Rowan was sitting. The familiar darkness was around him again. Trapping him with that long, pale spinal cord.

But things had changed. The void made it easy to notice the contrast. A new discrepancy of this place from before.

The pale pillar was brighter. Not quite shining, but lighter, even luminescent. It made an endearing sight to look at for the hours to come.

'Why, though?'

However, there was no reaching the foot of that spine. Let alone climbing to the peak where the bright light dwelled. He could only sit and wait. He'd accepted that by now.

"Why force me to sit here? This all started back then with that dream of her. Like she cursed me."

"Did she?"

The pillar hummed. At least, he assumed it had. After all, Nobody was here in this darkness except him and this thing.

"I killed that Devoured on the way to the Vile. Is that why you're brighter?"

Rowan thought the pillar had murmured another noise, but it was too subtle for him to be sure.

With a sigh, he lay back, hands clasped behind his head. Rowan closed his eyes. But, of course, there was no sleep. He was already asleep. He'd once heard the brain went through a healing process when resting. If that was true, then it meant only his consciousness was being tormented.

That had to be why he was here.

"Then it's like a punishment?"

This time, he noticed the content rumble louder than before. Rowan raised his eyebrow at the pillar. But it ignored him. And it vanished.

"Hey, wake up."

Rowan's eyes opened to see a hand on his shoulder.

"Who?"

Brown, mousey hair and a relaxed smile filled his view. There was never a wrinkle or a crease on Andrew's face. He seemed to always be at rest.

"Hey, it's been a while, Rowan. Hector sent me to come get you. These are for you."

Rowan sat up as Andrew dropped a set of primitive brown shorts and shirts on the bed. They resembled what most of the camp wore.

Rowan glanced down at his grey uniform, tattered and worn. Washing it at the waterfall had only taken him so far. It was ill-suited and made him stand out at camp.

"Marie makes all of the clothes. Don't ask how. I've really no idea how she does it all."

Andrew laughed and turned away. Rowan was silent as he changed. Watching his crumpled uniform fall to the floor in a heap of grey.

"Sorry about last week. When you and Alicia asked us to come hunt the Vile. I wasn't much use the first time. And it was getting stronger. I would have just gotten in the way. I had no idea you were the reckless type, though. I heard you even took part in that battle with the elite."

As rough and uncomfortable as his new shorts were, the brown made for a nice change.

"I didn't do anything. I just navigated."

Andrew smiled. "Well, you still did more than me. But come on, let's go."

Rowan followed Andrew out of Hector's home. He walked beside him as the morning clutter of Defected spread around them. He'd grown used to waking and witnessing that noon blue sky.

The ground was littered with more flowers than ever. In the last two weeks, they'd begun infecting the camp, too. Not just the forest.

"Any idea what Hector wants with you?"

"Yes. I know."

It wasn't long before they found Hector in the shade of a lodge. It sat just outside the camp centre, identical and wooden like all the rest.

Hector's tall figure rose above the small crowd swarming him. A couple commands sent most of the Defected away from the group as Rowan approached. Yet the tall Defected didn't notice the two of them.

"Alright. Seems like we're ready."

Hector finally noticed him and Andrew. And blinked.

Rowan said. "We're here, Hector. You can go now."

"Ah, right, it's you. Rowan. Good. Then I'll leave it to you again today. You too, Andrew. We'll be back before sunset."

"Wait, leave what to me?" Andrew asked.

But Hector was already marching away from the building, and the others followed. Rowan recognised Kenny and several other elites from the battle two weeks prior alongside him.

Rowan watched them leave. He found himself curling his empty fist. He'd left his spear behind at Hector's home. After all, he had no need for it.

Rowan sighed, ignoring the confused Andrew, tilting his head at him. He approached the lodge door and knocked weakly. There was a long silence before the door rattled and opened.

"Ah, Rowan. Sorry, I woke up late again, didn't I? I should know better by now."

"It's fine. So did I."

Garuda closed the door behind her and smiled. Her long blue hair was more rustled than usual. She raised a hand, wincing, as she stepped into the daylight.

Rowan nodded. "So? What's first?"

"Um. Hector is dealing with the biggest problem. So for us, hmm... We haven't visited the wounded since last week. And, ummm..."

"Alright, then. We'll do that."

Rowan turned. And then Garuda was following closely by his side.

"Hey, wait. Hold on. Then why am I here?"

Rowan glanced over his shoulder. The taller Defected was fiddling with the spear in his hands.

"Come on. You're on guard duty for the Boss."

"Guard duty? For the Boss?" Andrew blinked. But then he was following them. Once he caught up, he walked on Rowan's left. The trio traversed through the camp as Defected fluttered about. For the middle of the day, it was strangely serene.

That was aside from Andrew, who was peering over Rowan's head at Garuda.

"What?"

Andrew glanced down. "Oh, um, I'm just surprised. The Boss is walking around during the day. And with us? Ah, of course, no offence, Miss."

Garuda chuckled.

"This is just how it is now. The Boss is sharing everything about her visions. So she is free to roam around and do other duties. She has been for the last couple of weeks."

Andrew's eyes widened. "I didn't know. Then I guess she does need a guard."

Rowan sighed. "Clearly, Hector wants you to have a break. You've been on a hunting squad every day. Haven't you?"

Andrew scratched his head. "Well, I'm just trying to help out. But I guess it has been a fortnight. Regardless, hunting's not so hard now that Vile's dead. At least I sleep much easier out in the field."

Rowan nodded and turned to see Garuda watching them with curious, deep blue eyes. But he shrugged them off.

"We're here."

Rowan walked and opened the door without pause. The buildings were basically identical. However, he'd had enough time to think and remember the camp layout by now.

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He strutted through the entrance as footsteps creaked on the wood below. Then, he was surrounded by beds. Or more like archaic wooden racks with soft material above them.

There were lots of beds. But fortunately, not too many injured. Yet that slim majority was a difficult sight to witness. The worst instance was the man at the front missing his right leg. It was hard not to sneak a morbid glance at his fleshy stump.

"Boss."

"It seems like you're getting better already. I'm glad."

Rowan blinked. It had not been so easy the first time. She'd even started of her own accord. Frowning, he listened to Garuda console the man before he headed straight towards the room's rear.

Amongst the wounded, he knew a single chipper, strawberry blonde-haired Defected. He was already grinning as Rowan approached.

"Rowan, your back already? I'd have to guess you had a thing for me at this point."

Lux chuckled. His chest wounds were veiled by white patches that resembled plasters all over his front. But when he had last seen those cuts. They hadn't looked so deep or dangerous. But he was still here.

"Good to see you're still breathing."

"Haha. Thanks for coming."

Rowan paused. "We brought someone else along today."

Lux tilted his head, then smiled as Andrew passed by Rowan. Grinning, he took the chair beside Lux's bed and poked him.

Lux reeled back. "Oww. You've not visited in two weeks, so, ow, stop that."

"Don't be such a baby. You're supposed to be better by now. What's taking you so long?"

Lux pouted. "I'm healing as fast as I can, alright. Now that I've got this. I'll be back hunting any day now. You'll see."

Lux clumsily leant and fumbled to his right, wincing. He finally got a hold of the metal spear leaning on the wall and held it up with a triumphant grin.

Andrew shook his head. "Good, I don't doubt it. Make sure you thank her when you get out."

Rowan watched as Lux's eyes widened. He stopped for a moment and looked down at the spear.

"She came to visit me and apologised the other day."

Rowan and Andrew grew quiet. As Lux's tone grew slow and heavy.

"She said she was sorry for taking so long to make the spear. She said she lost the original or something. Of course, I told her it was fine, but when she came back. Her Defected arm... it was missing."

Lux held the spear away from his body. "Guys, I don't want to sound crazy. Maybe, maybe, I am a little insane. But I think this is... made of Marie. A Marie spear."

Andrew smiled. "Yeah, we know. Everyone knows that."

"Oh." Lux paused. Then his face flushed as he laughed. "Seriously?"

Andrew slapped a hand on Lux's shoulder. Rowan thought he was going to smile, too. But instead, he turned to check over his shoulder. Garuda was still traversing between each bed, offering short, sincere words to all the injured.

He listened with a frown. Garuda's head perked up at the duo's laughter. She noticed Rowan's stare and walked to his side.

"Lux. You look lively as always."

Lux grinned sheepishly. "Thanks, Boss. Now that dam smell is gone, I think I'm healing much faster."

It was true. There was a sweet floral scent to the room now. The first time Rowan had visited, the stench of the injured had overpowered everything else. No wonder Lux had whined about it so much.

But how come it was gone? How come he'd only just noticed?

"Hey, Rowan. You're quiet today, even for you."

Startled, Rowan glanced around at the three faces surveying him. His eyes met Lux's and lingered there. But soon, they slipped below.

"Hardly. I'm just tired of waiting already. We need as many hunters as possible. So hurry up."

Lux laughed. "Well, if you say so. I guess I have no choice."

####################################################

"He must have lied. Liar. Liar."

Spitting into the icy winds helped her feel vindicated and resist the cold a little longer. She was well aware she'd been talking to herself for days. But she saw no issue with it.

"Two weeks. It must have been two weeks by now."

Her legs and arms were heavy, stiff and frozen. That hateful warmth inside helped keep her moving like a sole whirring engine in the ice.

Occasionally, that whir would halt. She'd be left standing in the snow, directionless and confused.

'Which way was it? I didn't lose the way? I couldn't have?'

"It was me. I lost it. The way."

That gurgling heat would return to her soon enough, and she'd be trudging forward. Fortunately, even in this frigid landscape, there were rare alleviating moments.

"Come out. Show me. I want to see how you look."

In this unknown segment of the cold, she'd found herself surrounded. Surrounded by Docile rabbit things, impaled on sticks. Their helpless, thin blue eyes filled with lifeless fear. Watching her.

She'd seen some running around once. But they had taken flight the instant she caught them in her periphery.

Her eyes honed in, and they stung as she pulled on the dead. The sticks within her view began to shake and tremble as they swung back and forth. The skewered corpses were tossed around, too, and the drumming began.

"COME OUT."

Thrashing. There were so many. The sound was symphonic.

The trap was pathetic only the lowest Devoured would be caught by it. Only the lowest would use it. Just a tiny fish in a tiny frozen pool.

There was a tremor, and Garnet's eyes flickered down.

"Finally."

It slithered out of the snow before her. A slug. Maybe more like an enormous grey grub. But still. Its body kept tunnelling out of the snow. Crawling and rising, it didn't stop for some time.

Garnet did the courtesy of meeting its sunken, hollow eyes imprinted on its wrinkled grey face. Then she charged. Only pulling on her Defect after she jumped, sending her soaring towards it.

It didn't even have time to drag its huge, grotesque form out of the snow.

A fist sent it reeling and wriggling back. Its face squealed as it flopped around. The blow was so hard that Garnet saw its body form a perfect vertical line. Reaching the absolute pinnacle of its height like a skyscraper.

But it had regained its balance and sent its entire weight toppling back towards her.

"I don't have time for you."

Not as big as a mountain, but hundreds of tons of fat and blubber that would crush a town under it. Its hollow mouth flapped open, screaming as it descended towards her.

So she screamed back.

And the creature froze.

Its momentum was killed halfway through descent. Its slug-like head thrashed around, suspended in the air. It was forced to look down on her. And Garnet looked back.

"DIE."

The Devoured wasn't still for much longer. It was turning and twisting. Like a spiral ascending to the heavens, it contorted and furled in on itself as life and blood squeezed out like a filthy rag.

As her eyelids tightened, she licked her lips. The blood drooling out of her eyes had a rusty taste to it. This was her Defect. A push and a pull. Together, they were something more. A twisted maelstrom of force drew on her mind, tearing at her consciousness.

The creature leaked further blood as it became unrecognisable. It resembled more of a structure, more of a spiralling pillar than a being. Even as it twisted and oozed dark purple blood.

She could taste the warmth, the blood, the victory plastered over her face. Even this cold, empty landscape had it. Amidst the joy, a single thought still dwelled. 'With a form like that. How did it set the traps?'

As an idea formed, the Devoured suddenly burst from the pressure.

Its insides were dark and hollow? The darkness splashed onto the pure white snow and remained there.

Then it began to move.

A wave of darkness spread across the snow towards her. Only as it scuttled closer to Garnet did she realise her error. "They're all Volatile. There must be thousands. Then it was a host?"

In terms of power, she'd fought Fiends and Brutes and witnessed Monoliths. Devoured, this weak didn't even have a classification of strength. They were just nothing.

She didn't know it was possible. Usually, anything with a rank of intelligence had some class of strength. But they were all Volatile. Not as intelligent as a Vile. But when there were this many gathered together, operating as a hive. Maybe they could be.

The warm blood trickling down her face froze as she stood. The darkness approached unhindered, and then it split. It gathered around her from all sides.

Garnet clenched her fist and closed her eyes. Then she opened them again.

The nearest scuttling insects were crushed into a paste, painting the snow a deep purple. Then, she span, and the next group were squished beneath her gaze. But they kept pouring all around.

They were Volatile, meaning they had intelligence and at least one ability.

"If I let even one touch me. And disrupt my focus."

The blood threatened to freeze her eyes shut as the heat left her gaze. Spinning and turning, she could hardly keep up with the conscious crushing. Her mind was stretching and folding in on itself.

As they poured closer, she saw their long, loose limbs springing them across the snow. They were like spiders, but with so many springing together, it was hard to get a clear look.

Garnet leapt forward. Those in front were crushed by her eyes and then stepped on as she ran. Behind, they leapt and chased her feet and legs, missing narrowly.

"I hate it. I don't want to run."

She felt a chill creeping along her back as a couple flimsy creatures sprawled towards her face. They were crushed. But she wasn't moving fast enough. She wasn't able to pull herself forward and crush the Volatile bugs simultaneously.

So she gave up. And jumped, gripping the nearest mountain peak in sight. The Volatile insects leapt at her as she was pulled up. She couldn't afford to look. Every time she blinked, her flight faltered.

Her speed was slowing as they chased her below. But she couldn't fly. She would have to land and jump again. Run and flee.

#####

Landing with a yelp. She reached the crest of the mountain. Relieved, she closed her eyes, giving them any kind of relief. As she hunched against the rocky slope, she listened.

There was nothing. She had escaped them. No, they had simply returned to their hunting ground. Sparing her.

The quiet darkness was strangely comforting and painless. Any salvation from her Defect was welcomed.

With a chuckle, she stumbled away from the rock. Marching blindly was of no consequence. 'After all. I'm lost. Aren't I?'

If only she had avoided every battle. Had not chased that brief warmth. She might not have gotten lost and died in this place. She might have fulfilled her duty, the bare minimum of her being.

The snow beneath her feet felt the same as ever. Only now, without her eyes, did she get a real sense of it. The boundless depths that existed beneath the puffy white ground.

Scaling the mountain was hopeless. Without her sight, she could only walk. And hope for the best.

'Nobody feels like I do. No one in this entire world.'

She was a cold, callous, crazed person. She could never return the warmth her brother tried to give her. Or the joy her sister smothered her with. She could only fight.

Her eyes creaked as they opened. Skin and ice were torn as her eyelids receeded.

Then, she saw a human figure. Short and still in the cold, they watched her approach, obscured by the shimmering fog.

"Garuda?"

##############################

"If they're an hour late? Shouldn't we send a group to look for them?"

Garuda sighed. "No. The future will have changed too much. We don't know their location."

"I can still go in myself if you have at least a general idea where-"

"No, Rowan."

The three watched the leering forest with the wall at their backs, crumbling and withered as always.

Rowan leant back, his arms grasping the cold stones tightly. The evening sky was forming that familiar, awful orange as they waited. It was Andrew who broke the silence.

"This is Alicia we're talking about. I don't think it's possible there was something she couldn't run from. She'll be back soon. You'll see."

"Obviously. It's the others I'm worried about, not her." Rowan frowned. "Are you sure we made the right decision, Garuda? Alicia was confident they'd win. But wasn't sending the same people dangerous knowing the original result?"

The flowers around them rustled as Garuda shook her head. Fortunately for him, she hadn't noticed he'd used her real name.

"We're not combatants, so it's not for us to say. We told her about its abilities, approximate speed, size, and strength. Not every Vile is the same. I trust her judgement, at least in this department."

Unlike them, Garuda was perched comfortably on the wall above. But her hands remained clasped tightly over her lap.

"If it was dangerous enough to kill two members of her squad while Alicia was present. Think what it could do if we left it be? We've learnt that lesson already."

As she surveyed the forest, Garuda's eyes were as deep and dark as always. Staring deep into this view was how he'd first found her.

He'd begun to understand her much better in the last two weeks. This sight frightened her. Enough that she couldn't look away.

"They're back."

Andrew walked to meet them as figures emerged from the forest. At the forefront was the red-haired beauty. A figure was hauled over her left shoulder, and in her right was a spear slick with blood.

Rowan sent Garuda a glance, and she nodded. He pushed himself off the wall and went towards them.

"Hey, Alicia. Is she alright?"

Alicia didn't seem to hear Rowan. She shared a few words with Andrew and left his side. As she walked towards Rowan, she shouted over her shoulder.

"I'll take Bella to the infirmary. You're dismissed. Go take your day off."

The group scattered and headed towards the camp. Rowan moved between them to reach their encumbered leader.

"Hey, Alicia?"

He put a hand on her shoulder, and she turned to him.

"What?"

"What happened? Did you guys kill it?"

Alicia frowned. "Obviously. I'll do a report later."

She tried to push past him lightly. But his hand remained on her. Her red eyes seemed to enflame as her gaze wandered.

"You're not carrying your spear? Rowan."

Rowan blinked. "Well, I know you gave it to me... but it wasn't really mine in the first place, so-"

Alicia scoffed and plucked his hand off her. She marched away and leapt over the stone wall, body still strewn over her shoulder. On the other side, she turned to Garuda, who remained seated.

"The information today. It was helpful."

Rowan watched her red hair flutter as she turned on her heel, marching toward the camp. Soon, the trio were left alone again, huddled around the wall. The squad has passed through them without a beat.

"I guess that was my fault. It seems she's still mad at me."

Andrew patted him on his shoulder. "Whatever you did. I'm willing to bet it's not your fault."

Garuda nodded. "She's used to getting her own way. Don't let it bother you."

"Oh, you do know why? Then what's she upset about?"

"It doesn't matter. She seems to be coping just fine without me. I'll just ignore her, too."

Rowan sighed, but Andrew tilted his head at him with a curious smile.

It was better not to discuss it. Things were fine the way they were, and they would continue to be.

"You can go now, Andrew. Hector's squad won't get back until very late, and you'll be out in the field again tomorrow. Plus, there clearly isn't much point in guarding us, so go get some sleep while you can."

Andrew's mouth lingered open. He looked between them before reaching for his spear, leant neatly against the wall.

"Well, if the Boss is happy. I'll leave you two to it."

Rowan watched him wave back at them before vanishing into the camp. He finally turned to Garuda looking down on him with a sad smile.

It would be time for her vision soon.

"Is there something you wanted to tell me? Rowan."