The suffocating darkness lingered around her like an endless void, pressing in from all sides as Mira curled slightly into herself, her arms wrapping tightly around her trembling form as though she could hold herself together if she just tried hard enough, her breath uneven and fragile as her thoughts echoed within that hollow silence.

"I—I don’t expect anything..." she whispered faintly, her voice barely rising above the void that surrounded her, her lips trembling as the words slipped out, "n-nobody should risk their life for me... n-nobody should..."

Her fingers tightened against her sleeves, her shoulders shaking as the weight of those thoughts settled deeper, threatening to consume her entirely.

And then—

"Miraaaa!"

The sound tore through the silence.

Sharp. Urgent and real.

"Wake up!!"

Another voice followed, overlapping the first, carrying a different kind of intensity.

"Be gentle, will you!"

"And why are you even here!"

The darkness cracked.

Mira stirred as though pulled from a deep abyss, her brows knitting together slightly as her teary eyes fluttered open, her vision unfocused at first as the world around her began to shift, the oppressive void dissolving into something tangible, something real.

The cold ground beneath her back.

The faint movement of air brushing against her skin.

The dim, gloomy sky stretched above, heavy and unnatural, as though the very light of the world had been swallowed, leaving behind only a dull, oppressive glow.

Reality settled in slowly.

Her breathing steadied just enough as she blinked, once, then again, her gaze finally clearing as she turned her head slightly, her surroundings coming into focus.

And then —-

"You are finally awake."

The voice came clearly now, grounded and unmistakable.

Mira’s eyes lifted, finding Damon and Serena standing nearby, their presence cutting through the remnants of the illusion she had just been trapped within.

Damon looked down at her, his brows slightly furrowed as irritation lingered plainly on his face, as though her current state was less a concern and more an inconvenience.

"What," he said, his tone carrying a sharp edge, almost mocking in its delivery, "didn’t expect me to jump down after you?"

Mira stared at him.

Her mind struggling to catch up with reality.

"Huh?"

***

[Some Time Ago]

Outside the swirling rupture of space where the breach had torn itself open, Damon had slowed to a stop, the chaotic winds of disrupted mana whipping faintly around him as the dark vortex pulsed with an unnatural gravity, its presence distorting the very air and light around it.

A sharp click of his tongue escaped him as his gaze landed on Serena, who stood a short distance away, her expression composed yet alert, her eyes fixed on the breach with a calculating sharpness.

"How much time would it take for her rescue?" Damon asked, his tone controlled, though the faint edge of impatience beneath it was unmistakable.

Serena’s brows drew together slightly as she considered the question, her mind moving through the standard protocol as she answered, her voice steady.

"It depends," she said, her gaze still on the breach, "first, the area will be cleared to avoid further casualties, then the breach level will be assessed, and only after that will a suitable party be assembled to enter."

Damon’s eyes narrowed slightly, irritation flickering across his expression as the delay became apparent.

"Can’t the dean of the academy or someone just go in?" he asked, his tone sharpening.

Serena turned toward him immediately, her own irritation surfacing as her composure cracked just enough to reveal it.

"Have you gone senile or what?" she snapped, her voice cutting through the surrounding chaos, "don’t you know that if someone stronger than the breach level enters, the breach will destabilize and collapse, destroying everything inside along with it?"

Damon fell silent.

His gaze lowered and thoughts shifted.

...That potion bag can’t even fight for herself.

She won’t last until rescue arrives.

A brief pause.

Then—

Every investment with high returns comes with higher risks.

His eyes sharpened.

I am a Sterling.

If I can’t take risks... how do I claim the benefits?

The unstable flow of mana around the breach pulsed again, and his gaze lifted slightly, assessing it with quiet precision.

And from the level of disruption... this doesn’t feel like a high-level breach.

The decision settled instantly.

Without another word, Damon turned back toward the vortex, his hesitation gone as he stepped forward and leapt into the swirling darkness, his figure disappearing into it in a single motion.

You better return me ten times the value.

"Y—" Serena began, startled by the sudden action, her words cutting off as she watched his back vanish into the breach, her eyes narrowing sharply.

"...Tch."

A brief moment passed.

Then, with a decisive movement, she followed.

Jumping into the breach right after him.

***

[Back to Present]

"Ahh—mh... mhh—!"

"Waaaahhhhhahh!"

Mira’s breath hitched violently as the tears she had been holding back surged all at once, spilling freely down her cheeks as her entire body shook, her voice breaking into uneven, uncontrollable sobs.

"Mhh... ahh... thank you—thank you... mhahh... ahh...!"

Before Damon could react, she moved forward and wrapped her arms around him, clutching him tightly as though anchoring herself to something real, something solid, her fingers gripping his clothes as she cried against him, her breaths coming in uneven gasps as she tried to steady herself.

Damon stiffened completely.

His body froze for a moment, his hands hovering awkwardly in the air as though unsure where to place them, his expression caught between confusion and mild discomfort as he glanced down at her.

"L-let’s just..." he started, his voice slightly off balance, betraying a rare lack of composure, "let’s just think of a way to get out of here..."

He avoided looking directly at her, clearly unsure how to deal with the situation, his usual calm control slipping just enough to make the moment feel unfamiliar to him.

A few steps away, Serena watched the scene in silence, her gaze moving between the two of them, her expression unreadable yet sharp, as though she was observing something beyond just the surface.

Then she spoke.

Calmly.

Directly.

"Can’t you see your best friend now?"

Mira’s grip on Damon loosened only slightly before she turned, her tear-filled eyes immediately finding Serena, and in the next moment she stepped forward and hugged her just as tightly, her emotions spilling over once again as her voice trembled between sobs.

"Th-thank you... thank you... mhh...!" she cried, her fingers clutching onto Serena as though afraid that if she let go, everything around her would collapse again.

Serena stiffened for a brief moment at the sudden contact, clearly not accustomed to such open displays of emotion, yet after that initial pause, her expression softened just enough as she placed a hand gently on Mira’s back, patting her in an almost awkward but sincere attempt to comfort her.

"It’s okay... it’s okay," she said quietly, her voice far calmer than Mira’s, steady enough to ground her.

A few steps away, Damon had already turned his attention elsewhere.

His gaze moved across their surroundings, sharp and observant, taking in the environment with careful precision.

The breach stretched out like a broken world frozen in ruin, a landscape that resembled the aftermath of a long-forgotten catastrophe, where the sky hung dark and oppressive, thick clouds swirling unnaturally as faint cracks of distorted light flickered across it, while below, the remains of what once might have been a city lay scattered in disarray.

Collapsed buildings leaned at impossible angles.

Fragments of walls and shattered structures jutted out from the ground like the remains of something violently torn apart.

Broken pathways twisted into nothingness.

And everywhere—

There was silence.

An unnatural, hollow silence that made the entire place feel abandoned, as though whatever had once lived here had long since vanished.

Damon’s eyes narrowed slightly as he took it all in.

"Now what?" he said, his voice cutting through the stillness, "do we just wait here for someone to rescue us... or do we move forward?"

Mira slowly pulled back from Serena, still wiping at her tears with the back of her hand as she tried to steady herself, her breathing gradually returning to normal.

Serena glanced around briefly before responding, her tone thoughtful.

"We don’t know how time flows inside a breach," she said, her eyes scanning the surroundings, "so it won’t hurt to look around."

Damon gave a small nod.

Agreed.

Without wasting another moment, he stepped forward, his posture shifting into a guarded stance as his awareness sharpened, every movement measured as he began to lead the way.

Mira instinctively moved closer to Serena, grabbing onto her arm as they followed behind Damon, their steps cautious as they navigated through the fractured remains of the ruined landscape.

They walked.

Through broken architecture.

Past crumbling structures.

Across uneven ground littered with debris.

And all the while—

Silence followed them.

Damon’s thoughts moved as his eyes scanned the surroundings.

...It looks like an entire civilization has been destroyed.

Then what exactly is the condition to clear this breach...?

The question lingered.

Until—

"Ohh! L-look... what kind of bird is that?"

Mira’s voice broke the silence, her tone carrying a mix of curiosity and unease as she pointed ahead.

Damon, who had been looking slightly downward in thought, frowned faintly.

A bird...?

He snapped his head up.

And saw it.

A crow.

Perched on the remains of a fractured structure, its dark form unnaturally still as it stared directly at them, its eyes glinting with something far too aware to be natural.

For a split second—

Nothing happened.

Then—

Light burst from it.

A sharp, piercing sound tore through the air as a mechanical siren-like voice echoed across the ruined landscape.

"WARNING! HUMANS SPOTTED! HUMANS SPOTTED!"