The egg began to tremble silently.
At first... a faint "crack..." sound echoed.
Then, that fissure slowly spread in all directions. The golden specks scattered across the egg's shell seemed to come alive—sparkling and shimmering, as if some strange power was awakening within.
Ayaka, Ryan, and the rest of them watched in utter silence. It felt like any noise might shatter this delicate moment. A peculiar warmth spread through the air—like the touch of fire brushing against everything around them.
"Ryan... something's moving inside," Nora whispered softly.
The crack grew larger.
Crack... crack... crack!
Suddenly, a small hole opened up. Through it, a wet, grayish beak peeked out. The beak twitched—a tiny cry escaped: "Chirp... chirp..." Soft and weak, as if it was breathing the world's air for the first time.
Then, slowly, the eggshell shattered... and out emerged a small black bird. Its body was completely drenched, wings unable to unfold properly.
It lifted its head slightly and looked at them—two tiny yet sharp eyes, gleaming with an odd sparkle. Its breaths were heavy, but with each one, it seemed to regain strength.
Ryan muttered in disappointment, "What the heck? I was planning to eat this egg, but..."
From beside him, Kaito placed a hand on Ryan's shoulder. "Don't worry, Ryan. We brought some bear meat with us on the way here."
"Oh, right. That's a relief then. Food problem solved. But what do I do with this creature in my hands now?"
Grace said quietly, "Ryan... it's... so beautiful."
Ryan flashed her a creepy smile. "Yeah, you're right, it's beautiful. That's why I'm thinking about how it'd taste fried."
Hearing that, Grace snatched the giant bird's chick from Ryan's hands. "Ryan, what are you saying? Planning to eat such a cute little chick? Don't you have any humanity left?"
"Hey Grace, you don't get it. This is a giant bird's chick. It's a carnivore. It could be dangerous for us."
"Yeah, it might be a giant bird's chick. But right now, it's just a newborn. Its eyes aren't even fully open, and it can't stand on its own feet. What harm could it do to us? Instead, if we tame it with love, it could be really useful to us in the future."
Ryan didn't know what else to say. The bird had already won her over. She wasn't listening to anyone anymore.
Meanwhile, Grace slowly extended her hand toward it. The little creature trembled as it rubbed its face against her fingertip, then softly closed its eyes. Its body was warm, as if fire still burned inside—the first warmth of life.
Ayaka approached Grace too, staring at the bird in wonder. It seemed marvelous to her as well. She was against killing it too. So, Ryan dropped the topic and pulled out the meat from Kaito's bag, starting to fry it.
On the other side, Mr. Jackson and Kaito dozed off from sheer exhaustion. Ryan sat by the fire, frying the meat. Nora sat quietly beside him.
Over there, Grace and Ayaka played with the bird chick. Ryan watched them from a distance.
The little chick's eyes were wide and full of curiosity. When Grace extended her hand, the chick hesitated before hopping onto her finger, then gently pecked at it: "Tap... tap..."
Ayaka picked up some dry leaves from the ground and held them out—the chick pecked at them like toys: "Flutter... flutter..."
Both of their faces wore calm, gentle smiles—war, fear, or the unknown dangers of this mountain seemed unable to touch them anymore.
This moment was silent, yet alive—like finding a warm shelter amid nature itself.
Ayaka then said to Grace, "Hey Grace, we haven't named this bird yet. What should we call it?"
Grace thought for a bit and replied, "From today, its name is Neon."
Ayaka said, "Neon, huh? That's an interesting name. But why Neon?"
Grace smiled. "The name Neon isn't just pretty; it carries a special meaning. I named it that because one day, when we're lost in the dark, Neon will show us the path of light. Just like neon pierces through darkness, it'll brighten our way too."
By then, the meat was perfectly fried. Ryan woke up Mr. Jackson and Kaito for the meal. Once they were up, they all ate the meat together. Grace cut small pieces for the bird and fed it. It ate adorably. They enjoyed the meat thoroughly.
Kaito said, "This meat tastes amazing. After days, we finally get to eat in peace and rest a bit. Ever since entering the tunnel, every day has been filled with terror."
Nora agreed with him.
By the time they finished eating, it was nearly noon. They planned to leave this place around midnight and head south. They hadn't slept properly for days, so resting now to recover was crucial. So, they all went to sleep.
...
They all woke up around evening. They'd slept for about six hours. Everyone felt refreshed. All the body's fatigue had vanished.
From beside Ryan, Nora called out, "Ryan, I picked some fruits from down there. Check if they're edible?"
Ryan took the fruit from her hand and examined it closely, but it wasn't any fruit he recognized. So he said, "I'm not sure if it's edible, so you could try feeding one to the bird and see."
Hearing that, Grace glared at him sideways. "Absolutely not."
Nora didn't say anything more and put the fruit back in her bag.
Ryan told her, "Hey Nora, do this: fry all the meat from your and Grace's bags together. It'll be night soon."
With that, Ryan stepped out of the cave. She started working as he said. By now, it was night. Ryan scanned the mountain surroundings. Suddenly, someone placed a hand on his shoulder from behind. He turned to see Mr. Jackson. Mr. Jackson stood beside him and asked, "What's the plan for tonight?"
"Around midnight, we'll head out south. Hopefully, the sea is within 2-3 kilometers. We'll reach by morning. Then, we'll cut some trees, make a raft, and set off into the sea," Ryan said.
"That's a great plan. But I think you're forgetting something?"
"What am I forgetting?"
"Our whole team is dead, but we don't know if Daniel is still alive. Shouldn't we look for him?" Mr. Jackson said.
Ryan replied angrily, "What Daniel? You're talking about searching for that bastard? Don't you know what he did to us?"
"Yeah, I heard. But he might be a bastard, but he's the Special Forces captain, and he saved us all once."
"Sorry, Mr. Jackson, I can't agree with you on this. I can't tolerate someone who betrays me. If you're suggesting we look for him, drop that thought because if I see him in front of me, I'll kill him myself," Ryan said in rage. But as he spoke, his eyes gleamed with that blue light again. Seeing it, Mr. Jackson got a bit startled.
In his mind, Mr. Jackson thought, "This kid's probably 18+. But the energy I'm sensing from him is truly dangerous."
Ryan asked, "Mr. Jackson, what are you thinking so deeply about?"
He said, "Alright, we'll go with your plan. But I had something to ask you?"
"Okay, what do you want to know?"
"I heard you once killed 15 criminals all by yourself, in a really brutal way. Is that true?"
Ryan directly answered yes.
Meanwhile, Nora and Grace were frying the meat together. Kaito and Ayaka sat with them. Suddenly, Nora said, "Hey Grace, tell me honestly, do you like Ryan?"
Grace said, "What nonsense are you saying? Why would I like him? We're just friends."
Nora continued, "Is that so? Then that's good. That means you and Ryan have no relationship, so now I can propose to him without hesitation."
"What? You're going to propose to Ryan? But why?"
"Because I like him, so I'll propose."
Hearing that, Grace got really angry and said, "No, you can't do that. Because I really love Ryan."
Hearing her words, Nora and Kaito started laughing. Grace couldn't understand why they were laughing. Then Nora said, "Oh Grace, you're so naive. I finally got the truth out of you."
Grace realized she'd been pranked and started blushing.
After laughing a bit, Nora said, "Now tell me, since when do you like Ryan?"
"Actually, I joined this association just to find a powerful person to make my life partner. I've met many powerful people so far, but none like Ryan. When I saw him fight at threat level 10, where he battled 4 lions and 3 bears. His speed, movements, techniques were truly impressive. That's when my feelings for him started," Grace said.
Sharing this with Nora made her feel much lighter.
Nora found her words very interesting. By then, the meat was ready.
Soon after, Ryan and Mr. Jackson entered the cave too. Then everyone started eating. Ryan couldn't understand one thing: when he looked at Grace, she was blushing and turned away to eat. She couldn't meet his eyes out of shyness. Anyway, they finished eating. They'd fully recovered. With proper food and sleep, everyone regained their old strength. They all started packing their bags and readying their fighting gear.
Ryan finished packing and stepped out of the cave. Grace came and stood in front of him, saying, "Ryan... are you mad at me?"
"Why would I be mad at you?" Ryan asked, surprised.
She stammered, "Because I insisted on keeping this bird. I know you're annoyed with me."
Ryan reassured her, "Look Grace, I'm not annoyed with you at all. I know you've grown attached to this bird, so you want to keep it. By the way, what did you name it?"
She happily said, "Its name is Neon. You'll see, Ryan, one day Neon will be a huge help to us."
In his mind, Ryan thought if her words came true, no one would be happier than him. Anyway, soon everyone was ready. A fierce desire to survive had awakened in them anew. Thus began their new mission from here.
...
To be continued.