Morning came slowly.
No sunlight reached inside the shelter.
Only the faint hum of the System and the cold stillness of reinforced walls.
Arien opened his eyes.
Calm.
Silent.
The first thing he checked—
Time remaining: 01:12:43
The weapon was still in progress.
"Almost done," he murmured.
Outside the room, footsteps.
Soft.
Measured.
Sophia.
She stopped near the entrance.
"Master… they will come today."
"I know."
Arien stood up.
No rush.
No tension.
Just certainty.
Arien walked in.
Ash was already awake.
He sat quietly, watching the entrance like a guard dog that didn't fully understand where it was.
"Did you sleep well, Ash?"
"Yes."
"Good. I have something for you."
Arien walked past him and placed something on the table.
Ash looked down.
Then froze for a second.
"A rifle…?"
"It's yours."
Ash picked it up slowly.
Careful.
Almost afraid to touch it.
"Ashfall Core Rifle…" he read under his breath.
His grip tightened.
"I've never used something like this before."
"You'll learn eventually."
Ash nodded.
"I will do my best."
The words came out with more than just excitement—there was something deeper in them.
Sophia stepped forward.
"I checked outside. It's clear for now."
"They'll come," Arien said. "People like him don't wait long when there's something to gain."
Time passed.
Quiet.
Heavy.
Then—
A distant engine sound.
Faint.
But clear.
Ash stood up immediately.
"They're here."
Arien didn't move.
"Let them come closer."
The sound grew louder.
A vehicle.
Old.
Struggling.
It stopped somewhere beyond the outer perimeter.
Voices followed.
Three.
No—
Four.
Outside.
Kael Thornwick stepped out of the car.
He looked thinner.
Eyes restless.
Clothes dirty.
But still—
That same expression.
Greedy.
Suspicious.
"Where is she?" he muttered.
One of the men beside him spat on the ground.
"This better not be a trap."
Kael scoffed.
"She wouldn't dare."
Inside the shelter.
Sophia stood still.
Waiting.
"Master…"
"When he calls, tell him to come around to the back. Say you'll open the gate for him."
Arien said.
She nodded.
Then the phone rang.
Sophia glanced at Arien once before answering.
"Are you there?" Kael's voice came through, slightly tense.
"I'm here."
He exhaled. "I'm at the front. There are cameras everywhere… this place looks heavily secured. That bastard really prepared everything."
Sophia stayed quiet for a moment, controlling her tone.
"Listen," Kael said, lowering his voice, "you're inside, right? Help me out."
Sophia replied calmly.
"Come around to the back. I'll open the gate for you."
There was a brief pause.
"…Alright."
One thing he didn't realise—
He was walking toward his own end.
A few minutes later, Kael reached the rear gate.
With a low mechanical sound, it opened.
He stepped inside.
Behind him, three men followed.
Dante, sharp-eyed and observant.
Marcus is tall and heavily built.
Rex, restless, constantly scanning the area.
They moved forward, looking around.
"Look at this place…" Dante muttered. "Solid structure."
"We could turn this into a base," Marcus said. "Live here."
Rex smirked. "Yeah… just need to get rid of him."
Kael walked ahead, his expression tightening.
How did he even get a place like this…?
And Sophia… how did she end up here?
Something felt off.
But greed pushed the thought aside.
At a turn inside the structure, Sophia appeared.
She stood there, calm and composed.
"Finally," Kael said, stepping closer.
"Sophia!"
Relief hit Kael first—sharp, immediate.
…but it didn't last.
His expression twisted.
"Where the hell have you been?!"
Sophia looked at him.
Calm. Too calm.
"I told you," she said evenly. "I was trapped."
Kael stepped closer, eyes scanning her from head to toe, searching for cracks.
"Where are the supplies?"
A pause. Then, sharper—
"And where is Arien?"
Sophia didn't hesitate.
"He's in the monitoring room."
Kael narrowed his eyes.
"…Then take us there first."
A brief silence.
"…Okay. Come with me."
Inside, the air felt heavier.
Ash tightened his grip on the rifle. His fingers adjusted slightly along the trigger, uncertain.
"Are we… killing them?"
Arien didn't answer immediately.
He moved.
One slow step forward.
Then another.
"…Don't you think," he said quietly, "it's a bit of a waste… to simply free them from the shackles of life?"
Ash frowned, confusion crossing his face.
"I… I'm sorry, I didn't quite understand what you meant, brother."
Arien stopped.
"…Did you just call me brother?"
Ash stiffened.
"Oh— I… I'm sorry. If that offended you, I didn't mean to—"
Arien let out a small breath, almost amused.
"What are you talking about?" he said, softer now. "You can call me anything you want."
He reached out and lightly patted Ash's head.
"And I quite like it… when you call me brother."
Ash blinked, still unsure, but steadier.
"…Then can you tell me what you meant by that, brother?"
Arien's gaze shifted briefly toward the unconscious bodies.
"As a human," he began, calm and measured, "I only can punish someone while they're alive."
A faint pause.
"When they're dead… they're free. Free from the constraints of life."
His voice didn't change—but something in it grew colder.
"But that doesn't mean we stop ourselves from cleaning pests."
Ash's grip on the rifle tightened again.
"We just don't waste time on them."
Another step.
"Unless…" Arien added, glancing back, "…they're worth something. Worth the time. Worth the return."
Silence stretched for a moment.
"…Did you get it now?"
Ash nodded slowly.
"Yes… somewhat."
Arien gave a small nod.
"It's okay."
Ash hesitated, then asked—
"Then… what do I have to do?"
Arien turned away, already losing interest in the question.
"Just stay here."
He walked toward the chair.
"If anyone touches a gun and points it at me…" a slight pause, "…you know what to do, right?"
Ash's voice steadied.
"Yes."
Arien added, almost casually—
"Just don't kill them. Not for now."
A faint smirk.
"You can start here… by practising your shots."
Ash straightened.
"I will do as you say, brother."
Click.
The safety shifted under his thumb.
Arien sat down slowly on the chair, leaning back as if settling into something routine.
Waiting.
"For his slave…" he muttered under his breath, a faint correction slipping out—
"…ahem—Kael."
The room fell quiet again.
Only the sound of breathing…
…and the weight of what was about to come.
The hallway stretched longer than it should have.
Footsteps echoed.
Tap… tap… tap…
Something about it felt wrong.
But they followed.
The door creaked open.
Click—
Inside, Arien sat on a chair, back turned.
Slowly—
creeeak—
He spun around to face them.
A faint smile.
"Hello there."
Kael froze.
"…What the fuck?"
He snapped toward Sophia.
"You said he was in the monitoring room—or whatever the hell that was!"
Rex's voice cut in, sharp and alert—
"I knew it. It's a trap."
Dante raised a hand slightly, trying to steady things.
"Relax. He doesn't have a weapon. He's alone. What could this bitch even—"
Kael's voice dropped, cold.
"…Kill him."
That was enough.
Click—
Marcus and Rex moved instantly, guns raised.
Dante shifted his aim toward Sophia.
And then—
BANG—!
BANG—!
Two shots.
Precise.
Clean.
Both Marcus and Rex screamed—
"AAAGH—!"
Their shoulders burst with pain as bullets tore through.
They collapsed back, weapons clattering across the floor.
"Ah… that was off."
His eyes lingered on the wound.
"…At least they're still alive."
A faint exhale.
"If brother got upset… that would be a problem."
His grip tightened on the rifle.
"…No. I need to improve. I have to be useful to my brother."
"What the—?!"
Kael staggered, stunned.
"I thought you said he was alone!"
"How the fuck would I know she was lying?!" Kael snapped back, anger flaring.
But the argument died instantly.
Because Dante—
was already on the floor.
THUD.
Unconscious.
Sophia stood behind them.
Silent.
Efficient.
Before Kael or the others could react—
CRACK—
Darkness swallowed them.
A few minutes later—
Groans filled the room.
"…ugh…"
"…what happened…"
Vision blurred. Heads pounding.
Kael blinked hard, trying to focus.
Reality settled in.
They were down.
Defeated.
He looked up—
Arien was standing in front of him.
Watching like a predator already full.
Still choosing to toy with its prey.
Kael swallowed.
"…Why are you doing this?" His voice trembled, forced. "Aren't we friends?"
No answer.
He rushed his words.
"At least—at least spare me. Take them." He jerked his head slightly toward the others. "Take all three. I won't come back. I swear. I won't set foot here again."
Inside—
His thoughts burned.
Just wait.
I'll come back.
And I'll rip you apart.
Arien stepped closer.
Slow. Measured.
His gaze locked onto Kael.
"Friends… you say?"
"…He smirked."
"Friends?"
A pause.
"What did you mean by friends here?" Arien's voice stayed calm—too calm.
"Friends who encourage stealing money through his girlfriend…
plan to take his supplies…
and even plan to kill him?"
A step closer.
"So what kind of friends are you?"
A faint tilt of his head.
"Nothing but a parasite."
Kael scoffed, clinging to his ignorance—despite the weight pressing down on him.
"So that bitch told you everything, huh?" he said, forcing a grin.
"So what?"
A beat.
"What are you going to do?"
"…Are you going to kill me?"
Before the last word settled—
Step.
Arien moved.
His hand rose slowly—
not to strike, but to cover his mouth… concealing the smile beneath.
Thud.
Kael froze.
Arien smiled.
Not wide. Not loud.
Just… wrong.
A smile so cold, so unnatural—
that even a demon would shudder, as if it had just seen something far more sinister than itself.
Kael's mind went blank.
Then—
—run—
Every nerve screamed at once.
Run. Run. Run.
Save me—
Save me from him—
His body trembled violently.
When he finally snapped back—
"P-please…" Kael choked, voice shaking. "Don't kill me."
"I know… I've done a lot of wrong things, but— I'm sorry."
His breath came unevenly.
"You know how the world is now… I can be useful."
"I can help you."
A pause.
Then—
"…Sure," Arien said lightly. "If that's what you want."
He stepped back.
Click.
The door opened.
Without another word, he left.
Minutes later—
Each of them was dragged and locked in separate rooms.
Clang.
Click.
Silence followed.
Ash looked up.
"…Now what, brother?"
Arien didn't stop walking.
"There's somewhere we have to go."
Ash's eyes lit up instantly.
"Of course. I'm always ready."
A step.
Then he realised.
"…You're not taking me?"
Arien stopped.
"…No."
Ash frowned.
"Why? Why not me?"
"…Are you going alone?"
"No."
A short pause.
"Sophia is coming."
"…Oh."
Ash's expression fell slightly.
Arien glanced at him—
then spoke, almost casually.
"I'm leaving you with your practice targets."
A faint gesture toward the rooms.
"They're in each room."
"You just have to make sure they don't die."
A small pause.
"Keep practising."
Then, quieter—
"If you clear this… tutorial in the practice room—"
a faint glance back—
"while I'm watching…"
"…you can come with me."
Ash's mood shifted instantly.
A smile returned.
"As you say, brother."
He tightened his grip on the rifle.
"I'll watch them… and do my best."
Click.
Ash turned—
and walked back toward the practice room.
Sophia watched him go.
"…Will he be safe? Alone with them?"
"Yeah," Arien replied calmly.
"It's his test."
"Don't worry."
A brief silence.
"…Then where are we going?"
Arien didn't answer immediately.
Instead—
"Get the vehicle ready."
A pause.
His eyes darkened slightly.
"…Time to use—"
My precious weapon.
"We're going to…"
…
To be continued.