The sound of waves filled the silence.
Samael remained motionless for several seconds as he observed the beach around him.
Just standing on a beach already sent chills down his spine.
His last experience with the ocean had been traumatic enough to last several lifetimes.
Behind him, an enormous mass of black fabric lay scattered across the golden sand.
The improvised parachute.
Or rather…
What remained of it.
Not even in his worst nightmares had Samael imagined that one day he would set foot in America after literally being thrown out of the sky.
During the fall, the monstrous winds had completely separated the group.
And that meant only one thing:
At that moment…
Samael was alone.
Alone on a lost continent.
His gaze slowly swept across the landscape.
The waters near the shore were strangely clear.
Far too calm.
Completely different from the Sea of Storms.
At first glance, the forest ahead also seemed peaceful.
The trees were tall.
The shades of green vibrant.
Sunlight partially pierced through the vegetation.
Beautiful.
Silent.
But strangely…
That forest frightened him far more than Storm Island ever had.
Perhaps because now he understood better how the world truly worked.
Or perhaps because the entire continent felt like an enormous corpse pretending it was still alive.
Samael took a deep breath before summoning his Memories.
The Armor of Bonds slowly wrapped around his body.
The rusted sword appeared in his hand.
And a small green necklace materialized around his neck.
That was one of his most recent Memories.
An artifact capable of regulating body temperature, keeping him warm in extreme cold and cool beneath unbearable heat.
Obtaining that Memory had been absurdly difficult.
Fortunately, Layla had helped him.
The problem is the debt…
Samael sighed.
The amount he owed Layla was already starting to look terrifying.
"I don't even know if I'll make it out of here alive…"
he muttered softly while staring at the ocean.
"The dead don't pay debts."
Self-deprecation truly was one of his natural talents.
Suddenly—
Samael felt a faint warmth coming from somewhere far away.
He blinked.
Then immediately looked at the Armor of Bonds.
"Wait…"
The warmth intensified slightly.
Samael's eyes widened.
"The armor is showing me where Liz is?"
His heart finally relaxed a little.
"So she's still alive…"
That alone was excellent news.
In America, any second could become your last.
Even so, despite his immediate urge to run after her, Samael decided to remain near the beach for now.
The forest was unknown territory.
At least the beach offered visibility.
It was safer to search for survivors there first.
So he began walking slowly across the golden sand.
The ocean breeze swayed his pale hair while he carefully observed his surroundings.
Maybe I'll run into another Terror-chan…
The thought appeared involuntarily.
Samael immediately felt the urge to deny it.
He definitely did not miss that cursed island.
Definitely.
After nearly an hour of walking, he finally found something.
Footprints.
Several of them.
Relatively recent tracks crossed the sand in the same direction he was heading.
"Someone landed around here…"
Samael murmured while crouching down.
The footprints looked light.
Probably feminine.
Who could it be?
For some reason, the first person who came to mind was Layla.
Though he knew it was not Elizabeth.
The warmth from the armor clearly indicated she was somewhere deeper toward the forest.
Even so, Samael continued following the tracks.
As he walked, the scenery slowly began to change.
Ruins emerged between the vegetation.
Destroyed buildings.
Cracked roads.
Remains of streetlights completely consumed by tree roots.
The forest had swallowed civilization.
Everything.
As though nature itself had decided to erase every trace of human existence from the continent.
The most terrifying part was that all of this had happened in only a few decades.
A process that should have taken centuries.
Perhaps millennia.
This place really is hell…
After some more walking, Samael finally spotted someone in the distance.
Long white hair.
A slender figure slowly walking along the golden shore.
Even from behind…
She appeared absurdly calm.
Liu.
Samael stopped for a moment.
What do I even say?
Unfortunately, social interaction remained one of his greatest weaknesses.
And from what he had noticed during the past few days…
Liu did not seem particularly skilled at it either.
Before he could think further, Liu stopped walking.
Even with the blindfold covering her eyes, she slowly turned her face toward him.
As though she already knew someone was there.
Samael immediately became nervous.
Then, after several awkward seconds of silence:
"Hi… I think."
His voice came out low.
Filled with embarrassment.
The sea breeze quietly swept between them while the forgotten ruins of America silently watched their meeting.
"I'm glad you're alive."
Liu's voice was calm.
Far too direct.
As though she still did not fully understand how to talk to other people.
Even so…
Those words made Samael relax slightly.
"You too."
he replied quietly.
The two of them remained silent for several seconds while slowly walking along the golden beach.
Waves crashed behind them.
And the wind carried both the salty scent of the ocean and the damp smell of the forest.
"Did you find anything?"
Samael asked, desperately trying to prevent the silence from returning.
Liu lightly shook her head.
"No."
Then she subtly turned her face toward him.
"And you?"
"Nothing yet…"
Samael hesitated briefly before continuing:
"But I can more or less sense Elizabeth's direction."
Liu simply nodded.
"I see."
Silence again.
A huge silence.
The kind that made you start paying attention even to your own footsteps.
Samael immediately began panicking internally.
What do I say now?
Unfortunately, social skills remained an area where he failed miserably.
And Liu clearly did not seem much better.
The two simply continued walking side by side along the shore while the wind silently moved their hair.
Then, desperately trying to find any topic—
Samael remembered the sparring match they had a few days earlier.
He still clearly remembered the way Liu held her sword.
Precise.
Refined.
Natural.
Every movement she made felt perfectly calculated.
From everything he had seen so far…
In pure swordsmanship, Liu was probably second only to Nephis.
And that alone was absurd.
"You really like using swords, huh?"
Liu looked slightly surprised by the question.
Then answered after a few seconds:
"No."
Her voice remained calm.
"I use one only because it's necessary."
Samael frowned slightly.
That did not match what he had seen.
"It didn't look that way to me."
Liu finally turned her face fully toward him.
Even with the blindfold covering her eyes, Samael could clearly feel that her attention had fixed onto him for the first time since they met again.
"Why?"
The question came out low.
But genuinely curious.
Samael opened his mouth.
Trying to organize his thoughts.
But before he could answer—
Something changed.
The wind felt wrong.
The forest behind them became far too silent.
Samael felt a chill slowly crawl up his spine.
Instinctively, his hand tightened around the hilt of the rusted sword.
And hidden deep within the dense vegetation of the forest…
A pair of red eyes silently watched the two of them.