On the way to the Gate site, Vasily stood up from his seat after exchanging signals with an Association staffer who had boarded the helicopter with us.
He set down his headset, turned toward me, and said something. I couldn’t hear through the noise, so I read his lips.
— See you later.
“Huh? What do you mean— you— you crazy—!”
Before I could even process what he meant, Vasily waved lightly and jumped straight out.
I jerked upright in shock but was slammed back into the seatbelt.
My heart pounded as I forced myself to calm down. Right. Vasily was an S-class Esper. Jumping from this height wouldn’t leave him with so much as a scratch.
I leaned over to peek out the window. Far below, the Gate shimmered in blue ripples. He was nowhere to be seen—he must have already gone inside.
“Haa…”
Seriously, what a lunatic. Would it kill him to just leave quietly for once?
I felt stupid for worrying about him even for a second. Trying to steady my breathing, I sank back into the seat.
After Vasily’s abrupt exit, the helicopter flew a bit farther until the safe zone came into view. When we touched down safely in a clearing, I stepped out and looked around.
Evacuated residents were gathered together while Espers and Association staff rushed about. Since the Gate had opened so suddenly, temporary guides hadn’t arrived yet; I didn’t see anyone else in a guide’s uniform.
As I wandered the area to gauge the situation, a small commotion caught my ear.
“My grandson and granddaughter are missing! They said everyone from the village evacuated, so I ran here alone after finishing fieldwork, but… oh dear…”
“Sir, the village is under civilian lockdown. We’ll notify the Espers conducting the search—”
“Oh, heavens… what will happen to my babies…”
I stopped in my tracks, watching the trembling old man’s tear-choked voice.
At that moment, the image of two children frozen solid flashed through my mind. I clenched my teeth and fists hard.
Right — no reason to hesitate. I came here for those kids. If I wasted even a minute, I’d lose the time needed to save them.
Resolving myself, I moved toward the edge of the safe zone.
Near the weapon storage containers, Espers were blocking civilian access. Luckily, I was still wearing the Esper combat suit from the spar with Vasily, so no one questioned me as I walked straight up to the armory.
Inside, I grabbed a knife about the length of my forearm and tucked it into my belt. I’d have to cross the mountain quickly, so light gear was best. I might run into monsters — I needed at least some way to defend myself.
Armed, I slipped out of the safe zone. Thick trees surrounded the area, so disappearing into the forest without drawing attention wasn’t hard. No one noticed I was gone. The safe zone grew distant behind me.
I hurried toward the spot I remembered — near the Gate’s outer perimeter, where the small village had been.
The ground wasn’t frozen yet, but I didn’t know when Vasily might emerge from the Gate and start icing over everything. The air wasn’t biting cold yet, so he was probably still inside clearing out the monsters.
That meant there was only one thing I needed to worry about — the creatures that had escaped the Gate.
If I remembered right, they were stealthy and good at ambushes. I’d brought a weapon just in case, but still… hopefully I wouldn’t run into any.
After trekking for a while, I finally saw the village. It should be around here… I kept alert, scanning as I moved between houses, until I spotted one I recognized.
I threw open the door — silence.
“Not here?”
Just as I turned to leave for another house, my eyes caught on an old wardrobe.
That’s right — inside there…
Hic…
Click. I opened the door — and saw a little boy and girl huddled together, trembling in each other’s arms.
Their faces were streaked with tears, cheeks flushed red, eyes wide with terror. They looked on the verge of crying again. But the most important thing — they were still breathing.
Alive. A relieved laugh slipped out before I could stop it.
“Let’s go somewhere safe, okay? With me.”
I smiled as kindly as I could, holding out my hand — but the kids hesitated. Tilting my head, I listened as the boy whimpered,
“My sister hurt her ankle…”
Only then did I notice the little girl’s tearful expression wasn’t just fear — it was pain.
So that was why they hadn’t escaped and stayed hiding here — because of her injury. Realizing that doubled the guilt pressing down on me.
“Then I’ll carry her, all right?”
“Really…?”
“Of course. Your grandma’s waiting. I’ll take you to her.”
At the word grandma, their eyes widened, then they nodded vigorously. A faint glimmer of relief finally appeared on their faces.
Good. The faster I earned their trust, the better. We had to cross several kilometers of mountain trail — and monsters could appear anywhere.
I helped them put on their shoes and stepped carefully outside. As I bent down to lift the girl onto my back—
Rustle.
Something moved nearby.
“…Kids, get back inside.”
I quickly pushed them into the house and drew my weapon.
I couldn’t see it yet, but something was out there. Hiding, waiting for a chance to strike.
Then, faint footsteps behind me. I whipped around and swung.
Screech!
My blade met resistance — the thing howled and sprang back, bleeding.
The wound was shallow. Damn, should’ve killed it in one go. Vasily would’ve scolded me for botching a single kill.
“…”
I swallowed hard, facing the creature.
Thankfully, there was only one. A rat — skin warped a sickly green, as if soaked in radiation — crouched low, baring needle-sharp teeth at me.
It wasn’t big, but size didn’t matter. Small ones were often deadlier.
These things usually hunted in packs. If this one was alone, I needed to finish it before others joined.
It crouched even lower. That stance — it was about to pounce. I tightened my grip and held my breath.
“…!”
And then it vanished.
A flash of movement underfoot — I looked down just as its gaping jaws lunged for my throat.
“Ugh!”
I barely raised my arm in time. Its fangs sank deep into my forearm.
Pain registered a second late — my body moved first.
I drove the knife straight into its neck. The sharp tip sliced through hide and muscle, stabbing clean through. A wet, tearing sound echoed sickeningly.
Through the hilt I felt its body convulse, trembling violently. Krrk… grrk. The rasp of metal on bone, then silence. It went limp, like a switch flipped off.
“Haa…”
Only after confirming it was dead did I pull the blade free. The carcass still hung from my arm — its teeth buried too deep to remove.
With no choice, I took off the forearm guard and flung it, monster and all, into the corner of the yard. Rolling up my sleeve, I checked the wound.
It wasn’t deep, but the bite marks were vivid. And this was with armor. Without the combat suit, my arm might’ve been gone.
Wiping the sweat from my brow, I stared at the corpse. I’d struggled more than I liked — guess it’d been too long. Good thing that spar with Vasily had shaken some rust off.
But there was no time to rest. If others caught the scent of blood, they’d come running.
I hurried back inside, gathered the kids, and led them out.
“Ah…!”
They spotted the dead creature in the yard and whimpered, eyes wide. I soothed them, explaining it was dead, and calmed them down enough to move. Just as we were about to leave—
A chill drifted through the wind.
Ah.
My heart dropped.
When I turned, I saw the distant trees icing over fast. A formless blizzard was sweeping toward us.