Symen kept his eyes fixed on the road ahead, his grip tight on the steering wheel. The car moved forward at a steady, calculated pace. The route they were traveling was entirely desolate. There were no passing vehicles, no pedestrians, not even the distant movement of wildlife. The landscape was stripped of all normal activity.
Beside him, Haroku leaned slightly forward, his gaze shifting sharply between the asphalt and the tree line blurring past the window. Something about the layout made him uneasy, though there was no immediate visual threat.
"Symen... ease up on the gas a bit," Haroku said, his voice calm but strictly cautious.
Symen glanced at him briefly before returning his focus to the road. "Why? Are you getting nervous?"
Haroku shook his head. "Not nervous. The environment just feels wrong. It's completely dead out here."
Symen didn't respond immediately, but he understood the assessment. The sky above them had shifted over the last hour. A thick, unbroken layer of clouds blocked out the sun, washing the entire landscape in a dull, flat gray. It wasn't dark enough to be night, but the daylight had been entirely smothered. It was a bleak, sterile environment.
In the back seat, Makeno sat perfectly still. Her posture was rigid, her hands resting evenly on her knees, and her eyes were closed. Her breathing was so shallow and controlled it barely registered. This was not simple rest. She was actively channeling, consolidating her spiritual reserves, and preparing herself for combat.
After a few moments, Symen spoke, keeping his voice low so as not to break her focus.
"Whenever Makeno drops into a trance like that... it means we're walking into a high-tier threat."
Haroku looked back at the ancient guardian for a second, then returned his gaze to the windshield. He slowly folded the empty snack wrapper in his hand and tossed it aside.
"Then we focus up," Haroku said.
Symen gave a slight nod. "Yeah."
They drove in silence for another mile before Symen gradually applied the brakes. The hum of the engine softened as the vehicle came to a complete halt on the dirt shoulder.
They had arrived.
Both men stepped out of the car. The ground beneath their boots was cracked and dry, kicking up fine dust with every step. The location matched the coordinates in the letter perfectly.
It was an abandoned, forgotten lot.
Broken stone walls stood at erratic angles, some partially collapsed while others leaned dangerously. Rotted wood and scattered debris littered the ground.
At the exact center of the ruins stood a massive, dead tree. Its branches were twisted and stretched outward like petrified limbs. There wasn't a single leaf on it—just a hollow, decaying structure standing as the focal point of the wreckage.
Haroku adjusted his jacket, his eyes scanning the blind spots. "I hate the look of this place."
Symen walked a few steps forward, checking the shadows. "Neither do I," he replied. "But this is exactly where we were told to wait."
Time dragged on. Every second was measured by the complete absence of sound.
Haroku checked his watch. "We have about five minutes until the meeting time... according to the letter."
Symen didn't respond. His attention remained locked on the perimeter. He scanned the broken walls, the gaps between the rubble, and the dead tree, waiting for any shift in the landscape.
Nothing.
Then, breaking the quiet—
Thak... thak... thak...
A faint, rhythmic sound echoed across the dry earth.
It was distant, but distinct.
Haroku immediately snapped his head toward the origin. "Did you hear that?"
Symen nodded slowly, his hand resting near his coat pocket.
The sound continued.
Thak... thak... thak...
It was the harsh scrape of metal striking hard ground, repeating at perfectly steady intervals. With each passing moment, the sound grew louder. Closer. Heavier.
In the backseat of the car, Makeno opened her eyes.
Her meditation was over. Her face remained composed, but a lethal sharpness had settled into her glowing gaze. She stepped out of the vehicle in one fluid motion, moving forward to align herself perfectly with Symen and Haroku.
"We have company," Makeno stated quietly.
Through the gray, overcast distance, a silhouette emerged.
At first, it was nothing more than a vague shape moving through the dust. But as the figure advanced, step by deliberate step, the details came into focus.
It was a man.
He walked at a steady, methodical pace. In his right hand, he dragged a heavy iron spade. The metal blade was dark, caked entirely in thick, rusted blood. It caught the dull ambient light, dragging along the dirt to create the rhythmic striking sound.
His clothes were worn and filthy, stained with years of grime and neglect. His posture was slightly slouched forward, yet his steps were heavy and firmly planted.
But his face was the most unnerving detail.
It was obscured by dirt and deep shadows, making his features impossible to read. There was a subtle, unnatural twitch to his movements—a mechanical stiffness that made it clear he was no longer entirely human.
The man stopped a few meters away from them, planting the bloody spade into the dirt.
Makeno narrowed her glowing eyes, instantly assessing the target's spiritual density.
Haroku swallowed hard, keeping his voice strictly professional. "Is that him? Jason's servant?"