(Time-Stilled World, 6 Kilometers into the Forest of Death, Leo's Team)
The fog had finally lifted.
Gone was the choking whiteness that had wrapped around their necks like a noose, as it was now replaced now by a haunting clarity that somehow felt even worse.
The white trees loomed larger without the mist to blur their forms, their trunks twisting unnaturally, as they all looked gloomy and impossible to differentiate from the other.
The silence surrounding them was deeper too, as gone were the occasional whispers and false illusions, as the forest seemed to have reset to its base settings.
"We're not finding them, are we?" Patricia finally asked, her voice quiet as she lowered her goggles, revealing tired eyes.
Leo said nothing at first. He simply looked around, eyes scanning the now-visible terrain, as if expecting Raiden, Cipher, and Karl to suddenly step out from behind a tree.
But unfortunately, they didn't.
"We're too far," Bob answered instead, adjusting the massive blade in his hands.
"Even if they're alive, the forest's probably shuffled us all apart."
Patricia sighed. "Shuffled us apart? What are we, cards in a deck?"
She kicked a stone, watching it bounce down a slope before muttering, "So what now? Do we head back to base? Try to trace our steps and pray they do the same?"
Leo finally spoke, his tone firm. "No. We keep moving forward."
Patricia's head whipped toward him. "Forward? Are you insane?"
She stepped closer, gesturing wildly as she spoke. "Karl was our ration mule, Leo. He was carrying the main storage ring for supplies. Without him, we don't have enough food to finish this expedition."
"I know," Leo replied, calm as ever. "We all have emergency packs. Enough to survive ninety days. A hundred and fifty, if we ration smart."
"That's not enough to complete the mission and make it back," she snapped. "Even if we sprinted, we'd be gambling every day after day ninety. And if we don't find Karl or the others by then?"
Leo met her gaze evenly. "Then we die."
Patricia stared at him like he'd just grown a second head. "Are you serious right now?"
Leo didn't flinch. "We didn't come here for a nature walk. You knew the risks. So did I. The mission doesn't stop just because it got hard."
Bob crossed his arms, nodding. "I'm with him."
"Of course you are," Patricia muttered bitterly. "Two idiots with a death wish."
She paced for a second, hands running through her hair, before spinning back around. "And what if we don't find food? What if we don't find the damn castle we are supposed to? What if this place just... keeps getting worse?"
Leo looked away for a moment, eyes drifting to the unnatural treetops above. "Then we improvise."
Patricia laughed— short, sharp, and bitter. "Improvise. Right."
She stared at both of them, trying to gauge if this was really happening. If they were truly choosing to march to their deaths for a mission that might already be a lost cause.
And then, reluctantly, she sighed.
"Fine. I'll come."
Bob raised a brow. "Really?"
Patricia's eyes narrowed. "Yeah. But if we don't find food in the next few weeks, I'm eating one of you."
She looked at Leo first.
Then Bob.
Then back at Leo.
"Probably you," she decided. "You look weaker than Bob, I can probably take you on"
Leo didn't even blink. "I'll shred you to 51 pieces before you even touch me"
Patricia smirked. "I was hoping for 69."
And just like that, the decision was made, the trio were moving forward and relying on their emergency rations, as they hoped and prayed that they would reunite with the other team some time soon.
—------------
(Meanwhile, Twin Fang Planet, Black Serpents Guild Headquarters, Administrative Wing)
[Location: Central Data Operations Hall | 18:42 Local Time]
The room buzzed with quiet activity— dozens of analysts hunched over terminals, holo-displays flickering with mission data, planetary scans, and Guild-related assignments.
The air smelled faintly of room freshner and strong coffee, as the Black Serpents were nothing if not efficient and alert.
*Ping*
A shrill tone cut through the low hum of conversation.
"New high-clearance communication," barked one of the analysts, eyes widening as red overlays flashed across his screen.
"Universal Government header. Real-time relay. Priority Alpha-Three."
That got the room's attention, as a senior operations officer, Administrator Talo Venn, strode over.
"Display it," he ordered.
The hologram expanded above the central table, as lines of encrypted code decrypted to show a formal message bearing the Universal Government seal.
>> NOTICE: CROSS-DEPARTMENTAL SECURITY FLAG <<
SUBJECT: MAXTERN, KARL— False Identity Alert.
LEVEL: TRANS-GALACTIC THREAT (Level II)
Summary:
Recent purges within the Intelligence Oversight Division have revealed forged identity records spanning three galactic sectors. The individual known as Karl Maxtern is not a certified Culinary Division contractor or a Master-Rank warrior.
Real Identity: Karlan Vesteel.
Known Alias: The Ash-Sworn Butcher.
Threat Level: Transcendent-Class Combatant.
Affiliation: Confirmed ties to the Evil Cult.
Last Verified Movement: Dispatched under forged credentials to Operation: TSW Expedition #045-A under Squad Leader Raiden Voss.
IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED:
•Initiate recall protocol if possible.
•Notify Galactic Police.
•Log breach in Black Serpents Personnel Ledger.
The room was silent.
Talo Venn's mouth twitched. "You're telling me," he said slowly, "we greenlit a Transcendent-level cult operative… into a godforsaken Time-Stilled World... with one of our elite licensed squads?"
One of the analysts ran a cross-reference through the registry. "He's embedded with Raiden's team, sir. They're already into the time-stilled world, we can't stop or alert them now…. They're on their own."
"Fuck!" Talo cursed, running a hand through his head, as he almost couldn't believe it.
How could they allow such a security lapse to happen?
Sending a transcendent level criminal with their elite team of Grandmasters was a sure shot death sentence.
As if they were not dead already, they were sure to be dead soon.
"Put an arrest order on the criminal, inform all flights going in and out of the spatial anomaly that Karl Vesteel is not to be rescued out!" Talo instructed, as the administration workers immediately followed.