A few days had passed since the wooden dummy explosion incident at the training grounds. Kenji was gradually growing accustomed to the fortress's atmosphere. The time he woke up, the creaking of the hallways, the busy hours in the dining hall—he was getting used to it all. Though getting used to it was one thing; whether he'd actually found a place to belong was an entirely different matter. Sumigarama-tei. That was the name of the communal dining hall where everyone in the fortress ate. Every morning, noon, and night, when the bell rang three times, nearly a hundred fortress residents would stream in. Long tables were lined up in rows, and the voices of warriors clashed with the clinking of dishes, creating a unique cacophony. Kenji walked slowly through the dining hall, holding his tray with both hands. Today's menu was rich forest mushroom stew and black bread. Beside the pot, Hana, the head cook, wielded a large ladle, scooping stew evenly into bowls. A woman in her late thirties with short-cropped hair dusted with white flour, she took Kenji's tray without a smile, but not unkindly either—simply in silence, she served him his stew. The problem came after that. The moment he looked up to find a seat, several warriors at the far table deliberately averted their gazes. Young men sitting at another table whispered something to each other in low voices. Only one phrase reached his ears. —That old guy who just ran away from the wooden dummy is eating again. Kenji kept his facial muscles still. Word of yesterday's training had apparently spread. He'd done evasion practice against the wooden dummy, fallen three times, and barely dodged the aftermath of Lina's lightning strike, but from the outside, he must have looked like "a suspicious old man being chased by a wooden dummy." The gazes hurt—or rather, the absence of gazes hurt more. Kenji casually shifted his body and moved to the seat at the very end of the table. By the wall. The closest to the window, a place no one chose willingly. Perhaps because of the drafts in winter. Even now, a slightly chilly breeze drifted around his feet. He set down his tray and sat. Steam rose from the stew. (It's the same everywhere.) Picking up a spoon to use instead of chopsticks, Kenji thought quietly. Whether it was the convenience store night shift or the factory temp jobs. When entering a new place, the first month was always like this. An uncomfortable feeling, like being wedged between a door and a wall. Though not something worth lamenting dramatically. Just an old hollow somewhere in his heart that only became faintly visible at times like these. He scooped up some stew and put it in his mouth. Delicious. Genuinely, seriously delicious. The deep umami of the forest mushrooms spread slowly across his palate. The kind of deliciousness that made you forget everything else, just for a moment. Hana's cooking was reliable. The problem was that unique emptiness of eating delicious food alone. "Kenji-saaaan!" A voice echoed through the dining hall. Kenji looked up. Water-colored short hair bounced from the entrance. Lina Valt. Holding a tray in both hands, she walked through the dining hall with long strides. Her gaze darted around, and when she spotted Kenji, her golden eyes lit up. "Oh, there you are!" She plopped down on the bench beside Kenji. Her tray held a heaping bowl of stew and two pieces of black bread. Lina set her bowl next to Kenji's tray, and in the next moment, began scooping stew with her ladle and transferring it to his bowl without hesitation. "Um..." Kenji started. "Is it enough? Today's stew has more mushrooms than usual," Lina said. "You'll run out of your own portion," Kenji replied. "It's fine, I've already eaten quite a bit," Lina said. It wasn't really a matter of how much she'd already eaten. Or perhaps, in her own mind, the logic was completely resolved. Kenji missed his chance to stop her and watched as the stew in his bowl increased. Lina began talking naturally while tearing her bread. About the Daybreak Fortress. How it was built twenty-eight years ago and only seven transferred people gathered initially. How there were now over a hundred thirty people, but only about half were combatants, with the rest doing blacksmithing and supply work. How the most important person in the fortress was Celia Astrid—the Warrior Commander, who controlled all military affairs—and though she looked ordinary, people called her "made of steel and ice" behind her back. "Celia really never smiles. I've only seen her laugh once, and everyone trembled," Lina said. "People trembled from her laughing?" Kenji asked. "Her smile was scary," Lina replied. What kind of smile would that be, Kenji was about to respond when Lina's tone shifted slightly. "Oh, and there was a little accident during training," she said. "What happened?" Kenji asked. "During Celia's training, I was doing continuous lightning strikes—" "Yeah?" "And it bounced back and hit me." Kenji stopped, spoon in hand. "...During training?" he asked. "During training," Lina confirmed. "The bounced lightning strike..." "Hit me, and I went flying. Celia was watching, but she just turned her back and walked away without saying anything," Lina said. "That's... maybe she gave up on you?" Kenji suggested. "Probably," Lina said. She said it cheerfully, without any sadness. Kenji looked at her face and hesitated for a moment about whether it was okay to laugh, then ended up laughing anyway. "Don't laugh," Lina said. "No, I was just unsure if I was laughing the right way," Kenji replied. "You can laugh, I'm used to it by now," Lina said. There was something carefree and proud in her voice. It was strange, but for Lina, this kind of failure had probably become part of her life. Kenji sipped his stew. It felt a little warmer than before. After finishing their meal, Lina mentioned that there was a reconnaissance mission on the outer edge tonight. Apparently, as part of transferred people's practical training, there was a weekly patrol around the fortress—walking the outer edges of the Silent Forest to check if Voids appeared, and if they did, to deal with them. Lina would be the main one, and Kenji would accompany her as support. "It's at night," Kenji said. "It is," Lina confirmed. "It'll be dark," Kenji said. "My lightning magic glows, so it's fine," Lina said. It was a response that made it hard to judge whether it was reassuring or not, but Kenji simply nodded silently. --- The outer edge of the Silent Forest at night lived up to its name—it was hushed and still. The moment they exited the fortress's stone walls, the air changed. Massive trees over thirty meters tall stood as black pillars in the deep darkness. The ground was covered in fallen leaves and damp soil. With each step, it sank softly. Looking up, the moon was visible through gaps in the canopy. White and round. The moon of late autumn. Lina walked ahead. When she raised her right hand slightly, a pale purple-white electric light glowed faintly at her fingertips. She was using lightning magic at reduced output, using it as a torch. The light didn't flicker—it maintained a steady brightness, illuminating the surroundings. The shadows fell differently than with normal fire. Because light came from multiple directions, the shadows were thin and their outlines blurred. "How was it the last time you came here?" Kenji asked. "It was quiet. Three weeks ago when I came to scout, I just found some mushrooms and came back," Lina replied. "You picked mushrooms and came back?" Kenji asked. "They were edible ones. When I gave them to Hana, she was happy," Lina said. As they walked while talking casually, the light in Lina's hand wavered slightly. With just that, the shadows of the forest moved dramatically, and for a moment, something seemed to writhe in the darkness. Kenji tensed each time, then realized there was nothing, and slowly exhaled. After walking for about five minutes, Lina stopped. Her glowing fingertips pointed ahead. Kenji saw it too. Between the trees, there was a dark purple haze. Rather than swaying, it was slowly spreading. In its center, geometric crystal structures were visible. Angular shapes. They didn't reflect light—they absorbed it, possessing a strange darkness. There were three of them. Spaced apart, they floated gently. Voids—entities that appeared from dimensional rifts, as if the very laws of the world had gained will—three of them were present. Lina's atmosphere changed. The carefree air vanished, replaced by quiet concentration. Her golden eyes narrowed, and the electric light intensified. "I'll take the first one," she said. Her voice had lowered. She sounded like a completely different person from when she was in the training grounds. Lina extended her right arm straight toward the first Void. White-purple electricity shot from her fingertips. Not a single line, but multiple threads bundled together. When it hit the Void's crystal structure, there was a sharp sound, and the crystal shattered from within. The dark purple haze dispersed. The core vanished entirely. "First one down," Lina said. "That was fast," Kenji said. She dispatched the second one the same way. The bundle of glowing threads shot out, the Void split from within. Another sharp sound. The haze disappeared. One remained. The third Void changed its movement the moment the other two vanished. Instead of coming straight on, it began moving in an arc, changing position. To Kenji's right rear. Low to the ground. Kenji couldn't see it. But he couldn't see it— An image burned into his mind. It was vivid. Two seconds from now. The pointed end of the third Void's crystal would pierce Kenji's right shoulder. That image flashed through his head with a clarity that felt like biting down on his molars. His body moved. Before thought. He twisted his body sharply to the left, trying to dodge whatever was coming from his right rear, but only after the movement was complete did he notice the tree root at his feet. His toes caught on the root. His balance completely collapsed. His body fell forward with the momentum. Lina was in front of him. Something crashed into his back with a thud, the impact transmitted to Lina. Both their centers of gravity destabilized, and they tumbled into the grass. The smell of damp grass spread everywhere. Dried leaves rustled. The moment Lina released her lightning, the residual energy scattered into the sky and dissipated. The third Void passed right beside them. It seemed panicked, or rather, it drifted without a target, retreating into the depths of the forest. Apparently, even without destroying the core, if the distance increased, it would withdraw for now. It became quiet. The two of them lay on the grass without moving for a while. Lina was on her back. Kenji's body was half-draped over hers. He could feel the grass against his cheek, and he slowly tried to push himself up. Supporting himself with his arms. In that motion, he realized his hand was resting on Lina's stomach, and he quietly moved it. As he pushed himself up, he looked at Lina's face. Her golden eyes were looking straight at him in the moonlight. A thin white breath rose from Lina's mouth and disappeared into the night air. Mixed with the cold of the grass and human body heat, it created an odd blend. Lina's body temperature was high. He'd known that from the start. But now, because they'd tumbled down, that warmth was transmitted with unusual clarity. "...You dodged it," Lina said quietly. Her voice was low. A different tone from her combat voice earlier—a quiet confirmation. "I had a feeling something was coming," Kenji replied. "Did you see it again? That future thing?" Lina asked. "Vaguely," Kenji said. Lina was silent for a moment. Her golden eyes looked at the moon. Another thin, quiet breath rose from her. "...I didn't confirm the third one," L