While the southern bridge groaned under the receding weight of the colossus, Leo's party found sanctuary within the spatial folds of his portable tents. Outside, the bridge was a narrow, wind-swept death trap, but inside, the air was warm and still.
The scent of roasted meat drifted through the camp, accompanied by the low hum of conversation. Leo, Luna, Hye-na, and Noel sat around a controlled fire, while Ben's team occupied the adjacent space.
Noel, tearing into a piece of meat, looked at his silent host. ''Alliance Master, are you really not going to eat?''
''Do not concern yourself with me. Eat your fill and rest. I will handle the watch,'' Leo replied.
Luna intervened before Noel could push further. ''Leave him be, Noel. He is not the type to sleep soundly in a place like this.''
As the fire crackled, the group began to relax, the exhaustion of the climb finally settling into their bones. Leo sat slightly apart, his gaze involuntarily drifting to Hye-na. Luna had strategically placed herself so that Hye-na sat between them, and as the light of the flames danced across her features, Leo was pulled back into the past.
He remembered the first time he had seen her in the university's old music wing. It was the anniversary of his parents' passing, a day where grief usually made the world feel grey. He had sought out the empty piano room for silence, only to find her there. She had been seated at the white oak piano, dressed in a blue striped shirt and cream cargo pants. The shirt had draped casually off one shoulder, and Leo remembered thinking her neck looked like sculpted marble, accentuated by a simple necklace and black studs.
She had looked like a masterpiece. Unbothered by the world, she played a melody so soothing yet profoundly lonely that it felt as though she were standing alone in a field of ice. Leo had been frozen in place, mesmerized, until the music stopped. When she looked at him, he expected the cold dismissal usually reserved for strangers. Instead, she had smiled.
''Leo Vayne,'' she had said.
The memory of her voice saying his name still carried a sting. He had fled that room, overwhelmed by her beauty and his own insecurities. Then came the rumors—the leaked video from a stalker that made everyone believe she was playing for him. He had distanced himself, convinced he was a burden to someone so radiant. Now, two years later, the 'burden' was sitting by his fire, and he was a monster hiding behind a porcelain mask.
'I never did ask how she knew who I was,' Leo mused. A sharp tug on his sleeve broke the trance. Luna was leaning in with a mischievous grin.
''Leader? Earth to Leader?''
'She is enjoying this far too much,' Leo thought. 'She knows exactly how much it bothers me when she plays the loyal subordinate.'
''So, Leader, have you decided on a name for our little group?'' Luna asked.
Leo looked out at the absolute void beyond the tent's entrance. The mist was an impenetrable wall that swallowed all light. ''Not yet,'' he said shortly.
Feeling the weight of the conversation, Leo stood and walked to the very edge of the stone bridge. He sat there, his silver hair catching the gale, looking like a lonely sentinel. Noel soon retreated to his tent, leaving the two women alone by the dying embers.
Hye-na, her eyes reflecting the glowing coals, finally turned to Luna. ''Tell me the truth, Luna. Why are you with him?''
Luna maintained her composure, mixing her history with the lies Leo required. ''He was there when the world ended for me, Hye-na. Unfortunatly my talent makes people... greedy. So he offers me protection because, in this race, a lone girl with my abilities is just prey. I am safe with him.''
Luna watched her friend closely. ''Does it bother you? That I am with another alliance?''
''I am not upset,'' Hye-na said softly, patting Luna's shoulder. ''I was not there to protect you, so I have no right to judge. But remember, the door to my side is never locked. If he ever fails you, you come to me.''
They sat in silence for a moment before Luna asked the question she had been dying to pose. ''You seem distracted. Are you worried about him?''
''I do not know,'' Hye-na admitted. ''I thought I would find 'him' in this trial. I suppose he did not make the cut.''
Luna looked over at the silhouette of the man sitting on the edge of the abyss. ''I never understood why you cared so much for that guy. He doesn't even remember you.''
''Life was difficult to him, Luna. There was a strength in his silence that I respected. You know why I spent my life training, right?''
Luna's smile was bittersweet. ''I know. You wanted to be the shield he never had.'' She felt a pang of irony. 'If only you knew. He is sitting right there, and it's not him that needed protection, my naive friend, it's those opposite to him'.
Hye-na nodded, her gaze fixed on the flames. ''I unintentionally made his life a living hell with those rumors. I learned the hard way that if you do not have the strength to control your own world, you have no right to desire anything.''
Thanks to his vampiric hearing, Leo heard every word as clear as day. His brows rose at Luna's statement. 'What does she mean? I don't remember her... did I meet Hye-na before university?'
'I will have to deal with Luna later. She is holding back far more than I realized,' he thought, his gaze cutting through the thick gloom.
As he watched the void, his ears twitched with a life of their own. A cold, needle-like sensation prickled down his spine, settling in the small of his back. Malphas's lessons echoed in his mind—as his bloodline evolved, the more his senses would sharpen.
Unease coiled in his gut like a snake. Leo rose to his feet, staring into the southern reaches of the bridge. He narrowed his eyes, pushing his vision to its limit, but the mist and dark were an impenetrable shroud. With every passing heartbeat, the warning in his marrow grew louder.
Hye-na noticed the shift in his stance immediately. She stood up, her spear manifesting in a swirl of light, with Luna right behind her. ''What is it?'' she asked, her voice low and alert.
Leo didn't answer. He was too busy trying to pierce the veil. Then, he saw them. Two massive, glowing orbs of baleful light. They were too far to identify, but the sheer scale of the light suggested something gargantuan.
''Something is approaching from the south,'' Leo announced.
Luna moved with practiced speed, alerting the rest of the group and collapsing the tents into her inventory in seconds. The team fell into a defensive line, weapons drawn. Noel opened his mouth to ask a question, but the bridge beneath them began to shiver. He looked at the white marble under his boots. ''Guys, look at the stone...''
Leo's face drained of color. He staggered back, the sheer weight of his revelation making it hard to draw air into his lungs. Luna grabbed his shoulder, shaking him. ''What is it? What do you see?''
A vibration so heavy it rattled their teeth slammed into the bridge.
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
''We fucked up,'' Leo whispered, his eyes locked on the silhouette emerging from the clouds.
The giant leaned down, its face alone larger than the entire campsite. It was the same creature Rose had hidden from, but here, there was no [Providence] to shield them. The titan's yellowish teeth glinted in the dark, and a foul, ancient breath rolled over the party.
''Found youuu,'' the giant rumbled. The words were a physical blow, the sheer volume nearly bursting their eardrums.