Night came quickly.
Anika picked up Eli from Thom's place and returned to her house. Ilana was still at the Vos residence, where Jaren and Calla were trying—once again—to help her understand.
"He's not dangerous, Ilana," Jaren said.
Ilana folded her arms. "How do you two even know that boy is good? Jaren, you only met him yesterday. Calla, it was this morning—barely a few minutes. Why are you all trying to keep him here? He's going to bring trouble."
Calla answered softly, but firmly, "Because he is the future, Ilana. That's why we want to help him."
Ilana didn't argue after that. She went quiet.
In another room, Tobin sat huddled with Nico and Mira. They were flipping through one of Nico's old fantasy books.
"That man is scary," Nico muttered.
"You're right," Tobin said.
Nico held up a page. A grotesque monster snarled back at them from the illustration. "I bet he's like this guy."
"You think he eats people?" Tobin asked.
"I don't wanna think about it," Nico whispered.
Mira, who had been quiet the whole time, finally said, "We shouldn't talk about him. What if he hears us? What if he comes?"
The room fell silent.
Then—click—the door creaked open.
All three of them screamed, "It's the monster! Run!"
But it was only Ilana.
She looked at the kids, half-confused, half-annoyed. "What are you three going on about?"
Mira blinked, then sighed in relief. "Oh… it's just Miss Ilana. Not the monster."
"You're right," Nico echoed. "Not the monster."
Tobin ran up and hugged her tightly. "Mommy, I was so scared! I thought he was coming to eat us!"
Ilana crouched down and wrapped her arms around him. "Don't be afraid, sweetheart. He won't hurt anyone."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
She stood and gently took his hand. "Let's go home."
Outside, near the edge of town, Nero and Dorne sat by the fire. The flames crackled softly in the cold air. Dorne glanced around.
"Huh. CH hasn't come back yet. Maybe he's staying the night at Thom's."
"You should head inside, get some rest," Nero said.
Dorne scoffed. "If I do that, who's gonna keep you company? You're the one who looks like he hasn't slept in days. You should close your eyes—just for a bit."
"I can't," Nero said, eyes fixed on the fire. "Every time I sleep… something happens. I don't know what will happen if I sleep tonight."
Dorne frowned. "So what? You gonna stay awake forever?"
Nero leaned back and stared up at the sky, stars scattered like dust across ink. "Maybe. I don't know what else to do."
Neither of them spoke for a while.
Then Dorne shifted slightly. His hand brushed against something in his pocket. He reached in and pulled it out—it was the tracker.
"Oh, right." He handed it to Nero. "Thom told me to give this back to you. I forgot."
Nero took it. As soon as it touched his hand, it grew cold. He set it down beside him, near the fire. The light kept blinking beside him.
A little ways outside town, the scout team Echo Needle had arrived.
Rhea brought Strider to a halt. "We shouldn't go any closer. Vinn, Kato—sweep the area and report back. I'll contact Iron Veil."
Vinn and Kato nodded and disembarked quietly, weapons drawn. They moved through the darkness, eyes scanning the silent outskirts.
Kato's voice crackled over the radio. "Left side clear. No movement."
Vinn's voice followed. "Same here. No signs of activity."
"Alright," Rhea replied. "Return to Strider."
Kato began heading back. Vinn turned—then stopped.
Something flickered at the edge of his vision.
He raised his binoculars. Adjusted.
"…Bingo."
Rhea's voice came through. "You see something?"
"I found our target," Vinn confirmed. "He's sitting by a campfire."
"Alone?"
"No. Someone else is with him. Looks like a civilian."
"You're sure it's him?"
"It's the white hair… and that face. No doubt—it's him. He has a mark on his face now."
Kato arrived beside Vinn. "Let me see."
Vinn handed over the binoculars. Kato scanned the area.
"Why is he that close to the fire?" he asked. "He's almost leaning into it."
"Half an inch away," Vinn muttered.
"Alright, sweep the whole town," Rhea ordered. "Let's see what else we're dealing with."
Vinn and Kato scanned the rest of the ruined settlement. They noted the standing structures, the broken homes, everything.
Rhea tapped her comms. "Iron Veil, come in. This is Echo Needle. We've located Angelo Walker. I repeat: we've located Angelo Walker."
Inside the Warden, a soldier picked up the call. "This is Warden of Iron Veil—"
Before he could finish, Colonel Yara Veltin appeared and took the radio. "This is Colonel Veltin. You've found Angelo?"
"Yes, ma'am," Rhea replied. "We have eyes on him."
"Excellent work, Echo Needle. Keep visual contact until we arrive. I'll inform the General."
Rhea added, "He's currently in a small, rundown town. There are others here—maybe civilians."
"Are you certain?"
"Not yet. So far, we've only seen one person with him. Doesn't appear armed."
"Understood," Veltin said. "Keep watch. Update me every hour."
She ended the transmission and turned to inform the General.
Rhea relayed the new orders to Vinn and Kato.
Rhea brought the Strider up the hill where Vinn and Kato were still observing.
"Vinn, keep eyes on Angelo and the town," she said. "Kato, cooking duty. We're staying here until backup arrives."
Kato didn't argue. He just nodded and started preparing the meal. Vinn continued his watch, and Rhea began setting up camp.
As the smell of food filled the air, something deep in the forest stirred—the same creature Dorne had warned Nero about. It caught the scent and began to move, silently, toward the scout team.
By the time Kato was done cooking, the forest behind them had already grown quiet.
After eating, Kato switched with Vinn. Vinn took his plate and said, "Great as always, Kato."
"Yeah, yeah," Kato muttered, eyes on the binoculars. "Now go wash the gear."
Vinn and Rhea washed everything while Kato kept watch.
Then, without warning, the monster struck.
It leapt out of the woods—six feet tall, moving on all fours—and swung at them with terrifying claws. They dodged just in time. Kato opened fire, the rifle's muffled cracks barely cutting through the night—the suppressor keeping the noise down—but the creature was too fast. Vinn and Rhea joined in, but their bullets barely missed it.
"What the hell is that?!" Kato shouted.
"I think it's one of those monsters," Vinn yelled. "Keep shooting!"
But it was too fast. It struck every time they gave it an opening—and missed only by inches. Rhea barked, "This is going nowhere. Fall back to the Strider!"
Still firing, they retreated to the vehicle. Kato opened the door and everyone piled inside. They sealed the hatch. The creature clawed at the hull for a few minutes… then stopped.
"Is it gone?" Kato asked.
"I don't know," Vinn replied. "You check."
But the monster had already turned its attention to the campfire in the town.
It let out a deafening screech and bolted.
Everyone in the town heard it.
Nero stood. "What was that?"
Dorne froze. "The monster I was talking about. We need to get inside and lock everything!"
He pulled Nero up, but as they moved away from the fire, Nero's condition worsened. The cold returned—fast. Dorne stopped, dragged him back toward the fire, and tried to think.
Panicked, he said, "There has to be something we can do. I could call the others, but that'll put them in danger."
Nero saw Dorne's fear and said, "Don't worry about me. Go lock yourself inside."
"Are you insane? I'm not leaving you out here—it'll kill you!"
They argued. Dorne finally snapped. "You're so damn stubborn. Wait here—I'll be right back."
He ran inside.
Nero shouted after him, "Lock the door and stay inside! Don't come out!"
From inside, Dorne screamed, "FUCK YOU! I'LL DO WHATEVER I WANT!"
He returned with a rifle and a handgun, handing the latter to Nero. "We're killing that son of a bitch tonight."
"You'll die for no reason!" Nero shouted. "There's still time—get inside!"
"I'm not letting that thing kill you!" Dorne yelled back.
All the other lights in the town went dark. Doors locked.
The monster's thunderous footsteps closed in fast.
Dorne raised his rifle. Nero stood next to him, gun steady.
Out of the fog, the creature emerged—a hulking, four-legged beast, six feet tall at the shoulder. Its body was covered in jagged, scale-like armor, dulled and chipped in places. Deep scars ran along its flanks, one stretching up the left side of its face where two of its six eyes were clouded and damaged. The remaining eyes gleamed—three on the right, one on the left—locking onto them with animal focus. Its claws clicked against the brittle earth as it stepped forward, tail dragging behind in slow, rhythmic swings.
The monster stopped when it saw Nero.
"Why did it stop?" Dorne asked.
"I think…" Nero whispered. "I think it won't attack us."
Dorne didn't wait. He fired.
The monster leapt at him.
Dorne dodged, barely. It turned and slashed—cutting into his shoulder. Blood hit the dirt.
Nero opened fire. The monster dodged and charged at him, weaving side to side. Dorne joined in. A shot finally connected—Nero's bullet hit the beast's shoulder, and it retreated briefly.
But both of their guns clicked empty.
The monster charged again. This time, it struck Dorne hard. He was thrown across the ground, bleeding.
Nero froze. Seeing Dorne collapse, Nero flashes back—helpless again, just like the night his family screamed in front of him.
"Dorne!!" he screamed.
The monster slowly approached him.
Nero didn't move. He faced it. "COME ON, YOU SON OF A BITCH!"
He ran toward it, the freezing pain intensifying with every step—like knives digging deeper, twisting with each breath.
The monster swung. Claws tore into his chest—and this time, it hurt.
Real pain. Not numbed. Not distant. Not sealed away behind void.
He staggered. His legs screamed to stop. But he kept going—through the pain, into the cold.
The monster growled—then froze mid-snarl. Its claws, still buried in Nero's chest, had begun to ice over.
It was him.
The cold wasn't just clinging to him. It was spreading from him.
Its limbs trembled. Ice spiderwebbed up its claws. For the first time—it looked afraid.
It tried to retreat, but Nero clung to it.
"You're freezing with me," Nero growled, half-laughing through the cold and pain.
It thrashed. It clawed. Nero grabbed its other arm.
Panicking, the monster picked him up and dragged him toward the fire.
Nero realized what it was doing and tightened his grip. More contact. More freezing.
"DIE ALREADY, YOU MOTHERFUCKER!"
But the monster reached the fire.
"No… don't you fucking dare—"
It hurled him straight into the flames.
The fire roared. And the world went white.
— End of Arc IV —