "Really, it seems we are bound to keep running into each other."

The boy’s expression tightened at that exchange, irritation flickering across his face as he observed the familiarity between them.

Maya noticed the shift and moved to clarify. "This is Tami."

Tami offered no response, his gaze still fixed on Yuto and Shiny, posture unchanged.

The silence that followed lingered just long enough to keep the tension from fully dissipating, settling instead into a quieter, watchful unease.

Yuto shifted his attention back to Maya. "What are you doing here?"

Maya answered without hesitation. "We came to the hill to get a better viewing point of the place."

Shiny reacted with sudden energy, breaking his stillness. "That’s why we were here as well."

Yuto turned slightly toward Maya again. "Why did you choose to challenge the First Tower?"

Maya’s expression remained steady. "It’s a long story, and now is not the time."

Tami stepped forward at that moment, voice cutting in. "Are you not going to ask me my reason?"

Yuto scoffed lightly. "I don’t care."

Tami’s expression tightened immediately, frustration building as his stance shifted as though ready to respond in kind, the fragile balance between them threatening to collapse once more.

Maya’s voice cut through before it could escalate further. "This is hardly the place to fight, we could be attacked at any moment."

The reminder settled over them, not resolving the tension but containing it, forcing restraint where instinct pushed otherwise.

After a brief pause, Maya continued. "We should continue climbing."

No one objected.

They moved together up the uneven slope, boots scraping against loose stone as wind strengthened around them, tugging at clothing and hair with increasing force the higher they climbed.

As they ascended, Yuto glanced sideways. "Where is your eagle?"

Maya answered in a steady, composed tone, "It is scouting above for me in case of any danger," as if the explanation required no further elaboration and the matter was already settled.

They kept moving for a while longer, climbing in silence as the incline gradually softened beneath their feet. The steepness gave way in small degrees until they finally reached a higher stretch near the crest of the hill, where the terrain flattened just enough for all of them to come to a halt together.

For a brief moment, they simply stood there.

Then they looked out.

The world ahead fell away into a vast emptiness, the view opening into something that felt less like a landscape and more like absence itself.

The landscape stretched endlessly in every direction, an unbroken expanse of fractured stone, jagged ridges, and deep crevices that swallowed distance itself. There were no trees, no water, no structures, no roads, no landmarks to anchor perception or memory.

It resembled less a world and more an endless sea of shattered rock, frozen in a moment of eternal ruin.

Yuto slowly turned his head, scanning the horizon in every direction, searching for anything that might provide orientation, but finding no variation, no distinction, nothing to mark one direction from another.

The silence deepened as it settled over them.

Tami exhaled quietly beside him.

Yuto followed a moment later, stepping onto the same narrow ledge and closing the distance without a word, his presence settling into the tight space between them.

For a time, none of them spoke, each standing still as if even the smallest sound might fracture the fragile stillness holding them together.

Wind moved across the summit, cutting through the silence in steady pulses, carrying fine dust out over the edge and into the empty expanse below, where the world dropped away into a long, featureless void. The air felt thin, almost stripped of warmth, as the horizon blurred into pale distance.

Then Tami finally spoke, hi voice low and controlled, breaking the silence with a single question. "What now?"