Throughout the meal, no one spoke. Kai—the boy whose name I had just learned—ate while humming a strange melody, probably in a language I had never heard before. Ashen, the one who saved me, ate calmly. Not too fast, but not leisurely either.
As for me... I couldn't swallow anything on my plate. But I still forced myself to eat. Who knew? This might be my last meal.
When I first arrived, I thought it was night. But Ashen told me it wasn't. He said it was daytime. I was surprised—when I fell, everything around me was cloaked in a dim light, like fog. It was pitch-black, with only flickering rays of light—just like what I had seen. Now, looking outside the door, the night was a thick blanket of black, dotted with a few greenish-blue lanterns burning with cold fire.
While I was lost in thought, Ashen suddenly spoke:
"After this meal, we'll talk. There's a lot you need to know, Mira."
I nodded. Kai continued eating happily, as if enjoying a feast. I wished I could be that carefree.
After the meal, Kai and I sat across from Ashen. He held an old book with a worn spine, flipping through its pages while mumbling something I couldn't catch. Kai handed me a bottle filled with dark amber liquid, like over-fermented juice.
"Here, try this," Kai said, glancing at Ashen, then back at me.
I frowned, suspicious: "What is it?"
"It's not just water," Kai replied, half-joking. "It's like an energy drink—helps you stay alert, dulls the pain. Ashen made it."
I took it. The color reminded me of the strange green liquid Ashen gave me earlier—I still had it in my coat pocket. I took a sip. It tasted surprisingly good.
Ashen spoke up:
"There are a few major issues. First is the Drop. It happened... earlier than I expected. And this time, it brought more people than ever before."
Kai looked up, a mocking tone in his voice:
"Seems like that 'entity' is developing an appetite."
I glanced at Kai. Ashen sighed and gave him a longer look than necessary, then continued:
"Let's set that aside. The real issue is—we still don't know the cause. We're too far from the Central Zone to investigate properly."
I asked, "What's the Central Zone?"
Kai leaned on the table and answered:
"This world is divided into zones—how many, we don't know. We're in the Outer Rim, near the border. Fewer monsters here. Easier to survive."
Ashen nodded:
"Yeah. So as long as we stay here, there's still a chance we'll meet other survivors."
I sat up a little, hope flickering:
"Then why not go look for them? If there are still survivors—"
Ashen cut me off, voice flat:
"I said there's a chance. That means maybe one percent. Probably less."
I froze. Was hope really that slim?
I mumbled: "But Kai said there aren't many monsters here…"
Ashen replied:
"True… but only fewer compared to deeper zones."
Whatever hope I had died out.
Kai tried to comfort me: "Don't worry, Mira. The odds are low—but not zero."
I nodded, murmured a soft thank you, then lowered my head.
Silence lingered for a moment before Ashen spoke again:
"The second issue... is worse. Our exploration mission has to be suspended."
Kai cut in: "No other choice."
I didn't understand, so I asked: "Exploration... of what?"
Ashen leaned back, eyes on the ceiling:
"We were planning to push deeper into the region. But we're understaffed, the terrain's rough, and monsters are appearing more frequently. We only made it halfway into this zone. The plan was to prepare for the next Drop—hoping to find someone who could help. In the meantime, we gathered materials and got ready to rescue whoever we could locate in the next wave. But the Drop came early. I had no choice but to go out and search—and that's when I found you."
I shivered, remembering the monster that chased me. I asked:
"What was that thing?"
Ashen looked at me for a moment, then said:
"It's a type of monster that looks like a sunflower. But its body and face are human-like—twisted, deformed. We call it the Elderwood Beast. It's dangerous, brutal, and extremely unpredictable."
Kai nodded: "It's so terrifying that weaker monsters avoid it. That's why we built our base… right inside its territory."
My eyes widened:
"In its territory?! Are you crazy? It's so dangerous and—"
Kai interrupted: "I meant inside its nest. Its nest acts like a natural barrier that keeps other monsters away."
Ashen explained further:
"It is risky. But I've been observing them for a long time. They don't leave their territory much. Only mature ones stay to guard their garden—a kind of domain they grow. Outside of that zone, they rarely appear."
I frowned, trying to recall:
"But when I was being chased, I didn't see any garden…"
Ashen said slowly:
"That was a young one. Only adults stay to guard the garden. But don't be mistaken—doesn't mean they can't leave it."
I went quiet. My heart started to pound.
Ashen continued:
"From what I've seen, they only leave their garden during the breeding season. That's the only reason we risked building here—for temporary safety."
I asked softly:
"Then… when is the breeding season?"
Ashen paused: "…In about three days."
I let out a breath of relief. But then Ashen added:
"However, once they've marked this base, no barrier or symbol can stop them. To stay safe, we'll need to move to a new base."
Ashen and Kai led me down into a hidden passage under the floor. Beneath was a storeroom full of materials: jars of strange liquids, herbs, ingredients, and bizarre tools I couldn't identify.
Kai said: "We gathered all this during our previous scouting trips. These were supposed to be used for the next Drop, but it happened too early. Now, we'll move everything to the new base and resume the plan."
Ashen, arms folded, added: "But not yet. It's night now—not the best time to move. We'll wait until morning."
Kai agreed.
When the three of us climbed back up, I suddenly froze.
Right in the center of the house — in the middle of the room — a sunflower had bloomed.
No one planted it.
No one brought it in.
It… grew on its own.