"This is amazing... feels like being in one of Crafter's suburbs," Leon muttered in awe. His eyes went wide as he took in the organized buildings and clean streets. Afternoon sunlight bathed the pale yellow stone buildings, making the whole town look bright and welcoming.
On Shion's side, after getting off Gray's trailer, she headed straight for the first food stall she saw. Pure foodie instincts. While she was browsing the options, a small elderly woman who owned the shop spoke up with a kind smile.
"Dear... what have you been up to? Why do you have blood on your cheek?" The old lady pointed at faint bloodstains still lingering on Shion's face from their earlier fight.
"Oh, I'm Special Operations from Crafter. We just dealt with some Vine-born," Shion answered casually, scanning the food laid out on the stall.
"Special Ops! Kids these days are amazing..." The grandmother was about to ask something else when—
A tall man wearing thin-framed glasses walked over with a friendly smile. His light brown hair was neatly combed back, and his face looked dignified and kind. "I heard some Special Operations folks came to visit?"
Shion turned toward the voice. The man gave her a small bow. "Welcome to Sunstone Town. I'm Volt, the mayor here."
"Oh... uh... hello," Shion replied, a bit confused. She hadn't expected the mayor to come greet her personally.
"We haven't had any Vine-born reports lately. We really have to thank you Special Operations people for keeping us safe," Volt said admiringly.
Shion knew perfectly well that she and Leon hadn't done anything to help with Vine-born in this area. She could only grin awkwardly and go along with it. "No problem. It's our job anyway."
"Ha ha ha, excellent," Volt laughed softly. "Please feel free to rest and relax. If you need accommodation, there's a guest building over there." He pointed to a structure that looked grander and cleaner than the other buildings around. "You can stay there. Don't worry about it."
Leon, who'd been looking for Shion, walked up just as Volt was leaving. The mayor seemed to have important business waiting.
"Shion... who was that guy?" Leon asked after Volt disappeared from sight.
"Um..." Shion was about to say she didn't know either, but then didn't want to look bad. She changed her answer on the spot. "Oh... he's the mayor of this town. He said we can stay in that building." She pointed to where Volt had indicated.
"Really? He seems like a nice guy," Leon said innocently.
At Crafter
Kim Min-sae slowly opened her eyes, weak and exhausted. The recovery room lights made her squint slightly. Pain from her wounds was still intense, but her consciousness was returning. Cyrus and Raven, his arms still in casts and face still bruised, stood beside her bed looking worried.
"You're... from Unit Four, right?" Kim Min-sae asked in a hoarse whisper.
"Yes ma'am!" Cyrus answered immediately.
"Xiao Yan... where did he go?" She coughed lightly before trying to continue.
"Master Xiao Yan... went after them. It's been four days now... no word back yet..." Cyrus replied weakly, turning his face away slightly. Guilt was clear on his features.
"Hurry... contact the other districts..." Kim Min-sae ordered in a voice that was still weak.
"We've tried, ma'am, but we can't reach anyone. Even though we fixed the communication equipment, it's like all the signals have been cut off completely," Raven reported with a tense expression.
"I understand..." Kim Min-sae closed her eyes tiredly. "Later... I'll handle it myself..." With that, her body collapsed unconscious again. Her injuries were still too severe to push through for long.
Back to Shion
After meeting Mayor Volt, Shion wasted no time diving into the town's delicious food. She picked herb-grilled meat skewers that smelled amazing from far away. She bit into them with obvious happiness.
"Mmm! This is so good!" She looked at Leon, who was standing beside her looking confused. "Leon! Let's find somewhere to stay for tonight. I'm getting sleepy."
Leon nodded and headed toward the building Shion had said was the guest accommodation. As they walked, he noticed one of the townspeople leaning against a wall, talking to himself with exaggerated gestures.
"Hey! Let me tell you something. Yesterday that guy did the funniest thing! Ha ha ha!" The man laughed loudly at thin air.
Leon and Shion stopped for a moment, looking at each other strangely. What's wrong with him? they both thought, but didn't dwell on it much. Probably just some guy who wasn't right in the head.
On their way to the accommodation, they ran into a couple more people acting weird. One guy was squatting by the sidewalk, pointing at his own shadow and making it do different poses like he was having fun. Another was an old woman standing in front of a clothing store window, alternating between frowning and smiling sweetly at her own reflection.
Finally they reached the guest building, which was a small but clean-looking hotel.
"Two rooms please," Shion told the receptionist at the counter.
"Huh? Why not just take one room? That would save you a lot more money," the young clerk suggested with a wide smile, trying to be helpful.
"No way! I don't want to sleep in the same room as this guy!" Shion shot a disgusted look at Leon.
"But... if it's one room with two beds, that's way cheaper," Leon tried to negotiate, knowing he didn't have a single coin on him.
"Fine! One room then. But here's the deal—you sleep outside!" Shion laid down the law. "Otherwise you can pay for your own room! I'm being nice enough to pay for you!"
Leon stood there stunned for a moment. She's right... I don't have any money at all. And I'm getting to stay for free too... He gave in gracefully. "Uh... okay, that works..."
That night, after they'd settled into their room, Leon was about to fall asleep when he heard voices drifting from outside the window. They sounded strange—like several people having a conversation, but with weird pauses, like they were waiting for someone to answer.
Curious, Leon quietly got up from his bed and crept to the window to peek out. What he saw made his eyes go wide!
Two men... the same two he'd seen during the day! The guy who talked to himself and the one who'd been ordering his shadow around! Plus a third person he'd never seen before! All three were standing there looking down at the ground beneath their feet, murmuring to something invisible! They looked like they were having a serious conversation with... their own shadows!