The T-80 rolled steadily across the wasteland.
Its heavy tracks crushed rocks beneath its weight while dust trailed behind us like a long brown cloud.
The village where Sylph and Axell lived had long disappeared beyond the horizon.
Now there was nothing but endless stretches of dry land.
Dead trees.
Rock formations.
And occasional groups of wandering monsters.
I sat on top of the tank, watching the landscape pass by.
The wind brushed against my face.
For the first time in a while, things felt... peaceful.
At least for now.
Inside the driver's compartment, Volt was humming happily.
The moment Sylph gave us the T-80, he practically adopted it.
Every few minutes he would either adjust something or talk about possible upgrades.
I honestly couldn't tell if he was driving the tank or dating it.
"Hey!"
Volt popped his head out.
"Don't insult my beautiful machine."
"...I didn't say anything."
"You were thinking it."
Fair enough.
The road ahead remained relatively safe.
Most of the monsters roaming this region were low-level mobs.
Small creatures.
Wild beasts.
Nothing dangerous enough to threaten us.
Even then, we stayed alert.
The Empire wasn't the only danger in the New World.
Sometimes monsters were worse.
I pulled out the small silver charm Sylph had given me.
The good luck charm.
For a while, I simply stared at it.
The metal reflected the afternoon sunlight.
A simple gift.
Yet somehow...
It felt surprisingly valuable.
Maybe because it reminded me that there were still people out there who genuinely cared whether we survived.
I smiled slightly.
Then I got an idea.
After a few moments of tinkering, I carefully tied the charm onto my rifle.
The silver ornament dangled near the stock.
It wasn't flashy.
But it felt right.
"There."
A voice suddenly came from behind me.
"It looks good."
I nearly jumped.
"Blaze!"
The man casually sat beside me on top of the tank.
I honestly didn't know how he kept appearing out of nowhere.
"You should stop doing that."
"Hm?"
"Appearing behind people."
"Oh."
He thought for a moment.
"No."
"..."
Typical.
Blaze glanced at the charm.
"Sylph gave it to you."
"Yeah."
"You seem happy."
I looked away.
"It's just a charm."
"Hm."
His expression clearly said he didn't believe me.
I quickly changed the subject.
"So."
"How are you feeling?"
Blaze leaned back.
"The same."
"Memory still gone?"
"Mostly."
His answer came as casually as ever.
Like he was talking about the weather.
I wasn't sure if that was impressive or concerning.
Maybe both.
The conversation ended there as we continued traveling.
For a while, only the sound of the engine filled the air.
Then suddenly—
"EVERYBODY HOLD ON!"
Volt shouted.
The tank slowed down.
"What happened?" I asked.
Volt pointed toward something ahead.
A massive boulder.
Easily the size of a house.
A grin slowly appeared on his face.
"Oh no," I muttered.
Blaze looked at me.
"What?"
"I know that look."
Volt climbed out of the driver's hatch.
"Since we're here..."
His grin widened.
"I want to test the main cannon."
"..."
"..."
"Of course you do."
Ten minutes later.
The T-80 was parked facing the giant boulder.
Volt practically vibrated with excitement.
"Observe."
"Behold."
"The glory of engineering."
"Volt," I sighed.
"Just fire the thing."
"Right."
The cannon adjusted.
Its barrel locked onto the target.
The wasteland became silent.
Then—
BOOOOOOM!!
The shot echoed across the entire region.
The recoil shook the tank.
A second later—
The giant boulder exploded.
Not cracked.
Not damaged.
Exploded.
Chunks of stone scattered everywhere.
A massive cloud of dust rose into the air.
Silence followed.
Volt stared proudly.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"That was awesome."
I hate admitting it.
But he was right.
Even I was impressed.
Blaze looked toward the remains of the boulder.
"Strong."
Volt pointed dramatically.
"Exactly."
"Imagine getting hit by that."
"I would rather not."
"Same."
The test ended quickly.
Mostly because the cannon shot probably alerted every creature within several kilometers.
Which immediately became a problem.
A loud roar echoed from the distance.
The ground trembled slightly.
Everyone froze.
Volt slowly turned.
"...Oops."
Far away.
Moving between rocky cliffs.
A massive creature emerged.
At least twenty meters tall.
Covered in armored scales.
A giant horn protruded from its head.
Its level marker glowed brightly.
Mid-Level Boss.
I immediately stood up.
"Drive."
Volt didn't need a second warning.
The T-80 accelerated immediately.
The boss monster roared again.
Fortunately—
It didn't seem interested in chasing us.
Still.
Nobody wanted to risk it.
Sure, we could probably defeat it.
Between Blaze, Volt, and the tank itself, our odds were good.
But that wasn't the problem.
The problem was attention.
A fight like that would create noise.
Noise attracted scouts.
Scouts attracted soldiers.
Soldiers attracted the Empire.
And right now—
The last thing we wanted was attention.
By evening, the boss had disappeared behind us.
The sun slowly began setting.
Orange light painted the wasteland.
Inside the tank, everyone had settled down.
The atmosphere became calmer.
Eventually the conversation shifted.
Toward something that had been bothering me.
The Resistance.
I looked toward Volt.
"How much longer do you think?"
"Hm?"
"Before we can reach Resistance territory again."
Volt became unusually quiet.
I continued.
"It's been forever."
Months.
The Void.
The Empire.
Everything.
It felt like years since I last saw headquarters.
Since I saw everyone.
Since I felt safe.
I looked down.
"I kind of miss them."
Volt didn't answer immediately.
So I continued.
"I know we're not exactly the strongest faction."
"And we definitely aren't the richest."
"But..."
A smile appeared on my face.
"They never gave up on me."
Even after everyone assumed I died.
Even after falling into the Void.
The Resistance searched.
They believed.
They came.
They never abandoned me.
For someone who spent most of her life feeling like an outsider—
That meant everything.
I looked toward the horizon.
"I really want to go back."
"I want to see everyone again."
"I want to tell them I'm alive."
For once, Volt looked awkward.
Extremely awkward.
The kind of awkward that only happened when emotions appeared.
"...Yeah."
"..."
"..."
"That's it?"
"I don't know what to say."
I laughed.
"Fair."
Even Blaze seemed amused.
The tank continued rolling forward beneath the fading sunlight.
Night was approaching.
Soon we'd need to stop and make camp.
But for now—
We simply enjoyed the quiet road.
Eventually I leaned back against the armor plating.
Watching the stars slowly appear above us.
The same stars that once shined over Countless Star.
The same stars Yumine used to talk about.
The same stars guiding me forward.
The road ahead remained dangerous.
Helios Reach.
Empire territory.
Bounty hunters.
Unknown enemies.
And whatever strange silence had fallen over Resistance Headquarters.
Yet despite everything—
I felt hopeful.
Maybe because I wasn't alone anymore.
Maybe because I finally had people I could trust.
Or maybe—
Because for the first time in a long time—
I felt like I was getting closer to home.
The silence stretched for several minutes.
Then suddenly—
A hand landed on my shoulder.
I looked beside me.
Blaze.
He stared toward the distant horizon.
Calm as always.
Then he spoke.
"Whatever happens..."
His voice was quiet.
"But you'll see them again."
I blinked.
Blaze rarely said things like that.
Before I could respond, he stood up.
Then added one final sentence.
"And when we reach Helios Reach..."
A small smile appeared on his face.
"Let's try not to start a war."
For a moment there was silence.
Then Volt burst out laughing.
And despite everything—
I laughed too.
As the T-80 continued its journey north beneath the stars.