Johnquis stood at the front of the ruined mall by the seaside.
He had one goal.
Face justice.
His eyes swept the shattered entrance. He knew this place—every crack in the walls, every broken floor tile. It was once his shelter. His home. The second floor had collapsed recently. That meant one thing.
Rex was here.
He turned to the Runner standing beside him.
"You know… I believe everything happens for a reason. Like how fate brought us together."
His voice was calm, but there was weight in every word.
"You're the Nemesis. The strongest Eater in this zone. And me? I was the weakest Eater Blade. If I had been stronger back then… maybe we wouldn't have crossed paths. Maybe we'd still be enemies."
He paused. The Runner didn't move.
"But we're both chained, aren't we?"
A faint smile touched his lips.
"Meeting you… was the craziest thing that's ever happened to me. And tonight… whatever happens, happens for a reason."
He fired his hook.
The line shot upward, and he launched to the second floor. The Runner followed close behind.
Up there, the destruction was clear.
Mannequins torn apart. Heads severed clean from bodies. Limbs ripped, torsos cleaved open. A clothing store turned into a slaughterhouse.
Johnquis stared in silence.
"Rex… he's consumed by vengeance."
He stepped out of the ruined store. His hand trembled. He clenched it tight.
"I have to face him. No more hiding. No more running."
He took a deep breath and walked forward.
Johnquis stepped beyond the clothing store. The mall stretched out before him, half-swallowed by nature. Rusted escalators curled. The ceiling had caved in at the far end, letting cold, salty wind pour in from the sea.
He stopped beside a sunken bench. Its cushions were torn, soaked in something dark. Nearby, three skeletal remains leaned against the wall. One still wore a child's hoodie, hanging loosely over brittle ribs. Another clutched a shattered bottle, like it had tried to fight back. The last was just a pile of bones and a melted watch.
Johnquis stared at them.
"…They all wanted to come here. Back at the cathedral… all fourteen of us. The kids used to pass around this wrinkled magazine page. Had this mall printed on it. Shiny, perfect, full of lights and toys. A paradise."
He took a slow step forward, eyes on the empty, collapsed arcade booth with rusted-out claw machines.
"Some of them said they'd buy shoes. Others talked about food courts. There was one girl, Sarah… she swore there'd be a skating rink. Said she'd learn to skate backwards just to impress the others."
He smiled faintly.
"Then there was Jiana. Always the killjoy, saying the mall in the picture was probably long gone. Made the little ones cry. But the funny thing is… one night, while we were sleeping, I found a torn page under her pillow. It was a picture of the carousel from this mall. I looked at her, smiling in her sleep. She was probably dreaming about that carousel."
The Runner moved beside him in silence, head tilted slightly, almost listening.
Johnquis turned toward a carousel, in the middle of the hallway. The horses looks like having fun, smiling with their teeth. It still beautiful even if around it was all in ruins and destroyed.
"This is it. The carousel she kept hidden under her pillow. I bet she stood here just like I am now. Eyes shining, smiling… Just imagining it makes me happy. Because, after we became Eater Blades… she changed. She turned cold. Vengeful. Just like Rex."
He let out a soft breath.
"We all kept believing. Kept calling this place our heaven. Something to look forward to."
His voice dropped.
"But standing here now… it makes me hate that page. Hate how I'm the only one left standing here without them."
He turned to the Runner.
"I'm tired of dreams breaking. Tired of people dying. Tired of pretending like the world will ever get better."
Silence followed. Only the wind answered.
Then Johnquis straightened.
"But I'm not walking away. Not this time. Rex and Lex… they had dreams too. And we're the ones who shattered them."
Johnquis turned his gaze to the rusted escalator ahead. The steps were warped and caked in dried blood, creaking faintly in the wind. Bits of torn suits and skeletons were caught between the rail. Evidence of a battle, long over.
He looked back at the Runner.
"Let's keep going."
Together, they moved toward the base of the escalator. Johnquis stepped on first, his boots grinding metal against metal. Each creak echoed through the hollow mall. The Runner padded silently behind him, a shadow at his back.
Halfway up—
"MOVE!"
A voice tore through the silence.
Something slammed into Johnquis from the side, knocking him clean off the escalator. CLANG!
He crashed onto the marble floor.
Three Eater Blades landed around him, weapons drawn, capes fluttering behind them.
Rex's squad.
One of them, a man gripping a bow, pointed his arrow straight at the Runner.
"Get away from him, monster!"
Another, broad shoulders, thick shield. Glanced down at Johnquis.
"You okay? That thing was right behind you!"
Johnquis sat up, coughing.
"Wait… don't—!"
Too late.
The third, a woman with a long spear. Let out a roar and charged the Runner.
"Let's kill this bastard while we've got the edge—!"
The Runner didn't move.
The spear slammed into its side.
"HAH! GOT HIM!"
The archer fired. The arrow hit the Runner square in the forehead.
"BULLSEYE!"
"NO!!!"
Johnquis screamed. He scrambled to his feet and slipped past the shielded one.
"Hey—where the hell are you going!?"
But before he could reach the Runner.
THWIP!
An arrow struck the floor near his foot.
The bow man snapped:
"One more move, and the next one goes through your skull. This is our feed count."
Johnquis shouted back,
"You don't understand! He wasn't attacking me!"
The spearwoman laughed,
"The fuck are you saying?"
She pulled her weapon from the Runner's side, raising it again.
"Just stay out of it—"
Johnquis rushed forward.
"HEY STOP!"
TWANG!
Another arrow shot through the air, aimed straight at Johnquis.
"I said this Runner is ours, idiot."
The Runner's eyes flicked toward the arrow and in a flash, it moved.