Several days had passed since Arthania’s father died.
During those days, she had completely isolated herself from people and refused to leave the house.
Even when her door was knocked on several times and her name was called, she did not answer.
But today was different.
Inside her empty house, an old man suddenly stood before her without any invitation.
"Are you going to stay hiding here for the rest of your life... where is that girl who used to be so eager to provide support in the rear ranks?"
Elias’ voice echoed through the place.
With an annoyed frown on her face, Arthania replied, "Why are you here this time?"
Elias raised his white eyebrow. "Of course, to check on you. Who knows if you might die here in silence without anyone noticing?"
Arthania clenched her teeth. "If that is all you came to say, then you can leave. I am old enough to take care of myself... and whether I die or not, what does it matter?"
Now it was Elias’ turn to frown. He raised his hand and rubbed his temple while letting out a tired breath. "Are you really going to give up on fighting... you are someone a lot of people place their hopes on for growth."
Arthania looked at her hand... that hand that had learned to spill blood and fight at a young age.
"No... I didn’t say I wouldn’t fight. I will. I’ll join the defense lines and fight with all my strength."
With that, she raised her head and looked directly into the old man’s gray eyes.
"But don’t expect anything more than that... I was never like my father, and I am not here to replace him."
Elias shrugged. "Who asked you to be something great? Just make sure you don’t die a miserable, meaningless death."
...
Arthania walked through the streets between the white houses built inside the great cracks of the maze.
At that time, Asfaria—formed from many population groups that had collapsed and gathered here—stretched within the maze, containing far too many residents.
This maze, which had appeared a few decades ago, gave them many advantages for defending themselves, like a natural fortress that lightened the burden on humans.
How it appeared and when exactly? ... no one knew.
While Arthania was walking among the houses, her knees bumped into something... or rather, someone bumped into her.
She looked down to see a little girl, perhaps seven or eight years old.
With a wide smile on her face, the child spoke. "Big sister Arthania."
A smile formed on Arthania’s face as she reached out and patted the girl’s head, stroking her hair. "I haven’t seen you in a while, you little troublemaker... how are you and your parents?"
The girl held Arthania’s hand with her small hands. "My parents are fine and working in the field as usual... but is big sister Arthania okay?"
Arthania’s smile trembled slightly. "And why wouldn’t I be?"
The little girl hesitated. "Uncle..."
But Arthania interrupted her before she could continue. "It’s fine, I’ve gotten past it... in the end, I’m not the only one this happened to."
The girl shook Arthania’s hand a little, a big smile forming on her small face. "Then let’s play together."
Unfortunately, Arthania was not free today to play, but before she could refuse and disappoint the girl, someone else arrived.
It was a young woman about Arthania’s age.
She came up behind the little girl, reaching out and grabbing her by the neck before pulling her away from Arthania. "What are you doing here? Didn’t I tell you to go with Mother?"
The young woman’s voice rang out as the little girl froze like a piece of wood and turned her head to see who was holding her.
Only to discover it was her older sister. Then, with a smile like a pleading cat, she said, "I just wanted to meet big sister Arthania because I saw her from afar, and I was about to go back."
The older sister raised an eyebrow. "But I heard something about playing together... how many times have I told you to stop embarrassing other people with your demands?"
The girl smiled until her white teeth showed. "I was just joking."
The older sister exhaled and let her go. "Fine, I’ll let this go this time. If you understand that, then go now."
Without hesitation, the little girl turned around and started running.
The older sister looked at Arthania and smiled. "So, shall we go now?"
Arthania nodded and walked beside the girl, moving away from the city.
The two had been friends since childhood, and both of them were awakened, but unlike Arthania, the other one was not particularly special.
"So, have you been feeling okay lately?" The girl’s voice came from the side, carrying some concern.
Without turning her head, Arthania answered, "It doesn’t matter. I’m starting to get used to it."
...
After they had moved far enough away from the city and inside the eastern side of the crack, a high wall appeared before them, blocking the entire path and preventing anything from targeting the city.
Around it, many small temporary buildings had been erected like a temporary camp, and awakened people moved everywhere around them.
Even above, the guards and long-range attackers were on high alert, ready to repel any threat coming from the sky.
"I just hope no more cracks open." The young woman beside Arthania muttered.
...
One day, Arthania and her friend returned to the inner side of the wall with many people—adults, elders, and youths.
But all of them were covered in blood, and their bodies were full of injuries.
And that was not the worst part.
The worst part was the cloth-covered things they dragged behind them.
The bodies of others... their friends and brothers, or even their loved ones.
They had just retreated behind the wall after eliminating a swarm of monsters, dragging their exhausted bodies while eyes without light stared into the space ahead.
The space that had been normal.
But it did not remain that way.
Before Arthania’s honey-colored eyes, and under the bright sunlight,
space distorted like a pool of disturbed water. Everyone froze as the world went silent for a moment and the air became thinner.
In the next moment, the sound of something shattering spread as the world in front of them tore apart, revealing an unknown darkness blocking the other side.
"Everyone get ready, a crack has appeared behind the wall!"
A loud voice rang out and spread through the place, alerting every awakened person in the camp.
Suddenly, several things flew out from behind the darkness at great speed, tearing through the air before reaching the group that had just returned.
One of them even passed right beside Arthania... on the side where her friend was standing.
She turned her head to see the girl still standing there...
But there, in the middle of her chest, was a large bloody hole.
Without a word, her body fell to the ground lifelessly, followed by many others.
Then, from behind the dark crack, a massive monster covered in metal spikes on every inch of its body emerged.
Arthania’s eyes were still fixed on her friend’s body on the ground.
And what happened after that was blurry in her memories.
...
On the eastern side of the city extending within the maze, among the ruins of collapsed houses, a girl with dark hair and honey-colored eyes walked with her body covered in blood and dirt.
Around her, the ground was stained red, and the sharp metallic smell filled her nose.
Everywhere she looked, she saw one thing... corpses.
So many of them.
Humans and monsters... women and men... old and young.
Everyone had died.
It was not as if they had not expected a crack to open suddenly behind the defense lines.
No, they had known it and prepared for it.
But it was not enough.
’Why am I still alive?’
She walked while thinking this thought.
Perhaps because she had been lucky enough... or because her fate had not yet ended.
As she walked with her eyes on the ground, she bumped into something.
She raised her head to see that old man in front of her... the person who had taken command now after her father’s death.
His body was injured and covered in blood too, but his gray eyes had never lost their sharpness... unlike hers.
He raised his dirty hand and placed it on her head.
"So you’re here."
His old voice echoed through the silence around them.
Arthania did not answer. Instead, she felt her eyes grow hotter, while her lips trembled as she tried to hold herself back.
But in the end, she failed.
Everything collapsed... again.
Tears fell without control, while the sound of her sobbing spread through the air. "Haaah..."
"Why... why... why... why is this happening... what did we do wrong?"
Elias hesitated for a moment before extending his arm and pulling Arthania into his embrace. She did not resist or do anything except cry.
"They died... they all died..."
She remembered her friend and the little sister... and the many people she knew and laughed with.
"Why?"
Elias let out a tired breath.
"Because we are weak."