They didn't leave all at once.
That would have made it feel rushed.
Instead, movement began in layers—teams preparing, adjusting gear, checking routes. Orders weren't shouted. They spread quietly, passed from one group to another like something already understood.
But even without noise—
everything was moving.
The field no longer felt like a base.
It felt like a starting line.
Taro adjusted his grip, glancing around as more teams gathered near the outer path. Not just their batch this time. Others—older, sharper, quieter—stood ready without saying much. That alone changed the feeling.
"…yeah… this is definitely not normal."
Ren didn't look at him.
"…no."
They weren't being sent out.
They were being sent in.
Daisuke stepped forward once.
"…we move with the first group."
No explanation.
No need.
The gates opened.
The moment they crossed past the boundary, the shift was immediate. The ground didn't look different at first—same uneven terrain, same scattered remains of structures—but the feeling returned faster this time.
Not gradually.
Not faint.
Immediate.
Ryo felt it first again.
Not stronger.
Just closer.
Ren noticed the pause in his step.
"…already?"
Ryo nodded once.
"…yeah."
That meant something.
The others felt it too now—not clearly, not enough to describe, but enough to understand one thing:
They weren't walking into something unknown anymore.
They were walking back into something—
that remembered them.
The teams didn't stay together in one group.
They split.
Not randomly.
Strategically.
Different directions.
Same destination.
Aiko glanced to the side as another team moved parallel to them, keeping distance but matching pace.
"…they're covering the outer lines."
Mei nodded.
"…then this isn't just one point."
It never was.
The further they moved, the clearer it became. The ground started to shift again—not visibly broken, not freshly damaged—but worn in a way that didn't belong to natural movement. Paths that weren't paths. Lines that didn't fully show unless you looked for them.
Ren slowed slightly.
"…it's here too."
The marks.
Faint.
Broken.
But present.
Taro let out a breath.
"…so it really is everywhere."
That word mattered.
Everywhere.
Because now—
it wasn't about finding it.
It was about how far it had already spread.
Ryo didn't stop moving, but his eyes tracked the ground more carefully now. The lines didn't connect fully—not from where they stood—but they didn't need to.
They pointed.
Forward.
Always forward.
Daisuke's voice came low.
"…stay sharp."
Not a warning.
A reminder.
Because this time—
they weren't the only ones moving.
A sound shifted in the distance.
Not loud.
Not clear.
But wrong.
Taro turned his head slightly.
"…you heard that, right?"
Ren didn't answer immediately.
"…yeah."
It wasn't wind.
It wasn't movement of teams.
It was something else.
Mei's gaze hardened slightly.
"…they're active."
That confirmed it.
Not empty.
Not abandoned.
Occupied.
The teams didn't stop.
They adjusted.
Spacing tightened.
Movement sharpened.
This wasn't exploration anymore.
This was entry.
Ryo's focus shifted again—not outward this time, but ahead. The space in front of them felt different. Not open. Not blocked.
Layered.
Like something existed there—
just not fully visible yet.
Aiko slowed slightly.
"…do you feel that?"
Taro didn't like that question.
"…don't say it like that."
But he felt it too.
Ren answered quietly.
"…yeah."
It wasn't pressure.
It wasn't sound.
It was awareness.
The same as before.
But this time—
they were walking deeper into it.
Another team crossed their path briefly, moving in a different direction. No words exchanged. No signals given. But the understanding passed anyway.
Everyone felt it.
Everyone knew.
This wasn't separate missions anymore.
This was one thing—
seen from different sides.
Ryo stepped forward again.
No hesitation.
The ground beneath his foot shifted slightly.
Not physically.
But something—
acknowledged it.
He didn't stop.
Because stopping now—
wouldn't change anything.
Daisuke noticed the change.
"…keep moving."
They did.
Because if they slowed—
they would start thinking about it.
And thinking about it—
made it worse.
The space ahead began to open again.
Slowly at first.
Then wider.
Taro exhaled.
"…not again…"
Because they recognized it.
A clearing.
Not the same one.
But similar.
Too similar.
Ren's voice dropped.
"…another point."
Mei added—
"…or part of the same one."
That possibility stayed.
Because if it was the same—
then what they saw before—
wasn't a single place.
It was connected.
Ryo didn't step in this time.
Not immediately.
He stopped just at the edge.
The feeling—
was stronger here.
Not aggressive.
Just…
closer.
Aiko's voice lowered.
"…this is where it starts again."
Daisuke stepped forward beside them.
"…no."
A pause.
"…this is where it continues."
That changed everything.
Because now—
they weren't arriving.
They were already inside it.
Taro let out a slow breath.
"…yeah… that's worse."
No one disagreed.
Ryo looked ahead.
At the ground.
At the faint lines.
At the space that didn't feel like a place.
And somewhere beyond that—
Batch A was still there.
Or what was left of them.
He stepped forward.
This time—
not to check.
Not to test.
But to move.
Because now—
they weren't here to understand it.
They were here—
to go deeper into it.
And whatever was inside—
was already waiting.