A number of villagers immediately noticed Volt the moment he entered the village.
"Ah! Mr. Volt! Welcome back!"
An old merchant standing outside a small wooden shop waved enthusiastically.
"If you need anything, my shop's open!"
Another voice suddenly shouted from across the street.
"Mr. Volt! I got new equipment in stock! Half the price just for you!"
Volt awkwardly scratched the back of his head as more villagers began greeting him.
Blaze glanced around quietly.
"…Shop NPCs?" he asked.
Volt nodded.
"Yeah. Back before the Great Collapse, this village used to get visited by players all the time. Travelers, quest hunters, merchants…"
His expression softened slightly.
"But after the Collapse happened… the visitors stopped."
He looked at the villagers walking around them.
"Now they just wait and hope a player eventually finds this place."
Blaze stayed silent for a moment before nodding faintly.
"…That explains it."
The two continued walking through the village streets.
Compared to the wasteland, this place felt peaceful.
Small.
Quiet.
Alive.
"We should restock while we're here," Volt said. "There's a shop nearby. The owner's probably the most reliable person in town."
Blaze gave a small nod.
As they walked, Volt hesitated for a moment before speaking again.
"…Sir Blaze."
"Hmm?"
"Mind if I ask something?"
"Go ahead."
Volt glanced at him carefully.
"Why did you turn Ryze down?"
Blaze looked at him.
"You know…" Volt continued carefully. "She was just trying to help."
Blaze let out a quiet sigh.
"…You too, huh?"
For a few seconds, neither of them spoke.
Then Blaze finally answered.
"You know my story, right?"
Volt nodded slowly.
"And you know my past is connected to the Empire. I still don't even know what's waiting for me out there."
His gaze drifted toward the distant sky.
"I don't want her getting involved in that."
Volt frowned slightly.
"But you rejoined the Empire."
"Yeah," Blaze answered quietly. "For my own reasons."
A brief silence followed.
Then Blaze continued.
"If I stay with you guys…"
"…things are only going to get worse."
Volt stayed quiet.
"You think those Raid Bosses attacked us randomly?" Blaze asked.
"You've traveled through that route before, haven't you?"
Volt's expression slowly changed.
Realization.
"…They sensed me," Blaze said.
"Not just them. The Empire too."
His voice remained calm, but heavier now.
"As long as I'm around…"
"…people near me are going to be in danger."
Volt didn't respond immediately.
Blaze gave a faint, humorless smile.
"I'm basically a walking disaster magnet."
The two continued walking through the village streets.
"Sooner or later," Blaze continued, "the Empire's going to start sending stronger people after us."
Volt looked at him.
"But you said you wanted to protect Ryze because she's special, right?"
Blaze didn't answer.
That silence alone was enough.
Volt sighed.
"And your solution is to push her away?"
Blaze looked at him slightly.
"…What?"
"I mean…" Volt quickly corrected himself. "You should at least explain things to her properly."
Blaze stayed quiet for a moment.
Then—
"…Yeah."
A tired sigh escaped him.
"Maybe you're right."
For once, his calm expression cracked slightly.
"To be honest…"
"I genuinely don't know what I'm supposed to do anymore."
His voice lowered.
"But rescuing Ryze and SK from the Void…"
A faint smile appeared.
"…was probably the best decision I've made in a long time."
Volt smiled slightly.
"Yeah?"
Blaze nodded.
"Without them…"
"…I'd probably still be trapped down there."
Volt chuckled softly.
"So you owe Ryze a lot too, huh?"
Blaze looked ahead as they finally stopped in front of a large shop near the center of the village.
"…Yeah," he admitted quietly.
"I do."
Blaze stepped inside.
Volt watched him for a moment before quietly muttering under his breath:
"But Ryze owes a lot to you too, Sir Blaze…"
Then he followed him inside.
The shop was larger than expected.
Shelves lined the walls, filled with supplies, weapons, food, medicine, tools, and equipment of all kinds.
The warm lighting gave the place a strangely comforting feeling.
Then—
A cheerful voice echoed through the room.
"Volt! It's been a while since your last visit!"
A young woman walked out from behind the counter.
She had long blue hair tied loosely behind her back and bright eyes filled with energy.
"And it looks like you brought someone with you this time."
Volt smiled awkwardly.
"Yeah. About that…"
He gestured toward Blaze.
"This is Blaze."
Blaze gave a small nod.
"Blaze," Volt continued, "this is Silph. She runs the shop here."
Silph smiled warmly.
"And Silph," Volt added, "Blaze is a SkyRealm player."
"Oh?"
Her eyes widened slightly.
"So you're part of the Resistance too?"
Before Blaze could answer, Volt immediately spoke.
"…It's complicated."
Silph blinked once before laughing lightly.
"Well, complicated people are usually the interesting ones."
She gestured toward the shelves.
"Go ahead. Take whatever you need."
Volt looked surprised.
"You serious?"
Silph shrugged casually.
"It's not like I get many customers besides you guys anyway."
A small smile appeared on her face.
"And honestly…"
"It's nice seeing new faces again."
Volt laughed softly.
"…Fair enough."
Silph looked around curiously.
"Wait, is it only you two?"
Volt shook his head.
"No, there's one more outside."
"Oh?"
"You probably know her," Volt said. "She goes by the Starlinked Sniper."
Silph froze slightly.
"…Ryze?"
Volt nodded.
"Yep."
"Wow…"
A look of genuine surprise crossed her face.
"The Starlinked Sniper's actually here?"
As Blaze quietly gathered supplies from nearby shelves, he casually spoke without looking at Volt.
"So she's not the only player staying here?"
Volt shook his head.
"No."
"There's another player."
Blaze glanced toward him slightly.
"He stayed behind when most players abandoned the village after the Collapse."
Volt smiled faintly.
"He genuinely cares about the people here."
Blaze remained silent for a moment.
Then—
"…Who is he?"
Volt smirked slightly.
"You'll meet him soon."
Blaze raised an eyebrow.
"…Him?"