Awakening of the Weakest Slayer

Sezel and Shiki packed the two bags they had, one was now heavy with water bottles, the other with their meager supply of food. Vesta gently shook Mari awake, and then the four of them melted into the deep, inky shadows of a corner near the grand staircase.

The tension between Sezel and Vesta still fresh, none of them talked much, everything was calm. The quiet was shattered by a desperate cry from the ground floor, followed by the angry clang of metal being thrown against stone. The enemy Slayers had failed to find anything useful.

It was only a matter of time. Soon, their search would lead them upstairs. The four of them pressed themselves deeper into the shadows, their goal not to fight, but to simply be unseen. Hoping to pass by without any conflict, seeing how in Spirit Realm they are bound to get into trouble with the beasts, so better save your energy.

The three Slayers, two young boys and a girl, stomped up the staircase, their faces a display of disappointment. The one in the front whined about something in a foreign tongue, his voice a grating, complaining drone that echoed in the vast, empty space. Sezel's heart pounded a heavy, frantic rhythm against his ribs as he watched the enemy team pass just meters from their hiding place.

But their plan worked. The Slayers, their minds consumed by their own failure, didn't even glance into the shadowy corners around the stairs. As soon as they had passed and reached a safe distance, Sezel and Mari moved first, their steps slow and deliberate, their feet making no sound on the floor as they quickly descended the stairs.

Shiki and Vesta followed, their movements as silent as ghosts. Everything went as smoothly as planned. The dangerous variable, the chance that the other Slayers might turn around, never came into play.

They let out a collective, silent sigh of relief as they slipped out of the mall and back into the clean light of morning. The air outside was lighter and fresher than inside, and even had a strange flowery fragrance. Sezel sniffed the air, his eyes narrowing. 'What is with this sweet scent, it wasn't here last night.'

"Gabriel." Shiki's soft voice pulled him from his thoughts. He was already a few paces ahead. Sezel shook his head, pushing the useless thought aside. He had no time for such trivial mysteries. He continued, falling into step with the others.

The group of four walked deeper into the ruins of the city. After a grueling half-day journey that, miraculously, involved no encounters with monsters, they found a place to rest, the skeletal remains of what looked like it might have once been a café.

While eating his part, Sezel pondered over the thoughts he had collected. There were a few noticeable changes he noticed. First, several buildings in this part of the city were damaged, some broken. It seemed like it was because of some natural disaster like an earthquake. The broken roads in some parts gave testimony to that.

Secondly, everything here seemed wet. Not just damp, but soaked, as if the area had been subjected to a constant, unending flood. The wilderness indicated symptoms of overwatering, and the plants were slowly dying. He hadn't learned about botany in some fancy school; he had learned to be a keen observer in the slums, and his love for the tattered storybooks he found in the scrap heaps had only sharpened that instinct.

"What happened? What is mister thinking about?" Mari's soft voice brought Sezel back from his calculative delusions. He looked at her and managed a small, tired smile.

"Did you eat enough?" he asked, the question that of a guardian to their kin.

Mari nodded, then sat silently beside him, her small presence a strange comfort. Sezel took another bite of his own tasteless sandwich and washed it down with a sip of water. He didn't complain about the food — at least he had some. He wouldn't dare complain about the quality or what type of food he was eating.

After a while, Mari spoke again, her voice a fragile whisper, just loud enough for Sezel to hear. "I sense something… awful here." Her voice trembled. And the moment Sezel heard it, he stopped his meal, shifting his attention to the little girl.

He placed his hand on her head, a protective gesture. "What is it? You can tell me," he spoke, his own voice a near-inaudible murmur.

Mari was silent for a moment, her brow furrowed as if she were trying to find the right words to describe a feeling she couldn't understand. "The sky…" she finally said.

"Yes? What about the sky?"

"The sky has a purple color," she said, her voice low and filled with a dread that made Sezel's own skin crawl. His eyes narrowed.

He collected his thoughts, forcing his own voice to remain calm. "Okay. Is it only here, or is all of the sky purple?"

"It's been like this since we passed that statue," Mari replied.

But the words confused Sezel. 'A statue?' As far as Sezel remembers, he had no recollection of seeing a statue on their way here. Had he missed something so obvious?

He couldn't figure it out on his own. He gulped down the knot of fear in his throat and reassured Mari with a confidence. "Don't worry. I'll do something."

He stood up, took the last bite of his sandwich, and walked over to the table where Shiki and Vesta were eating. Mari followed close behind him. He pulled up a broken chair and placed it at their table, leaning forward, his hands on the table, his chin resting on his knuckles.

He started, his voice dire and serious. "So, we are a team now," he began. "We need to believe in each other."

Shiki nodded immediately, a simple man indeed. But Vesta's gaze lingered on Sezel, the sparks of the conversation still there, but after a while she also nodded.

Sezel sighed heavily before continuing. "Have you felt something weird since we came here?" he asked.

Both Shiki and Vesta pondered the question for a second, then shook their heads in the negative.

"Then… did you see a statue when we were traveling?" Sezel asked, his voice dangerously low, each word carefully chosen.

The reaction was instantaneous and violent. Both of their heads snapped up, their eyes suddenly squinting. "A statue?" they spoke in unison, their voices sharp, almost accusatory, as if he had just spoken an unforgivable blasphemy.