Zami glanced over his shoulder at the girl, her small frame trailing just behind him. Her pale skin and black eyes reflected the somber light of the broken land. Something about her presence unsettled him—not fear, but curiosity. She was unnatural in a way that didn't belong to the monsters he had spent millennia fighting.
"Karesh," Zami muttered under his breath, his tone low and deliberate.
The voice of the entity within him stirred, calm yet laced with a faint edge of concern. **"What is it, Zami?"**
"This girl," Zami continued, his eyes fixed ahead as they trudged through the gray expanse. "Do you know anything about her? What she is?"
Karesh was silent for a moment, as if considering. **"I don't. But I sense... something. Her presence feels fragmented, as though she is incomplete. Not human, not entirely monster. Something in between. Be cautious, Zami."**
Zami's grip on his katana tightened briefly. He had suspected as much. The girl wasn't forthcoming, and her fear—while genuine—seemed to hold a deeper mystery.
Ahead, a structure came into view, weathered and barely standing amidst the desolation. A small hut, its wooden walls splintered and roof partially caved in, offered the faint promise of shelter.
Zami stopped, surveying the area with a critical eye. The landscape was eerily silent, but he didn't trust it. He turned to the girl, her gaze following his every move.
"Stay close," he said, motioning toward the hut. "We'll rest here for now."
The girl nodded, her bare feet making no sound as she followed him to the threshold.
Inside, the air was stale, the scent of decay lingering in the corners. Dust coated the rough wooden surfaces, and a broken table lay overturned in the center of the room. Still, it was shelter, and for now, that was enough.
Zami knelt by a spot on the floor that looked relatively clean and motioned for the girl to sit. She hesitated but eventually complied, curling up with her knees to her chest.
"I can't rush," Zami said, his voice calm but firm. "If something's after you, we need to be ready. Sit here. I'll find some food."
The girl looked up at him, her black eyes wide but unreadable. She didn't respond, only nodding faintly.
Zami rose, his tall frame casting a long shadow in the dim light of the hut. Before stepping out, he glanced back at her one last time.
"Stay here," he repeated. "Don't move until I return."
With that, he stepped outside, his katana ready at his side. The desolation stretched endlessly, but he had learned to find sustenance in even the most barren of places. Whatever was coming, he needed to be prepared—for her sake, and for his.