Tyler dumped the slimes into a bucket and shoved it toward the Merchant’s hologram. The figure flickered, its eyes widening in open disbelief. For a moment, it simply stared.

Was it always this easy to gather slimes? And this many?

The Merchant’s gaze shifted between Tyler and the overflowing bucket, clearly trying to process what it was seeing. Another question crept in, quieter but just as puzzling— where did he even get a bucket?

Tyler, meanwhile, had already moved on.

"I’m taking everything..." he declared, reaching straight for the arrows displayed on the stall.

The moment his fingers brushed past them toward the other items, the rest began to tremble violently. A sharp vibration ran through the stall, and before he could react, the untouched items collapsed inward and self-destructed in a burst of fading light.

"What the heck?" Tyler pulled his hand back, frowning.

"You can only take one," the Merchant replied flatly, as if this should have been obvious from the start.

Tyler’s mouth twitched in irritation. Of course there was a catch.

Strangely, the Merchant showed no interest at all in the bucket of slimes Tyler had brought. He merely glanced at it once, then shrugged, as if it were nothing more than a mildly amusing oddity.

Clicking his tongue, Tyler grabbed a single arrow from the selection. Without hesitation, he passed the entire quiver to Tansy.

Tansy’s face lit up. "cool." she said, already taking it from him. She fastened the quiver neatly at her side, her movements quick and practiced.

Curious, she pulled out what looked like a short, unimpressive stick. Just as Tyler did, she also held the stick harder

The moment it left the quiver, it shimmered and expanded, transforming into a full-sized arrow in her hand.

Her eyes sparkled. "Whoa..."

Before she could test it further—

Ring~~

A sharp alarm echoed through the area.

The transparent barrier surrounding them began to flicker and close again, its edges sealing like an invisible wall knitting itself back together. Destroying all the buildings and everything on it’s way.

Tyler didn’t waste time. "Let’s go. We need to find Rose and Old Man Rudd."

Tansy nodded, still gripping the arrow, and hurried after him.

As they crossed the threshold and stepped away from the stall—

"All the best..." the Merchant called out, his voice echoing faintly behind them.

A few minutes later, the barrier arrived.

But instead of crushing the Merchant’s stall, it parted around it, creating a narrow opening as if acknowledging its presence. The stall remained untouched.

From below, a hidden platform shifted open.

The Merchant’s true body climbed up from beneath, no longer a mere projection. He walked over to the bucket, picked it up with a satisfied nod, and turned to leave.

Behind him, the stall began to crumble.

Panels split apart, edges dissolving into fragments of light. Within seconds, the entire structure collapsed into nothingness, as if it had never existed at all.

┉┈ ◈ ◉ ◈ ┈┉

In the middle of the road, Rose walked alone, a gun hanging loosely in her hand. Her face was blank— too blank. The bright, cheerful girl she once was had vanished, replaced by a hollow stillness that felt almost unnatural.

She stood at the center of a four-way intersection, surrounded by abandoned vehicles and broken streetlights. The wind dragged dust across the asphalt, but she didn’t move.

"Look— there’s a girl!" someone shouted from a distance.

A man raised his gun and aimed straight at her.

Rose turned her head slowly and looked at him.

Bang. Bang.

The shots rang out— but not in the way anyone expected.

The man’s body jerked as he pulled the trigger... and instead of hitting Rose, he spun and shot the person beside him. The second man collapsed instantly, confusion frozen on his face.

The shooter’s eyes had already changed— pupils replaced with bright, glowing heart-shaped symbols.

"This girl is weird! Throw a grenade!" another voice yelled from the opposite side of the road.

A grenade arced through the air, spinning toward Rose.

Swish—

An arrow cut through the sky with deadly precision. It struck the grenade mid-flight, piercing it cleanly.

BOOM!

The explosion erupted in the air, scattering fire and smoke harmlessly above.

"Rose!!!"

Tansy sprinted toward her, bow still in hand, another arrow ready. Tyler followed close behind, scanning every direction with sharp, alert eyes, his gun raised and steady.

Tansy reached Rose first and pulled her into a tight hug.

"Are you alright?" she asked quickly, her voice trembling.

Rose didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she looked around as if searching for something missing.

"Where is Old Man Rudd?" Tansy added. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

That was enough.

Rose’s body shook.

She clutched Tansy tightly and broke down, crying loudly— raw, uncontrollable sobs that echoed across the empty street.

Tansy’s expression softened. She understood without needing words.

Behind them, Tyler’s eyes darkened. He turned sharply, aiming at a parked car nearby.

Bang!

The bullet struck the diesel tank.

A second later—

BOOOOM!

The car exploded violently, flames bursting outward and smoke rising thick into the air.

And when the fire settled...

Tyler, Tansy, and Rose were gone.

---

Hidden away from sight, Rose had fallen asleep in Tansy’s arms, her body exhausted from emotional collapse.

Tyler climbed up the side of a nearby building and reached the terrace in seconds. From there, he scanned the surroundings.

His eyes narrowed.

The barrier had already begun closing in.

It was close— too close.

Roughly within fifty to a hundred meters in all directions. A shrinking cage.

Tyler dropped back down.

Tansy gently laid Rose on the ground, brushing her hair back carefully before standing and walking toward him.

"Looks like the barrier is closing in," Tyler said quietly. "We’re near the center. Others will come here."

He paused.

"We wait. Then we ambush."

Tansy didn’t hesitate.

"I’ll kill them all," she said coldly. "You protect Rose."

She turned—

Bang!

A shot rang out.

Tyler reacted instantly, shoving Tansy aside.

The bullet tore into his shoulder.

It wasn’t normal— it pierced straight through, ripping past his armor.

"Tyler!" Tansy shouted.

He hit the ground hard, blood spreading quickly.

"Go... Save Rose..." he forced out through clenched teeth.

Tansy spun, already drawing her bow. She aimed at the direction of the attack—

But the enemy was hidden behind a concrete pillar.

And worse...

The gun was now aimed at Rose.

"No!!"

Tansy dropped everything and sprinted.

Her legs burned as she pushed forward, desperate.

Halfway there—

She stumbled and fell hard onto the ground.

But she didn’t stop.

She forced herself up again and ran faster, ignoring the pain.

Rose’s eyes slowly opened.

The first thing she saw—

Her sister, running toward her.

Bang.

The shot echoed.

Tansy’s body jerked violently.

Blood splattered across Rose’s face.

The force of the bullet drove into Tansy, but it didn’t reach Rose. Her armor held, and most of the impact had already been absorbed by Tansy’s body.

"Sister...?" Rose whispered, confused.

At that exact moment—

Tyler moved.

He yanked out a bronze medical capsule and drove it straight into his wounded shoulder. The device hissed as it activated, releasing a surge of nanites into his bloodstream. They spread rapidly, sealing torn flesh, reinforcing damaged tissue, and forcing his body back into a functional state.

Pain still burned through him— but it no longer controlled him.

Tyler pushed himself to his feet.

Without hesitation, he pulled a grenade from his belt and hurled it toward the concrete pillar where the ambusher hid.

The grenade flew past the edge—

But before it could land—

BOOM!

It detonated mid-air.

The explosion didn’t scatter outward. Instead, it curved inward with precise control, the blast folding toward the hidden space behind the pillar.

A sharp scream rang out—

Then was abruptly cut short.

Silence followed.

The ambusher— a woman— collapsed from behind cover, her body lifeless as it hit the ground.

Tyler lowered his hand slightly, his breathing steady but heavy. He had already seeded the grenade with nanobots, allowing him to trigger and shape the explosion at will. Perfect timing. Perfect execution.

But the moment he turned back—

Everything stopped.

His body froze.

His jaw slowly dropped.

Tansy... was lying on the ground.

Still.

Silent.

Dead.

Rose knelt beside her, clutching Tansy’s body tightly, her cries breaking through the empty street. Her hands trembled as she tried to shake her awake, as if refusing to accept what was right in front of her.

"Sister... please... wake up..."

But Tansy didn’t move. She didn’t breathe. She didn’t respond. She was already dead.

What made Tyler’s eyes widen in shock was—

Not far from them, at the spot where Tansy had fallen earlier, another body lay on the ground.

Another... Tansy.

The same clothes. The same face. For a split second, the world felt unreal.

Then—

A faint movement. A twitch of fingers. A slow intake of breath.

The second Tansy began to rise, confused. She quickly checked her body, searching for any sign of a bullet wound.