Two months had passed ever since that fated dinner with Cerulean, the Stronghold Leader of the Ice Wing Stronghold. And thanks to that meal, Kazuichi, and his companions’ eyes were opened to the cold hard truth of the apocalypse.

For one, the virus was an alien species, and it was slowly taking over the world. And the meteorite ores that contained the virus had become precious items for the Hybrids.

These meteorite ores were the reasons why Aberrants and Omega Zombies existed. After all, they contained potent amounts of the zombie virus, and direct exposure to it could cause an infected species to evolve.

Of course, the higher the risks, the greater the rewards. On one side, a Hybrid exposed to a meteorite orb could level up and become an even stronger Hybrid. And on the other side, the Hybrid might be overwhelmed by the virus, and it might turn him into a mindless zombie. Nature still had a way of balancing things out, and thanks to that, the rise of Hybrids was slowed down in the past months.

...

Currently, Kazuichi, Amaya, and Tris were still staying in the Scarlet Blood Stronghold. Since Ayaka was kind enough to take them in, they obliged the offer. This also prompted them to politely decline Cerulean’s offer of joining the Ice Wing Stronghold.

In the first place, Kazuichi had no plans of joining any strongholds. His only goal was to get back home after being forcefully abducted by a couple of zombie hunters. Now he found himself with two sisters who won’t part ways with him just so they could return their favor of reuniting with each other.

As for Sano and his younger sister, though, they decided to stay in the Scarlet Blood Stronghold. Ayaka was glad that they chose to stay. After all, they were formidable Hounds who were talented enough to lead scouts who venture outside.

"Why didn’t you accept his offer? I’m sure it would’ve benefited you a lot in the long run." Tris asked out of nowhere while they waited for the first light. It was already the next day, and after two months of staying and helping out in the Scarlet Blood Stronghold, they were finally leaving.

"It had been two months, Tris, why were you still thinking about that?" Kazuichi calmly answered while patting Amaya on the head.

Apparently, Tris felt a tad bit guilty since her opinions heavily affected Kazuichi’s decision. That day, she acted as if she resented Cerulean to the deepest depths of her mind, even going out of her way to stab him in the shoulder while he didn’t bother retaliating.

Adding to that, she was also the first one to decline the offer, and Kazuichi declined after her. Of course, she’d feel as if Kazuichi just followed through with her decision.

"I already told you why. I didn’t want to be tied to a stronghold." Kazuichi said, repeating what Tris reasoned when they were talking to Cerulean.

Amaya remained quiet as she clung to Kazuichi’s leg. As soon as the dawn breaks, they’ll be leaving the Scarlet Blood Stronghold and heading to the other side of the country.

In total, they need to pass through five more cities before they arrived at Kazuichi’s place. Then again, these cities could hardly be called cities since they were dilapidated and inhabited to the brim with zombies.

Fortunately, they have Amaya with them. She’d be able to keep the zombies at bay with her being a Canary. And if they fell into a real threat, Kazuichi was fairly certain that he’d be able to deal with that when the time comes.

Even with most of their journey planned out, they knew that something was bound to go wrong. They made a mental note to themselves to avoid a couple of things.

One: They have to avoid contacting other shelters since they don’t know whether they’re hostile or not. This would also decrease their chance of getting into disputes.

Two: They have to gain as much knowledge of the place as they could so as not to offend Hybrids and Aberrants who frequent that particular place. This would also help them gather more information about the meteorite ores and where the Omega Zombies are located.

And lastly. Three: They have to avoid Omega Zombies at all costs unless, of course, they have no choice but to fight. Omega Zombies had already absorbed a large meteorite ore in their body, that’s why they were one of the most powerful infected to ever set foot on the planet. This meteorite ore could be harvested as soon as the Omega Zombie was killed, and Kazuichi could use it to power up.

Then again, he wasn’t confident that he’d be able to take on an Omega Zombie alone. That’s why he just had to stick to destroying Aberrants’ nests. That way he could still get a couple of small meteorite ores without putting his life at risk.

From the horizon, the first light finally appeared, raining down multiple sunrays at the Scarlet Blood Stronghold. As if on cue, Ayaka approached the group while they stood in front of the stronghold entrance. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

It was a somewhat cold morning, so Ayaka was donning a hoodie and thick pants. Hybrids don’t really have to worry about the cold, but this outfit was comfortable for her so she didn’t bother changing.

"You’re leaving?" Ayaka asked, standing in front of Kazuichi as if she was expecting something.

"Yeah, thank you so much for accommodating us." Kazuichi stiffly responded. Ayaka was too close, and not only that, her cleavage was touching his chest, which made it harder for him to look down.

Coquettishly, Ayaka gestured for Kazuichi to lean forward so she could whisper something. "Remember that gift I gave you?"

"Yes, why?" Kazuichi asked. He wondered why Ayaka brought it up out of nowhere.

"It was mine. I got it from myself." She responded, before giving Kazuichi’s head a hug.

Before Tris could say anything, however, Ayaka let go of Kazuichi before waving her hand. "Take care out there! Make sure you visit us from time to time!"

"And don’t forget, I know your secret!" Ayaka chuckled.

As the group exited the Scarlet Blood Stronghold, Kazuichi’s face reddened into a nice shade of beet red. He covered his mouth with his hand before he whispered to himself. "It was her... it was hers! What?!"

Meanwhile, Tris just eyed him a bit suspiciously while he panicked inwardly.