The world shook.
A thunderous explosion tore through the street, followed by the deafening crack of collapsing concrete. Dust and smoke swallowed everything, turning the surrounding buildings into pieces of rubble and debris.
Logan lay face up in a puddle of muddy rainwater. His ears rang violently. A high-pitched whine drowned out every other sound, leaving only muffled echoes of distant gunfire and frantic shouting. Logan tried to lift himself, but his arms refused to obey.
A warm sensation spread across his shoulder. Logan lowered his gaze. A jagged piece of rusted rebar jutted through his shoulder blade, blood slowly trickling down the metal bar.
From the distance, a familiar voice called out to him.
"Where are you, Logan?" The voice echoed.
Logan opened his eyes, gathering every bit of strength he had to yell out. But before he could, another explosion erupted nearby; the blast drowned out his cry for help.
His vision spun. The ringing grew louder and louder; the world seemed to collapse around him like an ocean of darkness.
"...Commander!"
Logan’s eyes snapped open. He lurched upright, instinctively clutching at his shoulder. His fingers frantically searched for the jagged piece of rebar that should have been protruding through him; instead, all he could find were layers of clean bandages wrapped around his body.
"Commander!" Captain Iron leaned forward. The old man held the bedframe firmly as a relieved look washed over his face.
Logan’s eyes slowly swept across the room. Beside him stood Althea, clutching a small wooden bowl of soup. The worry on her face was impossible to hide, and she let out a quiet sigh of relief upon seeing him awake.
A little farther back, Maeve leaned against the wall with her arms folded; she let out a sigh of relief, yet her face was somewhat annoyed. Standing next to her, Kiran lazily rested against a wooden support beam, casually rolling a coin between his fingers with a smirk on his face.
Near the window, Robin sat alone on the sill with one knee drawn to her chest. Sunlight filtered through the open window, illuminating her silver hair as she quietly stared outside.
It was only now, seeing her in broad daylight, that Logan realized how different she looked from their first encounter. Now, with most of the grime washed away and her pale skin no longer bruised, her delicate features became impossible to ignore.
Long silver hair framed a face that could have been mistaken for a work of art, while her pointed ears and emerald-green eyes carried the unmistakable elegance of an elf.
Even so, she kept her distance. Rather than joining the others, Robin remained by the window, her gaze fixed on the world outside as though she were still uncertain about things.
"Commander! Are you okay? Does it hurt anywhere?" Captain Iron asked with a concerned look.
"I’m okay," Logan replied.
"You were tossing and turning so much we thought you would roll off the bed." Althea chuckled. She placed the bowl of soup on the bedside table.
"Damn it! Kiran, you definitely cheated!" Maeve yelled out, raising her hand in the air and forming a fist.
"Hey! How could I have cheated? You were the one who called it first." Kiran’s snarky reply angered Maeve even further; she lunged toward him, throwing a barrage of jabs.
"What is with those two?" Logan asked, trying to get a grasp of the situation.
"They placed bets on when you would wake up," Robin finally spoke up, slightly amused.
"You two are unbelievable..." Captain Iron let out a weary sigh.
"Come on. We’ve been standing around waiting for a whole day. We ought to have something to entertain ourselves." Kiran shrugged.
"What? Have I been out for a whole day? What happened after I passed out?"
Captain Iron gave a firm nod. "The goblins broke formation shortly after you lost consciousness. Once their shaman fell, the remaining goblins scattered into the forest." He paused briefly before continuing.
"We found you lying in the woods. Althea managed to stabilize your wounds while the rest of us carried you back to Evergarden."
"...The retreat couldn’t have been that easy." Logan frowned.
"It wasn’t," Captain Iron admitted. "Several goblins still tried to pursue us. We only managed to hold them off because Lady Althea used her skill to slow their advance."
"I only bought everyone a little time..." Althea lowered her head modestly.
Captain Iron shook his head. "It was more than enough." He turned back to Logan. "And your distraction before collapsing gave us the opening we needed. With the goblin leaders dead and their forces in disarray, they lacked the courage to continue the chase."
A faint chuckle spread through the room, easing the lingering tension. Captain Iron’s expression softened. "Thanks to your plan, everyone made it back alive."
...
Something felt off.
"...Where’s Giles?" Logan’s brows furrowed. He took another scan of the room but found no trace of the young recruit.
"He took the bolt meant for me." The image flashed through his mind again: the young spearman throwing himself into the line of fire without a second thought. The man who offered up his life in order not to be a burden to those around him.
"Is he...?" Before Logan could finish, a loud noise sounded at the door.
Thunk!
"Ow! I-I knew I shouldn’t have practiced that thrust..."
Althea let out an exasperated sigh. "There he goes again."
The infirmary door creaked open, revealing Giles sheepishly rubbing the back of his head while carrying a wooden practice spear.
"Oh, you’re up, Commander!?" The young recruit bowed his head slightly while waving at Logan.
Logan simply stared at Giles for a moment before letting out a long, relieved breath. A faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
After exchanging a few more words, Captain Iron clapped Giles on the shoulder. "Come on. The commander needs his rest."
One by one, they began to leave the infirmary. Robin was the last to leave; she paused briefly at the doorway before glancing behind her.
"Get some sleep..." Without waiting for a reply, she closed the door behind her.
For the first time since coming to this world, Logan allowed himself to lie there. But before he could get some shut-eye, a familiar notification chimed in his head.
Ding!
Without thinking, he focused on the translucent blue screen. But the text began to distort, letters began to twist, and the blue window slowly darkened until the entire notification window turned black.
"...Are you happy with my gift?"
Logan’s expression immediately hardened. "You!"
The black window’s letters twisted, slowly turning into a smile.
"I must admit...Watching you struggle has been far more entertaining than I expected."
Logan sat upright despite the pain shooting through his body.
"What are you?"
"What do you want from me?"
"Excellent question! But I’m afraid the answer might ruin the surprise."
Before Logan could say another word, the black notification flickered violently.
"The next stage is almost upon you. I’ve prepared something... special. Hope you like it!"
The screen shattered into countless black fragments before disappearing entirely.
Logan closed his eyes and let out a slow breath.
"Looks like I’ll have my hands full with this sick bastard."
Ignoring the pain coursing through his body, he climbed out of bed and got straight to work.