Their journey outside was silent at first. Neither of them rushed, probably in the unspoken agreement that it was better to conserve energy and put it to better use later.
Teitai employed a Light Infection sigil on her palm for illumination, casting a sharp white brightness across the packed earth walls of a different tunnel. Neon trailed close behind her lead, the cadence of their combined footsteps on damp soil being the only thing to distract him from the sound of his own breathing.
For a while, Neon entertained the possibility of playing it all quiet and mysterious. He lasted maybe around five minutes or so.
“Hey, Tei. So….” It was impossible to deny his true nature as a yapper. She was a curious critter, after all, and silence his nemesis. “Where do you come from anyway? The military or something like that?”
His question seemed to amuse the Ashen Bloom leader, who muttered a contained laugh as if he’d suggested something ridiculous. Still, her initial response made him think that perhaps his voice had emerged more nervous than he intended it to be.
"Are you still on edge around me?"
Well, it was difficult not to. Everything she did seemed to follow some strict internal code to it —even now, in how she stepped firmly forward, or how her shoulders remained imposing even in this cramped burrow. Neon doubted that involuntary uneasiness would fade anytime soon.
"No, not a soldier. I'm not all that good at following orders.”
>> “But… My father is a martial artist. So perhaps that’s a similar upbringing?”
Huh. Guess he hadn’t thought about that. There were still martial artists in this day and age? Felt quaint. Almost romantic, as if discipline and honor somehow still meant something in their world. It tracked, though.
“How about you?” Teitai’s voice emerged softly, as if she’d sensed his wandering attention and wanted to pull him back gently. “What kind of life did you lead before…”
"Before dying?" Neon completed her words when they began to falter. It wasn't something he had bothered giving much thought —That they had all died once. Felt too raw to do so, even now. “Can’t say there’s much to tell.”
>> “Another unoriginal story joining the pile. Nothing more than another dreg in society. I’d rather not really talk about—"
"I might know that tune. Some people were told secrets we never got to hear. Some others received a truer version of what the teachers called education. They asked for effort. They asked for dedication. And what for?”
Neon didn't reply. Not because he didn't understand, or because he doubted her sincerity. It was only that he had nothing else to add. Complaining about the social ladder felt pointless here, and the thought of his absence leaving no void behind was comforting in a sad way.
As for Teitai, there was no bitterness in her voice. It wasn’t any real outcry, so perhaps this was merely an attempt to close the distance between them.
In his silence, she eventually tried again.
"My real name is—"
"Oh, no no no no." He immediately halted her sleight of hand before it was fully uttered, raising his palm as if to stop the oncoming traffic. "I know your game and I'm not going to play it. I don't need your name, and I'm not giving you mine.”
Teitai’s momentum stuttered at his stark rejection, opportunity that Neon used to press beyond her, catching only brief glimpses of a confused expression as he passed by. The door signaling the end of their underground trek was visible now —and with it, the promise of fresh air.
"I'm Neon and you're Teitai. That's it."
What did she expect? That he’d feel any closer once she blurted out his real name in front of strangers along with other weaponized secrets? No. He was happy as Neon. And if she couldn’t connect with him because of that, learning her birth certificate read Juanita or Svetlana wouldn’t be of any help either.
For now, he just allowed himself to emerge out the wooden door. It kinda felt like resurfacing from deep water, even though the night before him remained an equally vast ocean without visible shore. Fragments of moonlight managed to filter down the dense canopy of leaves, though they served little in illuminating the jungle.
The trees themselves took upon that duty. Thick veins of phosphorescent roots glowed in a soft luminescence, tracing paths through the undergrowth like runway lights. Their glow was strong enough to cast his shadow across the uneven terrain, but beyond those shining veins?
Nothing but darkness. Dense and absolute. The kind that felt like it could swallow you whole if you turned your back on it for long.
Neon took a deep breath, drawing the warm nocturnal air into his lungs. Even when he knew all of this was manufactured, something about it still registered as beautiful inside his brain. Maybe it was due to the fungal growth climbing the runway trees in bioluminescent shades of green, purple and blue.
The river sounded closer than ever now, a constant rushing murmur suggesting they were probably a few minutes away at most.
Plaza’s door closed behind him with a click and seal, and he glanced back in time to witness the earthy construct retreating back into the soil as if it had never existed. Teitai moved hastily, planting Light Infection marks in their immediate perimeter. Very likely breadcrumbs for the return trip.
Her face spoke of a tale way less efficient than her hands. She looked conflicted, likely ruminating on their previous exchange and struggling to find the right approach after the established boundary line. So annoying. At the very least he didn’t have to wait long for her to speak.
"Alright. You don't need to tell me your name.” Teitai’s attempt at directness came out uncomfortable, uncertain now that she didn’t have all the cards at her disposal. “But if that’s how it is, I’m going to ask for a concession.”
Neon snorted at the suggestion.
"Concession? Nah, I don't need to do that. Don't get me wrong, while I’m very grateful for all you guys have done." Mostly to Plaza and Whisper, but whatever. "That doesn’t mean I’m gonna let myself get roped into some weirdo tug of war. You said it yourself. No strings attached.”
The blunt refusal made Teitai appear genuinely distressed, hands stilling mid-motion against tree bark. Her mouth opened, closed, and then opened again like she was physically struggling to find words. Why was she like this? Wouldn’t it be easier to just come out with whatever she wanted instead of building this elaborate scaffolding of extortions?
At the end, she released a dejected sigh of surrender.
"I… Apologize. That was presumptuous of me. Don't call it a concession, then. Just... A favor."
People like Teitai rarely backpedaled so cleanly. Usually they doubled down, got defensive, tried to explain why their intentions had been pure even if their execution was flawed. It’d be somewhat cute to confirm she didn’t act solely out of ego —at least if he couldn’t see exactly where her apology was heading.
"Is this about Nomine again?" He rolled his eyes and resumed walking towards the beacon on his minimap. "Listen, I don't know what you think our rel—"
"Please, join us. Help us. You, Neon.”
The desperation in her voice made Neon’s steps hesitate. He accelerated by reflex, in turn leading Teitai to abandon her measured pace and scramble after him. There was no longer any pretense of control, only an urgency that clashed violently with everything she had projected so far.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
"I don't care if Nomine comes along with you or not. And he can keep all the secrets and information he wants.” Her breathing had picked up, not from physical exertion but from the effort of making herself vulnerable. “You probably realize it better than anyone in my group. I’m not… Good, at talking to people. At convincing them we shouldn’t all be enemies.”
>> “Not in the way you can.”
Darting off on his own was surely an option, yet he couldn’t take it. So bothersome…
Yeah, he knew where she came from. As a spokesperson, she was sorely lacking. All authority and severity where the job requirements demanded some sliminess. But taking on that mantle meant stepping into a spotlight he avoided like the plague.
Being underestimated was far more convenient. There was comfort in letting people assume he lacked any substance. Far more satisfying to prove them wrong through action than carry the burden of expectations from the very start. He held no interest in becoming some make-believe diplomat.
"Really, me? Pff." Neon forced his tone to remain light, downplaying her observations. “You’ve got me all wrong, I’m—”
"No. I'm not wrong." She raised her voice with such uncompromising certainty that it landed less like reassurance and more like indictment. “You’re far more than you give yourself credit for. You’re adaptable. I’d say maybe too much. Shaping yourself to whatever space you’re in, focusing on what everyone else needs you to be.” Her words gained momentum as his pace faltered, like she’d been holding them back for a long while. “Yes, you can be helplessly stubborn, but you’re willing to trust and protect even someone like Nomine. Someone who gives nothing in return.”
>> “I don’t know how you do it, or what it is exactly, but you’re so smooth at it that most people don’t ever realize you’re just trying to appease their concerns and get them to lower their guards. Not to manipulate them, your heart is far too kind to try that.”
>> “Maybe it’s… Just to be liked? It has certainly worked. With Plaza, with Whisper, with CC, and with me. Neon, I want you to stay with us.”
Ugh. Whether her vivisection was accurate or not, there was something that Teitai had gotten fundamentally wrong.
Neon had never asked to be seen, much less understood. The whole point was keeping himself limited. Elevate others. To make them feel better around him without ever questioning why. To never bother looking behind the warm lights.
“Okay, okay. Let’s calm down.” He prepared to pivot the conversation away, like he’d done a thousand times before. “So, let’s assume I’m taking your flattery at face value. Why do you want me to join you all so badly anyway? What’s the goal? Just sit and watch the days go by?”
>> “Nomine said letting time go to waste would have a penalty.” He pressed on before she could reestablish her footing. “And he suggested there would be more stages after this one. I’ve seen how badly a level eight skill can crush a level one.”
“I know that. I’ve felt it myself.”
Teitai’s boots stopped, and something about those whispered words —maybe the almost apologetic quality they had— made Neon abandon the constant dodging and turn back sincerely.
She gripped the hem of her sullied white shirt and lifted, exposing a wound along her torso that stole the breath away from Neon’s lungs. It was a vicious trench of damaged flesh that seemed to still be spreading through inflamed veins, burrowing into her like fissures in dead earth. There was no bleeding, but the pulse of wet and raw tissue made it look worse than any kind of infection he’d ever seen.
He couldn’t begin to imagine the pain. That kind of damage should have her on the ground, screaming. How was she even capable of walking?
[Skill: Festering Blood Lvl 6] <>
Ignore the pretension, wallow in the rot.
"This is from…" Neon forced his eyes up to meet hers, attempting to swallow shock and disgust. It helped little. The image had already burnt itself into his memory.
“We met another team shortly after our deployment. Team Kill.” A hint of dark amusement flickered through her voice. “To think I got this injured for trying to reason with people using such ridiculous names…” The strained levity died as she lowered her clothes back. “Pony and Autopsy. They are far, far worse than Nomine. Nothing but scum. I recommend you avoid them if you can.”
The warning carried such bone-chilling severity that Neon didn’t know how to answer. Still, it only lasted until recollection pulled Teitai’s shoulders down, melancholy taking center stage.
“CC and I only got by because Whisper and Plaza appeared to help us.” Her expression hardened, denying any foothold to self-pity. “I am indebted to them, and I’ll do whatever it takes to increase our odds of making it through together.”
>> “If that means pleading… Then I’ll plead.”
Somehow, Neon doubted that —couldn’t picture this woman falling to her knees for any reason— but he didn’t have it in him to contradict her. She resumed walking, leaving him to follow her lead as her voice carried on.
“You know… For someone who looks as frail as he does, Whisper doesn’t really care much about his own safety. He told me that if things ever get too dangerous, we should let him take the fall. So that those of us with full lives ahead could make it out instead.”
Neon had only met him barely hours ago, yet he believed it completely. Whisper would absolutely say something like that. Maybe he couldn’t follow through if the moment came to pass, not out of dishonesty, but simply just from being out of his depth.
“I don’t need a heart that’d feel nothing after hearing that. It makes me furious that he could even suggest such a thing.” Her voice sharpened with a passion stronger than any discipline. “Levels, credits, rules, augments. None of it could ever matter enough for me to let go of that anger.”
>> “I want to rebel, even if it costs me everything. I want to fight until every single chain this place was built on breaks apart. I don’t care how lost my cause might be, or how many times I stumble on my way there.”
>> “I’ll destroy every condition they’ve designed for us. Defy everything they expect of us, even if it’s deemed illogical.”
She looked back towards him, a smile softening her features despite the determination burning in those unyielding indigo eyes.
“It shouldn’t sound all that strange to you. I can tell you’re just the same.”
Neon felt exposed again under that unrelenting gaze. She was right. Every instinct, from the one that saved Gnaw from falling, to the one that stood between her and Nomine, and the one that volunteered for this potentially suicidal rescue mission —all of them came from the same reckless place.
The one that refused to mimic all of this world’s cruel right answers.
"That's why I want us to stand together. Maybe not as contractual allies…”
>> “… But how about friends?”
Lucky or not, the river revealing itself before them created an excellent excuse to leave the offer unanswered. Moonlight fell more generously here, painting the current in restless ripples of silver. Didn’t seem all that difficult to cross, shallow enough in places that he could trace paths of smooth stones breaking the surface.
The opposite bank dissolved into something far more outlandish. Jungle gave way to swamp with zero transition —a spectral wasteland choked with skeletal remnants of trees rising over stagnant waters. Pale green mist clung to low and thick, diffusing the moonlight into a sickly, phantasmagorical glow.
Of course, there were no insects or birds. Not even the suggestion of movement beyond the lazy drift of fog. Was there really anyone waiting for them inside that?
“Alrighty, enough big words for now.” Neon shook himself free from haunted ambiance and deep talks alike. “How are we doing this?”
“I’ll go in first. You hang back, assess the situation.” Teitai’s eyes narrowed, her voice returning to tactical authority like a door slamming shut on everything that came before. “If things go south, you run back to our place.”
“Yeah. Not happening.”
“Neon—”
“I’m not kidding, Tei.” He cut her off before she could wind up into whatever justification she’d prepared. “I came along because I wanted to help. I don’t need you to act as my bodyguard. I’m not some kid you have to babysit like you do with CC.”
He hadn’t forgotten the way she treated him back when they first met.
She should know better by now.
“I can’t ever convince you of anything, can I?”
“Good thing, you’re finally catching on.”
The next notification hit him like a suckerpunch, not because it was visually noisy or invasive, but simply due to the information it contained.
<>
Every hint of warmth drained from his face in a single, terrible instant. His eyes sought Teitai, finding only his own horror reflected back, magnified. Corpse-like.
Both of them turned as one, bodies snapping towards the trail they’d just left.
Neon’s thoughts fragmented, scattering like dropped marbles as his mind tried to construct a narrative that made sense. A loophole, an explanation, a system error, anything that could challenge the cold certainty of those letters. He didn’t get the chance before another notification dropped like a follow-up hook.
<>