Later that morning, Tami woke with such sudden violence that for a moment it looked as though he had been launched out of a nightmare.

His eyes snapped open.

The first thing he saw was the sky.

Bright.

Fully illuminated.

Far brighter than it had any right to be.

For several seconds he stared upward in confusion before realization crashed into him.

"Oh no."

He bolted upright so quickly that his sleeping bag tangled around his legs. The movement nearly sent him face-first into the dirt as he stumbled free of the fabric and scrambled to his feet with all the urgency of someone who had just remembered an important appointment.

"I’m late!"

Yuto, who was sitting against a nearby rock with his arms folded, slowly turned his head toward him.

His expression remained completely flat.

"Late for what?"

Tami froze.

The panic on his face flickered. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Then faltered.

"...Good question."

Silence followed.

Tami blinked once.

Then twice.

Gradually, another realization settled over him.

Nobody else appeared to be doing anything.

Yuto remained seated.

Maya sat nearby in her usual composed posture.

Their equipment remained scattered around camp exactly where it had been earlier.

No one was packing.

No one was preparing summons.

No one looked remotely interested in traveling.

Tami frowned.

"Wait."

He pointed accusingly between them.

"Why are we still here?"

Yuto raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?"

Tami stared at him as though the answer should have been obvious.

"We should’ve been on the road hours ago."

Maya shook her head slightly.

"We can’t leave yet."

That immediately made Tami’s expression tighten.

"Why not?"

For a brief moment Maya remained silent.

Then she answered.

"Something is blocking the path ahead."

The annoyance vanished from Tami’s face instantly.

"What?"

This time Maya hesitated for a second longer.

Perhaps searching for a description that would somehow make sense.

Eventually she gave up.

"A colossal vine beast."

Tami stared.

"A what?"

Maya folded her arms.

"I could describe it," she said, "but honestly, no description is going to prepare you for seeing it."

The statement sounded dramatic enough that Tami immediately became skeptical.

His expression practically announced it.

Yuto pushed himself upright and stretched, feeling several muscles protest after a sleepless night. His shoulders shifted with an audible crack before he rolled his neck and glanced toward the distant horizon.

"Speaking of which," he said, "it’s probably time to check whether it’s still there."

Maya rose immediately.

The motion was smooth and effortless despite the fact that she hadn’t slept either.

Then she turned toward Tami.

"Come with us."

Tami shrugged.

"Fine."

The three of them left camp together and began making their way across the wasteland.

The morning air remained cool, though the desert was already beginning its gradual transformation back into an oven. Long shadows stretched across the dunes and rocky terrain while the strange light overhead painted everything in muted shades of violet and gold.

As they walked, Tami continued talking.

"I still don’t understand why you’re both making such a big deal out of this."

Neither Yuto nor Maya responded.

Unfortunately, silence had never stopped Tami before.

"We’ve fought giant monsters already."

"We haven’t fought this one," Maya replied.

Tami waved dismissively.

"Okay, but at worst we just sneak around it."

He shrugged.

"Or run."

Maya glanced sideways at him.

The look alone contained enough meaning that most people would have stopped talking.

Tami was not most people.

"This beast isn’t like anything we’ve faced so far."

Something about her tone finally reached him.

The confidence.

The certainty.

The complete absence of exaggeration.

For the first time since leaving camp, Tami fell quiet.

The conversation died away.

Only the sound of footsteps remained as they crossed the desert.

Yuto exhaled slowly.

"I just hope it’s gone."

Maya’s gaze remained fixed ahead.

"So do I."

Yuto shoved his hands into his pockets.

"We’re already racing Shinto to the gemstone."

The memory of the man made his expression darken slightly.

Every hour they remained stalled was another hour Shinto could be moving closer to his goal.

"The last thing we need is a living mountain blocking the road."

Eventually the cliff appeared ahead.

The sight of it immediately brought back memories from the previous night.

The basin beyond.

The creature below.

The overwhelming feeling of vulnerability that had settled over him the moment he’d seen it.

Nobody spoke as they approached.

The atmosphere seemed to grow heavier with every step.

Yuto reached the edge first.

Slowly, he peered over.

The moment he saw the basin below, his shoulders sank.

"Still there."

Disappointment mixed with unease in his voice.

The colossal vine beast remained exactly where it had been.

Unchanged.

Unmoving.

Its immense body occupied the basin like a piece of the landscape itself, so massive that it seemed less like a living organism and more like a natural disaster frozen in place. Thick masses of moss and tangled vegetation covered its enormous frame, while its skeletal head remained tilted slightly downward in an eerie imitation of sleep.

Its eyes stayed closed.

Thank every god that existed for that.

Tami stepped forward.

Curiosity overcame caution.

He leaned over the edge.

Then stopped.

Completely.

His mouth slowly opened.

Nothing came out.

The color drained from his face so quickly that Yuto almost found it impressive.

For several long seconds, Tami simply stared.

Motionless.

Silent.

The usual stream of comments, complaints, and observations vanished entirely.

The sight below had stolen every word from him.

Maya immediately grabbed his shoulder.

Without ceremony, she yanked him backward.

The sudden movement finally broke whatever spell the creature’s presence had placed over him.

Tami stumbled.

Blinking rapidly.

Breathing harder than before.

The three of them retreated from the cliff at once, putting distance between themselves and the basin below.

They didn’t stop until the edge was safely behind them.

Tami turned toward Yuto and Maya.

His eyes looked enormous.

He glanced back toward the cliff.

Then back at them.

Then toward the cliff again,

"How the hell are we supposed to fight that?"