Noah had grown accustomed to absorbing the essence of monsters. These were creatures from another world, seeking to devour him - horrors that had driven humanity to the brink of extinction. So what if he took their essence, even their flesh, to survive?

But these were people. Noah felt... tainted.

'Maybe I really am an abomination, like that man yelled.'

Rationally, Noah knew he was imagining it, but he swore he could feel the essence of the people he had killed swirling within his core, drowned by the sea of essence claimed from all the monsters he had absorbed.

Noah could see the corpses of the two other men in the distance but couldn't bear to get close. He remained seated by the young woman's side. Her eyes were devoid of light, staring aimlessly into the gray sky. Blood coated her cheeks, chin, and neck, blending with her tears.

"I'm going to be si..."

Leaning to his side, Noah threw up. When he was done, he did not bother wiping his lips. He just sat there, feeling utterly lost.

Steve and Claws stood guard around Noah. The undead warrior had a few cracks in his skeletal form, glowing green. However, it appeared as though the young member of the order that targeted Steve was too nervous in order to aim properly. The same could not be said about Claws' opponent. The explosion had shattered the skeletal reptile's arm, almost up to the elbow and Claws' bones were missing entire chunks from the accurate hail of gunfire unleashed upon it.

The skeletal ape reached for Noah's injured shoulder, but he absentmindedly swatted its hand away.

Noah sat there slumped, with a blank expression, transfixed on the woman's corpse, even as he still bled.

"Kid... Noah, we need to leave." Silas' gravelly voice stirred inside Noah's head. "The blood and bodies will attract monsters."

Noah slowly nodded. "I need to bury them first; I can't let them be eaten by the monsters." His voice was flat, as if his mind was elsewhere.

"They're already dead, kid. Besides, there's nowhere you could stash their bodies where the critters won't dig them up."

It felt wrong to just leave them in the open to be devoured, so Noah did the only thing he could think of: he carried the woman's corpse into the wreckage of the shuttle and ordered Claws and Steve to do the same for the other two men.

There were two other corpses in the mangled shuttle, covered by blankets. Noah had the three others placed next to them. It was an empty gesture, as monsters would easily follow the scent and enter the wreckage, but it was the best he could do for them.

Noah glanced at the shuttle's comms. They appeared damaged, and besides—what would he say if he managed to make contact? 'Hey, I killed your guys, can you come pick me up?' No, Noah felt like a vile and sick murderer leaving the scene of his dreadful crime.

Stepping out of the shuttle, Noah began marching toward the mountain range.

"Kid, hold on a moment. There's lots of stuff you can ta—"

"No."

Noah knew what Silas was trying to say. He had also thought about all the useful things he could scavenge from the shuttle—anything from a first aid kit, to food that wasn't roasted monster meat, or even just a blanket.

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However, merely thinking about claiming the belongings of the people he had just killed made Noah feel sick to his stomach.

No, Noah wished to put as much distance as possible between himself and that cursed scene of carnage.

Not paying much attention to his surroundings, Noah hiked through the rocky terrain, staring at his own feet. Even if he had raised his head to look for the spire at the summit of the mountain range, as Jeffrey had directed him, he wouldn't have been able to spot the landmark through the thick fog enveloping the area.

Instead, Noah replayed the young woman's final moments in his head again and again. He felt as though he was trying to shake off the effects of an unbearable nightmare, only to realize it was very real.

When a pair of monsters attacked, likely following the scent of Noah's open wounds, he didn't even bother looking at them as Steve and Claws made short work of the creatures.

Losing all track of time, Noah marched on, lost in his own thoughts. It was only when the sun began to set, and visibility became difficult, that he searched for a place to shelter for the night, eventually making camp inside the hollowed-out husk of a long-dead giant tree.

Claws lurked outside of the giant tree, ready to pounce on any monster that came near, even though Noah had neglected to infuse essence into the undead reptile to mend the damage it had sustained during the unfortunate battle with the members of the Order.

Inside the tree husk, Noah sat, warmed by a small fire. The skeletal ape had gathered the branches, which were then lit by Steve's powers. Now, the two undead minions tended to Noah, who winced and groaned as Steve's skeletal fingers dug into his shoulder, extracting the slug still lodged in his flesh.

The old Noah would have shuddered at the mere thought of undergoing such sawbones-like treatment. However, by now he had been through weeks of hell and horror. As the skeletal ape wiped the wound with a wet cloth, Noah wasn't sure how much of the undead beings' behavior was driven by his thoughts and commands, or their own initiative. Where did his consciousness end and his minions' begin?

'Matters little now, I suppose,' Noah sighed, leaning back.

Steve gazed enigmatically at Noah with his glowing, empty eye sockets before taking his position near the small crevice-like opening of the withered old tree, standing guard, unmoving like a statue.

The skeletal ape fussed over Noah, trying to get him to eat a piece of monster meat, but Noah, lost in thought and with no appetite, absentmindedly ignored the overly nurturing undead being.

With a roar of thunder, the floodgates opened, and rain poured down upon the barren, monster-infested land.

Noah simply sat and listened to the rhythmic tapping of the rain. It wasn't long before water droplets began to trickle inside the tree husk as well. Cold and miserable, Noah couldn't help but long for the warm and safe feeling of being at home during winter.

Then, the image of the dying girl calling out for her mother flashed in Noah's mind.

'I don't deserve to feel comfort.'

Raising his arm, Noah navigated through the menus of his omni device until a holographic picture was projected from his wrist.

It was the day he graduated from university. Noah was posing with his grandmother, both of them smiling. She had been so proud of him.

They were barely getting by, but being the only family that Noah had left, she took him to a nice restaurant to celebrate.

'What would she think of me now, knowing I've killed three people...?'

Noah closed the picture and lowered his gaze in defeat.

"This isn't on you, kid." It was Silas, speaking inside of Noah's mind. "Those zealots came at you guns blazing. It's their own fault."

"I... I was so excited to finally see people from The Arc and worried they'd fly off without me that... I never stopped to think how it would look—me running at them with three skeletons with glowing eyes."

Noah sighed heavily before continuing.

"I could have hidden the minions behind and dismantle my gauntlets before approaching the order members and explaining everything."

"Yeah, sure. And maybe they would have still lit you up and you wouldn't have any way to protect yourself. Either way, those wackos had at least two more steps they could have taken between seeing you and deciding to let God sort you out."

Noah rested his head against the withered tree and sat in silence.

Silas was the one responsible for everything Noah had to go through, even more so than that lunatic, Voidstrider. So, Noah had mixed feelings about being consoled by Silas of all people... And yet, having someone speak up for him, made Noah feel less like a monster, even if only ever so slightly.

Finally, Silas broke the silence. "Try to catch some sleep. You need to rest, and you'll feel better in the morning. Trust me."

Noah nodded and lay down, spending a long time just listening to the downpour, trying to empty his mind of all thoughts. In the distance, he could hear the thundering sounds of a lightning storm.

Eventually, he fell asleep.