Arc raced through the crumbling tunnels of the once-secret underground labyrinth. Just yesterday, it felt as though he had done a good deed by spending over a month securing all the experiments that roamed the abandoned halls. Now, however, it seemed that someone—or something—had undone all of his efforts.

"Ahhh! Ancestors Why!" Arc screamed to himself in frustration

This was the second location he visited, and like the first, claw marks were etched everywhere, alongside piles of rubble that seemed to be the door leading to the lab of this site.

"First the prison, and now this lab!" Arc screamed while rubbing his forehead

Arc bit his thumb in thought as he paced back and forth. He was uncertain whether he should spend time checking the other locations or if he should inform the others about what he had discovered. Perhaps it would be wiser to leave without saying anything, but what if the old man found out?

"I better check a few more just in case..." Arc mumbled moving his thoughts away from the old man

Arc continued to check the locations where he had fought the weaker experiments, only to find the area cleared and the bodies he had left gone. In the areas where too many experiments had gathered, he had collapsed the tunnels or rooms to lock them inside. However, those places have now been cleared and emptied. Even locations of experiments that were too overwhelming for him had vanished. Finally, he checked every location he could think of—whether they were labs that conducted experiments, storage rooms, or lounges. He left no room unturned, but everything was gone. Even the research notes he had left after reading were missing. It felt as though nothing had ever happened here.

"I don't know who was here after I was, but it seems they are set on causing chaos by releasing all of these things on the village... or is this fate playing its games? Regardless, I need to get Carter out of here soon. I can't see any Seedlings in this village controlling these things, and I do not want to fight them again. I'll go back to Pilosophis and tell them about what happened. They shouldn't care about a few million lives... The old man won't mind either... Right?"

Arc went back through the ruined halls of the labyrinth, returning to take the useless child away from whatever chaos was about to unfold, with these monsters escaping.

***

It had been some time since Carter’s nighttime adventure had allowed the repressed memories of the last fifteen years of his life to resurface. During this period, Carter had reverted to the hermit he once was. However, unlike before, the dreams that used to haunt him in his sleep now spun around in his mind, constantly whispering the traumas he had tried to forget, refusing to be buried again. This forced him to confront his pain, but instead of finding relief, it only drove him deeper, searching for an even darker hole to hide within.

The children that surrounded Carter were different, and they began to heal. Aster had accepted his brother's death and was now moving toward the path to follow his brother's dream. Long gone was the five-year-old who caused constant problems. Now, he was a ruthless child who spent more time beating himself from training than even thinking of speaking to others. Aiyah followed the silent Aster like a shadow. She also took the path of a Divine Knight, if not just to spend more time with Aster. Finally, Priya, who had always remained silent, began speaking only one word: 'Carter.'

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Today began peacefully, just like any other. Priya, Aiyah, and Aster brought food to Carter, who had shut himself in his room. They ate their simple breakfast of a few cut fruits and hard bread in complete silence, just like any other morning. Only the sound of Priya's faint whisper of Carter's name under her breath as if some strange tick could be slightly heard; the others paid the sound no mind as if nothing was happening. After the meal, Aiyah took Priya and the empty plates to the kitchen, leaving the two boys alone in the silent room.

Aster and Carter sat in awkward silence, a typical routine every morning, but unlike before, Aster had an itch in his throat.

"Why are you like this?" Aster finally voiced the words he had held since their first meeting, not expecting a reply but wanting one.

Aster had never really been interested in anyone other than his brother. Even though he had friends like Aiyah and Wiess, he never took an interest in them. He knew nothing about them, just that they followed his shenanigans. Everything changed with his brother's death and Pit leaving with the Divine Knight. It took weeks for him to come to terms with everything, but he concluded that he was selfish. After this self-reflection, he started to look at others in a different light, and he could see what his brother was striving for.

Carter turned his head but said nothing in return, only raising an eyebrow at the serious expression on the young Aster. Compared to before, Carter had a difference, specifically his eyes. Once dead and lifeless, he now held life and meaning behind him; before, he was a walking corpse. Now, he seemed more of a silent observer, and it seemed he enjoyed his role as such.

Before Aster could open his mouth to continue, Aiyah barged into the room with Priya in tow.

"Something happened in the village!" she shouted. "The adults seem panicked and are rushing around gathering things. It looks like they are trying to run away!"

"What? What happened?" Aster jumped with a shout, probably the loudest he had been in weeks.

"I have no clue. The adults aren't saying anything. They are just moving everything, and the knights are also on alert.

"What? How would you know?"

"Their breakfast was still on the table, meaning they haven't eaten yet, and the other children won't have their meal for another hour, so..."

"Are you sure you're not just jumping to conclusions? Where is Weiss? he has been around Istina and Ibada since we returned. He might know something."

"I have no clue. I rushed here after seeing how the adults were and seeing the set table."

"So you're just assuming that something happened."

"Well..."

"There you are!" Istina's voice echoed from the opened door, and not long after, Istina and Ibada peaked around the corner into the room.

"Come, we are going to the center of the village for a short time." The voices of the two mixed and twisted as they usually did.

"Something is happening!" Aster muttered.

"We will not lie. Yes, something is happening, but it is not for children like yourselves to worry about. The adults will handle the problem, and then we will return here in a few days. But until then, we need to move you and the others to the center of the village."

"Says who!" Aster asked

"Grandmaster Zindra and her assistants."

Aster blinked, "I'm not going anywhere! I'm a Divine Knight in training! I can help!"

"We are not giving you a choice, Aster."

***

Arc slowly made his way up the stairs, a little out of breath and exhausted from running around the underground labyrinth. He made his way through the door leading into the secret passage, where he walked into a familiar room where the body of Pata still lay unmoved on the bed. They had left the body since neither knew what to do with it, and being here was well out of the way, but now, to Arc, this body held many different meanings, clues, and, most of all, traumas.

"I need to find Carter..."