The crater no longer smoked, but the silence lingered.
The world was still holding its breath.
Ailith hadn't moved.
Not because she couldn't — but because her mind was caught in a loop, repeating the moment again and again: that descent from the sky, that perfect landing without damage, and the stillness in the man who made it happen.
And right now, that man was waving a hand in front of her face.
"Hey. Ailith. Hellooo," Rei said flatly, hand waving with dry sarcasm. "Mic testing. One, two, three…"
Her eyes finally blinked. "Wha—what?"
Rei's face didn't change. "I said, what are you thinking so hard about? It's already almost evening. We should leave the forest before it gets dark."
Ailith snapped back into her body, looking around for a second as if realizing where she was. "Right… we should," she muttered.
Her arms moved stiffly as she bent down and lifted the stack of pelts still beside her. The weight didn't matter — her body could carry them easily. It was her thoughts that dragged.
Her gaze slipped toward Rei again.
His coat was still pristine. His hair drifted faintly in the breeze. His expression was neutral — too neutral. It wasn't calm; it was void. As if nothing mattered. As if this world had nothing left to offer him, not even the courtesy of curiosity.
And then—
"So," Rei said, glancing at her. "Do we fly there?"
Ailith's entire body tensed.
> Fly? Again? Does he want to kill me? Is he insane?
Her heartbeat jumped. She barely stopped herself from taking a step back.
"No," she said sharply. "You still can't control yourself. Postpone it."
"Okay," Rei replied without emotion. His voice was flat again, like flipping a switch back to neutral.
His face settled into that stone-like stillness.
Emotionless.
But it wasn't the calm of someone resting — it was the silence of something ancient, something drained, something that had forgotten how to feel.
Ailith glanced up at him and finally understood what had been bothering her since the impact.
> He doesn't look like he's holding back rage.
> He looks like something that already destroyed everything and just… got bored.
She walked beside him in silence, the forest now strangely peaceful. The same place that had threatened them earlier now bent around Rei like it didn't dare disturb him.
The birds were quiet. The wind was soft. Even the shadows didn't seem as heavy.
Rei broke the silence.
"So," he said without looking back at her, "can we move now? Or are you going to think all the way until night?"
"I—no," Ailith stammered. "No. We move now. Let's go."
She walked a little faster, as if trying to reestablish control over her legs. But the stiffness didn't leave her stride.
Then Rei glanced sideways.
His tone was different now.
Less dry. Not sarcastic. Almost… honest.
"Hey. Ailith."
She flinched. "What?"
His face didn't change. His voice didn't rise.
He simply asked, "Is a Level 7 really that strong? Or am I just… weak?"
She stopped.
Right there, mid-step. Her body froze again.
> What did he just say?
> Is he serious?
Her head turned toward him slowly, and for a second she couldn't even find her voice.
Her mouth opened. Then closed.
Her eyes scanned him again, as if double-checking reality.
> Does he actually not know?
He had just fallen from the sky. Left a crater. Stood like nothing had touched him. Left no trace on his body. Not even the surrounding space wanted to offend him.
And he thought he might be weak?
"I…" she said, hesitating. "I don't know."
It was the only honest answer she could give. It was the truth. Because right now, even she didn't understand the thing walking beside her.
He nodded slightly. "I see."
No reaction. No smug smile. No tension. Just acknowledgment, and forward motion.
Ailith looked down at the ground as they walked.
> He doesn't know how powerful he is.
> He might not even care.
She didn't speak again. She couldn't.
Not because there was nothing to say — but because anything she said felt too small.
The trees began to thin. The scent of stone and distant oil fires began to drift on the wind. The light shifted — they were reaching civilization again.
Down a sloped path, the distant silhouette of the town became visible. A few rooftops. A far-off water tower. Lanterns flickering in preparation for the evening.
They had made it through the forest.
But Ailith's mind was still caught back there.
She couldn't stop thinking of the way he had fallen. The impossible power. The lack of any spiritual energy signature — no aura, no mana pressure, no chi disturbance.
> He wasn't hiding his power.
> He didn't even release it.
> The world just… bent around him.
She glanced at Rei again.
He looked ahead, bored.
Uninterested.
Still wearing that dead-eyed stare that made the world feel smaller.
Still walking like someone who wasn't born in this world — but was simply tolerating it.
> You're not a demon.
> You're not a human.
> You're not a god.
> You're something else.
She looked away again.
The weight of her thoughts was heavier than the pelts on her back.
They were near the gates now.
A few guards stood idly by the entrance. One of them looked up and did a double take when he saw the strange pair approaching — a demon girl and a dark-haired man with eyes that didn't belong in this world.
Rei stopped at the edge of the road.
He looked up at the setting sun.
Then sighed.
"…So. This is it?"
Ailith nodded quietly.
"Yes. We're back."