Inside an abandoned building, in a bathroom, a strange noise began to echo from one of the many stalls. It persisted for several minutes until something emerged from one of the toilets—with some difficulty, a small rodent leaped over the rim.
After landing clumsily on the floor, it wobbled for a moment before walking through the deserted room toward the door, emerging into a long corridor. On one side, sunlight blazed brightly, marking the building's exit; on the other, the corridor stretched deeper into the structure, swallowed by darkness.
Glancing both ways, the rat chose a path and headed into the building's interior. Then something stopped it—a faint, sweet scent that wrapped around it. Following the smell with its head, the rat turned in the opposite direction.
Changing course, it began to follow the wide corridor in search of the source.
The closer it drew to the exit, the stronger the odor became, until it could almost taste it. But as it approached a door, it realized the trail led into one of the rooms.
The room, though near the building's entrance where sunlight poured in, had no windows and was plunged into absolute darkness.
In its search, the rat started to enter, but hearing something, it froze at the threshold.
"Hhhnnng… Fsssss…"
Inside, a slow, heavy, slightly rasping breath came from the darkest corner. Its fur bristled. For a moment, the rat considered turning back. But the sweet aroma wafting from the darkness had already overwhelmed its senses—it couldn't resist.
Silently it slipped into the gloom, dodging obstacles, growing disoriented as the guiding scent began to confuse it. Then it stepped in something wet.
Without hesitation, it licked the liquid. A wonderful taste flooded its mouth—the source of the smell. Even though the puddle spread across a large area, it began searching for the origin.
Walking through the pool, it reached an open wound and bit down.
With a pained grunt, the massive creature stirred. Startled, the rat tried to flee—when a huge hand slammed down on it.
The floor couldn't withstand the force and shattered into pieces, followed by a loud crash.
The creature's breathing quickened, though it remained heavy. It kept its hand pressed into the ground for a few moments. With effort, it lifted the hand to check if it had killed the intruder—but the rat leaped from the hole and escaped.
***
Near the heart of the abandoned city, in the middle of the vast plain, Isis stood still, seated on a large rock as she dried herself in the sun. With a distant gaze, she watched her younger siblings work when a strong gust swept across the plain.
Struck by it, she quickly curled inward, wrapping her arms around her body.
What a cold wind! In her light, still-damp clothes, the freezing gust bit into her, making her shrink even more.
But after a few seconds, it died away.
— Achoo!!
I don't want to get sick…
"Sniff."
"Bless you!"
Hearing Seven's voice, she turned to him.
"Amen…"
Stopping beside her, he said, "I already hung your things. They should dry soon."
"…I hope so…" Isis rubbed her forearms, trying to warm herself.
Turning her attention back to the lake, she watched Mia going in and out of the tall vegetation, gathering herbs and stuffing them into the backpacks.
…Isn't Seven going to help her?
Glancing sideways, she saw him standing there.
Ever since she fell into the lake, he had helped her by hanging the clothes and checking if anything had fallen from her pockets. But now, even though he was finished, he remained by her side.
Mia looks overloaded, since Leon and Victor are the ones picking… Turning back to her sister, she fell into thought.
"You—"
The moment she turned to him, a piece of clothing flew into her face.
Startled, she exclaimed, "What?!!"
"You're cold, aren't you? Put it on or you'll end up catching a cold."
While holding the shirt and looking at her own hands, Isis noticed they were trembling badly, even though she had tried to warm them.
"But what about you? Your clothes aren't that different from mine—even if they're dry, they're still light."
"No problem. I never catch colds." With a proud smile, he flexed one arm.
"…"
With a small smile, Isis accepted.
"Thank you."
Waiting for her to finish putting on the shirt, Seven asked, "So, why did you fall into the lake? Did Leon scare you?"
Surprised, Isis remembered. That's right—he has no idea what happened… The moment he arrived and saw me in the water, he focused on getting me out because it was dangerous for me to get sick.
"Well…"
"If that's what happened, even if it was just an innocent prank, I'll have to talk to him. It wasn't the time for jokes. Even if you didn't get hurt, pranks at the wrong moment can cause a lot of problems."
But Isis shook her head firmly.
"No, that's not what happened. That wasn't his intention. When I saw him, I was only surprised—I didn't get scared because I quickly realized it was him, and that he wanted to show me something." Lowering her voice, she continued, "I thought it was the helmet because it really stood out…"
"Well, it was a very strange helmet…"
It was some old junk he had found in the vegetation, already badly deteriorated. When he saw it—right after pushing through the plants—he got so startled by its appearance that he started to draw his bow.
Should I scold him for putting it on his head? That didn't seem like a good idea…
"But how did you fall into the lake?"
Isis, a little flushed, took a moment before continuing.
"…He opened the case… and the frog jumped toward me… I didn't want it to touch me…"
Hiding her face between her knees and her torso, she fell silent.
— Ah.
She had thrown herself into the water.
Since she was right at the edge of the lake and there weren't many places to dodge, she preferred to jump into the water rather than let the frog touch her.
"Hmpf!"
Though in the end it hadn't helped much.
"You're laughing?!"
"Of course! You chose to jump into freezing water rather than let a frog touch you…"
"I thought it was disgusting! It could be slimy even with those scales, just like a real frog!" Embarrassed, Isis tried to justify herself.
"No problem—" Seven raised his hands. "If that's what you preferred!"
Grabbing a few twigs and small stones, she began throwing them at him.
"Hha— Ow! — Hhaha…"
"Then why are you still laughing?!"
Still angry, once her ammunition ran out, Isis looked away and fell silent.
"…Sorry, sorry, I stopped…" Realizing she would stay sulking, Seven tried to apologize, though a faint smile still lingered on his face.
During that moment, surprising both of them, another gust of wind blew through—much stronger than the first.
Feeling the colder air, Seven took a deep breath.
"Wow! Looks like winter is coming early this year."
Isis quickly wrapped her arms around herself and closed her eyes, but unlike before, she felt no cold at all.
"So warm…" Isis murmured.
"Hm? Did you say something?"
"…"
"Ah. Aren't you going to help them?!"
"…I can't. I have to stay on guard."
"I… — Raising her gaze, she turned to Seven — can't I take your place on guard?"
"Well…"
Isis is the second in command and she knows how to use a bow… but…
"No, you can't."
Disappointed, she asked, "…Why not? I'm trained just like you, and I'm a year older…"
"You're still drying off, and you're missing most of your clothes and boots. If something happens, you wouldn't be ready to face a threat."
The clothes they wore weren't just for warmth—they were thicker to protect them if they were attacked. Standing guard wasn't only about watching; it also meant being the first to confront any threat to protect the others.
"But if you leave them alone, won't it take too long?"
"Hm… — Crossing his arms, he turned toward the lake — …it might be a little more complicated, but I know they're responsible and won't get distracted easily—"
"Come back here!"
Leon burst out of the vegetation, running after the frog that was moving away from the lake. Victor emerged right behind him, cornered the creature, and leaped to catch it.
"It got away!"
Watching the scene, Isis said with a smile, "I can see the responsibility…"
Seven sighed, putting a hand to his head, and finished:
— Maybe it'll take a little longer than expected…"
Still fleeing, the frog—with a head that resembled a snake's and covered in small, slightly striking red scales—kept leaping across the grass, disappearing for moments at a time, while the two boys chased it and Mia watched.
Examining the small creature, Isis noticed something and asked with a more serious expression:
"That… is a beast, isn't it?"
"Yeah, a small one, but still a beast."
"Wouldn't it be dangerous to let them play with it? It looks like a mix of a frog and a snake, and it's pretty colorful—couldn't it be venomous?"
"No, at that size it's harmless… it might bite, but there's no risk of venom. Beasts don't have poison."
If there were any kind of classification, it would probably be based on size and diet. Something that small, no matter how strange, posed no real threat.
"Got it!"
Leaping on top of it, Leon finally caught the creature.
"Why does it keep trying to run away?"
"I don't know… maybe it's cold?"
Close by, Leon and Victor were talking when they were interrupted.
"Stop messing around! We need to finish soon!"
"Yes!" Hearing Seven, both started heading back toward the lake.
As he returned, Leon quickly slipped the beast inside his clothes and closed them, which made Isis freeze for a moment before asking:
"He… isn't thinking of taking it home, is he?"
Smiling, Seven glanced at Leon's backpack. Looks like he also wants to take the helmet he found—it's right next to the—
Stopping abruptly, Seven turned sharply toward the buildings.
— What was that sound?
Though faint, he had heard something like a crack or a crash.
Isis, noticing Seven's sudden reaction, turned to him. With a serious expression, he was staring at the wall of buildings surrounding the plain.
Seeing that look, her heart froze for a moment.
"Did something happen?"
Still focused on the direction the sound had come from, he waited a moment before answering.
"…It's nothing. No need to worry…"
It must have been a piece of one of the buildings falling…
…
Some time later, with everyone gathered again, Mia, Leon, and Victor stood in a line with their backpacks in front of them while Seven checked them.
They had filled them all. Stuffed with wet plants, Seven closed the last backpack with some effort. It's a shame that in the end there won't be much left, since it'll turn into just a handful of medicine…
"Big brother…"
Hearing Mia call him, he looked up.
Seeing his siblings, a small smile escaped him. Clearly excited, they couldn't stay still as they watched him.
Already knowing why, Seven stood up.
"Well, let's see…"
Looking at the sky, he checked the position of the sun to calculate how much time they still had.
It took a little longer than I expected… but—with a satisfied look—they did pretty well…
His younger siblings waited anxiously for an answer.
Taking the safety margin into account, there should still be…
"…You have twenty minutes."
"Woo-hoo!"
Celebrating, they immediately ran off to explore different places.
Leon, curious, headed toward the tree and the tangle of roots, while Mia and Victor went toward the lake. But before they scattered too far, Seven gave them a warning.
"Don't touch Isis's clothes or things, and don't go too far!"
"YES!!!"
Isis, farther from Seven, saw her younger siblings scattering and climbed down from the rock she was on, heading toward him.
While she was still approaching, he noticed her.
"Already dry?" He looked back to check.
"Not completely—my clothes are still damp, but they should dry soon."
Isis stopped beside Seven and watched her younger siblings with him. Leon was balancing on the roots exploring the tangle, while Mia and Victor disappeared into the plants.
But, gripping the edges of her jacket tightly, she had an uneasy look that jumped from her siblings to the sun.
"…Are you sure we have all that time?"
"Hm? Yes, less than before, but we still have some."
Looking at the wall of buildings, Isis opened her mouth for a moment as if to speak, but stopped suddenly.
"…"
Without her noticing, watching her from the corner of his eye, Seven asked:
"…Could you help me keep an eye on them, since your clothes are drier?"
"What? Y-yes!"
"Keep an eye on Mia and Victor—I can't follow them through that thick vegetation…"
Looking toward where they had gone, all she could see was the movement of some plants and muffled laughter and whispers.
"…No problem!"
Turning away, Isis headed off. As she left, Seven noticed her arms swinging more freely, her shoulders a little lighter.
"Brother!"
"Yes?!"
Turning away, he looked toward Leon, who was calling him near the tree.
"There's some animal here!" He said, pointing to one of the gaps between the roots.
Surprised, Seven frowned and stopped for a moment.
"…An animal?"
Hearing her brothers, Isis, who was about to enter the vegetation, stopped and turned back.
She saw Seven running toward where Leon was.
"Where did you see it?"
"Right here…"
Pointing between the roots, he indicated the entrance to a tunnel.
"…It's way in the back."
Crouching near the entrance, he searched inside until he saw something moving, which made him pull back a little.
It's small…
Isis, who had changed direction, approached them cautiously.
"What is it?"
"I don't know…"
Even though there were gaps between the roots letting in light, he couldn't identify what it was because of how deep it was.
It doesn't look dangerous… maybe another small beast…
With his bow in hand, Seven nocked an arrow and aimed at the creature's chest, which made Isis and Leon step back a few paces.
"…"
Finding an opening, he released the arrow. It flew at high speed toward the shadow, striking the animal and stopping its movement.
But suddenly it darted out of the burrow, leaping toward Seven.
"Damn!"
Startled, by reflex he punched the animal, sending it flying while dodging backward.
"Ahhhhh!"
"Brother!"
Startled, Isis and Leon moved away.
Falling to the ground, Seven quickly turned toward the animal and widened his eyes when he saw it.
It's you!!!
A common white rabbit that, after being hit, had fallen to the ground, rolled a few times, and started running again.
"You're not getting away!"
At this distance…
Seven tried to stand up to catch it, but felt his hand slip on the grass, making him fall. When he looked at it, he froze for a second.
Blood?!
But he quickly realized it wasn't his. Looking ahead, however, the rabbit had already gone too far.
"…Isis! Take the others to the nearest passage!"
"What?!"
Surprised, she turned to him, confused.
"Leon, you're coming with me!"
Without questioning his brother, Leon ran to grab the two backpacks.
Climbing the tangle of roots, Seven went to the trunk and took Isis's jacket that was hanging there.
It's still damp, but it'll have to do!
Leaping down, he put it on as he started running.
"Wait, Seven!"
Stopping for a moment, he looked at his sister, who was visibly confused.
"I'm sorry, Isis, but I can't let it escape! Not this time!"
"What? Let who escape?!"
The way back is easy—I'm sure you'll get there safely!
"We'll meet there!"
Grabbing his backpack, which Leon handed him, he turned away.
I'm finally going to catch it, sister!
"Seven! Wait!!"