Somewhere wholly different.

  "I can feel my strength returning."

  Nylon opened and closed his hands several times.

  "I thought it was because we used a lot of magic to land, but we were simply being drained constantly."

  Looking around, Nylon frowned.

  "..."

  He listened for any sounds that might help orient them, but after several silent moments, he sighed.

  "Is everyone alright?"

  Facing the three women, Nylon crossed his arms.

  "I'm fine. As you said, I'm slowly recovering the magic I expended."

  "We're fine," Kelsea added with an apologetic smile.

  She was still brooding over the trouble she had caused her sister.

  "Forget about that."

  With a stern expression, Chelsea pinched her sister's right cheek gently between thumb and forefinger.

  "This is not the time to blame yourself. I always knew your heart was softer than mine."

  Lost in thought for a moment, Kelsea finally nodded.

  "Right. You're correct. This isn't the time."

  Smiling warmly, Chelsea let go and turned to Nylon.

  "I know it may be futile to ask, but do you have any idea where we are? Is there any way to contact the others, like Orion did earlier?"

  Taking initiative, the Remnant twin tried to brainstorm options.

  Nylon shifted his posture, the soil beneath his feet cracking faintly.

  "No. As far as I'm aware..."

  He glanced toward Celeste, who had been frantically listening with her beastman senses.

  She shook her head the moment she caught his gaze, her silence highlighting the severity of their isolation.

  "We won’t find anyone soon. Normally, either Celeste or I would hear something—voices, footsteps, anything."

  He pointed behind him with his thumb.

  "In a radius of at least ten kilometers, there’s nothing but salt."

  He ground the crystals underfoot to make his point clearer.

  Around them stretched endless high salt formations, jagged and geometric, with no sign of life in any direction.

  "So we’re..."

  Celeste finished the thought before the speaker could muster the strength.

  "Hopelessly stranded. That’s accurate."

  "We can’t avoid this reality much longer," she continued. "It’s better to accept it and move forward."

  Nylon nodded.

  "We're most likely not here by accident. There could be a reason this group was formed."

  At those words, a cold chill ran down the twins’ spines. Their complexions turned ashen.

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  "S-Salt?"

  Chelsea stared down at the ground with loathing.

  "Why did it take us so long to realize?"

  Noticing the change, Nylon and Celeste exchanged glances but held back, allowing the twins to continue.

  "It’s that... that..."

  Kelsea stammered, unable to articulate her disgust. Chelsea picked up the thread.

  "Yes. That disgusting witch."

  Lifting their heads in perfect sync, the twins glared into the distance. Their rage replaced the pallor on their faces, a rare sight for the normally composed sisters.

  "This is what the world becomes when she’s left unchecked."

  Kelsea surveyed the barren wasteland with cold clarity.

  "Care to elaborate?"

  Nylon finally broke in, needing to understand what they were up against.

  "If you could explain why you think we were brought here, it might help us form a contingency plan," Celeste added, tapping into her experience as a member of Olivia’s maid squad.

  Though the rage in the twins’ eyes wasn’t directed at them, Nylon and Celeste both felt its intensity. It was reminiscent of Orion—vengeance wrapped in purpose.

  "Seraphina... That’s the name of the—"

  "Bitch," Kelsea spat, unable to contain her loathing.

  Both sisters visibly relaxed after the outburst.

  "My apologies. That slipped out."

  She bowed with professional grace.

  "It’s fine. I’ve heard worse," Nylon said with a faint smile, quietly appreciating this glimpse of raw humanity from them who had lived beyond a normal human span.

  Cough.

  Kelsea straightened, resuming her composure.

  "As you know, we Remnants were each changed by one of those beasts. The one who destroyed our city and killed our mother... was Seraphina."

  "A monster like no other," Chelsea added. "It was sickening to even look at."

  They began to describe its form and the terror it brought—retelling the day their world was shattered.

  "Mom! / Mom!"

  "Turn back! Flee as far as you can!"

  Barely in their twenties, the twins had followed the only protector of their city: their mother.

  "Sharon! We can't... the city!"

  A man cried, veiled in complete armor. His limp body was missing an arm, and he sat powerless before the ruins of his home.

  "Flee, you fools! Take my children and get away from here!"

  The Valkyrie screamed at the man, whose tears flowed through his helmet.

  Amid the flames and destruction, a massive, floating pile of flesh with innumerable mouths hovered above the castle tower at the city's center.

  Its malformed wings flapped unevenly, keeping it aloft.

  "Where are you?"

  A sickening woman's voice echoed across the land.

  Turning in Sharon's direction, countless mouths smiled.

  "There you are!"

  Salt dripped from its mouths, covering the castle in thick layers. Within minutes, the added weight caused the walls to collapse.

  Sharon stared at the monster, fear in her eyes—but not fear for herself.

  She glanced over her shoulder at her daughters, fearing for their lives.

  "Trishula!"

  She hurled the name of her weapon and aimed it at the monster.

  Before throwing it, she commanded one of the guards, who could barely stand.

  "You! Take my kids and run! This is all I ask!"

  "Do your damn job and protect them!"

  With tremendous strength, Valkyrie Sharon launched her trident at Seraphina.

  "Bring it on, beast! I'll show you what I'm made of!"

  The moment her weapon made contact, she vanished, reappearing beside it for a last-ditch assault.

  "Mom!"

  "Don't go!"

  The twins tried to reach her, but their visions were suddenly blocked by a guard's armored body.

  He scooped them up and fled, terror in every step.

  The overwhelming grief mirrored Sharon's own.

  Death loomed over the city. Not even their Valkyrie protector could stop it.

  Finally escaping, the guard collapsed, breathless.

  "W-What?"

  They watched in horror as his body turned into salt and crumbled away.

  "A-Aaaah..."

  "No!"

  Unable to bear it, the twins broke down.

  In the distance, one final explosion caught their attention, and the sky returned to its natural blue.

  "Mom!"

  Devastated beyond measure, the twins lost their lives due to the madness settling in their heads, like many others in the city that day.

  "Can you imagine our thoughts when we were brought back to life and realized what we had become?"

  Nylon, his eyes closed, shook his head slowly.

  "Nothing... Our heads were empty."

  "It was terrifying," Chelsea whispered. "Those last emotions of chaos and despair gnawed at our hearts."

  "But they were sealed away. As Remnants, we were made so that despair could never consume us again."

  Kelsea glared at the salt underfoot.

  "If this monster caused all this... If we're in a world ruled by the 'Devourers'..."

  "Then our presence here is no accident," Chelsea concluded, her frown deepening.

  "I don't want to hear her voice again," Chelsea murmured. "I'd rather not."

  Celeste stepped forward.

  "Are you afraid of losing yourself?"

  Chelsea nodded.

  "I understand. There’s nothing I can say to ease that fear," Celeste said. "But maybe... it’s a trial. A chance to recover what you lost."

  The twins lifted their heads abruptly.

  "Recover..."

  "What we lost?"

  Nylon turned his back to them, gazing at the barren horizon.

  "Isn’t our enemy... taking the form of what it devoured last?"

  They blinked, confused—until the meaning struck them.

  "Recovering our mother?!"

  Nylon smiled over his shoulder and nodded.

  "Isn't that perfect?"

  Despite his thin frame, his words carried undeniable weight.

  "Will you two..."

  "Help us?"

  Nylon and Celeste nodded without hesitation.

  "That's why we came here."

  "Let's finish this—and free you from this nightmare."

  The Remnant twins, filled with renewed determination, joined their unlikely allies, ready to move forward.