At the bone shelter, silence ruled.
The structure—built from the massive ribs and spine of some long-dead creature—cast long, crooked shadows under the faint glow of scattered embers. The wind howled faintly through the hollow bones, creating a low, eerie hum that echoed through the night.
Jade's eyes slowly opened.
At first, everything was blurry.
Then the pain came.
A dull, heavy ache spread across his entire body. It wasn't sharp like before, but it was deep—like his bones themselves were tired.
"…I'm alive…"
His voice was barely a whisper.
For a moment, he simply lay there, staring at the ceiling made of bone and stitched hides, trying to remember what had happened.
Then it all came rushing back.
Silent Slayer.
The fight.
The fusion.
The crimson crocodile.
The shadow net.
Darkness.
Jade slowly pushed himself up.
His muscles protested immediately, trembling under the effort, but he forced himself to sit.
He looked down at his body.
Bandaged.
Crude, but effective.
Whoever brought him here had at least made sure he wouldn't bleed out.
Jade swung his legs over and stood up carefully.
His balance wavered slightly, but he steadied himself.
Then he stepped outside.
The night greeted him instantly.
Dark.
Cold.
Quiet.
The forest felt different at night—more dangerous, more alive in a way that made the hairs on the back of his neck rise.
The sky above was dim, barely lit by distant stars hidden behind drifting clouds.
Jade exhaled slowly, watching his breath form in the cold air.
"…Night already…"
He had no idea how long he had been unconscious.
But it must have been hours.
Maybe longer.
Jade turned to go back inside—
And froze.
Inside the shelter, sitting calmly against the bone wall, was Silent Slayer.
Sleeping.
Peacefully.
Jade's eyes narrowed slightly.
For a moment, he simply stood there, watching him.
This was the same person who had nearly killed him.
The same person who had crushed him without mercy.
And yet…
He was also the one who saved him.
Jade stepped closer, his movements quiet.
Now that he looked carefully, he could see Silent Slayer clearly.
He was… younger than expected.
Not a fully grown man.
A teenager.
But one shaped by battle.
His physique was well-built—lean, but powerful. Every line of his body spoke of countless fights and survival.
His face was partially covered by a growing beard, rough and uneven, as if he had stopped caring about appearances long ago.
His hair was longer than Jade's, falling carelessly around his face, untamed and wild.
Yet despite all that—
There was something calm about him.
Even in sleep.
Jade's gaze shifted.
Silent Slayer was holding something.
A leaf.
Folded carefully in his hand.
Jade hesitated for a moment.
Then he slowly reached out.
Carefully.
Gently.
He removed the leaf from Silent Slayer's grip.
The man didn't move.
Still asleep.
Jade stared at him for a moment longer.
A thought crossed his mind.
I could kill him right now.
It would be easy.
Silent Slayer was completely defenseless.
One strike.
That was all it would take.
After everything he had done…
After the danger he posed…
It would make sense.
Jade's fingers tightened slightly.
But then—
Another thought came.
He saved me.
Silence stretched between them.
Jade exhaled slowly.
"…Forget it."
He turned away.
The thought disappeared.
For now.
Jade unfolded the leaf.
It was stained with dried blood.
The writing was messy.
Uneven.
As if the person who wrote it had been injured… or running out of time.
Jade began to read.
"Blood brother Aaron…"
"…Sarah is surprisingly in the same trial as us…"
Jade frowned slightly.
"…Sarah?"
He muttered under his breath.
"Is it… our Sarah from the restaurant…?"
He wasn't sure.
The name felt familiar.
But something about it was distant, like a memory he couldn't fully grasp.
Still—
He continued reading.
"She was sent to this trial a year ago…"
"…but unfortunately, she was trapped…"
"…kept as a power source for an ancient ruin…"
Jade's expression darkened.
A power source?
That meant—
She wasn't just trapped.
She was being used.
"She experiences visions…"
"…visions of the past…"
"…visions of the future…"
"…and only one day each month…"
"…she is allowed to return to reality…"
Jade's hand trembled slightly.
"…That's…"
That wasn't survival.
That was torture.
"…she knows she is still trapped in the ruins…"
Jade clenched his jaw.
He continued.
"According to her visions…"
"…she mentioned a boy…"
"…a boy called Jade…"
Jade froze.
"…What?"
His eyes widened slightly.
"…He has an affinity for blood…"
"…he is currently known as Blood Slayer in this trial…"
Jade lowered the leaf slowly.
His mind spun.
"…Me…?"
He turned his head slightly, glancing at Silent Slayer.
"…Is that why he didn't kill me…?"
The pieces began to connect.
But he wasn't done reading.
He looked back at the leaf.
"She didn't say anything more…"
"…I went to the shadow area…"
"…spent a night fighting shadow creatures…"
"…I tried to kill the guardian…"
"…the one guarding a treasure shaped like a key…"
Jade's eyes sharpened.
The key…
That had to be related to ending the trial.
But the next lines were worse.
"…I failed…"
"…I was sent back…"
"…injured…"
"…right now I am in the middle of a fight…"
Jade's grip tightened.
"…my echo and pet beast are buying me time…"
"…that is why I am writing this…"
The words became shakier.
More uneven.
"…if you are reading this later…"
"…then I am already dead…"
Jade's chest tightened.
"…Just conquer the trial within the next two months…"
"…from what I have seen…"
"…the monster has many eggs…"
"…each of them of the same rank…"
"…if they hatch…"
"…this trial will become impossible…"
Jade's breathing slowed.
Heavy.
"…I hope…"
"…I will see you in the afterworld…"
"…Your elder brother…"
"…Mike."
Silence.
Complete silence.
Jade didn't move.
The leaf trembled slightly in his hand.
He didn't even notice.
A strange warmth touched his cheek.
He blinked.
Then paused.
"…Tears…?"
A drop fell onto the leaf.
Jade stared at it.
For the first time since entering the trial—
He felt something break inside him.
Not fear.
Not pain.
But something deeper.
Something human.
"…Why…"
He whispered softly.
He didn't even know who Mike was.
Yet the words…
The desperation…
The hope…
It reached him.
More tears followed.
Slow.
Quiet.
Unstoppable.
Jade didn't try to stop them.
He simply stood there, holding the blood-stained leaf.
Then—
He felt it.
A presence.
Jade's body stiffened instantly.
Slowly—
Very slowly—
He turned his head.
Silent Slayer was no longer lying down.
He was sitting.
Watching him.
His eyes wide open.
Sharp.
Awake.
The dim light of the shelter reflected in his gaze.
And for the first time—
There was something different in those eyes.
Not coldness.
Not killing intent.
But something deeper.
Something… unsettled.
Jade felt a chill run down his spine.
Neither of them spoke.
The air between them grew heavy.
And in that moment—
The silence felt louder than any battle.