Kairo's eyelids fluttered.
The first thing he noticed was warmth.
It danced gently across his face, carrying with it the faint scent of burning firewood.
"...Mm..."
His vision remained blurred for several moments before slowly sharpening into focus.
A rough stone ceiling stretched overhead.
Drops of water slid lazily down the cave walls, disappearing into small puddles scattered across the uneven floor. The distant sound of dripping water echoed softly through the cavern.
"...A cave..."
His thoughts felt sluggish.
He slowly turned his head.
Near the entrance, a small bonfire crackled quietly, its orange flames pushing back the darkness. Sitting beside it was a girl, her back resting lightly against the cave wall as she stared into the fire, blonde hair, amber eyes.
...
His memories slowly returned.
The swamp.
The alligator.
The flare gun.
"...Her..."
She had been the last thing he remembered before everything faded into darkness.
He shifted slightly, attempting to sit up.
"...Ugh..."
A quiet groan escaped him, the sound immediately caught the girl's attention.
She turned.
The moment their eyes met, relief spread across her face.
"You're awake."
She stood at once and hurried over, kneeling beside him.
"How are you feeling?"
He didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he slowly pushed himself upright until his back rested against a large stone.
Every movement reminded him of the dull ache running through his body.
The girl disappeared for only a moment before returning with a steaming metal cup.
"Here."
She offered it with both hands.
"I managed to heat some coffee."
The warmth rising from the cup drifted toward him.
He accepted it carefully.
"...Thanks."
She smiled.
"No..."
She shook her head gently.
"I should be the one thanking you."
"If you hadn't been there..."
Her eyes lowered briefly.
"...I don't think I'd still be alive."
Silence settled between them.
The fire crackled softly.
After taking a small sip, Kairo finally looked toward her.
"...Who... Are you?"
Then she laughed quietly.
"Oh..."
She touched the back of her head sheepishly.
"Where are my manners?"
She straightened slightly before smiling once again.
"My name's Tera."
The smile came naturally, bright, comforting.
Kairo found himself staring for a second longer than intended.
...She has a cute smile.
Realizing he had been quiet, he looked away.
"...Kairo."
"It's nice to meet you, Kairo."
He nodded faintly before placing the cup beside him.
"...I should get moving."
He leaned forward.
The instant he placed weight on his injured leg...
"...Ah."
Pain shot through his calf, he froze.
Tera immediately reached out.
"Don't."
She gently steadied him before he could lose his balance.
"You need more time."
She glanced toward the fresh bandages wrapped neatly around his leg.
"The wound was deeper than it looked."
"You'll only make it worse if you force yourself."
Kairo looked down.
Only now did he properly notice the clean bandages.
"...You treated it?"
She nodded.
"I learned basic first aid a long time ago."
A brief silence followed.
Then he looked back at her.
"...What were you doing near that swamp?"
Tera let out an awkward laugh.
"...Getting lost."
Kairo blinked.
"I was traveling with my team."
"We were searching the forest when I wandered off without realizing it."
She scratched her cheek.
"I thought I was following them..."
"...Turns out I wasn't."
She gave an embarrassed smile.
"Then I stepped onto loose ground and slid right into the swamp."
"I didn't even notice how deep it was until..."
She laughed nervously.
"...Well..."
"...you already know the rest."
Kairo lowered his eyes thoughtfully.
"...A team?"
Tera tilted her head.
"...Hm?"
He looked back at her.
"You mentioned a team."
She nodded.
"Of course."
"Almost everyone I met yesterday was forming groups."
"The forest's too dangerous to survive alone."
She folded her legs beneath her.
"So, everyone started gathering people."
"The bigger the group..."
"...the better the chance of finding territories."
Kairo fell silent.
Bobo...
Where are you now?
Did you find people too?
Or....are you looking for me just like I'm looking for you?
His thoughts drifted farther away.
Suddenly..
"Oh!" Tera clapped both hands together.
"I've got an idea!"
Kairo looked up, she leaned forward with an excited smile.
"Why don't you join us?"
Kairo instinctively leaned back a little.
"...Could you stop staring at my face like that?"
Tera blinked.
"Huh?"
"...It's kind of creeping me out!" he admitted quietly.
For a brief second, she simply stared at him.
Then she burst into laughter.
"Sorry!" she said, rubbing the back of her head with an embarrassed grin. "I got a little carried away."
She took a small step back before smiling again.
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"My team, I mean."
"When you're able to walk again..."
"...we can regroup with everyone."
"You don't have to travel through the forest alone."
Kairo didn't answer.
His gaze remained lowered.
Tera watched him for a moment before suddenly snapping her fingers.
"Oh!"
"That's right."
"You must be starving."
Without waiting for a reply, she hurried back toward her backpack resting beside the fire.
Kairo quietly watched her.
She knelt beside the bag and rummaged through it before pulling out a small wrapped package.
She returned and placed it into his hands.
"Cheese crackers."
"They're surprisingly good."
Kairo accepted them.
"...Where did you get all of this?"
"...Wait."
"You don't know?"
Kairo slowly shook his head.
"...No."
She stared at him.
Then laughed.
"Whoever recommended you forgot to explain quite a lot."
Kairo frowned slightly.
"...Recommended?"
"The missionary who sponsored you."
"They're supposed to tell you about the supply packs before the examination."
Kairo quietly thought back.
Rina... She never mentioned that.
Now that he thought about it, Kairo vaguely remembered seeing several participants carrying backpacks and equipment before the examination. Yet strangely... he couldn't remember a single one of them stepping through the stone gates with those supplies. It was as though that moment had simply vanished from his memory.
Tera smiled as she watched him think.
"Well..."
"You know now."
She leaned back beside the fire.
"We should get some sleep."
"Tomorrow's going to be busy."
"We'll have to find my teammates."
The fire crackled gently between them.
Kairo looked down at the food in his hands before raising his eyes toward the dancing flames.
If they were searching for her team...
Perhaps...
Somewhere out there...
Bobo was searching too.
For the first time since entering the Dead Forest... A faint smile appeared on his face.
Maybe... They weren't as far apart as he had feared.
Next morning....
Kairo and Tera walked quietly beneath the towering canopy of the Dead Forest.
Morning sunlight filtered through the tangled branches overhead, casting shifting patches of gold across the uneven forest floor. The air was thick with humidity, and the distant cries of unseen creatures echoed between the ancient trees.
Every step sent a faint ache through Kairo's injured leg.
The bandage wrapped tightly around his calf held the wound together, but it did little to dull the pain.
Behind him, Tera watched his gait with quiet concern.
"...How's your leg holding up?" she asked
.
Kairo kept his eyes on the path ahead.
"I'm fine."
That was all.
Not even a glance.
Tera stared at the back of his head for a moment.
...well, he's no fun at all.
She puffed out her cheeks slightly.
She folded her arms behind her head as she continued walking.
How am I supposed to have a conversation with someone like this...?
The silence returned.
Leaves rustled overhead as a gentle breeze drifted through the forest.
Then...
Kairo suddenly stopped.
"...?"
His arm stretched out instinctively, signaling Tera to halt.
She nearly bumped into him.
"Hm?"
Kairo slowly turned his head.
His eyes searched the trees.
"...Do you hear something?"
Tera listened.
The wind whispered through the leaves.
Birds chirped somewhere in the distance.
"...Hear what?"
Kairo frowned, he was certain...
There it was again.
Faint.
Very faint.
"...Voices."
He turned toward the sound.
"They're coming from over there."
Without another word, he hurried forward.
"Kairooo—!"
Tera blinked before quickly following after him.
"Hey! Slow down!"
"What about your leg?!"
But Kairo was already weaving between the trees, the voices became clearer, the ground gradually began to slope downward.
The thick forest slowly opened into a rocky bluff overlooking the coastline.
The two of them instinctively lowered themselves behind a cluster of dense bushes near the edge.
Below...
A wide stretch of pale sand curved alongside the sea.
Gentle waves rolled against the shore, their rhythmic crashes blending with the distant cries of seabirds.
But Kairo's attention wasn't on the ocean.
It was on the people standing below.
His eyes narrowed.
"...Isn't that..."
He leaned forward slightly.
"..."
He squinted.
Then recognition struck him.
"...That's Morri."
His eyes widened.
"Morri..."
A timid-looking boy stood on the beach, clutching a fist-sized rock with trembling hands.
Behind him...
A frightened girl hid close against his back, peeking nervously past his shoulder.
She looked terrified.
Standing several meters away from them... Was another boy.
He wore a smug grin as he lazily rested one hand against his hip.
"...Wait."
Kairo narrowed his eyes again.
"I've seen him before..."
Beside him, Tera carefully lowered herself into the bushes.
"What's going on?"
Kairo didn't answer immediately.
His attention remained fixed on the scene below.
.......
Down the shore....
The boy laughed.
"Come on, Morri."
His voice carried easily across the quiet shoreline, "Stop making this difficult."
He spread his arms casually.
"Our leader said he'd gladly take you back."
A cruel smile stretched across his face.
"You can go right back to being his little servant."
Morri tightened his grip around the stone.
"G-Go away..."
The bully chuckled.
"What?"
"You don't miss the old days?"
He took another slow step forward.
"I remember them."
"You followed every order."
"You even thanked us afterward."
Morri's breathing became uneven.
His legs visibly shook.
The bully noticed immediately.
His grin widened.
"There it is."
"I knew you'd remember."
He tilted his head mockingly.
"You haven't changed at all."
Morri swallowed hard.
"I... I said leave..."
The words barely escaped his mouth.
The bully ignored him completely.
Instead...
His gaze shifted toward the frightened girl hiding behind Morri.
"So..."
He smiled pleasantly.
"Is this really the guy you're putting your faith in?"
He pointed lazily toward Morri.
"Look at him."
"He's shaking."
"You really think someone like him can protect you?"
The girl's hands tightened around Morri's shirt.
She remained silent.
The bully sighed dramatically.
"You should come with me."
"Our boss will take much better care of you."
He began walking again.
One step.
Then another.
Morri raised the rock with both hands.
"D-Don't come any closer!"
The bully stopped.
"...Really?"
A slow smile crept across his face.
"If that's what you want..."
His hand reached behind his back.
Metal flashed beneath the morning sun.
A knife.
The blade gleamed coldly.
Morri's face went pale.
.......
Behind the bushes overlooking the beach...
Tera's eyes widened.
"...He's got a knife."
Kairo face remained composed, betraying none of what he was thinking.
"...This isn't looking good."
She quickly looked toward him.
"What are we going to do?"
Kairo quietly rose into a crouch.
"Wait here."
He began moving away along the bluff.
Tera in a low tone.
"W-Wait!"
She reached toward him.
"You're in no condition to fight!"
Kairo never looked back.
"...Don't worry."
"I'll try not to get hurt."
Then he disappeared through the trees.
Tera watched him go.
"...Kairo..."
She bit her lip.
Then slowly turned her attention back toward the beach below.
.....
Down the shore....
The bully rolled the knife lazily between his fingers.
"You ready?"
Morri's hands trembled violently.
"We..."
His voice cracked.
"We don't have to do this..."
The bully smiled.
"Oh..."
"I think we do."
Without warning...
He burst forward; his feet tore across the sand.
Fast....
Much faster than Morri expected.
Morri's eyes widened.
The bully leapt into the air.
The knife came down.
Morri instinctively threw both arms outward, shielding the girl behind him.
The blade flashed.
"AAAH!!"
A spray of blood burst into the air.
The knife tore across Morri's shoulder.
He cried out in agony.
The impact sent him stumbling backward.
His feet slipped beneath him.
He crashed onto the sand.
The frightened girl caught him as both of them fell together.
Morri clutched his bleeding shoulder, gasping through clenched teeth.
The bully landed smoothly before them.
The morning sun shone behind him, casting his figure into shadow.
Only the outline of his cruel smile remained visible, "I warned you."
Morri stared up at him helplessly.
The girl held Morri tightly.
"P-Please..."
"Stop..."
She was already crying.
The bully shrugged.
"Relax."
He twirled the knife casually.
"I'm not going to kill him."
He smiled.
"...Just a little pain."
The girl sobbed harder.
Then...
A voice called from behind him.
"...Hey."
The bully froze.
Slowly...
He turned around.
A lone boy stepped out from the bushes.
The sea breeze swept across the shoreline, stirring his dark ponytail as he walked steadily over the sand. His expression was composed, but his eyes betrayed the tension he was keeping under control.
The bully blinked.
"...Wait."
Recognition flashed across his face.
He pointed.
"You're that kid..."
Several meters away...
Morri forced himself to look up through the pain, his eyes found the familiar figure standing against the ocean backdrop.
His breathing caught.
"...It's..."
His eyes widened.
"...Kairo."