From a young age, Kate had always felt an inexplicable longing for the starry sky above her.
Every time she lifted her head and gazed upon the endless expanse of stars, it felt as though a part of her soul was being drawn into that boundless sea of light. She always sensed that her soul was somehow connected to that faraway cosmos—and if she could, she longed to go there herself, to feel that mysterious bond between her soul and the stars.
But unfortunately, war had long since shattered that childish, romantic dream.
After the Pendulum Wars, humanity did not enjoy lasting peace—for soon after, the Beastkin burst forth from the depths of the earth and turned this world into a living hell.
In Kate's memories, her childhood had since been nothing but running, war, death, and endless conflict. Those once-beautiful days were utterly destroyed. Even that strange sense of connection to the stars she once felt… had vanished without a trace.
Of course, to Kate, there was nothing left worth caring about. Those bedtime fairy tales were long gone. What she faced now was a completely different kind of life.
"Phew…"
Kate pulled down the tattered scarf covering her mouth and exhaled a white puff of air. She tightened her grip on her rifle and kept a sharp watch on her surroundings. Behind her was a group of wandering refugees—just months ago, they had lived in a small nearby town, but once the Beastkin's scouts discovered it, that place became unsafe. They had no choice but to move on once again…
That was the life of the wanderers.
For all kinds of reasons, they were unable—or unwilling—to enter the last human fortress: the Jacinto Plateau, the one place the Beastkin's weapons couldn't breach. Some rejected the Vayun Government Alliance's iron-fisted rule. Others still bore grudges from the Pendulum Wars. And some simply had nowhere else to go…
Kate was one of them.
When she was a child, her parents were killed during a Beastkin raid. Ever since, she had lived like a rat, scurrying from place to place. She had wandered through many refugee groups until now—fourteen years later—but the terror of those monstrous Beastkin still haunted her every night.
"Hey, Kate."
A voice suddenly called out behind her. Startled, Kate spun around and raised her rifle—only to see a young man in a helmet grinning at her.
"Oh, it's you, Carmon. Careful or I'll blow your head off."
"Hey, I didn't mean to scare you."
The young man raised both hands in surrender.
"I just wanted to share a drink with you. Look, I found something good…"
He pulled a bottle from his coat and waved it temptingly in front of her.
"Now's not the time."
Although the sight of the bottle made Kate's throat tighten with longing, she still kept her eyes scanning the area as she spoke.
"Don't forget—we're on the move. If the Beastkin find us—"
"Then we die."
Carmon didn't seem concerned at all. He popped the cork and took a long gulp, then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
"Tell me, Kate… do you really think humanity still has any hope? We have no idea how many armies the Beastkin have, and we barely have anything left. This tribe's no different. We can't stay anywhere for long. Wherever we go, we're terrified that one night the ground beneath us will cave in and a pack of Beastkin will crawl out and butcher us in our sleep. Isn't that the fate of wanderers? The Vayun Government is useless, and we're no better off. We might as well get it over with… maybe then I can finally have a good dream."
"…You're drunk."
The reek of alcohol hit her, and Kate wrinkled her nose, taking a step back. There were many like Carmon among the wanderers—people who had lost all hope in life and the future. They lived in constant fear of Beastkin raids but were powerless to resist. Every day was filled with dread, and many chose to end their lives rather than keep living without hope.
And what about Kate herself?
She didn't allow herself the luxury of such thoughts. She simply kept working, kept fighting. As long as she had something to do—anything to keep her busy—she wouldn't think too much.
"What's wrong with being drunk, huh? Come on, have some…"
Carmon grinned again and stepped toward her, raising the bottle for another sip—
Bang!!
A single gunshot cracked through the air.
Carmon's head burst open, a neat hole where his face had been. The bottle in his hand shattered, spilling liquor all over his head and chest. The young man stood frozen for a heartbeat—then collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut.
At the same moment, Kate heard that familiar, nightmarish roar of beasts.
"Enemy attack! Beastkin!!"
Kate shouted and dove behind a half-collapsed wall, rifle at the ready. From the surrounding ruins, several towering Beastkin leapt down, roaring and opening fire on the refugee convoy. Chaos erupted instantly—the wandering refugees screamed and bolted in every direction, desperate to escape. They all knew too well what awaited them if captured. The Beastkin didn't simply kill humans—they took prisoners, dragged them into the tunnels below, and turned them into slaves… or worse, living experiments.
And no one wanted that fate.
Ratatatatatatatat!
Kate crouched behind cover, firing bursts toward the attackers, trying to slow their advance. Other armed guards rushed to join her, returning fire to hold the line. Whatever happened, their pay would skyrocket after a fight like this—
If they lived to collect it.
"Go! Go! Get everyone out of here!"
Kate shouted while pulling the trigger again and again, hosing bullets toward the Beastkin. But it did little good. Those monsters' thick hides barely reacted to small arms fire. And the refugees' weapons weren't exactly military grade—just outdated rifles left over from the Pendulum Wars. Against humans, they worked fine. Against the Beastkin? It was like spraying them with water.
Kate saw one of her shots hit a Beastkin square in the head, a splash of blood blooming across its skull. Any normal man would've dropped dead instantly. But the creature just staggered, then kept charging until Kate emptied half a magazine into it before it finally fell.
Let this just be a patrol squad…
She ducked back to reload, whispering a prayer under her breath.
But then came the chorus of roars from all directions—hundreds of them. Her heart sank.
"Damn it! It's a whole Beastkin army!"
"We have to fall back!"
The guards began retreating quickly. The refugees up ahead were doomed—they had blundered straight into an ambush. At this point, trying to save them was pointless. Kate glanced over her shoulder and saw a flood of Beastkin tearing into the panicked crowd, smashing and dragging people down.
"Move! Move!!"
Forget the pay—escaping alive was the only reward left. The guards began to withdraw, but Kate hesitated. She looked at the refugees being slaughtered, then at her retreating comrades.
"Kate! Come on! It's too late!"
One of the guards shouted to her—just before a bullet tore through his skull. The Beastkin had spotted him. The refugee line dissolved into complete chaos. Those too slow to run were crushed or seized.
"Mommy! Mommy!!"
A child's terrified cry cut through the gunfire—then ended abruptly.
Kate clenched her teeth. Decision made.
She vaulted over her cover, darting between the gaps in the rubble until she reached a nearby abandoned watchpost. Mounted there was a Beastkin autocannon, manned by one of the creatures who was gleefully spraying bullets into the fleeing humans.
"Hey!"
Kate leapt onto the platform behind the gunner. She tapped it on the shoulder—then drove her knife straight into its neck, kicking the corpse aside.
Grabbing hold of the cannon's grips, she swung it toward the Beastkin ranks.
"You bastards—go to hell!!"
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!!
With a furious roar, Kate unleashed a torrent of gunfire—not at the humans this time, but at the Beastkin horde. The creatures howled in shock, turning to fire back at the gun emplacement. Bullets slammed into the barricade, but Kate didn't flinch. She stood firm behind the weapon, screaming as she squeezed the trigger, pouring fire into their ranks.
But before she could kill many more, a massive impact struck her from behind, throwing her to the ground. She looked up dizzily to see a huge Beastkin towering over her, eyes blazing with rage. It roared and stomped down toward her head.
Kate rolled aside on instinct—the beast's foot slammed into the ground beside her. She sprang up, clutching a grenade, leapt onto its back, and shoved the explosive into its belt before hurling herself away.
Boom!!!
The grenade detonated, tearing the Beastkin in half and blasting Kate off her feet.
"Gah—!"
She coughed blood, crashing hard onto the dirt. Lying there, she could barely move. Through her fading vision, she saw the Beastkin slowly closing in around her.
So this… is how I die.
She lifted her head and gazed up at the night sky.
The stars were still as beautiful as ever… though—wait—were there more of them than before?
Huh? What's that…?
Something was wrong. The stars—those countless points of light—were growing brighter. Closer.
Are the stars… falling?
The thought made her almost laugh at herself.
But the next instant, she saw those shining lights descend from the heavens—
crashing down among the Beastkin like meteors.
(End of Chapter)