“It's quiet.”

Khael muttered the words to no one in particular. He sat on top of the monster’s body, its huge form sprawled across the ground, lifeless and still. Dark blood mixed with the soil below him as it poured from the wounds he had made into its thick body. The beast had been enormous, like something from an old nightmare. It was now nothing more than a corpse in the sunset's dying light.

⟦....#&¥%$.....⟧

Khael stared at the horizon, where the sky burned with deep reds and golds, as if it was on fire. Only nineteen, yet he'd already seen horrors enough for a lifetime. His black light vest, hung in torn pieces from his body, nearly falling apart. It clung to him like a shadow, stained with blood and dirt. What was left of the armor, once smooth and shiny, was now scratched and beaten, just like him.

As he looked at the sunset, a sense of calm washed over him amid the destruction. This moment felt strange in a place torn apart by chaos, yet he took it anyway. For that brief moment, everything felt still.

Then, the radio strapped to his chest crackled and buzzed, breaking the silence.

“Khael, do you read me?”

“Yeah, I hea—”

“WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?” her voice exploded through the speaker. The sound was so loud that Khael had to turn his head away for a moment. He could clearly picture her pacing back and forth, her fists clenched tight, eyes burning with frustration.

He didn’t respond right away. Instead, he kept his eyes on the sunset, as if it was easier to talk to than the voice on the radio.

“HEY! ARE YOU DEAF? I SAID, WHERE ARE YOU?”

Khael sighed, then pressed the button on his radio.

“Uh…sorry, Chief. Got a little...busy.”

“Busy or not, why are you still out there?”

“Uhhh…I was…a bit busy watching the sunset."

“Sunset? Seriously?”

Khael could practically hear her teeth grinding through the radio.

“Chief, I know you’re doing your job, but why do you always have to be so serious? It’s like you’re on a permanent mission to inhale the fun out of everything,” he said causally.

“Because SOMEONE has to make sure you idiots don’t get yourselves killed!” she snapped back, frustration boiling over. “Why am I the only one stuck babysitting you morons?”

A tense silence hung in the air, thick with her frustration. After a short pause, she continued.

“Return to the camp before I kill you with my own hands. Over.”

The line went silent with a soft click, leaving Khael staring ahead into the fading light.

"Man, life sucks."

He felt a pang of regret as he glanced at the vibrant sunset. It had been too long since he’d allowed himself to enjoy such a simple beauty. But he knew he had no choice; he couldn’t ignore her order.

She might be only a few years older than him, but she took her role far too seriously. It was like having a second mother, always barking orders and worrying about him. He rolled his eyes and wished she’d lighten up a bit.

⟦....%&#&#.....⟧

With a tired grunt, Khael pushed himself up from the monster’s body. He yanked his knife free from the thick flesh, the blade dripping with dark blood. He wiped it on his already dirty sleeve before sliding it back into its sheath. After a deep breath, he climbed down from the creature and began his walk back to the camp.

As he walked across the vast wasteland, the feeling crept back into his mind. It was too quiet—far too quiet for his liking. There was no sound of living creatures or even the rustle of the wind; Just a heavy, suffocating silence that weighed on his shoulders. He felt as if he were the last person alive on this planet.

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He glanced around, nothing except the corpses of monsters sprawled across the ground. Some were small, barely larger than a dog, while others were massive, towering over him even in death. The stench of death was everywhere, thick and nauseating, but he had grown numb to it. So much had happened in such a short time.

He took a slow, steady breath, but all he felt was the eerie silence that seemed to echo in his ears, louder than any scream.

It was then he noticed a thin fog creeping across the field, covering everything in its path. It moved slowly around the bodies, sticking to the ground like a ghostly blanket, making everything look even stranger and creepier. The air felt colder now, the kind of chill that seeped into his bones and made his breath come out in faint, misty clouds.

“Is it winter already?” he wondered, half expecting to see snow falling any minute. He tried to remember what day it was, but everything felt mixed up in the chaos.

He went at his normal speed, neither too fast nor too slow. The mud beneath his boots crunched softly with each steps. Suddenly, though, his foot caught on something that was only slightly below the surface. In an attempt to regain his balance, he quickly extended out, but his momentum carried him forward, and he fell hard, hitting the ground with a loud, heavy thud.

The chilly dirt pushed against his cheek as he lay there. He looked straight ahead with his head raised. He wasn't likely to be tripping in this kind of situation, but here he was, sprawled on the ground, utterly frustrated. Maybe he didn't have the best of luck today. He sighed deeply and for a while.

Slowly, he pushed himself up onto his elbows. He wondered what he had tripped over. Squinting in the dim light, he looked around, searching for whatever had brought him down.

His eyes fell on a familiar shape.

”Ooh, a grenade,”

He picked it up. It was rusty, covered with dust and dirt. He brushed it off and took a look around. A huge corpse lay a few meters ahead. Grinning, he pulled the pin and tossed it over.

It exploded with a loud boom and sent small bits of dirt and flesh past him.

”Heheh, that was fun. I should bring more next time~”

As he strolled past the small crater left by the explosion, he noticed something odd.

In the shadows, he could make out the shape of a small statue, about the size of his palm but slightly larger. It was partially buried in the dirt, its surface rough and weathered. After brushing off the dirt from his clothes he carefully lifted the statue.

He had never seen a statue like that. It had the appearance of a human head, but something about it felt off—more like a rough stone cut into the shape of a face. The details were hazy and unclear, and the surface was marked and uneven. The most disturbing aspect of it was that it had no mouth or eyes—just a featureless, blank look that seemed to be glaring straight into his soul. He felt exposed by the expression's emptiness, as if it could see right through him.

As he turned the statue over, he noticed intricate carvings etched into the stone—symbols he didn’t recognize. A shiver crawled down his spine like icy finger that made him uneasy. He glanced around, half-expecting someone to leap out from the darkness, but there was only silence.

He shifted his focus back to the statue and inspected it closely.

“I’ve seen better art in a kindergarten class,” he scoffed, trying to lighten the mood.

However, any humour was soon sucked up by the quiet surrounding him. He had hoped for something more, something strong or mysterious that would justify his discovery. However, it was just stone that had been carved into an unimpressive shape. His earlier statement began to seem more accurate. To be honest, it appeared as though a toddler could have done. Or worse, maybe someone genuinely believed that this was a work of art that should be protected.

“Well, enough playing.”

He tossed the statue back onto the ground. Without a second glance, Khael turned to leave.

⟦...ch¥d…⟧

“Hmm?”

He suddenly stopped as he thought he heard a faint and strange sound. He looked around the empty area.

“Hello?” he called out. There was no reply.

He checked the radio at his side, confirming it was off, not even a flicker of light from the display. He felt uneasy.

Khael glanced over his shoulder and glazed back to the statue. It lay there, still and silent.

He stepped forward cautiously and moved slowly towards the statue. He could see the deep cracks on its surface as he got closer. He stooped to pick it up and held it in his hands. He stared and waited for something to happen for what seemed like a long time, but nothing ever came of it. Even the odd noise that had just thrown him into a frenzy did not come back. At last, he dismissed it, telling himself it was all in his head.

He threw it high into the air, watching as it tore through the fog and created a small opening in the sky. However, the hole closed up just as quickly as it had formed.p.

"Heh, I was scared for nothing..."

He let out a long, deep yawn as his eyes grew heavy. He kept walking back to camp, but everything felt slower, like he was moving through water.

Another yawn, even longer this time. His eyelids started to droop, and the world around him began to blur. He tried to keep his eyes open, but they wouldn’t listen.

"What the..."

He yawned once more, more forcefully this time, and was forced to slow down. He wiped his eyes in hope that it might help, but it only made him feel drained. His feet felt like they were dragging. Eager to get out of it, he gave himself a hard slap across the face. Although it hurt, it had little effect. He continued to go, but it seemed like the ground was pulling him down with each step, making it harder and harder.

After a few more steps, his legs gave up. He sat down, even though his mind was yelling at him to stay up, to keep going.

"Maybe... just a quick nap... won’t be ba..."

He didn’t even finish the thought before he collapsed onto his back, lying still and alone in the silent dark.

⟦....%&#&$&^%#.....⟧

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⟦My child...⟧