| FIRST HALF |

- OUT OF NADIR -

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"For The Sake Of Ourselves."

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"He's still alive!"

A loud voice echoed under the dawn sky. Several people in rough clothes with various rune symbols on the ends, also equipped with warm bear fur coats, gathered at one point.

The figures surrounded someone beneath their feet. A skinny man with a moose skin pouch covering most of his backside. Its owner, who was more like a baby rodent, took shelter in a hole, beneath its mother's body for warmth. The hole made by the man who was previously thought dead was quite deep, the wet and textured sands of the beach almost burying him from the outside and inside.

Shells, even small crabs hid behind its bends. The chaos that occurred in this impromptu puddle did not affect anyone's body to immediately lift the figure out.

Until, a hand reached out for him. He was the one who was going to lift the man out of this hole of his salvation. However, the feet and hands of the still unconscious man hid and stabbed like earth nails into the sand above and below him.

The slightly caring hand pulled it gently, opening the lump of sand that had compacted on top of the submerged body. The action immediately revealed the torn wound on one of his legs.

The man with the biggest body and carrying the most stuff growled at the 'baby rodent.'

"It's okay, he has saved himself, then, his life is acknowledged by Liàsa for this morning. Treat him and wake him up, we will leave after sunrise." A Kafa-leader of the group ordered.

The snarls of the saving hand began to turn into meaningless babble. After a few moments of no response, a light but cruel slap was thrown. However, the injured man did not even move an inch.

Amidst the remnants of last night's storm, a group combing through the remains of civilization discovers a new territory.

A land mass appeared overnight, south of the continent, Pan Geya.

Despite having to go through extreme weather and difficult terrain. A group of people with the most reckless mentality actually visited the coast of the ocean, where everyone also knows that the widest waters with the thickest taste on the tongue, are the most forbidden areas for them.

It is said that there are some areas on earth that are uninhabitable. Starting from the most humid rainforests, to the wettest salty oceans.

Last night, a violent whirlwind whipped up into the sky, so large that it would not be an exaggeration to call it a mountain standing on the horizon.

The typhoon that came from the ocean brought heavy rain in a dense volume and fast. They pretended to rain with the impact of waterfalls when they wet the coast. Even dead fish were scattered everywhere. Making a fishy smell also spread everywhere.

The man whose life he had managed to save himself from the great storm, began to open his eyes.

Someone slapped him again, now with a tuna corpse. The fresh fish head was chewed as a snack by the person who slapped it.

The dazed eyes immediately rose and endured the pain from his legs which were now wrapped cleanly with new cloth. The small bones that he remembered that last night were still scattered on his clothes were now gone. However, the pain was still extraordinary. The same pain fortunately was not what woke him up. Who knows what kind of sleep he experienced that the pain no longer gnawed at him like yesterday.

"Quick, we don't have much time here. Other groups might come before we acknowledge the emerging land."

Another man who looked quite young and small crouched down to touch the wet sand beneath his feet. Right next to the big man who was now eating a raw fish that was half- eaten.

"Or 'they' will come." The Kafa continued.

He spoke to his confidant. Although, the man's injuries may also have prevented him from continuing the rescue.

"We should wait and see, after last night's storm, not a single Visaganti was carried away by the storm. This is strange, the coast should be filled with them by now." The man was honestly hurt.

"It's not your job to make decisions. As Solel, aka my maid, what you should be doing is to organize everyone to truly follow their Kafa." There was no anger in his tone, but the sarcasm was strong.

Sometimes the wounded man whose position in the group was called, Solel, cursed in his heart. The annoyance of not liking something he couldn't even define, made a rough, disturbing whirr.

"There's someone!" another member shouted.

The Kafa raised an eyebrow at his Solel, making it clear that this was what would happen if they didn't quickly claim the new territory.

Just before looking into the distance where his members were pointing, Sang Kafa felt the ground vibrate at a regular tempo.

The people's feet there were even moving up and down a little. "That's... Visaganti! there's that sea anomaly behind them!" Right at sunrise, five people ran towards the coast.

New land emerging from the receding sea water makes the journey of the group of people in front full of challenges.

Several times they fell or got stuck among the coral reefs. One of them was even injured and limped.

Two other people helped carry him. They wore strange clothes with simple gray accents. Different from Sang Kafa's group who were on the coast, right on the border between the sea that was still there 'yesterday' and the land.

What the Kafa remembered was that perhaps they were people who lived in the tundra area, so their traveling clothes followed the style of 'blending with the snow.'

However, the tundra area is a region that is very far from the coast.

The sand vibrated again, strand after strand of tendrils like octopus tentacles emerged from behind the yellow glare of the horizon. The tentacles, which moved flexibly, were covered in tough sea plants and covered in barnacles, like the back of a whale.

One.

Two.

Three.

More tentacles continued to emerge from the direction of the sun. The main body finally emerged after the sixth tentacle. The creature seemed to writhe after its entire body was bathed in the latest sunlight.

People call it, Visaganti. Sea creatures that live on every coast. They seem to be born and grow in that area, so anyone who enters the territory will be aggressively destroyed by the 'wrath' of the mother who guards her nests.

The group that apparently arrived at the new area first experienced a major disaster when they met Visaganti.

They were shouting in an unclear language, at least even for Kafa and Solel of the first group.

"If you can get past the fringing reef, we'll help! Save yourself first! Release the injured one!" Sang Kafa shouted.

The tentacles that were floating everywhere started to grab one person who was running at the back. Flying him hundreds of meters away and catching him as he fell, then pulling his legs and head. Separating the body parts by tearing them apart.

A mournful scream filled with despair seemed to have slit the owner's throat before his own death.

Making his friends run towards the shore following his screams and cries. Their steps slowed down because of the strong mental pressure and fear. The smell of rotten eggs, garlic, even skunk carried in the air all the way to the shore.

The Kafa, who smelled this aroma, then stood up and raised one hand.

"Change of plans. We'll come back after the Visaganti eats them. This scent... that thing won't stop until it's satisfied torturing and using the rest." Finally, Sang Kafa, he left from there followed by most of his members.

However, not for this injured person.

"We promised to help! They'll be here soon and Liàsa even allowed us to help those who can save themselves, right?" Solel said bitterly.

His lips were dry and his face was dull and tired, he spoke in a worrying condition. However, his attitude was as if he was joking with their Kafa.

"You're arguing, Liàsa, with me? Really?"

His eyes were protected by long, camel-like fur, as if he was born for him. Being in the front row and facing the storm last night. Showing the right path and guiding everyone.

There were things that only they would understand more deeply for each of them than anyone else there.

Liàsa. Don't talk as if anyone knows more about Liàsa than Kafa.

"Talking about Liàsa? You do realize, right, that we're talking about the same Liàsa?" Liàsa, which also means abandoning those who are weak.

Himself.

A head slammed into the two of them. Rolled between the legs and stopped right in front of the Kafa's feet.

Another person gets the wrath of, Visaganti.

Solel gritted his teeth. He then supported his body on a wooden stick left over from last night's typhoon.

With his chaotic heart calling, his eyes drifted towards the three of them now. A young woman, a teenager in bright clothes, and a short man whose face seemed to have melted.

He let out a long roar, breaking through his own doubts and running towards them.

The same three people saw someone was going to help, then accelerated their escape rate.

Solel, who began to feel a tingling pain in his leg area, then fell down into the wet sand. The same sand also partly entered his nostrils and mouth, making his front teeth hurt from the impact. He then got back up and reached for something from his bear skin pocket, and limped back to them.

Another scream he let out to break through his last defense. Noradrenaline, perhaps already taking over his entire body, leaving the remaining spirit for the last defense of life. Welcoming death in front of his eyes to satisfy the strangeness in his own heart.

The next tentacle came and the three people ran behind it. At the same moment, he released a circle of thin cloth object towards Visaganti's body, creating a black circle in the body which was used to see, temporarily blinded by an explosion of smoke.

However, nothing happened, that didn't stop the tentacles from stretching.

And instead of him, the tentacle simply passed him by and managed to grab the teenager, dragging him roughly over the sharp rocks into the smoke.

Flesh and blood strewn along the fringing reef.

The aching sound of cracking bones and tearing flesh pierced the depths of his fear. Solel, then almost collapsed back to the ground before a hand supported him and helped him stay on his feet.

He thought he had been abandoned by the people he had saved earlier. However, they were still there with him. Even though the little man with the melted face could no longer see, he was the one who supported him the most. Meanwhile, the woman who turned out to be so incredibly beautiful when seen up close, stood a little further in front of them.

Protect it?

Without speaking, the woman looked straight into Solel's eyes. It was a look with universal meaning.

Thank You.

As the tentacles and bodies that had lost their sight rose again. The smoke began to disappear carried by the sea wind towards the southwest, slapping their faces that were cold from the air.

The rising light blocked their eyes from getting a wide view of the sea creature.

Suddenly, a large spear shot out and penetrated Visaganti's body, right through to his back.

From behind, even though their position was quite far away. The big man who had woken him up at the beginning, who in his group had the position of one, Sagel, shot the spear at the direction of Sang Kafa.

It turned out that two people from his group were still there.

Kafa, whose figure was being tossed by the sea wind, just stared at it silently.

As if given a second chance, the man whose eyes were now covered by his own skin and the heavenly woman, helped him run together again.

If they hadn't helped, maybe they would have escaped by now.

As if knowing that Solel was thinking about something, the speechless woman gave her a look as if to tell her that it was wrong. She pointed to an area on their right side with coral reefs and land filled with holes, there were many good places to hide. The woman also pointed to Solel's bag and made a throwing motion.

He seemed to understand.

Si Solel then grabbed some other balls and gave them to the woman. They would make the visibility, Visaganti, shorten and hide as they approached the coast and then disappeared among the mangrove forests to the southwest.

Visaganti, who seemed to have recovered from the shock of the big spear, once again got a smoke bomb. Its tentacles roamed from behind the smoke and grabbed everything around it. However, Solel and the two people he saved were now hiding behind a large coral reef.

The crazed tentacles even crashed into the large coral that protected them, sending coral fragments flying in all directions, raining down on them.

Solel peeked before shooting the second smoke ball. With the same condition, they crawled towards another large coral reef on the other side. The same thing kept repeating until the strange creature now started running in another direction, more precisely towards Sang Kafa and Sagel who were still standing on the shore.

Kafa ordered his subordinates to shoot another spear at the creature. Now, the creature that got the second spear then writhed and pulled out another body part on its upper part. The elongated body part had a mouth and sharp and abundant teeth. The big roar sprayed gray mucus along with the sharp smell of rotten eggs.

Without panicking, Sagel advanced with the mace he kept behind his body. He covered his Kafa with his big body and advanced, as crazy as, Visaganti.

The slimy tentacles with coral-like animals filling them charged towards Sagel. The first to third tentacles could easily pass through. They came from three different directions.

Then on the fourth tentacle, Sagel managed to read the rhythm of its attack, causing his large club to crush the tentacle's body which turned out to be not elastic. After the first fatal attack occurred, Sagel raised his arm again and spun his body with the club in hand. Making the body of the creature as big as an adult moose retreat backward.

The power of a Sagel has a great disparity with the type of weak people like in the position of Solel or Kafa. They seem to be born for this world. Where nature and all creatures other than humans can be balanced by their survival power.

Seeing, Visaganti who was now busy. Solel, took advantage of the moment to then run closer to the coast. They circled the scene of the fight and approached towards, Kafa.

The Kafa, who was still standing undisturbed, greeted them with the words, "Satisfied now? Then what will you do with them? Take them home?"

In fact, despite his fondness for sarcasm. This Kafa was also the one who indirectly helped him survive before. He was about to properly thank him before the Kafa raised his index finger to his lips to silence him, and pointed back at Sagel who was still fighting.

There, Sagel who was successfully caught was covered by the tentacles, Visaganti. He hugged him even tighter with his six tentacles. Making the large body turn bright red.

Sagel, shouted furiously with glaring eyes. The veins on his body tensed up and his mouth opened wide.

The body exploded under the pressure of the grip. Blood scattered everywhere, the flow even following the tentacle-shaped tendrils. The body that was finally crushed with blood that seemed to have been drained was brutally inserted into the serrated mouth, Visaganti. Making a strong and obvious moan of enjoyment.

To the side, Solel, the short man whose face was melting, began to fall and stiffen, his breath shortening and slowly starting to disappear.

Solel didn't know what to do, she was shocked.

The Kafa remained silent, as if he had known this would happen. He turned to Solel and smiled.

"Whether you want to follow, Liàsa, or not, in the end someone will die. Liàsa, prevent us from making any more deaths in vain. Now even though you managed to save that one. Your friend who has been with you since childhood until now died for her. And, your group who has been walking together with you, who finally has to leave, too? You know yourself what it means to travel home without someone, Sagel."

Solel, felt himself being slapped out of the atmosphere, then brought back firmly by the gravity of reality.

His face sank, shadowed in an abyss of guilt.

A small heart that doesn't even know the exact meaning of her urge to misinterpret, Liàsa. Now wavers when it collides with the death of the person closest to her.

As Sang Kafa began to leave, he had invited her. Even then, he had to rely on his own strength to be able to follow the line. He didn't seem to approve of these new people, but Solel couldn't do anything else.

Solel felt he would leave the woman and her friend to slow down, Visaganti, and go after his group.

However, the legs that should be able to move faster than his head just stayed still.

Her lips pursed, holding back the strange, strange feeling that was wandering.

A gentle touch brought him back to his senses.

The woman he saved bowed deeply to him. He nodded and took a step back, as if he had let her go with his Kafa.

While the woman was sitting alone and holding the head of her friend who suddenly fell unconscious. Her calm and gentle face was blown by the wind.

His strange light hair, his calm eyes, and most importantly his determination to sit there with his unconscious friend, made his figure look even more magnificent.

Possible.

Maybe this woman had the same drive as him, in seeing the life and death conditions of the people around them. In seeing how to survive in a world that was too strong for them.

The difference is, this woman doesn't ignore those strange feelings the same way he does.

He is steadfast, and... brave.

But at the last moment, when he tried to imitate, his feet changed direction and went away from there. The long stick he had been using to support himself seemed to no longer bother him.

Solel, steps forward with a lingering heart, or a growing sense of guilt.

The howling sound, Visaganti, was heard again. The smacking sound had disappeared, indicating that there was no one left in the grip of its tentacles.

The vibrations of the sand now rolled back, it was the sound of the creature's legs and arms being dragged alternately. The woman closed her eyes as she hugged the face that had melted in her lap even tighter.

He prepared himself for the final attack.

As shadows covered the sunlight from behind his eyelids, and a growl accompanied by rotten egg breath blew towards him.

Buagh!

A simple dull smacking sound immediately elicited a squirming sound of slime and a low growl from the aquatic creature.

"Go... Go now!" shouted Solel.

The woman opened her eyes, finding the limping man stabbing the end of a wooden stick which was immediately held by two tentacles.

A katana fell from his other grip. Glancing back, Sang Kafa called him an idiot, but he didn't budge. It seemed Solel had stolen the katana from him.

Whatever.

Solel might be ashamed, because why would someone who is now disabled like her, be the one to go to safety. Her body moved because of the feeling of wronging her life.

But, the woman who was unharmed, could only sit and resign herself to death.

If Liàsa was the one who made the death it wouldn't be any more in vain. So what Solel should do now is enforce it, right?

His captured body was not squeezed to death. The tentacle brought him closer and opened its mouth.

Solel, unconsciously defending herself by pushing the mouth that was about to open away with her injured leg. However, unfortunately, it was her leg that the creature had bitten until it was severed now.

The groans of pain were heard again. Fresh blood flowed profusely. Solid footsteps went away.

Solel, felt that the woman was now truly gone.

Anyone can't help themselves in the end to save themselves in a difficult situation. He was sure that woman was the same.

Solel, will not blame him for being upright, Liàsa.

He who is disabled should indeed give opportunities to those who are healthy.

Whatever he did now must be so that he would not have to die in guilt. Since he was not the strongest, he should not still be so confident in seeking safety. Unlike, Sagel, who was now gone. His death probably would not make it difficult for the other members of his group to survive on the journey home.

If only... If only... It wasn't Sagel who died. Grragh!

The shouts of warriors suddenly came from the sky.

The woman he thought had truly left actually climbed a coconut tree and stabbed herself and Sang Kafa's katana, which had previously fallen, right into Visaganti's left body.

Sreet!

The katana managed to penetrate its soft main body. Solel, misjudged.

This woman doesn't seem to understand at all, Liàsa.