Vale's expression turned serious as he reminded Scarlett and Silas about the Mark of Time. He raised his left forearm, revealing the bold Roman numerals etched into his skin like a countdown.
"We need to find a way to open the Fog Gate and get out of here," he said sternly. "But right now… we only have 24 hours left."
The Mark of Time was a cruel reminder from the Catalyst Anchor—it never allowed the Awakened to roam freely without purpose. Three marks had appeared when they entered the realm. Now, only one remained. Time was slipping away fast, and with it, their chance to climb the ranks and claim greater power.
The revelation left the group in heavy silence. The weight of failure hung over them. If they didn't conquer this realm in time, the consequences would spill into the waking world. Ishy knew the legends well: when the Awakened failed, the Anchor punished reality itself—disasters, outbreaks of the Infected, or worse.
Silas opened his mouth as if to speak but closed it again, saying nothing. Vale noticed the shift but chose not to comment. Instead, he cleared his throat and addressed the group with a strong, commanding voice.
"Ehem! Listen up. I have a plan for us to survive this realm. Whether you want to live or die is up to you."
Vale's tone was stern, almost aggressive—whether it was genuine concern for his fellow Hunters or just his way of masking fear, it was hard to tell. He clearly didn't care about the "bound prisoner" trailing behind them.
Ishy remained silent throughout the lecture. He had no interest in Vale's grand plan. His only goal was to regroup with the prisoners he had helped escape. He would survive this nightmare—with or without the Hunters.
As soon as Vale finished his lengthy speech, Ishy stood up and stretched his arms overhead, relieving the stiffness in his back. He looked at the lead Hunter with a cold, bored gaze and asked sarcastically,
"Are you done talking, Vale? I thought it would be a long lecture on how you were going to escape this hell."
He smirked slightly, deliberately testing the waters to see how much Vale could tolerate.
Ishy continued, his voice calm but laced with sharp sarcasm as he directed another question at Vale.
"Well… I heard that hunters like you have already survived your own Fallen Dream, am I right?"
He paused for a moment, carefully choosing his words to dig under the lead hunter's skin. A faint, almost invisible smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.
"Then answer me this, if you don't mind… Why are you struggling so much in this realm? Why do you need to carefully plan how to survive if you've already conquered your own Fallen Dream? And why are you acting like you only have 1 day left to conquer this one?"
The question struck a nerve. Vale's expression shifted from stern authority to clear annoyance. Being openly challenged — and underestimated — by a mere prisoner like Ishy clearly irritated him.
Vale turned toward Ishy, his face grim with barely contained anger and desperation. He had been holding back for a long time, and it looked like he was finally ready to lash out.
Before he could explode, Silas quickly stepped in, his expression cautious and calculated as he tried to defuse the growing argument.
"Well… there's no need for another argument," Silas said, glancing between them. "Ishmael, to answer your question about why Vale is so desperate to conquer this realm, the Anchor gives us three chances—three marks. That means we only have three days to complete our objective."
He paused, carefully choosing his next words so as not to sound too harsh.
"Since you're here as one of our prisoners… no offense… you've caused us quite a bit of trouble. Our original plan was to use those other prisoners for sacrificial purposes. The way you helped them escape wasted a lot of our time."
Ishy nodded slightly, understanding the explanation, though his expression remained cold. He then asked another question.
"So… what exactly is this 'mark' the Anchor gave the three of you?"
Silas nodded and raised his left forearm, revealing a single glowing Roman numeral etched into his skin.
"This is the Mark of Time. It's the Anchor's way of telling us how long we have to complete our hunt inside this realm. Like I said, we only have three days."
He sighed and lowered his arm.
Ishy processed the information for a moment before replying in a casual but pointed tone.
"So, Vale was planning on escaping this realm because your first plan completely failed?"
Before Silas could reply, a new wave of loud cawing erupted outside the cave. This time, it was different — frantic and aggressive. The giant scavenger crows were no longer focused on the Hunters inside. They had found a new, more dangerous threat.
Shadows danced violently across the cave entrance as the crows engaged in a brutal fight. The sounds of heavy punches, bone-cracking impacts, and agonized shrieks filled the night air. The ground outside trembled as if something massive were moving.
The prisoners inside the chapel tensed, gripping whatever they could. They were unarmed, their firearms long since empty. Their only hope lay in close-range weapons—hunters' blades and rapiers.
Ishy moved closer to the exit and peeked out cautiously. A familiar, oppressive pressure washed over him. Vale gritted his teeth, muttering under his breath, "Why the hell did I get dragged into this mess? I didn't sign up for this shit!"
The growls and caws grew heavier. The crows were being brutally beaten back by an unknown opponent. Ishy narrowed his eyes, sensing something dangerous—yet strangely familiar.
What kind of creature is that? he thought. Why are they fighting? Is it over territory?
He shook his head, trying to clear his racing thoughts.
Then, a new sound cut through the chaos—human voices. A female and a male shouting in panic.
Ishy's heart leaped. He instinctively stood up and moved to the cave entrance. Peeking from behind the wall, his eyes widened with a mix of hope and caution.
The group of prisoners—led by Kael and Lina—was running desperately toward the cave. Behind them, the towering figure of the Bounded Shroud was fiercely fighting off the giant crows, defending the fleeing humans with overwhelming power.
Ishy's hope was quickly tempered by grim reality. There were only six prisoners left. One was missing.
He gritted his teeth, his jaw clenched tight. What happened to them while I was gone?
He murmured under his breath, his voice filled with quiet urgency and hope:
"Move fast… don't look back!! Come on!!"
The moment Ishy saw the prisoners nearing the cave entrance, he shouted urgently, "Run faster! Come on!"
He reached out and pulled each one of them inside one by one, his movements quick despite the burning pain in his ankle. When he saw Lina still lagging behind, he immediately stretched out his hand toward her.
Lina sprinted with everything she had left, her life hanging in the balance. One of the giant crows dove from above, its razor-sharp beak aimed straight at her. At the last second, the Bounded Shroud hurled one of the attacking crows like a projectile, smashing it into the others mid-air and knocking them away from the entrance.
"Come on! Get inside!" Ishy grabbed Lina's hand and yanked her into the cave, pushing her deeper for safety.
As soon as the prisoners were inside, they collapsed onto the ground, gasping for air. Ishy's gaze swept over the group, counting them. His heart sank. There should have been seven — now there were only six.
He approached Lina, who was still struggling to catch her breath. Gently placing both hands on her shoulders, he tried to calm her down.
"Lina… take a deep breath and exhale slowly. Try not to gasp so much…"
His eyes were filled with worry and concern. He knew they had faced something terrible while he wasn't with them.
In his mind, dreadful images kept flashing — what could have happened to the missing prisoner?
Once the group had somewhat calmed down, Ishy asked the question weighing on him.
"Lina… I have to ask. Why are there only six of you? There should be seven. Where is the other one?"
Lina finally caught her breath, though her voice still shook as she spoke.
"I—I'm sorry… he's… he's dead…" she stammered, tears welling in her eyes. "I couldn't do anything… It was out of my control… Kael's too!!"
Ishy's lips pressed into a tight line. He was speechless. He didn't even remember the boy's name, but the weight of the loss hit him hard. His fist clenched tightly at his side as grief and guilt washed over him. After a long moment, he spoke calmly, though fear and sorrow were clear on his face.
"I… understand," he said quietly. "It was out of our control. I don't blame you… or Kael."
Henceforth, the weight of the night grew as soon as the Bounded Shroud stepped into the cave. The air of the cave made the rest of the prisoners and the hunters hold their breath deeply as they saw the tall stature of the Bounded Shroud and the blood splattered on his garments—the blood of the crows that he obliterated earlier. Soon, Lina turned to the Bounded Shroud and gulped her own breath before she let it out.
Lina speaks to the tall figure with fear that wasn't meant to leave her body.
"Bounded Shroud..."
She calls him out; her mouth was dried out from being terrified of being chased by the Unholy Beings outside of the cave.
"Pardon me and my fellow friends... we were seeking refuge from the foes, from those mindless creatures... B-but please don't kill us... because we didn't mean to bring any ill intention to you..."
The Bounded Shroud slowly turned his head towards Lina; his face was expressionless, as he was an Unholy Beings but he too was a higher-ranking Unholy Being, which means he could easily destroy both humans and other lower-ranking Unholy Beings. Despite that, he chooses not to because he also has free will like humans, and also the fate of the prisoners and the hunters will be in his hands if he is being forced to.
Soon, the Bounded Shroud begins to speak in Old English, which he used to speak with other beings that could speak likewise.
"Very well, if thy were taking refuge in my sanctuary, you may reside, but I expected thy wouldst keep thine promises..."
The rest of the prisoners exhale their breath, which they have been holding for a while. as they got a green light from the powerful being as Bounded Shroud himself. Therefore, Silas and Vale try to not make a scene, as they both know that the Bounded Shroud is out of their league; they can't fight him head-on.
Then, Vale thinks in his mind while gritting his teeth as he stares upon the Bounded Shroud. He murmurs under his breath about the situation as he assumes that the plan might be wasted or delayed even longer.
"Dammit... this shouldn't have been like this... How the hell am I going to escape this hellish realm? Fuck! Fuck!"
Silas, on Vale's side, notices the uneasiness and weariness on Vale's face; he then speaks to him in a low tone, like he is whispering to him.
"Vale... there is nothing to worry about... Just chill and try to not waste your mood in this moment..." He said and patted Vale's shoulder gently as he chuckled; henceforth, his playfulness vanished like an ash being blown away by a strong wind, and he spoke coldly to Vale.
"But remember one thing, don't fuck it up... you know both of us want to leave this realm alive... am I right?"
Soon, Vale nodded in silence while watching the scene unfold. He gulps as he tries to figure out the plan for escaping the realm without losing his life.