***

“Haka, wake up!”

Kiyo yanked the blanket away, and the morning air immediately assaulted Haka’s body without mercy. The pink-haired boy only let out a low groan, stretched once, then curled back up on the bed as if the world around him didn’t exist.

“Five… more minutes…”

“You’ve said that five times already.” Kiyo’s voice remained flat. He took a deep breath, then reached for Haka’s arm and pulled.

“Get up. It’s eight in the morning. Aisha’s already ready. We’re meeting Fudo today.”

Haka didn’t move.

From the bathroom, Aisha stepped out while combing her violet hair.

“Hey, Kiyo. Can you help me slice the bread later?”

Kiyo froze. He exhaled quietly and adjusted his glasses.

“Sure. In that case, please wake Haka up.”

“Okay! Leave it to me!” Aisha grinned and gave a thumbs-up.

***

By nine in the morning, Batora’s market was already buzzing with activity. Stalls stood tightly packed, selling fresh vegetables, meat, and household tools. Carts and vehicles passed by endlessly, creating a noise that never truly faded.

Among the crowd, three teenagers walked side by side.

Haka lagged behind the most. His steps sluggish, eyes half-closed. He pulled his dark green jacket tighter, warding off the morning chill.

“Why does it have to be this early…” he muttered with a yawn.

“If we wait until noon, Fudo’s usually busy,” Kiyo replied, glancing at him. “Now is better.”

“And we need to earn money too!” Aisha added cheerfully.

Haka snorted, rubbing his hair.

“Do whatever you want. Remnants usually show up in the afternoon anyway.”

He yawned again.

“I still want to sleep, you know.”

Kiyo stopped walking. He turned, brows slightly furrowed.

“Why are you even lazier than usual?”

“—Huh?!”

Haka straightened immediately, eyes wide.

“What do you mean lazier than usual?!”

“And just so you know—I’m tired, okay? Tired!”

He crossed his arms and turned away with an annoyed huff.

Kiyo fell silent, his gaze shifting elsewhere as if deciding not to push further.

Aisha quickly stepped in.

“Alright, alright. You two…”

She smiled and wrapped an arm around Haka’s shoulders.

“When it’s time to hunt Remnants, you’re always the most excited one.”

Haka grinned instantly.

“Well… depends on what they’re like.”

They continued until they reached an old two-story building—an antique shop where Fudo usually sold his finds.

The man was already there, sitting casually in front of the shop with a cup of black coffee in hand. His amber eyes lifted as he saw them approach, a faint smile forming.

“Morning,” he greeted lightly. “What brings you here?”

“We need information about Remnant activity around Batora,” Haka said straight to the point. “Do you know anything?”

Fudo set his cup down, folding his hands calmly.

“Oh? Going hunting already? That’s early.”

“The sooner the better,” Kiyo replied. “We can’t stay in this city for long.”

Fudo smiled faintly.

“Then there’s a good hunting spot here. Batora’s surrounded by mountains.”

He raised a finger. “The southeastern forest. There are Remnants there. Tomori hasn’t dealt with them yet—they’re still stationed in the western district.”

“How many?” Haka asked.

“That,” Fudo said, lifting his coffee again, “I don’t know.”

“Alright. Let’s move,” Aisha said. Haka and Kiyo nodded.

“Thanks, Fudo,” Haka said as they left. “We’ll be back after the hunt.”

“Be careful,” Fudo replied, waving.

***

They passed through Batora’s public gate along with other travelers and citizens leaving the city. The road turned into dry grassland, brown blades swaying in the wind as the path gradually sloped upward toward the mountain forest.

About fifteen minutes later, tall trees began to block their view.

The southeastern forest.

A dense canopy covered the ground, allowing sunlight to slip through only in pale fragments. The air felt colder, and their footsteps sounded unnaturally loud. Aside from sparse bird calls, the forest was nearly silent.

Too silent.

“There aren’t any wild animals here, right?” Aisha asked quietly, eyes tracking the shadows between the trees.

“Not sure,” Haka replied. “The mountains surround Batora completely. There could be predators.”

His yellow eyes scanned the area, alert—yet his hand remained close to his left wrist.

Haka stopped first.

He felt something—not a sound or a smell, but a faint pressure in the air. Like something watching from behind the trees.

“Stop,” he whispered.

Kiyo and Aisha halted. The three stood still, letting the forest “breathe” again.

Then, a sound.

Scraping.

Slow. Heavy. Like something being dragged across the ground.

From behind the trees, a figure emerged. A human body—or what remained of one.

Its skin was blackened and peeling in places, tattered clothes clinging stiffly to a body that should no longer move. Its head hung at an unnatural angle, its neck clearly broken.

A Remnant.

“The number...” Aisha whispered.

One became three. Three became six. They emerged from different directions, dragging their feet, joints stiff and wrong.

As they should be.

Haka exhaled quietly. Normal.

Then one of the Remnants looked up.

And ran.

Not dragging.

Not stumbling.

Running.

Its feet slammed into the ground as the rotting body shot forward between the trees at an impossible speed. The others followed—six, seven—moving together like a pack of wild beasts.

Aisha froze. “W-Wait… they...”

“That shouldn’t be possible,” Kiyo said stiffly.

A chill ran down Haka’s spine. Dead bodies don’t run. Decayed muscles don’t contract like that. Rigid joints don’t move so smoothly.

“These aren’t normal Remnants,” Haka muttered.

Then he grinned.

“That makes it interesting.”

The ground trembled as they closed in. The air grew heavy, filled with chaotic, starving mana.

And then Haka realized—They weren’t just fast.

They were hunting.

“Get ready,” Haka said, stepping forward. His voice was firm, almost excited.

“Kiyo, fall back.”

Kiyo clenched his teeth. He knew why. His Neutral Magic—Resetter—wasn’t meant for direct combat.

“I’ll stay behind,” he said, stepping back cautiously. “Don’t do anything reckless.”

Aisha stood beside Haka, slightly behind him. She took a deep breath, raised her hand—and just before clenching it, her fingers trembled faintly. A barely visible tremor.

Then her grip tightened. Her expression hardened. Threads of magic stirred in the air.

The nearest Remnant lunged.

Too fast.

The rotting body charged without hesitation, arm raised high. Black, sharpened claws flashed—

Crash.

The strike tore into Haka’s arm. Blood sprayed.

But Haka didn’t step back. Didn’t groan. His grin never faded.

The blood didn’t fall.

It stopped midair—swirling, flowing backward, forming sharp arcs before freezing instantly.

The crimson darkened, hardened—becoming a double-bladed axe, its handle formed from solidified blood perfectly molded in Haka’s grip.

With a clean swing, the blood-axe cleaved through the Remnant. The body split apart and collapsed to the ground with a hollow thud.

Aisha swallowed. Her magic threads shimmered between her fingers.

“Next,” Haka muttered, already locking onto another target.

And this time, he welcomed them.

Haka moved with agility and precision, weaving between the charging Remnants. Every swing of his blood weapon struck true—shattering bones, tearing apart decayed flesh.

Bodies fell one by one, scattering across the forest floor without a single scream.

Aisha raised her hands. Thin, gleaming threads shot through the air. In an instant, they wrapped around the Remnants, slicing them cleanly—no blood, no residue.

“Haka! Ten o’clock!” she shouted.

Reflex.

Haka leapt, boots slamming against a tree trunk as his body launched upward. The Remnants below swiped uselessly at empty air.

Midair, the blood weapon pulsed—shifting shape. The axe broadened, solidified, transforming into a massive hammer.

Haka swung it down without hesitation.

A thunderous impact shook the ground as the hammer crushed the Remnants below.

“Haka—!”

He turned sharply. “Kiyo! Behind you!”

Kiyo looked back. And before he could react, the Remnant lunging at him was sliced apart.

Aisha had moved first.

Kiyo froze, staring at the severed body near his feet. That had been close.

“Nice work, Aisha,” Haka grinned.

She nodded, smiling faintly. “Still many left?”

“Just a few.”

Haka raised the massive hammer, stomped the ground, and launched forward, roaring as he smashed into the remaining Remnants.

“Now, Aisha!”

“Got it!”

She swung both arms. The threads at her fingertips surged, ensnaring every Remnant. With a sharp pull, they were severed cleanly.

Silence returned to the forest.

Broken bodies lay scattered as thin black smoke rose from them, writhing briefly before fading into the air.

“Haaah… finally,” Aisha dropped to the ground, exhaling in relief.

“That was more than usual.”

Haka stood still as the blood hammer pulsed and flowed back into his body through the wound on his arm.

“Kiyo, you alright?” he asked.

Kiyo nodded, heart still racing—but uninjured.

“Haka, let me heal that,” he said, stepping closer.

Haka offered his arm. Green light enveloped it as Kiyo activated his magic, resetting the wound until the skin was clean, as if it had never bled.

“You’re right,” Haka said quietly, scanning the forest.

“That was way more Remnants than usual. Even the abandoned city had fewer.”

“What made them gather like that?” he wondered.

“And they were running,” Kiyo added. “They shouldn’t be able to do that.”

“They’re just corpses—lost souls inhabiting dead bodies,” he continued.

“Rotting bodies shouldn’t move like that.”

“Could it be because this area’s near the mountains?” Aisha suggested.

“People from all over gather here. Maybe Sacred Magic users attract that much mana?”

“No amount of mana would make them run like that,” Haka replied. His arm was fully restored now.

Aisha stretched.

“So it’s an anomaly. Should we report it?”

“Bad idea,” Haka said, pulling down his sleeve.

“Tomori would get suspicious.”

“Yeah… true,” Aisha chuckled awkwardly.

“At least those souls will move on to find new bodies,” Haka said, hands on his hips.

“And our income’s secure.”

“Now, let’s collect whatever we can!”

As Haka and Aisha moved ahead, Kiyo lingered behind.

His gaze fixed on the ground.

On the Remnants’ footprints.

Too deep.

Too uniform.

“This isn’t a coincidence,” he murmured.

And for the first time in a long while—

He hoped he was wrong.