The mountain air was different.
Colder. Cleaner.
Every breath Zero took felt sharper, like it was cutting away the noise of the dead world below.
They climbed in silence.
Behind them, the city was nothing but a shadow drowned in darkness. No lights. No movement. Just a distant smell of blood carried by the wind.
Aira finally broke the quiet.
"Are you sure this place still exists?"
Zero didn't stop walking.
Zero: "It does."
His voice wasn't confident.
It was certain.
They moved off the main path, pushing through trees and broken rocks. The slope grew steeper, the forest thicker. Night insects buzzed around them, but none of the sounds felt hostile.
After a while, Zero stopped.
In front of them was a narrow crack between two massive rocks — almost invisible unless you already knew it was there.
Zero crouched and moved aside a layer of old leaves and stones.
A small entrance appeared.
Aira's eyes widened.
"You hid this?"
Zero: "When I was a kid."
He stepped inside.
The space opened into a natural cave, dry and deep. Old wooden planks reinforced parts of the wall. There were scratches on the stone — childish markings, numbers, symbols.
Memories.
Zero dropped his bag and sat down heavily.
For the first time since the world ended, he exhaled properly.
Zero: "We'll stay here till morning."
Aira slowly sat across from him, hugging her knees.
The silence returned — but this time, it felt safe.
They ate quietly.
Canned food never tasted good, but hunger made it acceptable.
Aira watched Zero as he checked the cave entrance again and again, making sure it was hidden.
"You don't trust easily," she said.
Zero didn't respond immediately.
Zero: "Trust gets you killed."
She nodded.
"…Fair."
The fire was small — barely enough to give warmth. Shadows danced on the cave walls.
Aira stared into the flame.
"My family…" she started, then stopped.
Zero didn't push.
After a moment, she continued on her own.
"They didn't even turn," she said softly.
"They just… stopped moving after the rain."
Zero looked at the fire too.
Zero: "Lucky."
She looked at him, confused.
Zero: "The ones who turn don't get peace."
Silence.
Then Aira asked something else.
"You weren't scared today… in the mall. Or the city."
Zero's eyes darkened.
Zero: "I was scared before all this."
He tightened his grip on the khukuri.
Zero: "School. People. Expectations."
He looked up at the cave ceiling.
Zero: "This world ended, and somehow… my fear did too."
Aira didn't reply.
She understood more than she wanted to.
Outside, the wind howled.
Somewhere far below, faint sounds echoed — not voices, not human.
Aira shifted closer to the fire.
"Do you think they'll come here?"
Zero stood and blocked the entrance carefully with rocks and branches.
Zero: "Not easily."
He sat back down, back against the stone.
Zero: "Sleep if you can."
She hesitated.
"…And you?"
Zero: "I'll stay awake."
Aira lay down slowly, eyes still open.
After a few minutes, she whispered:
"Zero?"
Zero: "Yeah."
"If this world never goes back to normal… what will you do?"
Zero stared into the darkness beyond the cave.
A long pause.
Zero:
"I don't want to save the world."
"I don't want to be a hero."
The fire cracked softly.
Zero:
"I just want a place where the dead can't reach me."
Aira closed her eyes.
Outside, the night deepened.
And far beyond the mountains,
something ancient — something tied to Pandora — continued to drift silently across the sea.
End of Chapter 6