"Survival is easy. Living is the hard part."
The road stretched ahead, uneven and cracked, winding through the remnants of a world that had long since stopped caring for its travelers.
Rei walked. And for the first time in years, he wasn't walking alone.
Ren moved ahead of him, her steps light, confident—like someone who had spent her life on the road. Her cloak shifted slightly with the breeze, her sword resting easily on her back.
She hadn't asked him why he had decided to follow.
And that was why he had.
They had been walking for hours.
The quiet between them wasn't uncomfortable, but it wasn't exactly companionable either.
It was just... there.
Rei wasn't sure if he liked it or not.
But at the very least, it wasn't suffocating.
The trees had started to thicken around them, the scent of pine and damp earth growing stronger as they moved away from the ruins. The land was changing—slowly, but noticeably.
Ren glanced over her shoulder.
"You always this quiet?"
Rei met her gaze. "You always this talkative?"
Ren smirked. "Only when I'm bored."
Rei huffed. Shook his head.
She had a strange way of carrying herself—relaxed but sharp, like she was always half a second away from drawing her blade.
He understood that.
People like them didn't get to relax.
Not really.
The further they walked, the more Rei noticed subtle shifts in the air.
The trees were too still.
The wind carried no birdsong, no rustling of small creatures moving through the underbrush.
Something was wrong.
Ren noticed it too.
She slowed slightly, her body language shifting—not obviously, but enough for someone trained to see it.
She rested a hand near the hilt of her sword, her gaze flicking to the shadows between the trees.
"You feel that?" she asked quietly.
Rei nodded.
A presence. Not human. Not entirely Abyssal either.
Something in between.
Something watching.
He inhaled slowly, focusing.
The air was thick with residual energy, like something had passed through here recently. The faint, lingering traces of a Sin Covenant's aura.
"We're not alone," he murmured.
Ren sighed. "Figures. I was hoping for a peaceful walk."
She didn't sound surprised.
Rei adjusted his stance, his muscles tensing slightly. He had no weapon—not anymore.
But that didn't mean he was unarmed.
Not with the Abyss still burning in his veins.
Not with the remnants of his shattered Divine Oath still lingering in his blood.
Ren rolled her shoulders, flexing her fingers.
"Think they'll show themselves?"
Rei didn't answer.
Because he already knew the answer.